Righteous Kill

Cast: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Carla Gugino

Genre: Suspense/Thriller

1. Tropic Thunder
2. Babylon A.D.
3. The Dark Knight
4. The House Bunny
5. Traitor
6. Death Race
7. Disaster Movie
8. Mamma Mia!
9. Pineapple Express
10. Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Hancock

There are heroes… there are superheroes… and then there’s Hancock (Will Smith). With great power comes great responsibility — everyone knows that — everyone, that is, but Hancock. Edgy, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood, Hancock’s well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake. The public has finally had enough — as grateful as they are to have their local hero, the good citizens of Los Angeles are wondering what they ever did to deserve this guy. Hancock isn’t the kind of man who cares what other people think — until the day that he saves the life of PR executive Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), and the sardonic superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all. Facing that will be Hancock’s greatest challenge yet — and a task that may prove impossible as Ray’s wife, Mary (Charlize Theron), insists that he’s a lost cause.

Cast:

The Dark Knight

With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as the Joker, who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces the Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante.

Tobey Maguire to Reunite with 'Seabiscuit' Director

Tobey Maguire is attached to star in The Crusaders, a drama about the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case, Variety reports. Gary Ross, for whom Maguire starred in Pleasantville and Seabiscuit, is attached to direct the Universal film.

The project is based on Jack Greenberg’s memoirs Crusaders in the Courts. Maguire would play Greenberg, an idealistic lawyer fresh out of law school who joined with NAACP Legal Defense Fund head and future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall to win a Supreme Court case that ruled segregation in American schools was illegal.

Ross will next direct Universal drama The Free State of Jones, about rebellion in Mississippi during the Civil War and Reconstruction, Variety notes.

Danny Strong, who wrote the Emmy-nominated Recount for HBO, has been hired to write the script.

Recount was Strong’s first script credit, but he is also known as an actor. Aside from recurring roles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gilmore Girls, he also played small parts in Pleasantville and Seabiscuit.

Every little bit helps.

Expediting installations in dozens of sites during the past several weeks, 3-D vendor RealD will implement almost 100 additional screens in time for Friday’s bow of the adventure film “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” That should help speed “Journey” along, but the pace of the global 3-D rollout remains glacial.

Like Paramount’s 2007 release “Beowulf,” “Journey” was intended to play mostly on 3-D screens when the project was first conceived at New Line. Also like “Beowulf” — which grossed about $200 million worldwide — “Journey” surely will boast much better grosses on its 3-D screens than in conventional venues.

Yet it’s been clear for some time that “Journey” distributor Warners, which now handles all of New Line’s releases, would have to rely heavily on those conventional venues in trying to mount a decent theatrical run. So the film’s extra-dimensional aspects have been more muted in recent marketing materials for the Brendan Fraser starrer.

But nobody is claiming that the situation is ideal.

“3-D is the future, so why is exhibition dragging its feet?” Warners domestic distribution president Dan Fellman asked Wednesday. “I’m pleased ‘Journey’ will be the biggest digital 3-D release to date. But it is disconcerting that since November, the 3-D screen count has only gone up from 660 (for ‘Beowulf’) to 854 noncompetitive locations for ‘Journey.’ ”

Beverly Hills-based RealD operates more than 90% of the world’s 1,400 3-D screens, including more than 1,100 RealD screens in the U.S. and Canada. But the close proximity of some of the domestic installations means a couple hundred or so are unfeasible to use on “Journey” or likely any other single release.

Double-screening in some locations means that “Journey” — a roughly $60 million production set for more than 2,800 total engagements — will play on about 950 3-D screens. Yet that’s still a couple hundred lower than producers New Line and Walden Media envisioned as recently as March.

Partly as a result of the limited 3-D platform, “Journey” is expected to open only in the teen millions and likely will finish its first weekend midtable in the weekend’s ranking of top grossers.

A handful of foreign territories will get “Journey” day-and-date with its domestic bow, but the international 3-D situation is even more of a blur.

RealD also has 220 international installations, including 126 in Europe, and recently struck a contract to equip 600 screens in the U.K. and elsewhere once they are equipped for digital projection.

And there’s the rub, particularly for Europe.

Except in the Imax format, you can’t have 3-D without digital projection, and the digital rollout in Europe has been agonizingly slow. Hollywood has proved less generous in its approach to helping exhibitors there shoulder the costs of digital installations, which average about $100,000.

