One third of the year are taken up by blockbusters aiming at pocketbooks during Summer vacation. The second is hoping to either capitalize on Oscar season or bring in holiday dollars. The final third is the waste bin of the movie industry. From January through April, Hollywood has a tendency to deposit the films that critics are going to hate, films that weren’t quite good enough to compete at the Oscars and movies that aren’t likely to ignite the box office. It’s a wasteland of crap that has very little purpose. Now, a few gems have emerged during this period and several Oscar contenders will expand through January and February, but the vast majority of flicks are abysmal and don’t deserve very much attention.

Yet, here I am. I’ll be covering the films releasing at the box office from January through April of 2011. I don’t expect any major masterpieces, but a few surprises might be nice.

Each film will have a brief description of the premise, a box office total forecast (what I think the film will make in its entire run), a list of awards and Oscar prospects (if they have any chance at contending) and my general thoughts on these two items. Each movie will be sorted into its expected release weekend, but things are never set in stone with smaller releases and could very well result in a vastly different release schedule the closer we get to the listed weekend. I will also not be detailing every release on a particular weekend. I’ll hit the major wide releases, but limit my coverage of limited and NY/LA releases to those which have the potential to become successes or Oscar contenders.

Since I have already relayed many of my thoughts on the individual trailer & poster preview pages, I’ll try to limit extra commentary here, but provide links to the preview pages if they are available.

January 7-9, 2011

SEASON OF THE WITCH

Premise: A world facing destruction by a plague finds two Crusaders returning home and put on a new task to deliver a suspected witch to her execution.
Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Expectations: None. This is one of those classless remakes that have plagued Hollywood for a number of years. And with Nic Cage involved, you can bet it’s going to be hokum.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Season of the Witch

Also Releasing this weekend: Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune, a documentary on influential ’60s songwriter Phil Ochs.

JANUARY 14-16, 2011

THE DILEMMA

Premise: When he discovers that his best friend’s wife is cheating on him, he must face the dilemma of whether or not to tell him about it.
Box Office Prospects: $75 M
Expectations: None. The cast itself turns me off and with Ron Howard behind the camera of such a broad comedy, I have little hope.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: The Dilemma

THE GREEN HORNET

Premise: After his father is murdered, a millionaire playboy joins his father’s closest confidant in a scheme to get close to the murderers by posing as criminals.
Box Office Prospects: $70 M
Expectations: Low. The preview makes this look absolutely unbearable. The humor is cliched and the acting minimal. Yet, I’ll still end up stuck watching it with friends.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: The Green Hornet

BARNEY’S VERSION

Premise: In his own words and images, Barney tells his sordid life’s story.
Box Office Prospects: $12 M
Expectations: Low. The concept isn’t too bad and there are some fine names in the cast, but I don’t expect anything.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Barney’s Version

EVERY DAY

Premise: A dramedy about a scriptwriter going through a mid-life crisis.
Box Office Prospects: $25 M
Expectations: None. Despite having a few notable names, the film looks miserable.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Every Day

Also Releasing this weekend: The Heart Specialist, a comedy romance set in a hospital; Plastic Planet, a wide-ranging documentary exploring the dangerous chemicals in plastics that threaten to not only pollute our environment, but also our bodies; A Somewhat Gentle Man, having just gotten out of prison, a killer tries to get back into the swing of things, including taking on new hits; Twelve Thirty, a drama about a family with adult children that is broken, and a self-centered young man who, in the span of a week, becomes entangled in each of their lives, wreaking havoc in the process.

JANUARY 21-23, 2011

NO STRINGS ATTACHED

Premise: They started out wanting nothing more than sex, but a pair of friends soon discover they feel something deeper.
Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Expectations: Low. Despite the presence of the talented Natalie Portman, the untalented Ashton Kutcher and unexceptional premise don’t hold much promise.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: No Strings Attached

THE WAY BACK

Premise: A group of prisoners in Siberia escape the isolated facility and travel thousands of miles towards freedom.
Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Expectations: Modest. I like the idea, I like the cast and the trailer isn’t too bad.
Oscar Prospects: Could have been, but it doesn’t seem like it found a footing with critics.
Cinema Sight Preview Page: The Way Back

