February movie preview
Blind violinists and voluptuous blondes. Genetic teleportation and traditional goofiness from Will Ferrell. Romantic mysteries and Meg Ryan's return. Anne Boleyn and ... Larry the Cable Guy?
Here are the films coming to theaters in February. Release dates are subject to change.
Feb. 1
"THE EYE": If you need a corneal transplant, know your donor. Otherwise, you could end up like Sydney (Jessica Alba), a violinist blind since childhood whose life-changing surgery opens a window to the afterlife. Yet another remake of a Japanese horror movie, this one from 2002.
"OVER HER DEAD BODY": The recently re-christened Eva Longoria Parker stars in this supernatural rom-com mash-up of "Just Like Heaven" and "Monster-in-Law." She's Kate, a ghost that's harassing the well-meaning psychic (Lake Bell) who's wooing her former fiance (Paul Rudd).
"STRANGE WILDERNESS": In a comedy shelved since 2006, Steve Zahn and Allen Covert are co-hosts of a wilderness show. To combat its sagging ratings, they search for Bigfoot. Jonah Hill, Justin Long, Jeff Garlin and Ernest Borgnine tag along.
Feb. 8
"FOOL'S GOLD": Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson found box-office treasure in "How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days," so they've reunited. Ben and Tess are an estranged couple whose antagonistic search for undersea loot rekindles the flame.
"WELCOME HOME, ROSCOE JENKINS": The black Dr. Phil swallows a bitter pill in a comedy with Martin Lawrence as a self-help guru. Cedric the Entertainer, Mo'Nique, Michael Clarke Duncan and James Earl Jones are relatives challenging his values during a tumultuous trip back home to Georgia.
Feb. 14
"DEFINITELY, MAYBE": Certainly, romance gets teary in the latest from the producers of "Love, Actually." A divorcing dad (Ryan Reynolds) recounts his relationships to his daughter (Abigail Breslin). Ah, but which one became her mom - Rachel Weisz, Isla Fisher or Elizabeth Banks?
"JUMPER": Davey (Hayden Christensen) needs no transatlantic flight to sleep in New York and awake in London. Able to transport anywhere thanks to a genetic anomaly, Davey runs from an angry G-man (Samuel L. Jackson) in an action-thriller from Doug Liman ("Mr. and Mrs. Smith").
"THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES": It hasn't been a series of fortunate events for second-tier kid-lit fantasies ("The Seeker," "The Golden Compass"), but this could be a "Snicket"-sized success. Freddie Highmore (as twin brothers) and Sarah Bolger uncover a world of bizarre creatures in a country home belonging to their uncle. Seth Rogen, Nick Nolte and Martin Short provide voices.
"STEP UP 2 THE STREETS": After "Step Up," the rebellious teen dancer this time is a girl named Andie. She recruits upper-crust classmates at a Maryland arts school to compete in an underground dance competition known as the Streets. See, it's a sequel title and an imperative command.
Feb. 22
"BE KIND, REWIND": DVD killed the video store, at least Mike's (Mos Def). But when pal Jerry (Jack Black) inadvertently magnetizes, and erases, every last tape, the duo re-create films like "Robocop" and "Ghostbusters" for a loyal, elderly and senile customer. Directed by Michel Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"), this film was pushed back last minute from January.
"CHARLIE BARTLETT": Another bounced-around dramedy, this one reportedly in the vein of "Rushmore." Anton Yelchin ("Alpha Dog") is the title character, who appoints himself student-body psychiatrist. Hope Davis plays Charlie's mother, and Robert Downey Jr. is his angry principal.
"MY MOM'S NEW BOYFRIEND": Sounds like a midseason replacement sitcom, but its old title, "Homeland Security," was snazzier. Colin Hanks plays a federal agent assigned to spy on his mother (Meg Ryan) and her new lover (Antonio Banderas), now suspects in an art-theft ring.
"VANTAGE POINT": Take that, rewind it back. Dennis Quaid got the beat to make your booty go. Perhaps not, but his Secret Service agent reviews a lot of tape as one of four witnesses (with Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker and Sigourney Weaver) to a presidential assassination attempt in this political thriller told from multiple perspectives.
"WITLESS PROTECTION": Larry the Cable Guy or Larry the Fate Tempter? The comedian's use of "witless"in the title of his third cinematic-crossover bid raises the question. Set in Chicago, it's the tale of a small-town sheriff (Larry) who stumbles on a plot to kill a witness in a big-time corruption trial.
Feb. 29
"THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL": From Peter Morgan, Oscar-winning screenwriter of "The Queen," comes a British tale of betrayal and bed-hopping in the era of King Henry VIII (Eric Bana). He's torn between beautiful Boleyns: the more historically famous Anne (Natalie Portman) and her sultry sister, Mary (Scarlett Johansson).
"PENELOPE": This oft-delayed romantic fantasy could capitalize on new visibility of co-star James McAvoy ("Atonement"). Christina Ricci is Penelope, cursed until she can find love but yearning to find herself on a journey with friend Annie (Reese Witherspoon).
"POSSESSION": Not to be confused with Neil LaBute's 2002 tale of two romances. Perhaps to be confused with the many other Asian-horror remakes with Sarah Michelle Gellar. With her husband and brother-in-law in comas after a car crash, the in-law awakes thinking he's the hubby. Oops.
"SEMI-PRO": Another spring, another Will Ferrell sports comedy. This time, it's the American Basketball Association circa-1970s. He's Jackie Moon, player, coach and owner of the Flint Tropics, a clownish ABA team that must tighten its ship for a merger with the NBA.
Read Nick Rogers' blog at blogs.sj-r.com/unpaintedhuffhines.