2011 Movie Guide, A to Z

As 2011 begins, it’s time for 3-D fans to celebrate.

Hollywood studio chiefs have been working overtime approving big-budget films designed for images that pop off the screen.

The 3-D titles coming this year include “The Adventures of  Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn,” “Drive Angry,” “5inal Destination,” “Fright Night,” “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,” “Gnomeo and Juliet,” “The Green Hornet,” “Happy Feet 2,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,” “Kung Fu Panda 2,” “Mars Needs Moms,” “Piranha 3DD,” “Priest,” “Rio,” “Sanctum,” “Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World,” “The Three Musketeers,” “Transformers 3,” and “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1.”

Sequels, prequels, remakes and franchise titles will also flood screens in 2011.

They include: “Arthur,” “Big Momma’s House: Like Father, Like Son,” “Caesar: Rise of the Apes,” “Cars 2,” “Fast Five” (another “Fast & Furious” installment), “Footloose,” “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” “The Hangover Part II,” “The Mechanic,” “Mission: Impossible 4 — Ghost Protocol,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” “Scream 4,” “Sherlock Holmes 2,” “Straw Dogs,” “The Thing,” and “X-Men: First Class.”

Also, be prepared for new comic-book franchises (“Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Green Lantern” and “Thor”) and star-driven vehicles (including “Bad Teacher” with Cameron Diaz, “Crazy, Stupid, Love” with Steve Carell, “Just Go With It” with Adam Sandler, “Larry Crowne” with Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks, “No Strings Attached” with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, and “Tower Heist” with Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy.

Here’s an alphabetical list of some of the films coming to a theater near you through Dec. 31 (with all dates highly subject to change). And the new movies will be:

“ The Adjustment Bureau ,” with Matt Damon and Emily Blunt in a thriller about an ambitious politician who begins dating a ballerina and finds that some mysterious operatives will do anything to prevent them from having a relationship. Screenwriter George Nolfi (“The Bourne Ultimatum”) directed. (March 4)

“ The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn ,” with Jamie Bell (“King Kong”), Daniel Craig (“Quantum of Solace”) and Andy Serkis (the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy) in an adventure tale about a teen who finds directions to a sunken ship and embarks on a treasure hunt. It will also be available in 3-D. Steven Spielberg (“Close Encounters of the Third Kind”) directed. (Dec. 23)

“,” with Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill (“Earth”) co-directing a Disneynature documentary on the African Wildlife Foundation, which ensures the futures of lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras and giraffes. (April 22)

“,” with a cast of unknowns in a sci-fi conspiracy thriller about a cancelled NASA mission that, according to urban legend, actually occurred and resulted in disturbing new evidence of other life forms. Spanish filmmaker Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego (“Nomadas”) directed. (March 4)

“,” with Russell Brand (“Get Him to the Greek”) stepping into the shoes of Dudley Moore in this comedy reboot about a drunken playboy who might lose his inheritance if he marries a woman his family doesn’t like. Jennifer Garner (TV’s “Alias”) and Helen Mirren (“The Tempest”) co-star. Jason Winer (TV’s “Modern Family”) directed. (April 8)

“,” with Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel (“Knocked Up”) and Justin Timberlake in a comedy about a foul-mouthed teacher who causes problems among the faculty members after she is dumped by her wealthy older boyfriend and begins to upset the life of a popular, down-to-earth instructor. Jake Kasdan (“Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”) directed. (June 17)

“,” with Michelle Rodriguez (“The Fast and the Furious”), Aaron Eckhart (“Rabbit Hole”) and Bridget Moynahan (“I, Robot”) in a fact-based World War II story about people shooting into the sky after they become convinced that Japanese aircraft are flying over California and planning to drop bombs. Jonathan Liebesman (“Darkness Falls”) directed. (March 11)

“,” with Vanessa Hudgens (“High School Musical”) and Peter Krause (TV’s “Parenthood”) in a modern retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story in which a Manhattan teenager is transformed into a monster until he can find true love. Daniel Barnz (“Phoebe in Wonderland”) directed. (March 18)

“ Big Momma’s House: Like Father, Like Son ,” with Martin Lawrence returning as the police officer who dresses like a woman as he seeks a murder witness at a performing arts school for girls. John Whitesell (“Big Momma’s House 2”) directed. (Feb. 18)

“,” with Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson in a comedy about three gung-ho guys seeking the top spot in a bird-watching competition and going to extremes to win it. David Frankel (“Marley & Me”) directed. (Release date to be determined)

“,” with Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams (“Brokeback Mountain”) in a romantic drama about the deterioration of a relationship over a number of years. It received plenty of publicity after receiving an NC-17 rating, later changed to an R, for sexual elements. Derek Cianfrance (“Brother Tied”) directed. (Jan. 21)

“,” with Christina Ricci, Stephen Dorff (“Blade”) and Don Johnson (“Machete”) in a comedy, co-written by Adam Sandler, about a guy from the Midwest who decides to follow in the footsteps of his parents and moves to Hollywood to become a porn star. Tom Brady (“The Comebacks”) directed. (April 22)

“,” with Chris Evans (“Fantastic Four”) putting on the costume of the volunteer who enters a military project that turns him into a superhero charged with defending our country. Samuel L. Jackson and Hugo Weaving (the “Matrix” trilogy) co-star as the heroic Nick Fury and the evil Red Skull, respectively. Joe Johnston (“The Rocketeer”) directed. (July 22)

Source: http://www.timesonline.com