The U.S. has almost 5,000 screens equipped to project movies digitally, whereas estimates of Europe’s installed base of movie-quality digital screens run as low as 1,000 screens.

Many of the European installations feature lease-to-buy arrangements with systems vendors, and others were financed with government subsidies. A pair of d-cinema companies recently inked financing agreements with studios that could lead to thousands of additional European installations during the next several years if exhibitors agree to participate and carry up to one-third of the costs themselves.

Asia’s digital-cinema rollout is more fully progressed at about 6,500 digital screens, though many of its digital installations offer resolution quality that would be deemed insuffcient in most territories outside the region.

In the U.S. — where the digital rollout continues even as financing discussions drag on between studios and major circuits — RealD has struck pacts with Regal, Cinemark and others to install thousands of 3-D systems during the next few years. That can’t happen too soon for Hollywood studios, which collectively have slotted a dozen 3-D films for 2009 release.

“We are waiting like everybody else for digital to be installed,” RealD chairman and CEO Michael Lewis said. “In multiplexes where there is digital capability, RealD (has at least one screen) in 90% of those.”

Four things you should know before you read this article: I’ve seen “The Dark Knight.” You haven’t. I promise not to spoil anything in the paragraphs that follow. And yes, I do realize what a lucky bastard I am.

Rather than a traditional review, when it comes to the year’s most anticipated film, you just want to know one thing: Is it good? With that in mind, here are eight key factors that make a superhero movie sink or swim, and the movie’s ratings — from 1 to 10 (10 being best) — in each category:

The “Wow” Factor

This is the strongest category for Christopher Nolan’s new masterpiece. Your mouth will drop every time Heath Ledger’s Joker walks onscreen, you will want to own a Batpod, and you’ll marvel at the increased powers and flexibility in Batman’s new outfit. Nolan engineers some brilliant chase scenes, cuts together violent montages reminiscent of “The Godfather” and mixes in enough beautiful cinematography to make the film feel Oscar-worthy. Do yourself a favor and see it in IMAX. Rating: 10

The “Cheese” Factor

Nolan’s greatest triumph with “Batman Begins” may have been banishing any semblance of camp from the franchise. History has shown, however, that the longer a “Batman” incarnation continues, the more cheese begins to sneak in. While “Bam!” “Pow!” “Biff!” and nipple-suits are nowhere to be seen, there is an increased reliance this time around on evil henchmen. As these faceless minions are beaten to a bloody pulp time and again by Batman, you might find yourself a bit concerned. While it’s doubtful that Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze will be the villain in the next film, all those lackeys seem like a baby step toward Schumacher-ville. Rating: 7

The “Quote” Factor

Like Jack Nicholson before him, every line out of Ledger’s mouth feels like it should be on a T-shirt. Every word from the mouths of Michael Caine (as Alfred Pennyworth) and Morgan Freeman (as Lucius Fox) are pearls of wisdom. But the Batman himself speaks a bit stiffer than in the last film, and Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent/ Two-Face won’t have you changing your e-mail signature anytime soon. Rating: 7

The “Surprise” Factor

Even if you’re the sort of Internet geek who has read every MTV.com Batman story over the past few years, freeze-framed the trailers obsessively and participated in all the guerrilla marketing, you’ll still find plenty of unexpected pleasures in “Dark Knight.” My only hesitation in this category’s grading is that the ending isn’t nearly as surprising or unpredictable as that of “Batman Begins.” But suffice it to say: Chris Nolan has no problem killing any character at any time. Rating: 7

The “Comic Book vs. Movie” Factor

Much like “Batman Begins,” Nolan continues to reinvent the characters as he sees fit. When it comes to the Joker, every move made by Nolan and Ledger is a masterstroke. Unfortunately, Two-Face often pales in comparison. For the most part, however, all of Nolan’s choices are as good as, if not better than, his source material. Rating: 8

The “Repeat Viewing” Factor

When this movie ends, you’ll want to leave the theater, buy another ticket and go back in for the next show. The film moves very fast, and the plot often becomes quite complicated for a “comic book” movie. Repeated viewings should provide further insight into the motivations of certain characters and will also allow you to savor the finer moments of Ledger’s bizarrely beautiful performance. That said, is this the kind of movie that places a reference to the Flash way in the background, fueling team-up talk for sharp-eyed fans? You’ll have to go see “Iron Man” again for that kind of thing. Rating: 7

