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Yes Man – Opens December 19th

It's good to see Jim Carrey's back in the comedy game, having been in basically nothing (save for the terribly awful The Number 23) since 2005's Fun with Dick and Jane. In Yes Man, Carrey steals the formula previously seen in Liar Liar and spins it on its head. This time, instead of being the unfortunate man named Fletcher who can't tell a lie, Carrey is an unfortunate man named Carl who can't say no. Better said, it's yes to everything, including simple things from taking guitar lessons and learning Korean to more obscure activities, like pounding down a case of Red Bull and pulling through an all-nighter with his buds (as referenced in the trailer).

Admittedly, I like what I see (not completely original, but then again we haven't seen something just like it before). The trailer has a few good gags and appears to be the kind of comedy film we've come to expect from Carrey. And given this one's Christmastime release, I expect Yes Man to do good holiday business for New Line, similar to how Meet the Fockers and Night at the Museum used the time frame to its advantage in recent years.

Grade: B+
Also expected to be released on this date: Seven Pounds, Nothing But the Truth, The Tale of Despereaux

Knowing – Opens March 20, 2009

Nicolas Cage is trading in his symbology expertise viewers have grown accustomed to through the National Treasure franchise for something with a bit more substance. Because this time, the final result isn't a large sum of money, but in fact the end of the world as we know it. In Knowing, Cage plays Ted Myles, a professor who comes into contact with contents of a time capsule at his son's school that has boldly predicted catastrophes since 1959 through a unique numbering system. Due to its accuracy, Ted starts believing that he is living in the time of the apocalypse, given that the numbers on the sheet eventually run out.

The bone I'd like to pick with this one, however, is the casting of Cage in the lead role, which ends up being, at least for me, just as awkward as I thought it would be when I first heard about this project. Because really, would you ever want the fate of the world in the hands of the man who starred in Ghost Rider?

Grade: B-
Also expected to be released on this date: This Side of the Truth, Duplicity, Fired Up

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