Feb. 25, 2009
WEEKEND FIRST: Movie Comings and Goings
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Entertainment Editor
Huntington, WV (HNN) – What did you think of this year’s Academy Award telecast? Although the “favorites” took most of the categories, the show itself benefited by creative reinvention. But, as the “favorites” won, that also means that in many cinemas regionally your theatre has been playing one or more of “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Revolutionary Road,” “The Reader,” and “The Wrestler.”
However, Hollywood’s movie release cupboard has become almost barren. This Friday, you better like the Jonas Brothers or video games. On Friday, March 6, the only film that goes wide is “Watchmen.”
But, with the three and four new flicks a week in the burring weather, closed school days, and Monday holidays, several releases have set “grossing” records for the Friday-Monday period. Many of them still have slots on multiplex schedules. Need to find a flick? Check out the charts for one or more that you let pass initially during the weeks of plenty.
If you haven’t caught the (I know the phrase is trite) rags to riches combination Bollywood/Hollywood romantic weaper and feel good champ, “Slumdog Millionaire,” you owe yourself a view. The settings are both exotic and reminders of the cardboard shacks from in “The River’s Edge” local documentary. Thus, they have the greatest impact on a giant screen. See what everyone’s buzzing about.
Alternative: He’s just not that…
Have you felt baffled by convoluted gender speak? Guys, Gals catch “He’s Just Not That Into You” for one explanation of why the meaning of a simple two letter word i.e. “no”, motivates repeated requests and/or an assumption that it means the opposite.
Essentially, “He’s Just Not…” represents a ‘chic’ film that nicely provides the grown-up females that nearly everything ‘mama’ told you about ‘boys’ when you were a ‘girl,’ well, it was just to make you feel good. Once grown, deposit those theories about men in File 13 to avoid countless shredded hearts and frustrated nights.
The story line unfurls an endless parade of troubled relationships or lonely women seeking advice on finding a guy who will call after the first date.
Prior to the sexual revolution when the male and female norms were defined, the insights offered to save face had merit. Once the barriers came down on who calls whom first, last, or at any time in between and the opened door or picking up the check became solely the couple’s decision many of these reverse rules are antiquated. So many of them had roots when women started standing up for themselves and used “I need my space,” “I’m smothered,” or “It’s not you, it’s me” as back off signals.
Now, the guys have been brushed off so often , they have adopted the avoiding a commitment or long term relationship statements in the interest of convenient ways to rub the fairer gender in the face for all those brush offs that were actually a revolt against all the male “I’ll call you” statements that never happened.
Guys, the girls tend to go to these ‘chic’ films in groups or by themselves. Most of you also say, “I can’t understand women.” OK, here’s Lesson One. Want a second one? Try “Confessions of a Shopaholic.” Then, apply a little of the basic female thinking patterns to your girl friend, wife or significant other.
NEW MAINSTREAM
Translation: Unless you are a Jonas Brothers fan, your movie choices are slight for both this week and next week.
JONAS BROTHERS THE 3D CONCERT EXPERIENCE: Here comes all the in-concert screaming fans excitement in a 3D cinema auditorium. Directed by Bruce Hendricks (he did the Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds Concert) , you’ll watch excerpts from the “Burning Up” tour along with behind-the-scenes footage including lots of humor. Shot in Disney Digital 3-D this rockumentary features the unreleased song, “Love Is On Its Way.”
All Pictures © Walt Disney
STREETFIGHTER: LEGEND OF CHUN LI: Although 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the video game, “Streetfighter” has been put on film only one before in the 1994 production which starred Jean-Claude Van Damme. This installment places “Smallville’s” Kristin Kreulk (as fighter Chun-Li) against a one-two-three-four series of formidable opponents.
All Pictures © 20th Century Fox
OLD MAINSTREAM
FIRED UP: It’s time to imitate high school and college putrid and amorous antics in the vein of “Superbad” gross out sex comedy. Here, two high school jocks decide to sneak into the cheerleading camp rather than the football retreat. They are hoping to find lots of pretty gals with whom to fool around. So how do male football players slip into a cheerleader’s camp? Well, there are male cheerleaders, right?
All Pictures © Sony Pictures
MADEA GOES TO JAIL: Tyler Perry sends himself to the big house where Madea meets a prostitute with whom Madea quickly determines to be in need of her own brand of affectionate, caring tough love to better herself. How does eccentric Madea end up in the slammer? Following a high speed chase, she rants off at the judge.
All Pictures © Lion's Gate
UPCOMING
THE WATCHMEN: One of the most anticipated superhero films hits theatres on March 5. In the alternative universe, costumed heroes are considered common. After one retired hero turns up dead, another former hero searches out former colleagues suspecting that someone has put a price on the heads of washed up, retired, and out of shape superheroes.
All Pictures © Warner Brothers
HOLD OVERS:
BRIDAL WARS: Best friends, Kate Hudson and Anna Hathaway become demented rivals when a clerical error schedules their weddings on the same day at the same place and time. Although most of the story occurs in Boston, the majority of the film features New York City settings. Keep your eye on Hudson. She’s a possible award’s contender in “Rachael Getting Married.”
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC: Rebecca (Isla Fisher) has an addiction to shopping in Manhattan and with an apartment full of accessories and clothing, she confronts the consequences of her impulsive purchases --- heavy credit card bills. Instead of finding a job on a fashion mag, “Confessions of a Shopaholic” sticks her in as an advice columnist for a financial periodical in which she tends to turn her fashion fetish into a metaphor for investing. John Cusak, John Goodman, Hugh Dancy, and Krysten Ritter all star.
CORALINE: Having moved from Michigan to Oregon, an eleven year old girl cannot find acceptable friends to replace those left behind. That is until she discovers a secret door that leads down a corridor to an alternate reality that seems better (at first) than her own existence. But her mysterious “other” existence contains danger, which persuades her to head back home.