The “Darkness” Factor

There is some messed-up stuff in this movie, and I mean that in the best possible way. Conversely, there are also a few too many deaths that occur off-camera. Ultimately, the film uses Joker’s insanity, Harvey Dent’s honor and Batman’s struggle somewhere in the middle to explore the thin line between hero and villain. You’ll leave the theater not only discussing all the cool gadgets, toys and action scenes, but also the psychological tipping points of these men. Ultimately, such intelligence is the most powerful weapon in the “Dark Knight” utility belt. Rating: 8

The “Sequel” Factor

Overall, “Dark Knight” is superior to “Batman Begins.” Much of this stems from the film’s eagerness to pick up within moments of the last film’s conclusion, without any need to explain the origins of anyone. Once the film gets going, you’d better keep up, because things move more rapidly than in “Begins.” It’s the best “Batman” movie ever made, hands down. Rating: 9

Mumbai, (IANS) Preity Zinta has put the highs and lows of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and her Mohali team behind and is busy with as many as four pending films and looks forward to the Bachchans’ world tour.

She too needs a well-deserved break and is now raring to go.

“I didn’t realise how much I had put behind. I’ve so much pending work. Four films are at different stages of completion. I’ve to immediately start dubbing for ‘Harr Pal’ and ‘Heroes’. Then I leave for the world tour with the Bachchans.”

In “Heroes”, she is paired opposite one of her favourite co-stars, Salman Khan. And she has even agreed to do a cameo in the Salman-Kareena Kapoor starrer “Main Aur Mrs Khanna”.

“It’s Salman’s home production … and he is a buddy. But it’s not an item song really. It’s an interesting cameo. And I’ve agreed to be in the film because the director, Prem Soni, is a dear friend. And since Salman has played Prem so often, let’s just say this one is for Prem,” she chuckled.

She is also excited about her Punjabi film “Heaven On Earth” with acclaimed director Deepa Mehta. And the filmmaker has apparently said that Preity is the best actress she has ever worked with.

“I love Deepa for that. When she signed me for the film, she told me she wanted the actress, not the star. That sounded so corny. But when I reached Toronto to shoot ‘Heaven On Earth’ I knew exactly what she meant. I’m dying to see the complete film,” Preity told IANS.

Looking back on the IPL experience, Preity says “it was one helluva learning experience”.

“It was also very annoying to hear rubbish like ‘Preity sat on a cricketer’s lap’. Does it make any sense for me to make a public spectacle of myself? I mean that’s hardly me. I don’t sit on people’s laps,” she remarked.

But the actress, who was the co-owner of Kings XI Punjab, stressed that it was a positive experience on the whole.

“I learnt a whole new definition for the concept of on-field bonding. See, as a film actor I’ve always worked in a team … but not in this way. Here, on the field I was hands-on.

“I loved the Sri Lankan and Australian boys. Some of the Australians would hardly utter a word. I had to make a special effort to make the younger inexperienced Indian players comfortable. Now I know that having bonded together in spite of being from different spaces, they’d understand the team spirit much better.”

Preity was openly and unabashedly demonstrative during the games.

“I showed my emotions spontaneously as I always have. I hugged players when I wanted to. I cried and I cheered when I wanted. If that was misconstrued by some, so be it. I was having a good time while learning so much about cricket and human behaviour.

“As for the spoilsports, they can’t be helped. There were people whom I thought to be friends who cribbed about not being invited to the matches. The IPL experience made me realise who my friends are.”

Preity admits that there was a sense of loss when her Mohali team lost at the penultimate match in Mumbai, but she still defends her team stoutly.

“It was Murphy’s Law at work. Something somewhere is bound to go wrong. And it did. But I can’t say my team played badly at Mumbai. We did go right up to the semi-finals. And that was no mean achievement. Next time we’ll go right to the top.”

Though next time is far away, Preity says she would be better prepared at that time.

“A lot of planning has to be done for the next IPL matches. The first time was a huge learning experience. And we need to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes again. I also need to learn how to avoid getting crowded. This time I nearly lost an eye in the jostling. But I thoroughly enjoyed the IPL experience. Being on the field with the boys made me understand the importance of solidarity on the job. I guess it has made me a more mature person,” the actress-entrepreneur said.