Movie Preview for March 7th, 2008

I love movies. I look forward to seeing almost every movie that comes out. There's always a question of whether or not it's a good movie. As a seriously moviegoer, you've got to keep your mind open. Perhaps the most unlikely film will be your favorite film of the year. You never know. So I have gone ahead, taken a look at some movies coming out in March and I decided to give my readers a glimpse at some of those movies. Once you've read what I've got to say, it'll be up to you whether or not you want to see the films listed below.

10,000 B.C.

Directed by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, Godzilla)
Written by Harold Kloser and Roland Emmerich

Starring Camilla Belle and Steven Strait, 10,000 B.C. looks like an unusual adventure set against the most unusual backdrop.

We've seen all manner of creatures brought to life with computer graphics, but I can't remember the last movie that tried to bring back the saber-toothed tiger. There is a saber-toothed tiger in 10,000 B.C. There are fully realized, perfectly integrated woolly mammoths in this film. Will any of these creature effects save 10,000 B.C. from being a snoozer? We won't know until March 7th.

Looking back on director Roland Emmerich's career, he's hell-bent on showing spectacle without really sinking deep into human emotion. How real was any of the characters in Godzilla? If you ask me, they were as fake as some of the effects in that film. He's great at showing spectacle. He's better than Michael Bay at directing action sequences, but like Bay, Emmerich never gets down to the raw human emotion required to make a great film. The story doesn't look all that original. D'Leh (Strait) is a mammoth hunter who travels cross country to rescue his people from annihilation. He leads an army against a lost civilization and tries everything to rescue his love, Evolet (Belle).

In spite of everything, I do have high hopes for 10,000 B.C. It's got some promising and impressive effects, and awesome-looking action sequences. We won't know anything for sure until March 7th.

More of the principal cast

Cliff Curtis plays Tic-Tic
Omar Shariff plays Old Baku
Reece Ritchie plays Moha

The Accidental Husband

Directed by Griffin Dunne
Written by Mimi Hare, Clare Naylor, and Bonnie Sikowitz

Uma Thurman stars as Emma Lloyd, a talk radio host who advises one of her listeners, Sofia (Justina Machado) to break up with her boyfriend. The boyfriend is Patrick Sullivan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). He ends up seeking out revenge for his breakup. Patrick and Emma are married, somehow, some way, it just happened. Leave it to Hollywood to make this stuff up. This puts Emma's plans to marry her fiance, Richard (Colin Firth) at risk. She tracks down the scoundrel that did it. Will this end up being the story about a woman's change of heart? We won't know until March 7th.

Uma Thurman is a very talented actress. She's been unusually moody in films like Pulp Fiction and downright scary in films like Kill Bill Vol. 1. Her history in the romantic comedy genre hasn't been quite as successful. Why I Love Cats and Dogs with Janeane Garatholo or whatever her name was just so happened to be her weakest performance ever... if you ask me. Then there was the super girl role she played in My Super Ex-Girlfriend. She was scary alright. But the film was weak in some ways. Let's hope with the likes of the very funny British actor, Colin Firth on the screen with her that Uma can pull this one off. The previews looks very funny. But it may lack the other crucial element in a romantic comedy: Genuine romance.

More of the principal cast

Sam Shepard plays Wilder
Isabella Rossellini plays Mrs. Bollenbecker
Lindsay Sloane plays Marcy
Sarita Choudhury plays Sunny

Mrs. Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Directed by Bharat Nalluri
Written by David Magee and Simon Beaufoy

Set in 1939, starring Frances McDormand as the title character, Mrs. Pettigrew Lives for a Day looks like an authentic period comedy. But, the question is will it spark any interest with younger viewers?

Golden Globe nominee, Amy Adams plays an American actress and singer, Delysia Lafosse. She hires a governess, Mrs. Pettigrew while visiting London. All of a sudden, this unglamorous middle-aged woman is catapulted into a completely new world. She's dolled up, taken to big dances and parties. Lafosse shows her how to live and at the same time, there's the possibility that Mrs. Pettigrew may teach her a thing or two about love.

I'm a fan of Frances McDormand's work. She was so good in movies like Fargo, you can't see her as anyone but the character she's playing. The concept of a shabby-looking governess helping out a beautiful younger woman, an actress in 1939 sounds very original and very intriguing to me. There is the possibility for some great laughs as two men fight for Ms. Lafosse's love.

But the period, the characters and actors may not draw the attention of younger viewers. Movies like Cinderella Man didn't do very well with the 13 to 20 demographic. Too bad, I say. Everyone should be able to appreciate a well-written story and some very good acting. I personally can't wait to see this romp.

More of the principal cast

Lee Pace plays Michael
Tom Payne plays Phil
Mark Strong plays Nick
Ciaran Hinds plays Joe

More new releases for March 7th

The Bank Job

Directed by Roger Donaldson; starring Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows.

College Road Trip

Directed by Roger Kumble; starring Raven Symone, Martin Lawrence and Will Sasso

Bra Boys

Directed by Russell Crowe or at least narrated by Russell Crowe; starring Jai Abberton, Koby Abberton and Sunny Abberton as themselves. The information on this film is sketchy. It's hard to say who's doing what.

The Hammer

Directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld; starring Adam Carolla, Oswaldo Castillo, Harold House Moore, and Heather Juergensen.

Paranoid Park

Directed by Gus Van Sant; starring Gabe Nevins, Daniel Liu, Taylor Momsen, Jake Miller, and Lauren McKinney.