DEFIANCE: Daniel (James Bond) Craig, Live Schreiber and Jamie Bell play three Jewish brothers who escape the Nazis by hiding in a dense woodland. Realizing the obscurity of the forest, they begin leading other Eastern Europeans to the primitive outdoor surroundings. But the brothers realize they can avenge the deaths of their loved ones by leading thousands of additional Jews to the safety of the woods.
FRIDAY THE 13TH: Just in case you don’t know the story, a man searching for his missing sister around Crystal Lake meets machete wielding hockey mask wearing Jason Voorhees. The woman headed to the secluded spot with a group of college friends. But, as all slashing film vets know, when the opposite sex gets together (or alone) and the light gets dim, well, the killer will intervene before you can say, “I love you.”
GRAN TORINO: Clint Eastwood directs himself in “Gran Torino,” in which an elderly Korean War veteran takes on a neighborhood suffering from an infestation of rival gangs. The Man with No Name, now in his 70s, plays a pacifist Korean War vet living in Detroit. When a troubled Hmong teen tries to steal his prized Gran Torino, the war veteran faces the prejudice, memories, and horrors that he has tried to forget. Buzz has Eastwood as a potential Oscar nomination candidate.
HOTEL FOR DOGS: Two youngsters (Emma Roberts, Jake Austin) find themselves placed in foster care at a location that has a strict no pets policy. Searching frantically for a home for their dog, Friday, the children find an abandoned hotel. They decide it would be a perfect spot not just for Friday but for the city’s other strays.
MILK: Sean Penn, an Academy Award winning actor, takes the title role in a fictional biography of politician and gay activist Harvey Milk. Directed by Gus Van Sant the film the last eight years in Milk’s life. Eventually, he’s the first openly gay man to win an elected office --- the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, where he inspires, makes history and meets tragedy.
MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D: The slasher comes and grabs you in the audience and he tosses weapons in your direction. Will the 3-D re-make have moviegoers ducking for cover? On the Tenth anniversary of a Valentine’s night massacre, Tom (Jensen Ackles) returns to his small hometown only to find that he’s the prime suspect in the unsolved killings. His former gal pal (Jamie King) is the only person believing his innocence.
NEW IN TOWN: Renée Zellweger and Harry Connick, Jr. star as the ambitious Miami executive meets the man of her dreams. She begins reassessing her big city values after accepting a temporary transfer to the middle of nowhere in order to adapt to her new guy’s lifestyle. But how will Zellweger cope when she faces the corporate ladder versus a desired relationship.
PAUL BLART MALL COP: Kevin James , a single suburban father trying to make ends meet, works as the security officer at a New Jersey mall. But no one takes a “mall cop” seriously, that is until Santa’s helpers shut down the megaplex and take hostages, including his daughter and her sweetheart. Now, it’s up to him to rescue his daughter like a real cop.
PUSH: Combine a bit of X Men with “Scanners,” then shake well and cross your fingers. A government agency has transformed American citizens into psychic warriors who can move objects with their mind, see the future, create new realities, and banish enemies without touching them. A second generation telekinetic , Nick (Chris Evans), has dropped out of sight and fled to Hong Kong to avoid following the agencies orders. But a young teen (Dakota Fanning), a clairvoyant, needs help finding Kira, a powerful psychic with the ability to plant thoughts into the minds of others.
THE READER: Set in post World War II Germany, teen Michael Berg is nursed back to health from a bout with scarlet fever by Hanna (Kate Winslet), a woman twice his age. Discovering her penchant for being read to, their passionate relationship unfurls as he reads classics such as “The Odyssey” and “Huck Finn.” Hanna disappears; Michael is heartbroken. Eight years later as a law student observing Nazi war trials, he sees Hanna a defendant in a courtroom. Kate Winslet ( already a winner of the Golden Globe and SAG for Best Supporting Actress) and Ralph Fiennes star in director Stephen (“The Hours”) Daldry's haunting period romance .
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD: Set in the seeming happy days of the 50s, April Wheeler (Kate Winslet, who just picked up two Golden Globes for Best Actress) and her “Titanic” co-star Leonardo DiCaprio tell an incisive story of an American couple asking , can two people break away from ordinary political correctness of their relationship and still remained committed and true to their marriage vows?
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE: Bollywood meets Hollywood as an 18-year-old orphan competes in the Indian version of the television game show , “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” With him but one question from the jackpot, police detain him when the show wraps for the night. The police cannot believe that an orphan from the slums would know the answers to the questions, so he must be cheating. Jamal Malik tells the officers about growing up on the streets with his brother and how encounters with local gangs and a lost love revealed the answer to each of the shows questions.
TAKEN: A former spy (Liam Neeson) traveling through Europe embarks on a frantic quest to rescue his daughter (Maggie Grace) after she is abducted by slave traders in Europe while following U2’s European tour.
UNINVITED: Another Americanization of Asian horror premises in the vein of “the Ring,” “Sixth Sense” and “The Grudge,” Filmmaking duo Thomas and Charles Guard make their feature directorial debuts as the co-directors of this remake of Kim Jee-woon's 2003 Korean film A Tale of Two Sisters. Uninvited (which takes the name of a classic American horror flick from the 40s starring Ray Milland ) tells of a young woman returning home from a mental hospital after her mom’s death. On her first night back, her mom’s ghost comes for a visit.
THE INTERNATIONAL: Here’s a fictional flick of intrigue and spying that could be the most incisive look at the burnt out and crashed international economy. Again, this is fiction. But the Interpol agent (Clive Owen) bonds with an assistant district attorney (Naomi Watts) for a dangerous money odyssey that sends them flying from Berlin to Milan, to Istanbul and back to New York (not necessarily in that order). Tom (“Run Lola Run”) Tykwer directs.
