US Releases

Cars 2

Studio – Walt Disney Pictures (Previous Film: Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides)

Director - John Lasseter (Previous Film: Cars), Brad Lewis (Previous Film: Tracy)

In a nutshell....

Race car Lightning McQueen, and his tow truck pal, Mater, embark on a journey to Italy, Spain and England to compete in the first World Grand Prix to determine the world's fastest car. During the competition, mater gets sidetracked due an international espionage, while McQueen continues to pursue the Championship. Mater is now torn between helping his friend win the race, and helping with a top-secret mission.

Five years after the talking cars entertained us and made us laugh out loud, the master of animated storytelling, John Lasseter, is back with a sequel of Cars. The Oscar winning director has a lot in store for us this time around, as the cars go international with the World Grand Prix championship. With the addition of the likes of Michael Caine and Emily Mortimer, the cast has gone bigger and stronger. The trailers promise this one to be a great summer entertainer, as the plot gets dynamic and interesting. The studio name, the credibility of the writer-director, the popularity of the cast, and most importantly, the success of its predecessor, will give Cars 2 a huge opening at the box office. High expectations from this one.

Runtime - 112 mins

Genre - Animation/Adventure/Comedy

Rated - G

Principal Cast

Owen Wilson - Master (Last heard in: Fantastic Mr. Fox)

Michael Caine – Finn McMissile (Last heard in: Gnomeo & Juliet)

Larry The Cable Guy - Himself (Last heard in: Cars)

Emily Mortimer - Holly Shiftwell (Last heard in: The Miracle Maker)

Principal Crew

Ben Queen, Dan Fogelman, John Lasseter, Brad Lewis - Writers

Michael Giacchino - Music Director

Film’s USP

Cast + Plot

Anticipation Level - POTW (Pick Of The Week)

---

Bad Teacher

Studio – Columbia Pictures (Previous Film: Jumping The Broom)

Director - Jake Kasdan (Previous Film: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story)

In a nutshell....

Elizabeth Halsey is a poor Chicago area teacher who curses students, drinks heavily and also takes drugs. She plans to marry her wealthy fiance. But when he dumps her, she sets her eyes on the young substitute teacher, Scott Delacorte, who is also very wealthy. Scott's colleague, Amy Squirrel, is also pursuing Scott, whereas gym teacher Russel Gettis is making advances on Halsey.

Until this weekend, bad teachers appeared on a different media platform, altogether. But, the film Bad Teacher will see Cameron Diaz play a really bad teacher. The film is an adult comedy, and the trailers are actually just a sneak peek into what the viewers can expect from the film in the theatres. Cameron Diaz looks ravishing and super hot, and Justin Timberlake seems to complement her well. I think this film is on the border line; one step back or forth will make this film either a total farce or a lame attempt. I hope it just stays on the border line. Sure Bad Teacher will see a good opening since there isn't much competition around. Although, I was very surprised that this film released in the UK before America, as it is typical American adult comedy.

Runtime - 92 mins

Genre - Comedy

Rated - R

Principal Cast

Cameron Diaz - Elizabeth Halsey (Last seen in: The Green Hornet)

Justin Timberlake – Scott Delacorte (Last seen in: The Social Network)

Jason Segel - Russell Gettis (Last seen in: Gulliver's Travels)

Principal Crew

Jake Kasdan - Writer

Alar Kivilo - Director Of Photography

Tara Timpone - Editor

Michael Andrews - Music Director

Film’s USP

Cameron Diaz

Anticipation Level - Second Choice

---

A Better Life

Studio – Summit Entertainment (Previous Film: The Beaver)

Director - ChrisWeitz (Previous Film: New Moon)

In a nutshell....

Carlos Galindo is gardener who lives in East L.A. along with his son Luis Galindo. The father tries to give his son a greater life than he ever had, as he struggles to keep him away from the local gangs as well as immigration officials.

Immigration issues have marred the lives of many, across the world. The issue is prevalent right from the grass-roots to a bigger, global level. The beauty of A Better Life seems to be in its simplicity in telling a story that has a bearing on a huge number of people. Such films face a tricky situation where if they go with an aggressive, loud approach, viewers condemn it for being too vocal, into the face. And, if the makers go a little below the line of subtlety, then the film is blamed for being too passive. Thus, this is the battle A Better Life has to win. At the box office, I believe such films rarely achieve a good number, considering the low budgets and lack of too many entertaining sequences. This film is purely for the ones who relish serious cinema. Perhaps it would have been better to feature this one in a festival before going for a theatrical release.

Runtime - 98 mins

Genre - Drama

Rated - PG-13

Principal Cast

Demian Bichir - Carlos Galindo (Last seen in: The Runway)

Eddie 'Piolin' Sotelo – Himself (Debut)

Jose Julian - Luis Galindo (Last seen in: Nanny McPhee)

Principal Crew

Roger L. Simon, Eric Eason - Writers

Javier Aguirresarobe - Director Of Photography

Peter Lambert - Editor

Alexandre Desplat - Music Director

Film’s USP

Subject

Anticipation Level - Second Choice