WALL-E

We can confidently make the statement that Pixar's latest film Wall-E is not only going to be a blockbuster but also will likely be one of the best films of 2008. It also carries the tremendous potential of establishing itself as one of the best science fiction movie ever made. We never had the habit of making too much exaggerated comments but today we can't resist ourselves from telling what we truely felt after having this fantastic journey across the universe with WALL-E.

Academy Award-winning writer-director Andrew Stanton ("Finding Nemo") and the inventive storytellers and technical geniuses at Pixar Animation Studios ("The Incredibles," "Cars," "Ratatouille") transport moviegoers to a galaxy not so very far away for a new computer-animated cosmic comedy about a determined robot named WALL•E.

What if mankind had to leave Earth, and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off?

After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, WALL•E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL•E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home). Meanwhile, WALL•E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most exciting and imaginative comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen.

Joining WALL•E on his fantastic journey across a universe of never-before-imagined visions of the future, is a hilarious cast of characters including a pet cockroach, and a heroic team of malfunctioning misfit robots. Filled with surprises, action, humor and heart, "WALL•E" was written and directed by Andrew Stanton. The film also features original and innovative sound design by Academy Award®-winner Ben Burtt ("Star Wars," "Indiana Jones," "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial").

The movie is rated G and runs for 103 minutes. Here is its official site: wall-e.com.

The Unknown Woman

Here comes another excellent creation from Giuseppe Tornatore, the celebrated director of 'Cinema Paradiso' (1988) and 'Malena' (2000).

His new film, 'The Unknown Woman' (International title: “La Sconosciuta”) is a haunting story of mystery and love with the leading character of a Russian woman named Irena (Xenia Rappoport) who calculatedly insinuates herself into the lives of a young, affluent Italian family.

Stopping at nothing to become the couple's trusted maid and the beloved nanny to their fragile young daughter (Clara Dossena), Irena risks everything in her quest to uncover the truth about the family.

Like an intricately constructed jigsaw puzzle, 'The Unknown Woman' reveals piece by piece with flashbacks and hints the enigma of Irena's past. The gripping story kept us glued to the screen until the very last moment. The film would be treasured as another great creation from a master film maker and story teller of our time.

The film will have a limited release on May 30th, Friday. The runtime is 118 minutes. Here's its official site: theunknownwoman.com.

Iron Man

“Iron Man” grossed an estimated $201 million (including international sales), according to Paramount Pictures. The film was made with an estimated $135 million. The totals were slightly short of first-weekend sales for “Spider-Man,” the 2002 blockbuster that holds the record for the top nonsequel superhero movie opening.

Based on the long-running Marvel comic book series, “Iron Man” is the story of billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.), who is also a beyond-brilliant engineer.

When Stark is kidnapped and forced to build a diabolical weapon, he instead uses his intelligence and ingenuity to construct an indestructible suit of armor and escape his captors. Once free, Stark discovers a deadly conspiracy that could destabilize the entire globe, and dons his powerful new suit on a mission to stop the villains and save the world.

Gwyneth Paltrow co-stars as his secretary, Virginia "Pepper" Potts, while Terrence Howard fills the role of Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes, one of Stark's colleagues, whose military background leads him to help in the formation of the suit. Jon Favreau directs, with Marvel movie veterans Avi Arad and Kevin Feige producing.

The experience of watching 'Iron Man' turned out to be quite fulfilling -- a good sign for the forthcoming summer months. For Robert Downey Jr., perhaps best known for his Oscar-nominated turn as Charlie Chaplin in 1992's "Chaplin," "Iron Man" easily marks his biggest picture yet, at least in commercial terms. His most recent films, such as "Zodiac," "Fur" and "Good Night, and Good Luck," were mostly acclaimed but largely flew under the mainstream radar.

The movie is rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence and brief suggestive content. It runs for 126 minutes. Here is the official site of the movie: ironmanmovie.com.

