Upcoming Movies in 2009 (2nd Quarter)

Time for movies up 2nd quarter of the year; and here’s where all the summer movies start popping up…

Btw, movie info and descriptions from IMDB and CinemaOnline. List of movies after the jump.

Dragonball Evolution

Based on the popular Japanese manga created by Akira Toriyama whose work spawned best-selling graphic novels, video games and a phenomenally successful television series, “Dragonball” centres on the heroic Goku, a powerful warrior who protects the Earth from an endless stream of rogues bent on dominating the Universe and controlling the mystical objects from which the film takes its name.

Classification: PG13
Genre: Action
General Release Date: 12 Mar 2009
Running Time: 1 Hour 26 Minutes,
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Cast: James Marsters, Justin Chatwin
Director: James Wong

My thoughts: Well, this one has actually already come out in Malaysia and from what I’ve heard, it’s the sort of movie you go and watch when there isn’t anything else better to watch. Haha. I think Chon Yun Fatt must have had a pretty good time acting as the pervy kung fu teacher though. I’ve read that he played his character pretty well.

X-men Origins: Wolverine

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” goes back to the time before the X-Men trilogy to tell the story of Wolverine’s epically violent and romantic past, including his complex relationship with Victor Creed (who later becomes Sabertooth) and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, he encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends in the X-Men universe.

Classification: NA
Genre: Action / Thriller
General Release Date: 29 Apr 2009
Running Time:
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Cast: Dominic Monaghan, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds
Director: Gavin Hood

My thoughts: If you haven’t seen the trailers I’ve posted on this, go watch it! Definitely a movie for the guys and anyone else who loves action comics brought to life. This was the role that made Hugh Jackman famous and everyone pretty much agrees he makes a good Wolverine. (That image is a little tarnished by him acting in movies like Australia though, hehe.) From the trailers it looks like they have a good supporting cast lined up and well as an interesting plot. Can’t wait for this to come out.

Star Trek

From director J.J. Abrams (“Mission: Impossible III,” “Lost” and “Alias”) and screenwriters Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman (“TRANSFORMERS,” “MI: III”) comes a new vision of the greatest space adventure of all time, “Star Trek,” featuring a young, new crew venturing boldly where no man has gone before. A chronicle of the early days of James T. Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crewmembers.

Classification: U
Genre: Adventure / Science Fiction
General Release Date: 08 May 2009
Running Time:
Distributor: United International Pictures
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Winona Ryder
Director: J.J. Abrams

My thoughts: Epic. That was my impression when I saw the trailer. Star Trek was always about the grand adventure and discovering new, uncharted territories. I think this movie will be no different and will provide and nice grand adventure with a return to well loved characters in the Star Trek universe.

Angels and Demons

Adapted from the novel “Angels and Demons” by Dan Brown, the film follows the story of Robert Langdon, a well-known Harvard symbologist investigating a murder victim, branded with the Illuminati ambigram. Following his investigation, he soon discovers that a cult group is on a trail to murder four cardinals and destroy the St. Peter’s Basilica during a papal gathering.

Classification: NA
Genre: Thriller / Mystery
General Release Date: 14 May 2009
Running Time:
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing International
Cast: Ayelet Zurer, Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgard, Tom Hanks
Director: Ron Howard

My thoughts: I never really watched the first installment: Da Vinci Code. From what I saw it was pretty boring with too much talk and too little action. In my opinion even National Treasure fares better but I might be wrong since I haven’t watched it. I expect this 2nd installment will  be more of the same.

Night At The Museum 2: Escape From The Smithsonian

Ben Stiller returns to the role of the unfortunate night watchman, Larry Daley who continues to encounter the living and breathing museum exhibits. This adventure takes the action to Washington D.C., where things at the Smithsonian aren’t quite as quiet as one might think.

Classification: U
Genre: Action / Comedy
General Release Date: 21 May 2009
Running Time:
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Cast: Amy Adams, Ben Stiller, Bill Hader, Owen Wilson
Director: Shawn Levy

My thoughts: The first one was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t expect much from it and found myself enjoying it. But I don’t have much hope for this follow up because I think it’ll just be more of the same and in terms of comedy, rehashed jokes get worn out really fast. Unless they have an interesting story to tell, I suspect it’ll just be a case of Hollywood trying to cash in on more money again by riding on the success of the first movie.

Terminator: Salvation

Set in 2018, the film focuses on the original war between the human race and the Terminator computer network, Skynet. After destroying almost the entire human race on Earth in a nuclear holocaust, a group of survivors led by John Connor stands up to the war and together they struggle to keep those machines at bay and from completely wiping away the human race.

Classification: NA
Genre: Action / Adventure / Science Fiction
General Release Date: 28 May 2009
Running Time:
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing International
Cast: Anton Yelchin, Bryce Dallas Howard, Christian Bale, Sam Worthington
Director: McG

My thoughts: I didn’t think this movie would amount to much but with a big budget and Christian Bale acting it’s gotten be something right? Well, I’m happy to say that the more I see of the pictures and trailers, the more I think it’ll turn out to be an above average movie. I’d be willing to watch this one in the cinema. This movie has been a long time in the making. I hope it was the right decision to go ahead with it.

Land of the Lost

Based on the 1974 TV series “Land Of The Lost”, this movie is about a forest ranger together with his two children who stumble upon a mysterious land – a land that is almost forgotten and no one really knows about its existence. In his adventures on the lost land, he encounters strange creatures like the reptilian Sleestaks population and also the monkey people.

Classification: U
Genre: Adventure / Comedy / Science Fiction
General Release Date: 05 Jun 2009
Running Time:
Distributor: United International Pictures
Cast: Danny McBride, Jorma Taccone, Landon Ashworth, Will Ferrell
Director: Brad Silberling

My thoughts: The title sounds familiar. I think I might have watched an episode or two on tv before. I don’t really know what to expect from this one. It’s probably a nice family affair kinda movie. Friendly to all ages.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Decepticon forces return to Earth on a mission to take Sam Witwicky prisoner, after the young hero learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. Joining the mission to protect humankind is Optimus Prime, who forms an alliance with international armies for a second epic battle.

Classification: NA
Genre: Action / Adventure / Science Fiction
General Release Date: 26 Jun 2009
Running Time:
Distributor: United International Pictures
Cast: Isabel Lucas, Josh Duhamel, Megan Fox, Shia LaBeouf
Director: Micheal Bay

My thoughts: Honestly? I didn’t like the first one. I doubt I’ll like this one much either. The Transformers just weren’t… what I expected. The movie was like one huge slapstick comedy that WASN”T funny. I know lots of people love it though. I think if you like the first one, you’ll like this one.

Well, that’s it for now. If you’ve watched any of the movies do drop a comment and say what you thought about the movie!

Related articles by Zemanta

• No variety in this list of the summer blockbusters to watch (guardian.co.uk)
• A preview of Hollywood’s spring movies (thestar.com)
• The Spark: Summer Movies Are (Almost) Here! (dir.yahoo.com)
• Most Anticipated Films 2009 – He Said, She Said (themovieblog.com)

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