THE COMPANY MEN

Premise: A white collar worker is fired when his company is reorganized and must come to terms with his unemployment and struggle to restore the peace and serenity and safety he once possessed.
Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Expectations: Modest. A film pushed this far out isn’t necessarily going to be great, but the concept isn’t too discouraging.
Oscar Prospects: It wouldn’t have been pushed back if it were an actual contender.
Cinema Sight Preview Page: The Company Men

JANUARY 28-30, 2011

THE MECHANIC

Premise: An elite assassin, living by a code, throws the code aside to avenge the murder of his mentor.
Box Office Prospects: $80 M
Expectations: None. With Jason Statham, it isn’t likely to be good.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: The Mechanic

THE RITE

Premise: A skeptical Catholic priest is brought into the world of exorcism to discover there’s more truth there than he ever expected.
Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Expectations: Anthony Hopkins seems to be having the same disappointing career trajectory as Nicolas Cage. This looks like yet another religious horror nothing.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: The Rite

BIUTIFUL

Premise: On the road to redemption, darkness lights his way. Connected with the afterlife, Uxbal is a tragic hero and father of two who’s sensing the danger of death. He struggles with a tainted reality and a fate that works against him in order to forgive, for love, and forever.
Box Office Prospects: $10 M
Expectations: Unknown. I haven’t seen a trailer for the film, so I have no idea what to expect.
Oscar Prospects: Javier Bardem was supposed to be one of 2010’s big Lead Actor contender, but his potential never materialized.
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Biutiful

FROM PRADA TO NADA

Premise: Two wealthy girls are thrown into poverty when their father dies and they discover he was in bankruptcy and will have to move to East Los Angeles to live.
Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Expectations: None. A low-budget riches-to-rags story doesn’t seem that exciting.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: From Prada to Nada

Also Releasing this weekend: Ip Man 2, after escaping the Japanese occupation of his hometown of Foshan, China, Ip Man and his family have arrived in Hong Kong, which is living under the iron fist of British colonial rule. Ip wants to support his family by opening up a martial arts academy to teach his unique Wing Chun style. But a corrupt cabal of Hong Kong martial arts masters, led by Hung Chun-nam, refuses to allow Ip to teach.

FEBRUARY 4-6, 2011

THE ROOMMATE

Premise: A college roommate turns into a psychotic, overprotective killer when anyone tries to interrupt her new friendship.
Box Office Prospects: $70 M
Expectations: Low. Single White Female in a college setting. What a lame prospect.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: The Roommate

SANCTUM

Premise: A group of cave explorers find themselves trapped as a massive storm threatens to flood the cave.
Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Expectations: Modest. It has better prospects than The Roommate, but won’t find as a strong a foothold with audiences.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Sanctum

FRANKIE AND ALICE

Premise: A drama centered on a young woman with multiple personality disorder who struggles to remain her true self and not give in to her racist alter-personality.
Box Office Prospects: $10 M
Expectations: Unknown. I have not seen a trailer for the film yet, so I have no expectations.
Oscar Prospects: Halle Berry got a minor amount of buzz for this performance, but contention never materialized.
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Frankie and Alice

Also Releasing this weekend: Around June, a A love story set in the shadow of the shipyards of San Francisco. A young woman (June) living with her much adored uncle Henry and domineering, abusive father (Murry), meets a penniless illegal immigrant (Juan Diego), whose love gives her the insight and courage to finally break free and live her own life; Cold Weather, a guy who moves back to Portland, Oregon becomes involved in the mystery of his ex-girlfriend’s disappearance; Dressed, the story of Laos-American fashion designer, Nary Manivong, who defied a broken childhood and homelessness in Columbus Ohio, to follow his dream of chowing his collection at New York’s Fashion Week and launching his brand; The Other Woman, a comedy/drama that details the story of a woman’s difficult relationship with her stepson; Waiting for Forever, a Hollywood-set romantic tale of a guy who is content to live his life without a job yet with the love of his life, a young actress.