THE UNBORN: On the horror front, “The Unborn” stars Odette Yustman and Gary Oldman as a bearer of ghostly visions and spiritual advisor who learn that Yustman had a twin that did not survive birth. The unborn fetus now haunts his sibling.
THE WRESTLER: Burnt out Randy Robinson (Mickey Rourke) , an 80’s era wrestler, had a heart attack and was told never to enter the ring again. Attempting to start a new life, he works in a deli, moves in with an aging stripper and tries to be a ‘dad’ to her son. Then, his old nemesis wants a rematch. Rourke won the Golden Globe for Best Actor and is deserving of the honor.
Limited Release /Art House Films
ONGOING INTERACTIVE FUN NOW AT 9:45 PM FRIDAYS…
The Rocky Horror Picture Show – Although squirt guns, rice, lighters, and other projectiles are forbidden, you can brush up on your Time Warp dance and check out those character costumes. The long running and cult favorite continues a multiple weekend run at the Cinema with the shadow cast now accompanying the on screen action. Pre Show begins @ 9:45 p.m.
Starting February 27 - March 5
HUNTINGTON, WV
MARQUEE PULLMAN: (Now ALL digital projection) Jonas Brothers 3D Concert Experience 11:50-12:30-2:00-2:40-4:20-4:50-6:30-7:00-8:45-9:10 (*Concert 3D, Seats $15); Street Fighter Legend of Chun Li 12:00-2:20-4:45-7:15-9:45; KIDTOONS: Bob the Builder Skyscrapers, Sat/Sun 11:40 a.m., All seats $3.50; TIME CHANGES: Uninvited 7:00-9:20 only; New in Town 9:40 only; Inkheart 1:40-4:15 only; Hotel for Dogs 11:45-2:15-4:40-7:10 only; ENDS THURSDAY: Twilight, Revolutionary Road, My Bloody Valentine, Defiance; For Full Schedule, click: http://www.marqueecinemas.com/Default.aspx?tabid=584
DISCOUNT CINEMA 4: Regular Engagement(s): $3. After 6 p.m., $2 before 6 p.m. and all day Tuesday, Twilight 4:20-7:05-9:30* (No 9:30 show Feb. 27) ; Special Engagements: $5 (before 6 p.m.; $7 after 6 p.m.: Fired Up 5:25-7:30-9:35, Sat/Sun/Tues Mat. 1:15-3:20; The International, 9:35 only; ; Pink Panther II, 5:20-7:25 , Sat/Sun Mat. 1:10-3:15; Paul Blart Mall Cop, 5:20-7:30-9:40, Sat/Sun Mat. 1:00-3:10; Friday Feb 27, 9:45 only, “Rocky Horror Picture Show” (Interactive Live Performance); ENDS THURSDAY: NONE; For full schedule click and select date: http://www.ourshowtimes.com/cinema/index.html
ASHLAND, KY
CINEMARK CINEMA 10: Slumdog Millionaire 4:15-7:20-10:05, 1:30 Sat/Sun Mat.; TIME CHANGES: The Uninvited 8:00-10:10 ONLY ; Hotel for Dogs 5:15, F/S/S/Mon Mat. 2:30; ENDS THURSDAY: NONE; For full times, http://www.cinemark.com/metropolitan_opera.asp
PHOENIX 10 KYOVA MALL: Confirmed Through Thursday, March 5 only: Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail 2:25-5:05-7:20-9:50, Sat/Sun Mat. 11:40 a.m.; TIME CHANGES: Pink Panther II 11:50 a.m. Sat/Sun; Hotel for Dogs 2:50, 12:25 Sat/Sun Only; Push 5:10-7:45-10:25; ENDS THURSDAY: TBA; Full schedule: http://www.movietickets.com/house_detail.asp?house_id=10480
BECKLEY, WV
GALLERIA CINEMAS: (Now All Digital Projection!): Jonas Brothers 3D Concert Experience 11:50-12:30-2:00-2:40-4:10-4:50-6:30-7:00-8:40-9:10 (Special Event $15); Street Fighter Legend of Chun Li 12:00-2:20-4:45-7:10-9:35; KIDTOONS: Sat/Sun 11:45 a.m. Matinee only, “Bob the Builder Skyscrapers; TIME CHANGES: Reader 1:15-4:00; Push 6:50-9:30; Hotel for Dogs 11:45-2:15-4:45-7:15; Uninvited 9:45 only; New in Town 1:30-9:20 only; Gran Torino 4:00-6:40 only; ENDS THURSDAY: My Bloody Valentine, Bedtime Stories, Unborn ; For full schedule: http://www.marqueecinemas.com/Default.aspx?tabid=680
BLUEFIELD, WV
MERCER MALL: Features/Times To Be Announced; For full schedule, click: http://www.carmike.com/showtimesdetails.aspx?theatrenumber=075503
COMMONS 8 (Marquee Cinemas, Wytheville, Va.): (Now all digital projection!): Jonas Brothers 3D Concert Experience ($15) 4:50-7:00-9:10, Sat/Sun Mat. 12:30-2:40; TIME CHANGES: Hotel for Dogs 4:45 daily, Sat/Sun Mat. 11:55-2:20; Friday the 13th 7:10-9:45; ENDS THURSDAY: Push; For full schedule: http://www.marqueecinemas.com/Default.aspx?tabloid=580
CHARLESTON, WV
