THE IDES OF MARCH (Columbia): George Clooney co-wrote, directed and co-stars in this dramedy about a young idealist (Ryan Gosling) who learns hard life lessons on the political campaign trail. Marisa Tomei, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood and Philip Seymour Hoffman also star.
MACHINE GUN PREACHER (Relativity): Gerard Butler has the title role in this story of biker-turned-minister Sam Childers, who took up arms to protect orphans in war-torn, famine-plagued Sudan.
REAL STEEL (DreamWorks): Hugh Jackman stars in this film version of a famous Richard Matheson story (and “Twilight Zone” episode) about a down-on-his-luck boxer who has to return to the ring in an age when only machines are allowed to brawl for sport.
THE WAY (Arc Entertainment) Martin Sheen stars in this faith-based drama about a father who sets out to complete his late son’s religious pilgrimage down the Camino de Santiago. Emilio Estevez plays the son and wrote and directed this.
Nov. 4 PUSS IN BOOTS (DreamWorks Animation): This “Shrek” prequel is about earlier adventures of the swashbuckling Spanish cat (Antonio Banderas).
TOWER HEIST (Universal): Ben Stiller, Casey Affleck, Eddie Murphy, Tea Leoni and Matthew Broderick star in this comic thriller about Ponzi scheme victims who set out to rob the businessman who stole their money.
A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR CHRISTMAS (Warner Bros.): John Cho and Kal Penn return as those White-Castle-hunting stoners, blissed out for the holidays.
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (Weinstein): Michelle Williams is Marilyn Monroe, Kenneth Branagh is Laurence Olivier and Eddie Redmayne is the fellow who tells the story of how they didn’t get along on the set of Olivier’s “The Prince and the Showgirl.”
Nov. 11
IMMORTALS 3D (Relativity): Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, John Hurt, Stephen Dorff and Freida Pinto star in this Greek-gods fantasy about the warrior Theseus battling the Titans.
JACK AND JILL (Sony): Adam Sandler plays an L.A. ad exec who dreads one event each year: the Thanksgiving visit of his twin sister, Jill (also Adam Sandler). Katie Holmes also stars.
THE BULLY PROJECT (Weinstein): This Lee Hirsch documentary is about America’s ongoing “bullying” problem in schools and its impact on kids.
J. EDGAR (Warner Bros.) Clint Eastwood’s sure-to-be-controversial bio-pic about the former FBI chief stars Leonardo DiCaprio.
Nov. 18 HAPPY FEET 2 IN 3D (Warner Bros.): That gotta-dance penguin (Elijah Wood) is back, in 3-D, in this animated sequel to the kids musical hit with an environmental message.
TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY (Focus): Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Tom Hardy head an all-star cast in this adaptation of the John le Carre spy fiction classic.
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN — PART 1 (Summit): The vampires of Forks, the girl who loves them and the werewolves who want to protect her begin to make their exit in the first half of this two-part finale.
Nov. 23 ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (Sony-Columbia): The Wallace and Gromit animators at Aardman turn their talents toward showing us how Santa & Co. really gets all those toys made, sorted and delivered in one night.
HUGO (Paramount): Martin Scorsese tackles a 1930s family mystery with this tale of a boy (Asa Butterfield) who lives in a train station and wants to learn about his father (Jude Law) and automatons.
THE MUPPETS (Walt Disney): Jason Segel, Amy Adams and Emily Blunt are among the stars of this relaunch of the Muppets franchise, in which the adorable puppets must put on a show to save their old theater.
PIRANHA 3DD (Dimension): You knew there was going to be a sequel. But what does “in 3DD” mean?
THE ARTIST (Weinstein): Jean Dujardin is the silent-film star worried about his future and Berenice Bejo is the singing, dancing starlet on the rise in this comedy set in the 1920s. Malcolm McDowell, Missi Pyle and John Goodman also star.
THE DESCENDANTS (Fox Searchlight): George Clooney stars in this film from the director of “Sideways,” about a land baron trying to reconnect with his estranged daughters.
PROJECT X (Warner Bros.): A group of kids film a house party that goes off the rails in this mockumentary.
THE LEGEND OF PALE MALE (Balcony Releasing): This documentary is about the famous hawks who took up residence, just off of Central Park, and inspired New Yorkers and bird lovers the world over.
