PREVIEWS - March Movies

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

This is a tale of a young boy, Ted  who lives in a town where nothing is quite as it appears; everything is plastic, including the plants. Hopelessly smitten by the beautiful Audrey, who dreams of one day seeing a real tree, Ted boldly leaves the city determined to find the flora and grant her wish. Along the way, the young adventurer crosses paths with the Lorax, a diminutive, mustached defender of nature who doesn't take kindly to human intruders.

Directed by Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda; starring the voices of Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zach Efron, Taylor Swift and Betty White.

Opens: March 2, 2012 Runtime: 1 hr. 36 min. Genre: Animation, Family, Adventure Rated: PG

Project X

Produced by the director of The Hangover, Todd Phillips and written by Matt Drake and Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) is a story about three seemingly anonymous high school seniors attempt to finally make a name for themselves. Their idea is innocent enough: let's throw a party that no one will forget... but nothing could prepare them for this party. Word spreads quickly as dreams are ruined, records are blemished and legends are born.   

Directed by Nima Nourizadeh and starring Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Brown, Dax Flame and Alexis Knapp.

Opens: March 2, 2012 Runtime: 1 hr. 28 min. Genre: Comedy Rated: R

Friends with Kids

A pair of best friends in their 30s observe the effect of having kids taken on the couples they know. To avoid that toll, the best friends resolve to have a child and then date other people. 

Written, co-produced, directed and starring Jennifer Westfeldt, Jon Hamm, Adam Scott, Kristen Wiig, Megan Fox, Edward Burns, Maya Rudolph and Chris O'Dowd.

Opens: March 9, 2012 Runtime: 1 hr. 47 min. Genre: Comedy, Romance Rated: R

John Carter

John Carter is a former American Civil War Confederate Army captain who is mysteriously transported to Mars, which is known to its inhabitants as Barsoom. In the course of his first adventures there Carter learns the planet is dying from the loss of its atmosphere and water. Only a peaceful alliance of its intelligent but volatile inhabitants can save all the species of Barsoom from extinction; he sets out to achieve that goal.

Directed by Andrew Stanton, starring Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton, Dominic West, Thomas Haden Church, Mark Strong and Ciarán Hinds.

Opens: March 9, 2012 Runtime: 2 hr. 17 min. Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi. Rated: PG-13

Silent House

Inspired by true events, this remake of the "real time" Uruguayan thriller La Casa Muda. Sarah, her father, and her uncle begin the process of cleaning their summer cottage after it was vandalized by squatters, when noises from within hint they are not alone.With no contact to the outside world, and no way out, panic turns to terror as events become increasingly ominous in and around the house.

Directed by Laura Lau and Chris Kentis; and starring  Elizabeth Olsen, Adam Trese and Eric Sheffer Stevens.

Opens: March 9, 2012 Runtime: 1 hr. 26 min. Genre: Horror, Suspense Rated: R

A Thousand Words

Jack McCall is a fast-talking literary agent who can close any deal, any time, any way. He has set his sights on New Age guru Dr. Sinja for his own selfish purposes. In response, Dr. Sinja curses McCall with a magical Bodhi tree in his own backyard. The tree has 1,000 leaves and every word McCall says causes a leaf to drop; the curse dooms McCall to perish when the last leaf falls. McCall has to find a way to communicate with other people or he's dead.

Directed by Brian Robbins and starring Eddie Murphy, Kerry Washington, Cliff Curtis, Clark Duke, Ariel Winter and John Witherspoon. 

Opens: March 9, 2012 Runtime: 1 hr. 31 min. Genre: Comedy Rated: PG-13

21 Jump Street

Schmidt and Jenko are more than ready to leave their adolescent problems behind. Joining the police force and the secret Jump Street unit, they use their youthful appearances to go undercover in a local high school. Now, the only thing more daunting than the prospect of taking on violent adolescent dope slingers is the possibility of experiencing the torture of their teenage years all over again.

Based on the TV series of the same name, 21 Jump Street is written by Jonah Hill andMichael Bacall, and directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller; and starring Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Brie Larson, Ice Cube, Ellie Kemper and Johnny Depp.

Opens: March 16, 2012 Runtime: 1 hr. 50 min. Genre: Action, Comedy Rated: R

Seeking Justice

Will Gerard is a happily married family man whose quiet life is turned upside-down when his wife, Laura, is brutally attacked one night while leaving work. At the hospital, waiting for news about his wife's condition, Will is approached by Simon, who proposes an intriguing offer: Simon will arrange to have a complete stranger exact vengeance on Laura's attacker, in exchange for a favor from Will in the near future. Distraught and grief-stricken, Will consents to the deal, unwittingly pulling himself into a dangerous underground vigilante operation. While continuing to protect his wife from the truth, he quickly discovers that his quest for justice could lead to frightening and deadly consequences.

Starring Nicholas Cage, Guy Pearce, January Jones, Jennifer Carpenter and Xander Berkeley; and directed by Roger Donaldson. 

Opens: March 16, 2012 Runtime: 1 hr. 45 min. Genre: Action, Suspense Rated: R 

The Hunger Games

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Based on the best-selling  novel by author Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games is directed by Gary Ross; and starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland and Stanley Tucci.

Opens: March 23, 2012 Runtime: n/a Genre: Action, Aventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi. Rated: PG-13

Goon

Doug Glatt, a slacker who discovers he has a talent for brawling is approached by a minor league hockey coach and invited to join the team as the "muscle." Despite the fact that Glatt can't skate his best friend, Pat, convinces him to give it a shot, and Glatt becomes a hero to the team and their fans, until the league's reigning goon becomes threatened by Glatt's success and decides to even the score.

Written by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, directed by Michael Dowse; and starring Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, Alison Pill and Eugene Levy.

Opens: March 30, 2012 Runtime: 1 hr. 31 min. Genre: Comedy, Sports Rated: R

Mirror Mirror

When Snow White's beauty wins the heart of the prince that she desperately pursues, the Queen banishes her to the forest, where a ravening man-eating beast hungrily awaits. Rescued by a band of diminutive highway robbers (the seven dwarves), Snow White grows into an indomitable young woman determined to take back her realm from the treacherous Queen.

Directed by Tarsem Singh, and starring Lilly Collins, Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, Sean Bean and Nathan Lane.

Opens: March 30, 2012 Runtime: 1 hr. 35 min. Genre: Romance, Adventure, Fantasy Rated: PG 

Wrath of the Titans

A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius. Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity's lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus' godly son, Ares, switch loyalties and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans' strength grows stronger as Zeus' remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth. Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda, Poseidon's demigod son, Argenor, and fallen god Hephaestus, Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman, and starring Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson, Danny Huston, Bill Nighy and Rosamund Pike.

Opens: March 30, 2012 Runtime: n/a Genre: Action, Adventure Rated: n/a