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Salt

Director: Phillip Noyce
Stars: Angelina Jolie (Full Cast)
Studio: Columbia Pictures

The Plot: When CIA officer Evelyn Salt (Jolie) is accused of being a spy by a Russian defector, she goes on the run, putting all of her experience and skills to use to elude capture, learn the truth of her identity, and hopefully clear her name.

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THE BUZZ: With Angelina Jolie in front of the camera and sensitive guy Phillip Noyce behind it, I have to stop and recall the point in time when this movie was almost made by Tom Cruise and director Michael Mann. We're thinking this could be the best one-off spy story since The Long Kiss Goodnight (a 90's fave), and the real-life outing of Russian spies in the U.S. couldn't have been more timely! Did you see Angelina in the newest issue of Vanity Fair? She (still) has it.

Message Boards: Jolie is so skinny, its hard to take the stunts seriously | Marshall Fine: Salt 3.5 stars 'most exciting popcorn movie of the summer

Valhalla Rising [LA/NY]

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, Maarten Stevenson, Alexander Morton (Full Cast)
Studio: IFC Films

The Plot: One Eye (Mikkelsen) is a mute warrior traded as a slave by clan chieftains in the Scottish highlands. Freed from his bondage with a brutal escape plan, he and Are, a boy slave, join forces with Viking crusaders making their way to the Holy Lands.

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THE BUZZ: Nicolas Winding Refn's follow-up to the revered Bronson has been called his most abstract project to date. Both cinephiles and gore-hounds have good things to say about the way Refn renders the violence here, though we've read more than one review that asserts Valhalla's story is more about ideas and less concerned with a coherent, functional beginning, middle, and end. (Hey, sometimes that makes for an excellent movie.) Whether or not the film breaks its indie chains, one thing is clear: the director is going Hollywood (he next shoots Drive with Ryan Gosling), and he's determined to bring Mads Mikkelsen with him.

Message Boards: Perhaps a helpful, detailed review. Spoilers | meaning of the stone xxx and other questions (spoilers, obviously)

Life During Wartime [LA/NY]

Director: Todd Solondz
Stars: Shirley Henderson, Allison Janney, Ally Sheedy (Full Cast)
Studio: IFC Films

The Plot: Ten years have passed since the Jordan family was rocked by a series of shocking events and revelations, though now the family work to find love, forgiveness, and meaning in their volatile lives.

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THE BUZZ: Don't expect the same levels of repulsion and dreariness (both completely welcome film themes, FYI) in Todd Solondz's semi-sequel to Happiness, which reconnects with most of that movie's characters -- though they're all played by different actors this time out. Always divisive and increasingly out of the limelight, part of me thinks Solondz's best film-making years are in front of him, provided he can secure financing in the future; Wartime's stop-and-start development was saved by upstart production company Werc Werk Works, who will release Howl later this year and is in post-production on The Convincer, the new project from Jill and Karen Sprecher (Thirteen Conversations About One Thing).

Message Boards: Forgiveness and Casting (SPOILERS) | Film Stock

Ramona and Beezus

Director: Elizabeth Allen
Stars: Joey King, Selena Gomez, Bridget Moynahan (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

The Plot: When grade-schooler Ramona Quimby (King) senses that her family's home is danger, she uses her boundless energy and enthusiasm to save the day.

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THE BUZZ: A special-effects free family movie is a rare thing these days, although today's parents are probably more familiar with the name Beverly Cleary than their kids? I could be wrong there. Fox-Walden probably shelled out a bit in casting Disney Channel star Selena Gomez, but she's a good face for the marketing campaign as Ramona's long suffering older sister, Beezus. (Also, Ms. Gomez cost way less than Miley Cyrus, who was first approached for the role.)

Message Boards: How did you imagine Beezus when you were younger? | Which books are they adapting?

Countdown to Zero [NYC, Washington, D.C.]

