Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day’s work for dispatcher Walter Garbe into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.

It’s Deja-Vu all over again as Scott and Denzel reunite for this remake of a remake. I can’t help but wonder if the hijackers in this version will still ask for one meeee-lee-ion dollars or if today’s New Yorkers would seriously sit in a subway car with these goons for an hour (even if one of ‘em looked like an aging Tony Manero).

Rated R for violence and pervasive language.

Director: Tony Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington, John Travolta
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: 12 June 2009 (USA & Canada), 9 July 2009 (Argentina), 23 July 2009 (Australia)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

When Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati – the most powerful underground organization in history – he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization’s most despised enemy: the Catholic Church. When Langdon learns that the clock is ticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, he jets to Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and enigmatic Italian scientist. Embarking on a nonstop, action-packed hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that mark the Vatican’s only hope for survival.

Angels and Demons was the reclusive authors third novel after he gave up his job as an English teacher. It tells the story of Langdons brush with a shadowy secret society, the Illuminati, and his frantic quest for the worlds most powerful energy source, in the company of a beautiful Italian physicist whose father, a brilliant physicist, has been murdered.

The team behind the global phenomenon “The Da Vinci Code” returns for the highly anticipated “Angels & Demons,” based upon the bestselling novel by Dan Brown. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard religious expert Robert Langdon, who once again finds that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing, even murder, to advance their goals. Ron Howard again directs the film, which is produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and John Calley. The screenplay is by David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman.

Angels & Demons … read more »

The Brothers Bloom are the best con men in the world, swindling millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. Now they’ve decided to take on one last job – showing a beautiful and eccentric heiress the time of her life with a romantic adventure that takes them around the world.

Bloom is writer-director Rian Johnson’s follow up to Brick, one of the most-debated films within IMDb circles (just so you know). What gets us excited here is: the casting of Rinko Kikuchi (Babel) as the brothers’ accomplice; knowing that filming occurred all over Europe and Asia; anticipating Johnson’s crafted dialogue and his second attempt at fooling his audience. But what bums us out? The studio’s hide and seek release strategy, which once positioned the film for late 2008, then really late 2008, then spring 09, and now early summer …

Rated PG-13 for violence, some sensuality and brief strong language.

Director: Rian Johnson
Stars: Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo
Studio: Summit Entertainment
Release Date: 29 May 2009 (USA)
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance

When a misguided delivery driver inadvertently delivers a package containing concealed bricks of cocaine to the wrong address, it sets in motion a desperate search and battle for the coke between the furious dealer that sent it, the fearful intended recipients that missed it, and the conniving accidental recipients that plan to flip it. Time is running out and everyone’s trying to get their hands on the package that’s been sent…Next Day Air!

Summit Entertainment is flush with cash and cache post-Twilight, and hopefully they’ll maximize their resources to turn this dark comedy, which sounds to me like Pineapple Express cut with Friday, into an early summer hit. The cast, which includes Wood Harris (the former drug kingpin on “The Wire”), is note-perfect, and hopefully the green behind-the-camera talent found a balance between humor and suspense. Word on the street is quiet thus far, though …

Rated R for pervasive language, drug content, some violence and brief sexuality.

Director: Benny Boom
Stars: Mos Def, Mike Epps, Donald Faison
Studio: Summit Entertainment
Release Date: 8 May 2009 (USA)
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime

A multi-strand narrative set in early 1980’s Los Angeles, centered on an array of characters who represent both the top of the heap (a Hollywood dream merchant, a dissolute rock star, an aging newscaster) and the bottom (a voyeuristic doorman, an amoral ex-con). Connecting the intertwining strands are a group of beautiful, blonde young men and women who sleep all day and party all night, doing drugs — and one another –with abandon, never realizing that they are dancing on the edge of a volcano.

The rage for all things 1980s ends here, since Gregor Jordan’s adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s novel was all but disowned by the Sundance set after its premiere back in January. The idea of a nearly always nude Amber Heard should not conjure up notions of it’s-so-bad-it’s-Showgirls-good here. Seriously, just move away and move on from this one.

Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, drug use, pervasive language and some disturbing images.

Director: Gregor Jordan
Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Kim Basinger, Mickey Rourke
Studio: Senator Distribution
Release Date: 1 May 2009 (Iceland)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller