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The Pink Panther 2 – Opens February 6, 2009

The trailer to The Pink Panther 2 made me remember why I never gave the 2006 reboot film a chance. In a nutshell, the new franchise, based on a number of films originally starring Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau, just cannot appeal to any sane person (of course we're disregarding the kids here, as they'll laugh at pretty much anything). Unless your thing is to continually watch Steve Martin tumble over things over and over (and over) again, than I can say - with great accuracy, mind you - that The Pink Panther is not your bag. Nor should it be.

Grade: F
Also expected to be released on this date: He's Just Not That Into You, The Wayan Bros. Comedy, Push, Fanboys

Fanboys – Opens February 6, 2009

It's November 2008, and the Star Wars fan film, Fanboys, about a circle of friends who try to break into Skywalker Ranch, has yet to be released. The comedy, originally scheduled for an August 2007 release, will finally hit theaters (but will it really?) on February 6, 2009. Fans and non-fans, you better start crossing your frickin' fingers.

For those not in the know, Fanboys has had its share of backstage turmoil (and no, it has nothing to do with being a product of The Weinstein Company). Actually, much of the hold up had to do with a series of reshoots, namely filming a number of new scenes that could help get rid of a cancer storyline that execs wanted to replace with vulgar humor. (At the end of the day, though, that plot point made its way back into the picture).

The finished product? Eh. I'm not all that impressed (though I'm not exactly the target filmgoer on this one, given that I'm not particularly well-versed in the Star Wars universe). The jokes in the trailer just appear to be cheap in nature. And no matter how many celebrity cameos you have - this one's got William Shatner, Carrie Fisher, Harry Knowles, Kevin Smith and others - it's never enough to fully cancel out the failed comedy.

Grade: C-
Also expected to be released on this date: He's Just Not That Into You, The Wayan Bros. Comedy, Push, The Pink Panther 2

Monsters vs. Aliens – Opens March 27, 2009

Expect the DreamWorks animated win streak to continue into next year with the March release of Monsters vs. Aliens. After finding great success (and a potential franchise) in this summer's Kung Fu Panda and then just last weekend in the Madagascar sequel, the studio is finally beginning to prove it doesn't necessarily need to rely on a fat, somewhat obnoxious ogre to bring in the green stuff.

Monsters vs. Aliens, the first computer animated movie to be produced in real 3-D, is about a force of inept monsters (of various shapes, sizes and smarts) who do battle with an invading alien force to save the Earth from destruction.

And typical of most DreamWorks releases, this family comedy houses a slew of top-notch celebrity voices, including Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Kiefer Sutherland, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Rainn Wilson, Will Arnett and Stephen Colbert. Though Rogen's character, a blubbery ball of blue gunk, was the only monster to really get me to chuckle, I have a feeling there's a lot more funny in the movie than producers are allowing us to see here.

Grade: B+
Also expected to be released on this date: Janky Promoters; The Informant; Assassination of a High School President; I Love You, Beth Cooper; The Accidental Husband

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