Director: Lucy Walker
Stars: (Full Cast)
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

The Plot: A documentary on the escalating nuclear arms race, from the Cold War to current-day crises.

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THE BUZZ: Some of the behind-the-scenesters from An Inconvenient Truth have reunited for this probable Best Documentary Oscar candidate from director Lucy Walker (maybe you saw her earlier work, The Devil's Playground?). We understand the doc has been edited since its Sundance debut to be a bit more global in its scope and less focused on the U.S.'s role in the horror.

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Inception

Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Ellen Page (Full Cast)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

The Plot: Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) is a thief who specializes in the art of extraction, the stealing of secrets from a target's subconscious. Though his profession cost him everything he has ever loved and has turned him into a fugitive, an offer for a final job -- one that requires him to plant an idea instead of pilfering it -- could be his chance at redemption.

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THE BUZZ: Our founder has already called this "the movie of the decade".

Message Boards: Some questions... please help. | Can someone explain this? Fisher in Limbo SPOILER

Despicable Me

Director: Pierre Coffin Chris Renaud
Stars: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand (Full Cast)
Studio: Universal Pictures

The Plot: A trio of orphan girls cause the normally deplorable Gru to rethink his plan to steal the moon.

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THE BUZZ: Universal is still looking for its first animated hit, and we think its gutsy for them to push an original story out into the summer's box-office waters. Initially annoying, Gru and those orphan girls have grown on us (the minions? um, no.), and we're hoping that families, still smiling from Toy Story 3, will be attracted to this tale.

Message Boards: Did 3D make the movie better? | Did anyone else cry?

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Director: Jon Turteltaub
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina (Full Cast)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The Plot: Master sorcerer Balthazar Black (Cage) recruits a seemingly everyday guy (Baruchel) in his mission to defend New York City from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath (Molina).

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THE BUZZ: Everyone's harping on Nic Cage's hair, his financial woes, and how 2010 seems to be his Dungeons & Dragons year. If National Treasure mastermind Jon Turteltaub were not behind this project, I'd have serious doubts about its chances; as it stands, I semi-seriously hope it's a surprise blockbuster -- maybe it'll even earn a sequel? I feel like parents and kids alike could entertained by the story and visuals. Strange how Monica Bellucci's presence is being played down ...

Message Boards: you think Yen Sid could be in the sequel? | So they actually went with the 10% myth (minor spoilers)

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Director: David Slade
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner (Full Cast)
Studio: Summit Entertainment

The Plot: Bella Swan (Stewart) oscillates between vampire Edward Cullen, who wants Bella's hand in marriage, and werewolf Jacob Black, who has just declared his love for her. Meanwhile, the Cullens and the Quileute werewolves unite to stop an army of powerful vampires from seeking their revenge on Bella.

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THE BUZZ: Call this third chapter the guy-friendly saga since the story provides both supernatural reveals and borderline epic action. Goth parents should revel in Peter Murphy's cameo, and newcomers should feel welcomed by the amount of back story built into the events here. Since Eclipse the book really pushed Stephenie Meyer's work into the spotlight, is it fair to say this movie might improve on New Moon's phenomenal success? The Fourth of July weekend berth should help in this matter.

Message Boards: she is finally rosalie! | Why aren't any fanfics updating!?!?!

Toy Story 3

Director: Lee Unkrich
Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen (Full Cast)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The Plot: Woody (Hanks), Buzz (Allen), and the rest of their toy-box friends are dumped in a day-care center after their owner, Andy, departs for college.

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THE BUZZ: Easily one of the biggest movies of 2010, the secret weapon here is screenwriter Michael Arndt, who wrote Little Miss Sunshine; his sentimentality is evident in the trailer, which causes Rex-sized lumps in our throat.

Message Boards: Best Pixar Film | Did anyone else cry at the end?