CORIOLANUS (Weinstein): Ralph Fiennes directed and stars in this Shakespeare tragedy about a banished Roman who vows revenge on the Eternal City. With Vanessa Redgrave, Gerard Butler and Jessica Chastain.
Dec. 9 NEW YEAR’S EVE (Warner Bros.): Garry Marshall’s all-star sequel to his all-star romance “Valentine’s Day” sets up loosely connected couples wending their way toward New Year’s Eve. Zac Efron, Hilary Swank, Ashton Kutcher and Sarah Jessica Parker are just a few of the stars.
THE SITTER (Fox): David Gordon Green directed this comedy about a guy (Jonah Hill) suckered into babysitting the kids next door for “one wild night.”
YOUNG ADULT (Paramount): Charlize Theron is a lonely fiction writer who returns to her Minnesota hometown to take up with her now-married ex-boyfriend (Patrick Wilson) in this Jason Reitman dramedy. (Opens widely Dec. 16.)
Dec. 16 ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIP-WRECKED (Fox): A 3-D shipwreck adventure starring Alvin, Simon and Theodore? Go figure.
SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS (Warner Bros.): Noomi Rapace and Stephen Fry are among those joining Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams in this sequel.
THE IRON LADY (Weinstein): Meryl Streep is Margaret Thatcher in this political biopic, widely regarded as big-time Oscar bait.
Dec. 21
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (Sony): Daniel Craig is the disgraced journalist digging into a mystery and Rooney Mara takes on the title role in this remake of the Swedish hit based on Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — GHOST PROTOCOL (Paramount): Brad Bird (“The Incredibles”) leaves animation to direct this revival of the Tom Cruise action franchise, with Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton and Simon Pegg.
Dec. 23 THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (Paramount): Jamie Bell has the title role in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the popular European comic-book character, a reporter who finds himself in mysteries or, in this case, on a treasure hunt. With Daniel Craig, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg and almost no actresses of note.
WE BOUGHT A ZOO (Fox): Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church and Elle Fanning star in this Cameron Crowe comedy about a father who moves his family to the English countryside to run a dilapidated zoo. Based on a true story.
Dec. 25
THE DARKEST HOUR (Summit): Olivia Thirlby, Emile Hirsch and Max Minghella are among the stars of this aliens-invade-Russia actioner.
EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE (Warner Bros.) Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock star in this drama from the director of “The Hours,” a film about a child who searches New York for the lock that matches a key that his late father — killed on 9-11 — left behind. Opens widely Jan. 20.
Dec. 28
WAR HORSE (DreamWorks): Steven Spielberg’s latest feat is making a major motion picture of Michael Morpurgo’s novel about World War I from the point of view of a horse sent to the front lines. Jeremy Irvine plays the lad who enlists to join his horse at the front, with Emily Watson, Benedict Cumberbatch and David Thewlis.
A list of movies slated to open this fall and early winter:
Sept. 9
CONTAGION (Warner Bros.): Steven Soderbergh’s viral outbreak thriller stars Oscar winners Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet and Marion Cotillard, along with Jude Law and Jennifer Ehle.
BUCKY LARSON: BORN TO BE A STAR (Sony): Nick Swardson, Christina Ricci, Don Johnson and Stephen Dorff star in this comedy about a small-town guy (Swardson) who, upon learning that his conservative parents were once adult-film stars, heads to L.A. to pursue his porno destiny.
HIGHER GROUND (Sony Classics): Vera Farmiga directed and stars in this drama about a woman’s struggle to reconcile herself with her faith.
INSIDE OUT (Samuel Goldwyn/WWE Studios): This ex-con-tries-to-go-clean thriller stars wrestler Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Michael Rapaport and Parker Posey.
WARRIOR (Lionsgate): Tom Hardy, playing the son of an alcoholic boxer (Nick Nolte), takes up mixed martial arts.
Harry Potter continued to draw legions of fans to Universal Orlando this spring, as resort attendance leapt 41 percent from a year ago.
Nearly 3.6 million people visited Universal Orlando’s two theme parks during the second quarter of the year, an increase of more than 1 million from the same period in 2010. Read the full story
Harry Potter may be one of the most beloved literary series of all time, but Universal Orlando is hoping to woo fans of the Potter films in its newest packages for the Wizarding World.
The theme park said Monday it is partnering with Warner Bros. to hold a weekend this fall dedicated to a decade of Harry Potter movies.