FEBRUARY 11-13, 2011

THE EAGLE

Premise: To avenge the loss of a treasured Roman symbol, a son must seek out his father and the fate of his 5,000-soldier garrison.
Box Office Prospects: $90 M
Expectations: Modest. Not a terribly original story, but it could be an interesting waste of a couple of hours.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: The Eagle

GNOMEO AND JULIET

Premise: William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy re-written for warring families of garden gnomes.
Box Office Prospects: $110 M
Expectations: Modest. It’s going to be another one of those computer animated films that will be amusing, but not terribly great.
Oscar Prospects: Animated Feature is always a possibility depending on resultant quality and popularity.
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Gnomeo and Juliet

JUST GO WITH IT

Premise: A lecherous bachelor who uses a wedding band to get hook-ups finds the woman he could spend the rest of his life with, only he has to pretend to be married and working on a divorce in order to keep her.
Box Office Prospects: $80 M
Expectations: None. Another lame Adam Sandler romantic comedy. No thanks.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Just Go With It

JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER

Premise: The story of Justin Bieber and his rise to fame.
Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Expectations: None. In terms of quality, I have no doubt it will be something I don’t want to see. Though, if this one turns out like the ones for Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers, Bieber’s career might not survive.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Justin Bieber: Never Say Never

Also Releasing this weekend: Cedar Rapids, Tim Lippe has no idea what he’s in for when he’s sent to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to represent his company at an annual insurance convention, where he soon finds himself under the “guidance” of three convention veterans; I Am You, tale of a 15-year-old Australian girl who went missing and was found to have been murdered by her babysitter; Orgasm, Inc., extraordinary behind-the-scenes access reveals a drug company’s fevered race to develop the first FDA-approved Viagra for women – and offers a humorous but sobering look inside the cash-fueled pharmaceutical industry.

FEBRUARY 18-20, 2011

BIG MOMMAS: LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

Premise: Going undercover again, a father takes his son into hiding to avoid a criminal trying to kill him.
Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Expectations: None. I didn’t want to see the first film or its sequel. I definitely don’t want to see this new one.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son

I AM NUMBER FOUR

Premise: An alien teenager, hoping to settle down, but forced to flee from one town after another as he’s pursued by another alien race bent on killing him, finds love in his latest home and must fight to protect it.
Box Office Prospects: $100 M
Expectations: Modest. The movie looks like a fairly typical sci-fantasy film, but it could at least be entertaining.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: I Am Number Four

UNKNOWN

Premise: On vacation in Berlin, a noted physician is involved in an accident that leaves the doctors convinced he has amnesia, but when even his wife (now married to someone else with his name) doesn’t even recognize him, he begins a search to find out what has happened and why he “they” would want to replace him.
Box Office Prospects: $70 M
Expectations: Low. While the appeal of a mystery thriller is strong, the execution doesn’t seem promising.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Unknown

I AM

Premise: Filmmaker Tom Shadyac reevaluates his life after a near-death experience and begins a journey to discover what’s wrong with the world and what we can do to make it better.
Box Office Prospects: $2 M
Expectations: None. Just watching the trailer makes me cringe.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: I Am

Also Releasing this weekend: The Last Lions, an exploration of the dwindling African lion population; Putty Hill, a young man’s untimely death unites a fractured family and their community through shared memory and loss..

FEBRUARY 25-27, 2011

DRIVE ANGRY

Premise: A man goes vigilante to get back his daughter’s baby from the men who took the baby and killed the daughter.
Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Expectations: None. What could be worse than one lame Nic Cage movie in the first quarter of the year? How about two.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Drive Angry

HALL PASS

Premise: Two sex-crazed husbands are given a one week reprieve from marriage to do whatever they want without consequence in an effort to show them that marriage is better than freedom.
Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Expectations: None. A buddy movie with no rules. It’s like an Adam Sandler clone with a bit more raunchiness.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Hall Pass

OF GODS AND MEN

Premise: Under threat by fundamentalist terrorists, a group of Trappist monks stationed with an impoverished Algerian community must decide whether to leave or stay.
Box Office Prospects: $10 M
Expectations: High. You can’t be a major Oscar contender and have strong support from critics and not have the potential to be great.
Oscar Prospects: Major Contender. This is one of the films that’s like to pop up on this past year’s Foreign Language Film list and could very well compete for the prize.
Cinema Sight Preview Page: None available at this time.

Also Releasing this weekend: Heartbeats, the story of three close friends who are involved in a love-triangle; Shelter, a female forensic psychiatrist discovers that all of one of her patient’s multiple personalities are murder victims. She will have to find out what’s happening before her time is finished.