'Amelia' in Production

Richard Gere and Hilary Swank are set to be together in Avalon Pictures' biopic on Amelia Earhart, the legendary American pilot who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in an attempt to make a flight around the world.

The film named 'Amelia' revolves around the rocky relationship between the famed aviator and her husband, publisher George Putnam. Mira Nair ('Namesake', 'Mississipi Masala') is directing the film. Ronald Bass, the Oscar winning screen writer ('Rainman', 'Sleeping with the Enemy') has penned the screenplay and production is slated to begin this month in Toronto, Nova Scotia and South Africa.

Kevin Hyman, Ted Waitt and Lydia Dean Pilcher are producing while Swank and Bass are executive producing.

Upcoming Spring Movies

May 9, 'Speed Racer' : Based on the classic 1960s series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida that later was retooled for North American audiences, the big-screen film will follow the adventures of the young race car driver Speed in his quest for glory in his thundering gadget-laden vehicle, Mach 5. This new movie from the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix) that stars Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild) may find an audience soft spot from the theme song alone.

May 16, 'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian': "Prince Caspian" was first published in 1951, and is the fourth book in the seven-book series written by C.S. Lewis. It was intended as a continuation of "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe." In this part, "Prince Caspian" finds the Pevensie siblings pulled back into the land of Narnia, where a thousand years have passed since they left. The children are once again enlisted to join the colorful creatures of Narnia in combating an evil villain who prevents the rightful Prince from ruling the land.

May 22, 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull': Steven Spielberg reignites the Indiana Jones franchise with his original players — and Shia LaBeouf ('I, Robot', 'Transformers')as Indy’s son. Steven Spielberg says that the film will feature all of Jones' former babes in various cameo roles including Karen Allen and other Indy girls who had smaller roles. It is still up in the air whether or not Kate Capshaw, Spielberg's wife, will make an appearance. The film is set in the early '50s.

May 30, 'Sex and the City': The movie version of the long-running HBO series featuring the further exploits of Carrie Bradshaw, Samantha Jones, Charlotte York and Miranda Hobbes. The series was originally based on autobiographical columns written by Candace Bushnell. The series has been off the air for an entire four years, but thanks to the magic of movies and a recent detente between key talent, the franchise gets some plot Botox and hands out more backhanded compliments and bad relationships to an eager audience.

June 13, 'The Incredible Hulk': The sequel directed by Louis Leterrier, will return to the roots of the long-running comic series, combining a well-developed character storyline with incredible action and fun. Zak Penn, who previously collaborated with Marvel on X2 and this summer's smash hit 'X-Men: The Last Stand', has written the script.

Leatherheads

Set in the backdrop of America's nascent pro-football league of 1925, 'Leatherheads' succeeds as a quick-witted romantic comedy starring Oscar winners George Clooney and Renée Zellweger.

Clooney plays Dodge Connolly, a charming, brash football hero who is determined to guide his team from bar brawls to packed stadiums. But after the players lose their sponsor and the entire league faces certain collapse, Dodge convinces a college football star to join his ragtag ranks. The captain hopes his latest move will help the struggling sport finally capture the country's attention.

Welcome to the team Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski), America's favorite son. A golden-boy war hero who single-handedly forced multiple German soldiers to surrender in WWI, Carter has dashing good looks and unparalleled speed on the field. This new champ is almost too good to be true, and Lexie Littleton (Zellweger) aims to prove that's the case.

A cub journalist playing in the big leagues, Lexie is a spitfire newswoman who suspects there are holes in Carter's war story. But while she digs, the two teammates start to become serious off-field rivals for her fickle affections.

As the new game of pro-football becomes less like the freewheeling sport he knew and loved, Dodge must both fight to keep his guys together and to get the girl of his dreams. Finding that love and football have a surprisingly similar playbook, however, he has one maneuver he will save just for the fourth quarter...

The film is rated PG-13 for brief strong language and it runs for 114 minutes. Here is its official site: leatherheadsmovie.com.