MARQUEE SOUTHRIDGE: (Now All Digital Projection!) Jonas Brothers 3D Concert ($15 all seats) 12:30-1:00-2:40-3:10-4:50-5:15-7:00-7:30-9:10-9:40; Street Fighter Legend of Chun Li 12:20-2:45-5:10-7:35-9:55; KIDTOONS: Bob the Builder Skyscrapers, Sat/Sun 11:30 a.m. only; TIME CHANGES: Push 6:55-9:35 only; Reader 1:40-4:25 only; Hotel for Dogs 11:40-2:05-4:30; Gran Torino 7:10-9:55; ENDS THURSDAY: My Bloody Valentine, New in Town; For full schedule click: http://www.marqueecinemas.com/Default.aspx?tabid=583
PARK PLACE STADIUM CINEMAS: Jonas Brothers The 3D Concert Experience, 12:00-1:50-3:40-5:30-7:20-9:20; Slumdog Millionaire 1:15-4:05-7:00-9:30; TIME CHANGES: Pink Panther II 1:05-3:05-5:05-7:05; The International 9:20; ENDS THURSDAY: Uninvited, Push, Gran Torino; For full listing: http://www.ourshowtimes.com/parkplace/index.html
HINTON, WV
RITZ THEATRE: For full schedule, click: http://www.ritzwv.com
HURRICANE, WV
TEAYS VALLEY CINEMA 10: Revolutionary Road 11:05*-1:15-4:00-7:05-9:35; Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail 11:10*-1:10-3:10-5:10-7:10-9:55; Fired Up 11:20*-1:20-3:20-5:20-7:30-9:30; MIDNIGHT SHOWING MAR 5: The Watchmen ; TIME CHANGES: Paul Blart Mall Cop 11:05*-3:20-7:25 only; Pink Panther II 1:10-5:15-9:25 only; International 11:00*-3:15-7:35; Hotel for Dogs 1:10-5;25-9:45; ENDS THURSDAY: Gran Torino; For full schedule click: http://boxoffice.printtixusa.com/allstar/movies?v=2756
LEWISBURG, WV
SENACA SHOWPLACE: He’s Just Not That Into You 3:30-6:30-9:30* F/S/S, 12:30 Sat-Sun Mat. , 4:40-7:30 Mon-Thursday; Gran Torino , 3:45-6:45-9:30* F/S/S, 12:45 Sat/Sun Mat., 4:50-7:20 Mon-Thursday; (*No Sun. Eve. Late Show); ENDS THURSDAY: Friday the 13th, Taken, Hotel for Dogs;
LOGAN, W.VA.
FOUNTAIN PLACE CINEMA 8: Jonas Brothers 3D Concert (Special Event) 5:40-7:30-9:20-11:10* (Feb. 27-Feb 28 only), 12:00-1:50-3:40 Mat. Fri, Sat, & Sun; Slumdog Millionaire 4:05-7:05-9:30, 1:00 F/S/S; TIME CHANGES: NONE; ENDS THURSDAY: Pink Panther II, My Bloody Valentine; For full schedule click: http://www.ourshowtimes.com/fountainplace/index.html
NITRO, WV
Great Escape Nitro 12: http://greatescapetheatres.com or 769-0405
SUMMERSVILLE, WV
NICHOLS SHOWPLACE: Uninvited, 5:00-7:20-9:30* F/S/S, 12:30-2:45 Sat/Sun Mat., 5:10-7:35 Mon-Thurs; Confessions of a Shopaholic, 4:40-7:05-9:35* F/S/S, 11:50-2:15 Sat/Sun Mat., 5:05-7:30 Mon-Thursday; Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail, 4:40-7:10-9:40* Fri-Sun, 11:50-2:15 Sat/Sun Mat., 5:00-7:25 Mon-Thursday; Taken, 5:00-7:15-9:40* Fri-Sun, 12:20-2:40, Sat/Sun/Mon Mat., 5:20-7:40, Monday-Thursday; (* No Sunday Late Showings) ENDS THURSDAY: Gran Torino, He’s Just Not That Into You, Friday the 13th
WELCH, WV
MCDOWELL 3: Friday the 13th 5:00-7:15-9:35*Fri/Sat/Sun, 12:30-2:50 Sat/Sun Mat., 5:15-7:40 Mon-Thursday; Confessions of a Shopaholic 3:30-6:45-9:15 Fri/Sat/Sun, 12:15 Sat/Sun Mat. 5:00-7:25 Mon-Thursday; Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail, 4:30-7:00-9:25*, 11:45-2:10 Sat/Sun Mat., 5:05-7:30 Mon-Thursday; (*No Late Show on Sunday all features); ENDS THURSDAY: Uninvited, Taken
WHEELING, WV
Marquee Highlands 14: (All Digital DLP Projection): Jonas Brothers 3D Concert Experience ($15) 12:30-1:00-2:40-3:10-4:50-5:20-7:00-7:30-9:10-9:40; The Wrestler 12:45-3:45-6:45-9:45; TIME CHANGES: Uninvited 6:45-9:20; Revolutionary Road 1:15-4:00; My Bloody Valentine 3D 9:35 ONLY; Hotel for Dogs 11:40-2:10-4:35-7:00 only; ENDS THURSDAY: Defiance, New In Town, Twilight, Push; For full schedule click: http://www.marqueecinemas.com/Theaters/WestVirginia/Wheeling/tabid/278/Default.aspx
UPCOMING RELEASES (Dates Subject to Change; not all films in all areas)
March 6: All About Steve, Watchmen
March 13: Twelve Rounds, Lovely Bones, Perfect Getaway , Race to witch Mountain, Soloist
March 20: The Box, Duplicity, Fired Up, Knowing
March 27: Accidental Husband, Adventureland, Janky Promoters, Monsters and Aliens
April 3: Ugly Truth, Wolfman
April 10: Hannah Montana The Movie, Dragonball, Case 39, Observe and Report
April 17: Mardi Gras, State of Play, 17 Again, Crank II
April 24: Fighting, Vanilla Gorilla
May 1: Ghost of Girlfriend’s Past, X Men Origins- Wolverine
May 8: My Life in Ruins, Next Day Air, Star Trek, Wild Child
May 15: Angels and Demons, Bruno
May 22: Night at the Museum II: Escape from the Smithsonian, Terminator Salvation
May 29: Drag Me to Hell, Up, Lonely Maiden
· Release dates subject to change; not all films will play in every market and/or every theatre.