Grown Ups

Director: Dennis Dugan
Stars: Adam Sandler, Salma Hayek, Kevin James (Full Cast)
Studio: Columbia Pictures

The Plot: After their high school basketball coach passes away, five good friends and former teammates reunite for a Fourth of July holiday weekend.

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THE BUZZ: Adam Sandler didn't have much luck with Judd Apatow, but his success with director Dennis Dugan is nearly unparalleled. Together, with plenty of their famous, lovable friends and colleagues in tow (and Rob Schneider) they appear to be channeling 80s-era family comedy and trafficking in the getting-older themes of which Sandler has become so fond. Meanwhile, is Kevin James, in Chris Farley mode, the real draw here?

Message Boards: Is it just me? I found this movie hilarious! | Saskatchetoon!

The Last Airbender

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Stars: Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone (Full Cast)
Studio: Paramount Pictures

The Plot: Aang (Ringer), a young successor to a long line of Avatars, learns that he possesses the power to engage the Fire Nation and hopefully end their century-long war against the Water, Earth, and Air nations.

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THE BUZZ: Regardless of the range of opinions on (1) M. Night Shyamalan's career trajectory and (2) the project's "racebending" controversy, TLAs trailers contain some of the best money shots of the year thus far. The springtime announcement that the movie will be converted into 3D was no surprise, but also entirely welcome. We're unsure exactly how big it will be in the U.S., though this is more worldwide entertainment -- the beginning of a potential trilogy and a renaissance for Shyamalan, who is attached to develop the other two films if all is a go.

Message Boards: Defend this scene | 100 Things I Learnd from The Last Airbender

Predators

Director: Nimród Antal
Stars: Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Topher Grace (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

The Plot: A group of elite warriors are hunted by members of a merciless alien race.

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THE BUZZ: When it comes to competing franchises, Predator is way less enduring than Alien, wouldn't you agree? Maybe that's why this reboot doesn't make me red-hot angry as much as Fox's planned Alien prequel. The cast is lean (hopefully Splice will be seen by the naysayers who think Adrien Brody isn't tough enough for the genre), and you really could ask for a much worse director/producer combo than Nimrod Antal and Robert Rodriguez. Truthfully, doesn't it just come down to how cool the creatures look?

Message Boards: Adrian Brody's Weapon | I don't get it

Knight and Day

Director: James Mangold
Stars: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

The Plot: June Havens (Diaz) finds her everyday life tangled with that of a secret agent (Cruise) who has realized he isn't supposed to survive his latest mission. As their campaign to stay alive stretches across the globe, they soon learn that all they can count on is each other.

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THE BUZZ: Another action-comedy casualty? Seems it. As Killers quickly fades from our consciousness, Knight and Day looks poised to take its place. The press has invested in the movie, mostly to remark on its fuzzy marketing campaign and low tracking scores, though many fans and industry people alike have sounded off over fading star power of both Cruise and Diaz. It's all kinda sad, especially since we think the trailers have been fun and that Tom Cruise has done a good job at trying to be celebrity again.

Message Boards: Lead Actor | phone island spoilers

The Karate Kid

Director: Harald Zwart
Stars: Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson (Full Cast)
Studio: Columbia Pictures

The Plot: Dre Parker (Smith) moves from Detroit to China with his hard-working mom (Henson), where his feelings for a girl in his class make him the target of a jealous bully who is trained in kung fu. Fortunately for Dre, his building's maintenance man, Mr. Han (Chan), reveals himself to be a master of the self-defense form (Chan) and begins training the boy.

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THE BUZZ: I'm not outright against this remake -- the original is vintage at over 25 years old -- I just wish the second coming of Daniel Larusso had been subject to an open casting of kids instead of custom fit to Will and Jada Pinkett Smith's son, Jaden. (Both dad and mom are producing the movie, too.) Also, Harald Zwart has 5 movies before this one, none of them good.

Message Boards: Who, exactly, is the target audience for this movie? | 100 things I learned from The Karate Kid

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