In “Freshman Orientation,” a typical Midwestern 18 year-old freshman at a large state university eager to delve into the college party life, instead discovers that school is not the beer-driven, sexual fantasy of his imagination. Determined to do anything to obtain the girl of his dreams (a gorgeous but reluctant sorority girl), he decides to adopt a gay identity in order to insinuate himself in her life. This casual charade, however, quickly lands him in a morass of campus activism, gender warfare, fraternity hazes, sorority torture, “coming out” narratives, political martyrdom, and ultimately, a university-wide meltdown.
STARRING: Sam Huntington, Marla Sokoloff, Mike Erwin, Heather Matarazzo, Kaitlin Doubleday, Bryce Johnson, Judy Tylor, John Goodman, Rachel Dratch
DIRECTOR: Ryan Shiraki
STUDIO: Regent Releasing
RATING: R (For strong sexual content, language, drug use)
Rowan Atkinson returns to the iconic role that made him an international star in “Mr. Bean’s Holiday.” In his latest misadventure, Mr. Bean - the nearly wordless misfit who seems to be followed by a trail of pratfalls and hijinks - goes on holiday to the French Riviera and becomes ensnared in a European adventure of cinematic proportions.
Tired of the dreary, wet London weather, Bean packs up his suitcase and camcorder to head to Cannes for some sun on the beach. Ah…vacation. But his trip doesn’t go as smoothly as he had hoped when the bumbling Bean falls face first into a series of mishaps and fortunate coincidences, far-fetched enough to make his own avant-garde film.
Wrongly thought to be both kidnapper and acclaimed filmmaker, he has some serious explaining to do after wreaking havoc across the French countryside and arriving at his vacation spot with a Romanian filmmaker’s precocious son and an aspiring actress in tow. Will Bean be arrested by the gendarmes or end up winning the Palme d’Or? It’s all caught on camera as Atkinson again applies his awkward athleticism to a comedy of errors - “Mr. Bean’s Holiday.”
STARRING: Rowan Atkinson, Willem Dafoe, Emma de Caunes, Jean Rochefort
DIRECTOR: Steve Bendelack
STUDIO: Universal Pictures
“Bratz Movie” - The highly popular dolls Bratz finally come alive in “Bratz Movie,” the first live action feature film based on the chic fashion dolls. As the Bratz navigate their way through this story, we will see how the four young women represent honestly, camaraderie and most importantly friendship. As long as they can remember, Yasmin (Nathalia Ramos), Jade (Janel Parrish), Sasha (Logan Browning) and Cloe (Skyler Shaye) have been “BFF” - Best Friends Forever. Inseparable since they first met, the young girls have always supported each other’s individual personalities, talents and fabulous fashion styles. But now as the foursome enter Carry Nation High, Yasmin, Jade, Sasha and Cloe face a brand new world: a blackboard jungle, where for the first time they discover life as a teenager means dealing with a system of social cliques, all strictly enforced by senior Meredith Baxter Dimly. Finding themselves being pulled further and further apart, the girls band together and rise up as “the Bratz” to fight peer pressure, in turn learning how true empowerment means standing up for your friends, being true to oneself and living out one’s dreams & aspirations - “Bratz Movie.”
STARRING: Chelsea Staub, Anneliese van der Pol, Malese Jow, Stephan Lunsford, Jon Voight
DIRECTOR: Sean McNamara
STUDIO: Lionsgate Films
RATING: PG (For mild language)
“Daddy Day Camp” - This hilarious sequel to the smash hit Daddy Day Care finds dads Charlie Hinton and Phil Ryerson (Cuba Gooding Jr., Paul Rae) in another kid-harried adventure as they take over running a summer day camp. Armed with no knowledge of the great outdoors, a dilapidated facility, and a motley group of campers, it doesn’t take long before things get out of control. Up against threats of foreclosure and declining enrollment Charlie is forced to call on his estranged father, Col Buck Hinton (Richard Gant) to help bring the camp together and teach everyone about teamwork, perseverance and the power of forgiveness.
What makes “Daddy Day Camp” unique? Well, for one, Eddie Murphy is absent in the sequel, (Cuba Gooding, in another dreadful role, steps in as the token negroe daddy), but the director of the film is none other than Fred Savage. You remember him as the loveable geek on “The Wonder Years.”
STARRING: Cuba Gooding Jr., Paul Rae, Lochlyn Munro, Richard Gant
DIRECTOR: Fred Savage
STUDIO: Columbia Pictures
RATING: PG (For mild language)
“No Reservations” - Master chef Kate Armstrong (Catherine Zeta-Jones) lives her life like she runs her kitchen at a trendy Manhattan eatery-with a no-nonsense intensity that both captivates and intimidates everyone around her. Kate’s perfectionist nature is put to the test when she “inherits” her nine-year-old niece Zoe (Abigail Breslin), while contending with a brash new sous-chef who joins her staff. High-spirited and freewheeling, Nick Palmer (Aaron Eckhart) couldn’t be more different from Kate, yet the chemistry between them is undeniable. Rivalry becomes romance, but Kate will have to learn to express herself beyond the realm of her kitchen if she wants to connect with Zoe and find true happiness with Nick.
STARRING: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin, Patricia Clarkson, Jenny Wade, Lily Rabe
DIRECTOR: Scott Hicks
STUDIO: Warner Bros.
RATING: PG (For some sensuality and language)
When a rap mogul from Atlanta tries to join a conservative country club in the Carolinas he runs into fierce opposition from the board President - but it’s nothing that he and his entourage can’t handle. Did we mention that we love Sherri Shepherd? Remember her as Robert’s partner on “Everybody Loves Raymond?” And as a recurring guest host on The View? She’s fat, black, sasssy and beautiful!