Share This Story:
Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
WEEKEND FIRST: Movie Comings and Goings
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Entertainment Editor
Huntington, WV (HNN) – What did you think of this year’s Academy Award telecast? Although the “favorites” took most of the categories, the show itself benefited by creative reinvention. But, as the “favorites” won, that also means that in many cinemas regionally your theatre has been playing one or more of “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Revolutionary Road,” “The Reader,” and “The Wrestler.”
However, Hollywood’s movie release cupboard has become almost barren. This Friday, you better like the Jonas Brothers or video games. On Friday, March 6, the only film that goes wide is “Watchmen.”
But, with the three and four new flicks a week in the burring weather, closed school days, and Monday holidays, several releases have set “grossing” records for the Friday-Monday period. Many of them still have slots on multiplex schedules. Need to find a flick? Check out the charts for one or more that you let pass initially during the weeks of plenty.
If you haven’t caught the (I know the phrase is trite) rags to riches combination Bollywood/Hollywood romantic weaper and feel good champ, “Slumdog Millionaire,” you owe yourself a view. The settings are both exotic and reminders of the cardboard shacks from in “The River’s Edge” local documentary. Thus, they have the greatest impact on a giant screen. See what everyone’s buzzing about.
Alternative: He’s just not that…
Have you felt baffled by convoluted gender speak? Guys, Gals catch “He’s Just Not That Into You” for one explanation of why the meaning of a simple two letter word i.e. “no”, motivates repeated requests and/or an assumption that it means the opposite.
Essentially, “He’s Just Not…” represents a ‘chic’ film that nicely provides the grown-up females that nearly everything ‘mama’ told you about ‘boys’ when you were a ‘girl,’ well, it was just to make you feel good. Once grown, deposit those theories about men in File 13 to avoid countless shredded hearts and frustrated nights.
The story line unfurls an endless parade of troubled relationships or lonely women seeking advice on finding a guy who will call after the first date.
Prior to the sexual revolution when the male and female norms were defined, the insights offered to save face had merit. Once the barriers came down on who calls whom first, last, or at any time in between and the opened door or picking up the check became solely the couple’s decision many of these reverse rules are antiquated. So many of them had roots when women started standing up for themselves and used “I need my space,” “I’m smothered,” or “It’s not you, it’s me” as back off signals.
Now, the guys have been brushed off so often , they have adopted the avoiding a commitment or long term relationship statements in the interest of convenient ways to rub the fairer gender in the face for all those brush offs that were actually a revolt against all the male “I’ll call you” statements that never happened.
Guys, the girls tend to go to these ‘chic’ films in groups or by themselves. Most of you also say, “I can’t understand women.” OK, here’s Lesson One. Want a second one? Try “Confessions of a Shopaholic.” Then, apply a little of the basic female thinking patterns to your girl friend, wife or significant other.
NEW MAINSTREAM
Translation: Unless you are a Jonas Brothers fan, your movie choices are slight for both this week and next week.
JONAS BROTHERS THE 3D CONCERT EXPERIENCE: Here comes all the in-concert screaming fans excitement in a 3D cinema auditorium. Directed by Bruce Hendricks (he did the Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds Concert) , you’ll watch excerpts from the “Burning Up” tour along with behind-the-scenes footage including lots of humor. Shot in Disney Digital 3-D this rockumentary features the unreleased song, “Love Is On Its Way.”
All Pictures © Walt Disney
STREETFIGHTER: LEGEND OF CHUN LI: Although 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the video game, “Streetfighter” has been put on film only one before in the 1994 production which starred Jean-Claude Van Damme. This installment places “Smallville’s” Kristin Kreulk (as fighter Chun-Li) against a one-two-three-four series of formidable opponents.
All Pictures © 20th Century Fox
OLD MAINSTREAM
FIRED UP: It’s time to imitate high school and college putrid and amorous antics in the vein of “Superbad” gross out sex comedy. Here, two high school jocks decide to sneak into the cheerleading camp rather than the football retreat. They are hoping to find lots of pretty gals with whom to fool around. So how do male football players slip into a cheerleader’s camp? Well, there are male cheerleaders, right?
All Pictures © Sony Pictures
MADEA GOES TO JAIL: Tyler Perry sends himself to the big house where Madea meets a prostitute with whom Madea quickly determines to be in need of her own brand of affectionate, caring tough love to better herself. How does eccentric Madea end up in the slammer? Following a high speed chase, she rants off at the judge.
All Pictures © Lion's Gate
UPCOMING
THE WATCHMEN: One of the most anticipated superhero films hits theatres on March 5. In the alternative universe, costumed heroes are considered common. After one retired hero turns up dead, another former hero searches out former colleagues suspecting that someone has put a price on the heads of washed up, retired, and out of shape superheroes.
All Pictures © Warner Brothers
HOLD OVERS:
BRIDAL WARS: Best friends, Kate Hudson and Anna Hathaway become demented rivals when a clerical error schedules their weddings on the same day at the same place and time. Although most of the story occurs in Boston, the majority of the film features New York City settings. Keep your eye on Hudson. She’s a possible award’s contender in “Rachael Getting Married.”
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC: Rebecca (Isla Fisher) has an addiction to shopping in Manhattan and with an apartment full of accessories and clothing, she confronts the consequences of her impulsive purchases --- heavy credit card bills. Instead of finding a job on a fashion mag, “Confessions of a Shopaholic” sticks her in as an advice columnist for a financial periodical in which she tends to turn her fashion fetish into a metaphor for investing. John Cusak, John Goodman, Hugh Dancy, and Krysten Ritter all star.
CORALINE: Having moved from Michigan to Oregon, an eleven year old girl cannot find acceptable friends to replace those left behind. That is until she discovers a secret door that leads down a corridor to an alternate reality that seems better (at first) than her own existence. But her mysterious “other” existence contains danger, which persuades her to head back home.
