New Movie Releases for the Weekend of 3.27.09

1) Monster vs. Aliens

- this is the animated feature from Dreamworks after last year’s Kung Fu Panda (I’m forgetting that Madagascar 2 ever existed) so I have high hopes for this movie. Backed by a stellar voice cast, this one’s about a soon to be married woman named Susan who comes in contact with a fallen meteor and ends up growing 50-ft tall. When aliens invade Earth, it’s up to Susan and a motley crew of other monsters, including a genius human cockroach, an indestructible gelatinous blob, a really really big insect and a fish man. Shot entirely in 3D, let’s hope this is the epic battle its name suggests.

2) The Haunting of Connecticut

- another based on a true story Amittyville Horror wannabe, this one’s about a family who move into a new house and slowly find out that it’s haunted, and the ghosts aren’t nice like Casper. The trailer for this movie is a perfect example of why I dislike many modern trailers, since it shows and reveals everything you’re going to get from this movie. The plus side to that is that now I don’t have to see this movie since I’ve already seen the beginning middle and end from the trailer, but yeah, poor marketing. Seriously, enough of the Amityville Horror copycats.

3) 12 Rounds

- this is the new action epic starring the WWE wrestler Jon Cena. This one’s about a detective (played by Cena) whose girlfriend gets kidnapped and must complete 12 challenges in order to save her. Granted Cena’s last film The Marine should’ve gone straight to dvd, but this one looks like mindless fun, and is directed by the guy who brought us Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger. Will this be an action version of the Saw horror franchise? We shall see.

4) The Education of Charlie Banks

- this coming of age story set in the 70’s about a young college student named Charlie who must face problems from his past when an old friend shows up on campus and begins to ingratiate himself in Charlie’s life. This one’s directed by Fred Durst, yes that Fred Durst, and frankly sounds like every other coming of age movie, but reviews appear positive for it. Still as Fred Durst once stated, “it’s my way or the high way” so I’ll probably take the highway on this one.