What movie do you want to see this weekend? Jan. 9th

2009 is here and we have yet to see a new release for the year, but now the wait is over. Nine days into the new year and we have three new movies coming to theaters and four movie that are going to expand into more theaters including Gran Torino which if you have not seen should go at the top of your list. Also expanding is Che which I have heard nothing but good things about so I will make an effort to watch it if by expanding means it will make it to a theater near me. Other than that The Unborn open up which is a horror film I have been looking forward to watching. Here are the first movie releases of 2009.

Bride Wars

Cast: Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Kristen Johnston

Liv (Kate Hudson) and Emma (Anne Hathaway) are best friends until they find out that they are both getting married on the same day. Can these two Bridezillas get beyond this and save their friendship?



Oh yeah. I won't be seeing this movie. Or will I? My wife wants to see it.

The Unborn

Cast: Odette Yustman, Gary Oldman, Cam Gigandet

Casey Bell (Odette Yustman) hated her mother for leaving her as a child. But when inexplicable things start to happen, Casey begins to understand why she left. Plagued by merciless dreams and a tortured ghost that haunts her waking hours, she must turn to the only spiritual advisor, Sendak (Gary Oldman), who can make it stop.

With Sendak's help, Casey uncovers the source of a family curse dating back to Nazi Germany—a creature with the ability to inhabit anyone or anything that is getting stronger with each possession. With the curse unleashed, her only chance at survival is to shut a doorway from beyond our world that has been pried open by someone who was never born.



I hope to hit up the midnight show for this one. Burbank AMC 16 See you there?

Not Easily Broken

Cast: Morris Chestnut, Taraji P. Henson, Maeve Quinlan

New York Times bestselling author T. D. Jakes pens a powerful tale of a couple's attempt to survive a car accident, a fractured marriage, and the ultimate temptation. After years of disagreeing on what true happiness, success, and love really are, Dave and Clarice Johnson have finally reached a breaking point in their marriage. When Clarice is hurt in a car accident, the obvious truth that more than just her injuries need immediate attention is exposed. Their odds of making it worsen as Clarice begins to see a physical therapist, and Dave develops a friendship with her and her teenage son. The acceptance and comfort he finds in them stirs his longing for a family and a passionate partner. As temptation tugs at Dave and Clarice pulls farther away, they must confront whether their vows are or are Not Easily Broken.



This movie looks pretty heavy. I will most likely rent it.

Gran Torino -Expands

Cast: Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Bee Vang

Walt Kowalski is a widower, grumpy, tough-minded, borderline-hateful, unhappy old man who can't get along with either his kids or his neighbors, a Korean War veteran whose prize possession is a 1973 Gran Torino he keeps in cherry condition. When his neighbor Tao, a young Hmong teenager, tries to steal his Gran Torino, Kowalski sets out to reform the youth. Drawn against his will into the life of Tao's family, Kowalski is soon taking steps to protect them form the gangs that foul their neighborhood.



Go see this movie if you have not seen it yet! Best movie of the year!

The Reader - Expands

Cast: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross

The Reader opens in post-WWII Germany when teenager Michael Berg becomes ill and is helped home by Hanna, a stranger twice his age. Michael recovers from scarlet fever and seeks out Hanna to thank her. The two are quickly drawn into a passionate but secretive affair.

Michael discovers that Hanna loves being read to and their physical relationship deepens. Hanna is enthralled as Michael reads to her from “The Odyssey”, "Huck Finn", and “The Lady with the Little Dog.” Despite their intense bond, Hanna mysteriously disappears one day and Michael is left confused and heartbroken.

Eight years later, while Michael is a law student observing the Nazi war crime trials, he is stunned to find Hanna back in his life – this time as a defendant in the courtroom. As Hanna’s past is revealed, Michael uncovers a deep secret that will impact both of their lives. The Reader is a haunting story about truth and reconciliation, about how one generation comes to terms with the crimes of another.



If I get a chance to watch it I will. If not I wont die.

Che - Expands

Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Demián Bichir, Santiago Cabrera

On November 26, 1956, Fidel Castro sails to Cuba with eighty rebels. One of those rebels is Ernesto "Che" Guevara, an Argentine doctor who shares a common goal with Fidel Castro - to overthrow the corrupt dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.

Che proves indispensable as a fighter, and quickly grasps the art of guerrilla warfare. As he throws himself into the struggle, Che is embraced by his comrades and the Cuban people. The film tracks Che's rise in the Cuban Revolution, from doctor to commander to revolutionary hero.



I really want to see this one so hopefully it is playing somewhere around me.

Last Chance Harvey - Expands

Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Liane Balaban

Academy Award winners Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man) and Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility) reunite in Last Chance Harvey, a hopeful romance that celebrates new beginnings—at any age. The film is directed and written by Joel Hopkins (Jump Tomorrow).

New Yorker Harvey Shine (Dustin Hoffman) is on the verge of losing his dead-end job as a jingle writer. Warned by his boss (Richard Schiff) that he has just one more chance to deliver, Harvey goes to London for a weekend to attend his daughter’s (Liane Balaban) wedding but promises to be back on Monday morning to make an important meeting—or else.

Harvey arrives in London only to learn his daughter has chosen to have her stepfather (James Brolin) walk her down the aisle instead of him. Doing his best to hide his devastation, he leaves the wedding before the reception in hopes of getting to the airport on time, but misses his plane anyway. When he calls his boss to explain, he is fired on the spot.

Drowning his sorrows at the airport bar, Harvey strikes up a conversation with Kate (Emma Thompson), a slightly prickly, 40-something employee of the Office of National Statistics. Kate, whose life is limited to work, the occasional humiliating blind date and endless phone calls from her smothering mother (Eileen Atkins), is touched by Harvey, who finds himself energized by her intelligence and compassion.



The movie looks really good but one that I can wait to watch on DVD.