DEFIANCE: Daniel (James Bond) Craig, Live Schreiber and Jamie Bell play three Jewish brothers who escape the Nazis by hiding in a dense woodland. Realizing the obscurity of the forest, they begin leading other Eastern Europeans to the primitive outdoor surroundings. But the brothers realize they can avenge the deaths of their loved ones by leading thousands of additional Jews to the safety of the woods.
FRIDAY THE 13TH: Just in case you don’t know the story, a man searching for his missing sister around Crystal Lake meets machete wielding hockey mask wearing Jason Voorhees. The woman headed to the secluded spot with a group of college friends. But, as all slashing film vets know, when the opposite sex gets together (or alone) and the light gets dim, well, the killer will intervene before you can say, “I love you.”
GRAN TORINO: Clint Eastwood directs himself in “Gran Torino,” in which an elderly Korean War veteran takes on a neighborhood suffering from an infestation of rival gangs. The Man with No Name, now in his 70s, plays a pacifist Korean War vet living in Detroit. When a troubled Hmong teen tries to steal his prized Gran Torino, the war veteran faces the prejudice, memories, and horrors that he has tried to forget. Buzz has Eastwood as a potential Oscar nomination candidate.
HOTEL FOR DOGS: Two youngsters (Emma Roberts, Jake Austin) find themselves placed in foster care at a location that has a strict no pets policy. Searching frantically for a home for their dog, Friday, the children find an abandoned hotel. They decide it would be a perfect spot not just for Friday but for the city’s other strays.
MILK: Sean Penn, an Academy Award winning actor, takes the title role in a fictional biography of politician and gay activist Harvey Milk. Directed by Gus Van Sant the film the last eight years in Milk’s life. Eventually, he’s the first openly gay man to win an elected office --- the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, where he inspires, makes history and meets tragedy.
MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D: The slasher comes and grabs you in the audience and he tosses weapons in your direction. Will the 3-D re-make have moviegoers ducking for cover? On the Tenth anniversary of a Valentine’s night massacre, Tom (Jensen Ackles) returns to his small hometown only to find that he’s the prime suspect in the unsolved killings. His former gal pal (Jamie King) is the only person believing his innocence.
NEW IN TOWN: Renée Zellweger and Harry Connick, Jr. star as the ambitious Miami executive meets the man of her dreams. She begins reassessing her big city values after accepting a temporary transfer to the middle of nowhere in order to adapt to her new guy’s lifestyle. But how will Zellweger cope when she faces the corporate ladder versus a desired relationship.
PAUL BLART MALL COP: Kevin James , a single suburban father trying to make ends meet, works as the security officer at a New Jersey mall. But no one takes a “mall cop” seriously, that is until Santa’s helpers shut down the megaplex and take hostages, including his daughter and her sweetheart. Now, it’s up to him to rescue his daughter like a real cop.
PUSH: Combine a bit of X Men with “Scanners,” then shake well and cross your fingers. A government agency has transformed American citizens into psychic warriors who can move objects with their mind, see the future, create new realities, and banish enemies without touching them. A second generation telekinetic , Nick (Chris Evans), has dropped out of sight and fled to Hong Kong to avoid following the agencies orders. But a young teen (Dakota Fanning), a clairvoyant, needs help finding Kira, a powerful psychic with the ability to plant thoughts into the minds of others.
THE READER: Set in post World War II Germany, teen Michael Berg is nursed back to health from a bout with scarlet fever by Hanna (Kate Winslet), a woman twice his age. Discovering her penchant for being read to, their passionate relationship unfurls as he reads classics such as “The Odyssey” and “Huck Finn.” Hanna disappears; Michael is heartbroken. Eight years later as a law student observing Nazi war trials, he sees Hanna a defendant in a courtroom. Kate Winslet ( already a winner of the Golden Globe and SAG for Best Supporting Actress) and Ralph Fiennes star in director Stephen (“The Hours”) Daldry's haunting period romance .
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD: Set in the seeming happy days of the 50s, April Wheeler (Kate Winslet, who just picked up two Golden Globes for Best Actress) and her “Titanic” co-star Leonardo DiCaprio tell an incisive story of an American couple asking , can two people break away from ordinary political correctness of their relationship and still remained committed and true to their marriage vows?
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE: Bollywood meets Hollywood as an 18-year-old orphan competes in the Indian version of the television game show , “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” With him but one question from the jackpot, police detain him when the show wraps for the night. The police cannot believe that an orphan from the slums would know the answers to the questions, so he must be cheating. Jamal Malik tells the officers about growing up on the streets with his brother and how encounters with local gangs and a lost love revealed the answer to each of the shows questions.
TAKEN: A former spy (Liam Neeson) traveling through Europe embarks on a frantic quest to rescue his daughter (Maggie Grace) after she is abducted by slave traders in Europe while following U2’s European tour.
UNINVITED: Another Americanization of Asian horror premises in the vein of “the Ring,” “Sixth Sense” and “The Grudge,” Filmmaking duo Thomas and Charles Guard make their feature directorial debuts as the co-directors of this remake of Kim Jee-woon's 2003 Korean film A Tale of Two Sisters. Uninvited (which takes the name of a classic American horror flick from the 40s starring Ray Milland ) tells of a young woman returning home from a mental hospital after her mom’s death. On her first night back, her mom’s ghost comes for a visit.
THE INTERNATIONAL: Here’s a fictional flick of intrigue and spying that could be the most incisive look at the burnt out and crashed international economy. Again, this is fiction. But the Interpol agent (Clive Owen) bonds with an assistant district attorney (Naomi Watts) for a dangerous money odyssey that sends them flying from Berlin to Milan, to Istanbul and back to New York (not necessarily in that order). Tom (“Run Lola Run”) Tykwer directs.
THE UNBORN: On the horror front, “The Unborn” stars Odette Yustman and Gary Oldman as a bearer of ghostly visions and spiritual advisor who learn that Yustman had a twin that did not survive birth. The unborn fetus now haunts his sibling.