STARRING: Big Boi, Jeffrey Jones, Susan Ward, Sherri Shepherd
DIRECTOR: Don Michael Paul
STUDIO: MGM
RATING: PG-13 (For crude and sexual content, some nudity, language and drug material)
n “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” Harry returns for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts and discovers that much of the wizarding community is in denial about the teenager’s recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort, preferring to turn a blind eye to the news that Voldemort has returned. Fearing that Hogwarts’ venerable Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is lying about Voldemort’s return in order to undermine his power and take his job, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, appoints a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to keep watch over Dumbledore and the Hogwarts students. But Professor Dolores Umbridge’s Ministry-approved course of defensive magic leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared to defend themselves against the dark forces threatening them and the entire wizarding community, so at the prompting of his friends Hermione and Ron, Harry takes matters into his own hands. Meeting secretly with a small group of students who name themselves “Dumbledore’s Army,” Harry teaches them how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts, preparing the courageous young wizards for the extraordinary battle that lies ahead - “Harry Potter And The Order of the Phoenix.”
STARRING: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Imelda Staunton, George Harris, Helena Bonham Carter, Natalia Tena, Kathryn Hunter, Evanna Lynch, Gary Oldman, Harry Melling, Richard Griffiths, Fiona Shaw, Sian Thomas, Jason Boyd, Richard Macklin, Charles Hughes, Susie Shinner, Auror Dawlish, Nick Shim, Ralph Fiennes, Apple Brook, James Walters, James Utechin, Alec Hopkins, Jason Piper
DIRECTOR: David Yates
STUDIO: Warner Bros.
RATING: PG-13 (For intense action sequences, mild language)
After taking audiences on incredible journeys to the worlds of cars, superheroes, fish and toys, only the amazing storytellers at Pixar Animation Studios (”Cars,” “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles”) could create an entirely new and original world where the unthinkable combination of 5-star restaurants and rats come together for the ultimate fish-out-of-water tale.
In the new animated-adventure, “Ratatouille,” a rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great French chef despite his family’s wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. When fate places Remy in the sewers of Paris, he finds himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau. Despite the apparent dangers of being an unlikely - and certainly unwanted - visitor in the kitchen of a fine French restaurant, Remy’s passion for cooking soon sets into motion a hilarious and exciting rat race that turns the culinary world of Paris upside down.
Remy finds himself torn between his calling and passion in life or returning forever to his previous existence as a rat. He learns the truth about friendship, family and having no choice but to be who he really is, a rat who wants to be a chef - “Ratatouille.”
STARRING The Voices of: Patton Oswalt, Brian Dennehy, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo, Ian Holm
DIRECTOR: Brad Bird
STUDIO: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios
RATING: G
For generations of fans worldwide, the name Nancy Drew is synonymous with adventure. This young amateur detective has a mind of her own, a passion for solving mysteries and a reputation for getting into—and out of—some very tricky situations. This summer, “Nancy Drew” brings the timeless heroine to Los Angeles, where she is faced with a fresh set of challenges and her most baffling case yet. Emma Roberts, niece of Oscar winner Julia, stars as the resourceful teen detective, who leaves her friendly hometown of River Heights for the West Coast and enrolls at Hollywood High School. There, her unique personal style immediately sets her apart from her self-absorbed, fast-living peers, especially reigning fashionistas Inga and Trish, who can’t quite figure her out but know that everything about her is different—from her super-smarts and retro manners to her perfect picnic lunches and penny loafers. Their less-than-warm reception might bother the average new girl in town, but not Nancy. She has more important things to think about—namely, a brand new mystery. Even though she promised her worried Dad (Tate Donovan as Carson Drew) that she’d quit the “sleuthing” business, it isn’t long before Nancy gets a lead on one of the greatest unsolved cases of all time: the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of famous actress Dehlia Draycott. It happens that the Drews are staying in the former Draycott mansion, long reputed to be haunted and now a site where some very strange things have been happening. How could she resist?
STARRING: Emma Roberts, Josh Flitter, Max Thieriot, Rachael Leigh Cook, Tate Donovan
DIRECTOR: Andrew Fleming
STUDIO: Warner Bros.
RATING: PG (For mild violence, thematic elements and brief language)
When Shrek married Princess Fiona, becoming the next King and Queen of Far, Far Away wasn’t part of the plan. So when his father-in-law, King Harold, falls ill, it is up to Shrek to find a suitable heir or he will be forced to give up his beloved swamp for the throne. Recruiting Donkey and Puss In Boots for a new quest, Shrek sets out to bring back the rightful heir to the throne, Fiona’s rebellious cousin Artie. Back in Far, Far Away, Fiona’s jilted Prince Charming storms the city with an army of fairy tale villains to seize the throne. But they have a surprise in store because Fiona, together with her mother, Queen Lillian, has drafted her fellow fairy tale heroines to defend their “happily ever afters.” As Shrek, Donkey and Puss work on changing Artie from a royal pain in the you-know-what into a future king, Fiona and her band of princesses must stop Prince Charming to ensure there will be a kingdom left to rule - “SHREK 3″
STARRING THE VOICES OF: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Justin Timberlake, Eric Idle, John Krasinski, Cheri Oteri, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Amy Sedaris, Ian McShane
DIRECTORS: Raman Hui and Chris Miller
STUDIO: Dreamworks Animation
RATING: PG (For crude jokes and language)