“A Celebration of the Harry Potter Films” is scheduled for Nov. 11-13 at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Read the full story
Linde Heddes has been hooked on Harry Potter since she discovered the boy wizard at age 9.
Now 22, Heddes, of the Netherlands, made it her mission to be in Orlando this week for the sold-out LeakyCon, a four-day Harry Potter convention at the Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando.
“We don’t do stuff like this” in the Netherlands, said Heddes, who wore a Hogwarts uniform Thursday. Read the full story
Walt Disney World is cutting operating hours for its monorail, a move designed to give maintenance crews more time to work on the aging transportation system.
Disney plans to begin shutting down monorail service one hour after regularly scheduled park closings in the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, the two theme parks served by the resort’s trains. In addition, Disney will no longer run the trains during evening “Extra Magic Hours,” the late-night period during which only guests staying in Disney hotels are allowed in the parks.
Disney had previously kept its trains running until at least one-and-a-half hours after park closing or through any extended hours. The changes are effective beginning today at Epcot and Aug. 1 for the Magic Kingdom.
Disney World spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez said Monday the reduced hours are “to accommodate for planned maintenance” on the trains, which are approximately 20 years old. Exiting theme-park guests will instead be transported to their cars or hotels via buses or boats.
The move, which is certain to anger some Disney guests who pay a premium to stay in hotels built along the monorail, illustrate the pressure Disney World’s monorail has come under as the giant resort has expanded park hours and hosted ever-larger crowds.
Because of “Extra Magic Hours” — a key perk that Disney has used to drive occupancy in its roughly two-dozen hotels — the Magic Kingdom will on some nights not close until 3 a.m. and will then reopen again at 7 a.m. Disney says it takes 90 minutes for its monorail trains to cycle down at the end of the night and another 90 minutes to restart at the beginning of the day. The result: As little as one hour of downtime for some trains. Read the full story
Amanda Brumfield, the estranged daughter of Hollywood actor Billy Bob Thornton, was found guilty of aggravated manslaughter of a child last week, the State Attorney’s Office said.
Brumfield, 32, had faced a murder charge in the killing of her best friend’s daughter during an overnight stay in October 2008. She claimed the death of 1-year-old Olivia Madison Garcia was an accident.
Amanda Brumfield, actor Billy Bob Thorton's estranged daughter, sits on trial for first degree murder in judge Reginald K. Whitehead's courtroom at the Orange Country Courthouse in Orlando, Fla. Tuesday, May 24 (Gary W. Green, Orlando Sentinel / June 1, 2011)
Brumfield was found not guilty on first-degree murder and aggravated child-abuse charges, according to the State Attorney’s Office. She is expected to face sentencing on the manslaughter charge in July.
She maintained Olivia was trying to climb out of a playpen and fell a short distance, hitting her head. The defense suggested the fall may have aggravated a previous injury, causing her death.
The prosecution argued it was “impossible” that a fall from that height caused a three-and-a-half inch fracture on the back of the girl’s skull and the bleeding and swelling found in her brain.
The verdict was handed down Friday. In contrast to the more high-profile Casey Anthony trial, expected to drag on for months in a courtroom 13 floors above it, the Brumfield trial took less than a week.
With attendance rebounding, SeaWorld Orlando is ending a popular ticket promotion that allows Florida and Georgia residents who buy one-day tickets to keep coming back for the rest of the year.
Beginning tomorrow, SeaWorld will stop selling $79.99 “Fun Cards,” as it aims to shift more guests into pricier annual passes, which begin at $109.99. The annual passes are good for 365 days from the date of purchase — rather than the remainder of the calendar year — and include some extra perks, including free parking.
SeaWorld will also begin offering guests who buy single-day tickets an option to pay an extra $5 to continue returning through the rest of 2011.
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment will also cancel its Fun Card promotion at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, effective tomorrow.
The pricing changes come as SeaWorld tries to capitalize on improving attendance and a wave of new attractions, including the nearly $40 million “Cheetah Hunt” roller coaster and animal habitat that opened last week at Busch Gardens Tampa.
The company said last week that attendance across its 10 U.S. theme- and water parks grew 7 percent year-over-year during the first quarter. And it said it expected attendance to continue growing by mid-single-digit percentages through the summer.
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