THE WRESTLER: Burnt out Randy Robinson (Mickey Rourke) , an 80’s era wrestler, had a heart attack and was told never to enter the ring again. Attempting to start a new life, he works in a deli, moves in with an aging stripper and tries to be a ‘dad’ to her son. Then, his old nemesis wants a rematch. Rourke won the Golden Globe for Best Actor and is deserving of the honor.
Limited Release /Art House Films
ONGOING INTERACTIVE FUN NOW AT 9:45 PM FRIDAYS…
The Rocky Horror Picture Show – Although squirt guns, rice, lighters, and other projectiles are forbidden, you can brush up on your Time Warp dance and check out those character costumes. The long running and cult favorite continues a multiple weekend run at the Cinema with the shadow cast now accompanying the on screen action. Pre Show begins @ 9:45 p.m.
Starting February 27 - March 5
HUNTINGTON, WV
MARQUEE PULLMAN: (Now ALL digital projection) Jonas Brothers 3D Concert Experience 11:50-12:30-2:00-2:40-4:20-4:50-6:30-7:00-8:45-9:10 (*Concert 3D, Seats $15); Street Fighter Legend of Chun Li 12:00-2:20-4:45-7:15-9:45; KIDTOONS: Bob the Builder Skyscrapers, Sat/Sun 11:40 a.m., All seats $3.50; TIME CHANGES: Uninvited 7:00-9:20 only; New in Town 9:40 only; Inkheart 1:40-4:15 only; Hotel for Dogs 11:45-2:15-4:40-7:10 only; ENDS THURSDAY: Twilight, Revolutionary Road, My Bloody Valentine, Defiance; For Full Schedule, click: http://www.marqueecinemas.com/Default.aspx?tabid=584
DISCOUNT CINEMA 4: Regular Engagement(s): $3. After 6 p.m., $2 before 6 p.m. and all day Tuesday, Twilight 4:20-7:05-9:30* (No 9:30 show Feb. 27) ; Special Engagements: $5 (before 6 p.m.; $7 after 6 p.m.: Fired Up 5:25-7:30-9:35, Sat/Sun/Tues Mat. 1:15-3:20; The International, 9:35 only; ; Pink Panther II, 5:20-7:25 , Sat/Sun Mat. 1:10-3:15; Paul Blart Mall Cop, 5:20-7:30-9:40, Sat/Sun Mat. 1:00-3:10; Friday Feb 27, 9:45 only, “Rocky Horror Picture Show” (Interactive Live Performance); ENDS THURSDAY: NONE; For full schedule click and select date: http://www.ourshowtimes.com/cinema/index.html
ASHLAND, KY
CINEMARK CINEMA 10: Slumdog Millionaire 4:15-7:20-10:05, 1:30 Sat/Sun Mat.; TIME CHANGES: The Uninvited 8:00-10:10 ONLY ; Hotel for Dogs 5:15, F/S/S/Mon Mat. 2:30; ENDS THURSDAY: NONE; For full times, http://www.cinemark.com/metropolitan_opera.asp
PHOENIX 10 KYOVA MALL: Confirmed Through Thursday, March 5 only: Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail 2:25-5:05-7:20-9:50, Sat/Sun Mat. 11:40 a.m.; TIME CHANGES: Pink Panther II 11:50 a.m. Sat/Sun; Hotel for Dogs 2:50, 12:25 Sat/Sun Only; Push 5:10-7:45-10:25; ENDS THURSDAY: TBA; Full schedule: http://www.movietickets.com/house_detail.asp?house_id=10480
BECKLEY, WV
GALLERIA CINEMAS: (Now All Digital Projection!): Jonas Brothers 3D Concert Experience 11:50-12:30-2:00-2:40-4:10-4:50-6:30-7:00-8:40-9:10 (Special Event $15); Street Fighter Legend of Chun Li 12:00-2:20-4:45-7:10-9:35; KIDTOONS: Sat/Sun 11:45 a.m. Matinee only, “Bob the Builder Skyscrapers; TIME CHANGES: Reader 1:15-4:00; Push 6:50-9:30; Hotel for Dogs 11:45-2:15-4:45-7:15; Uninvited 9:45 only; New in Town 1:30-9:20 only; Gran Torino 4:00-6:40 only; ENDS THURSDAY: My Bloody Valentine, Bedtime Stories, Unborn ; For full schedule: http://www.marqueecinemas.com/Default.aspx?tabid=680
BLUEFIELD, WV
MERCER MALL: Features/Times To Be Announced; For full schedule, click: http://www.carmike.com/showtimesdetails.aspx?theatrenumber=075503
COMMONS 8 (Marquee Cinemas, Wytheville, Va.): (Now all digital projection!): Jonas Brothers 3D Concert Experience ($15) 4:50-7:00-9:10, Sat/Sun Mat. 12:30-2:40; TIME CHANGES: Hotel for Dogs 4:45 daily, Sat/Sun Mat. 11:55-2:20; Friday the 13th 7:10-9:45; ENDS THURSDAY: Push; For full schedule: http://www.marqueecinemas.com/Default.aspx?tabloid=580
CHARLESTON, WV
MARQUEE SOUTHRIDGE: (Now All Digital Projection!) Jonas Brothers 3D Concert ($15 all seats) 12:30-1:00-2:40-3:10-4:50-5:15-7:00-7:30-9:10-9:40; Street Fighter Legend of Chun Li 12:20-2:45-5:10-7:35-9:55; KIDTOONS: Bob the Builder Skyscrapers, Sat/Sun 11:30 a.m. only; TIME CHANGES: Push 6:55-9:35 only; Reader 1:40-4:25 only; Hotel for Dogs 11:40-2:05-4:30; Gran Torino 7:10-9:55; ENDS THURSDAY: My Bloody Valentine, New in Town; For full schedule click: http://www.marqueecinemas.com/Default.aspx?tabid=583
PARK PLACE STADIUM CINEMAS: Jonas Brothers The 3D Concert Experience, 12:00-1:50-3:40-5:30-7:20-9:20; Slumdog Millionaire 1:15-4:05-7:00-9:30; TIME CHANGES: Pink Panther II 1:05-3:05-5:05-7:05; The International 9:20; ENDS THURSDAY: Uninvited, Push, Gran Torino; For full listing: http://www.ourshowtimes.com/parkplace/index.html
HINTON, WV
RITZ THEATRE: For full schedule, click: http://www.ritzwv.com
HURRICANE, WV
TEAYS VALLEY CINEMA 10: Revolutionary Road 11:05*-1:15-4:00-7:05-9:35; Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail 11:10*-1:10-3:10-5:10-7:10-9:55; Fired Up 11:20*-1:20-3:20-5:20-7:30-9:30; MIDNIGHT SHOWING MAR 5: The Watchmen ; TIME CHANGES: Paul Blart Mall Cop 11:05*-3:20-7:25 only; Pink Panther II 1:10-5:15-9:25 only; International 11:00*-3:15-7:35; Hotel for Dogs 1:10-5;25-9:45; ENDS THURSDAY: Gran Torino; For full schedule click: http://boxoffice.printtixusa.com/allstar/movies?v=2756
LEWISBURG, WV
SENACA SHOWPLACE: He’s Just Not That Into You 3:30-6:30-9:30* F/S/S, 12:30 Sat-Sun Mat. , 4:40-7:30 Mon-Thursday; Gran Torino , 3:45-6:45-9:30* F/S/S, 12:45 Sat/Sun Mat., 4:50-7:20 Mon-Thursday; (*No Sun. Eve. Late Show); ENDS THURSDAY: Friday the 13th, Taken, Hotel for Dogs;
LOGAN, W.VA.
FOUNTAIN PLACE CINEMA 8: Jonas Brothers 3D Concert (Special Event) 5:40-7:30-9:20-11:10* (Feb. 27-Feb 28 only), 12:00-1:50-3:40 Mat. Fri, Sat, & Sun; Slumdog Millionaire 4:05-7:05-9:30, 1:00 F/S/S; TIME CHANGES: NONE; ENDS THURSDAY: Pink Panther II, My Bloody Valentine; For full schedule click: http://www.ourshowtimes.com/fountainplace/index.html
NITRO, WV
Great Escape Nitro 12: http://greatescapetheatres.com or 769-0405
SUMMERSVILLE, WV
NICHOLS SHOWPLACE: Uninvited, 5:00-7:20-9:30* F/S/S, 12:30-2:45 Sat/Sun Mat., 5:10-7:35 Mon-Thurs; Confessions of a Shopaholic, 4:40-7:05-9:35* F/S/S, 11:50-2:15 Sat/Sun Mat., 5:05-7:30 Mon-Thursday; Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail, 4:40-7:10-9:40* Fri-Sun, 11:50-2:15 Sat/Sun Mat., 5:00-7:25 Mon-Thursday; Taken, 5:00-7:15-9:40* Fri-Sun, 12:20-2:40, Sat/Sun/Mon Mat., 5:20-7:40, Monday-Thursday; (* No Sunday Late Showings) ENDS THURSDAY: Gran Torino, He’s Just Not That Into You, Friday the 13th
WELCH, WV
MCDOWELL 3: Friday the 13th 5:00-7:15-9:35*Fri/Sat/Sun, 12:30-2:50 Sat/Sun Mat., 5:15-7:40 Mon-Thursday; Confessions of a Shopaholic 3:30-6:45-9:15 Fri/Sat/Sun, 12:15 Sat/Sun Mat. 5:00-7:25 Mon-Thursday; Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail, 4:30-7:00-9:25*, 11:45-2:10 Sat/Sun Mat., 5:05-7:30 Mon-Thursday; (*No Late Show on Sunday all features); ENDS THURSDAY: Uninvited, Taken
WHEELING, WV
Marquee Highlands 14: (All Digital DLP Projection): Jonas Brothers 3D Concert Experience ($15) 12:30-1:00-2:40-3:10-4:50-5:20-7:00-7:30-9:10-9:40; The Wrestler 12:45-3:45-6:45-9:45; TIME CHANGES: Uninvited 6:45-9:20; Revolutionary Road 1:15-4:00; My Bloody Valentine 3D 9:35 ONLY; Hotel for Dogs 11:40-2:10-4:35-7:00 only; ENDS THURSDAY: Defiance, New In Town, Twilight, Push; For full schedule click: http://www.marqueecinemas.com/Theaters/WestVirginia/Wheeling/tabid/278/Default.aspx
UPCOMING RELEASES (Dates Subject to Change; not all films in all areas)
March 6: All About Steve, Watchmen
March 13: Twelve Rounds, Lovely Bones, Perfect Getaway , Race to witch Mountain, Soloist
March 20: The Box, Duplicity, Fired Up, Knowing
March 27: Accidental Husband, Adventureland, Janky Promoters, Monsters and Aliens
April 3: Ugly Truth, Wolfman
April 10: Hannah Montana The Movie, Dragonball, Case 39, Observe and Report
April 17: Mardi Gras, State of Play, 17 Again, Crank II
April 24: Fighting, Vanilla Gorilla
May 1: Ghost of Girlfriend’s Past, X Men Origins- Wolverine
May 8: My Life in Ruins, Next Day Air, Star Trek, Wild Child
May 15: Angels and Demons, Bruno
May 22: Night at the Museum II: Escape from the Smithsonian, Terminator Salvation
May 29: Drag Me to Hell, Up, Lonely Maiden
· Release dates subject to change; not all films will play in every market and/or every theatre.
Share This Story:
Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