MARCH 4-6, 2011

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU

Premise: They are responsible for making sure everything goes according to plan, but one politician has found love and won’t give it up easily even if it means the unraveling of everything he and they have been working for.
Box Office Prospects: $90 M
Expectations: High. I love good science fiction and this one looks to have promise.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: The Adjustment Bureau

RANGO

Premise: An animated feature about a chameleon with an identity crisis.
Box Office Prospects: $100 M
Expectations: Low. Lame is the best way to describe the trailers I’ve seen for this film. It may be a decent film, but so far I don’t have high expectations.
Oscar Prospects: Any animated film released in the year could be a Best Animated Feature contender.
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Rango

APOLLO 18

Premise: A film about the real mission to space in the 1970’s that was canceled by NASA.
Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Expectations: None. I haven’t seen a trailer for this film yet.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: None available at this time.

TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT

Premise: Stuck in a dead-end job, one man tries to lie his way into a relationship as he heads towards an ’80s-themed house party where he must try to convince the girl of his dreams that lying to her was not a bad thing.
Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Expectations: Low. Although I love the idea, the trailer just looks bland.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Take Me Home Tonight

UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES

Premise: On his deathbed, Uncle Boonmee, recalls his many past lives.
Box Office Prospects: $25 M
Expectations: High. It has received rave reviews and is one of the lead contenders for Best Foreign Language Film, so it should be good.
Oscar Prospects: It’s not only likely to be nominated for Foreign Film at the Oscars, but it could easily win.
Cinema Sight Preview Page: None available at this time.

Also Releasing this weekend: The Imperialists Are Still Alive, juggling the sudden abduction of her childhood sweetheart as well as a blooming love affair, a French Manhattanite makes her way as an artist in an indifferent, sometimes hostile world.

MARCH 11-13, 2011

BATTLE: LOS ANGELES

Premise: Various UFO sightings throughout history have led to an invasion of the third kind.
Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Expectations: Modest. The tension in the trailer is high and the suspense surrounding the film’s content gives one hope.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Battle: Los Angeles

MARS NEEDS MOMS

Premise: A young boy’s mother is abducted by Martians and he must do everything he can to rescue her.
Box Office Prospects: $100 M
Expectations: Low. I’m not interested in the idea. And consider
Oscar Prospects: While some will suggest it’s an Animated Feature contender, no other lifelike motion capture animated feature has been nominated for Animated Feature, so you should probably count this one out.
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Mars Needs Moms

RED RIDING HOOD

Premise: An expansion of the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood brought to the screen by director Catherine Hardwicke.
Box Office Prospects: $80 M
Expectations: Low. I have the “werewolf” pegged from the trailer, so I’m not sure what excitement there could be to be had.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Red Riding Hood

JANE EYRE

Premise: The story of an impoverished misfit longing for a wealthy young man she cannot possess.
Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Expectations: Low. It’s a promising cast, but an early-year release suggests the film has quality problems.
Oscar Prospects: Keep it in mind for Art Direction and Costume Design, but 10 months is a long time in Oscar voter memories.
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Jane Eyre

Also Releasing this weekend: Certified Copy, in Tuscany to promote his latest book, a middle-aged English writer meets a French woman who leads him to the village of Lucignano.; Kill the Irishman, the true story of Danny Greene, a tough Irish thug working for mobsters in Cleveland during the 1970’s.; Making the Boys, on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Gay Rights Movement, the film explores the drama, struggle and enduring legacy of the first-ever gay play and subsequent Hollywood movie to successfully reach a mainstream audience: Boys in the Band; Octubre, Clemente, a moneylender of few words, is a new hope for Sofía, his single neighbor, devoted to the October worship of Our Lord of the Miracles.

MARCH 18-20, 2011

BEASTLY

Premise: A modern twist on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale about a wealthy teen who find himself transformed into a hideous, tattooed “beast” who must overcome his deformity to fall in love.
Box Office Prospects: $85 M
Expectations: None. It’s an attempt to appeal to young audiences without any substance.
Oscar Prospects: None, though Makeup is a distant possibility.
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Beastly

LIMITLESS

Premise: A drug allows a down-on-his-luck writer to access 100% of his brain power, allowing him to become an unlimited financial and linguistic powerhouse, yet it all comes with a cost.
Box Office Prospects: $90 M
Expectations: None. Trying to build on Bradley Cooper’s popularity, this pseudo-sci-fi flick just doesn’t excite me.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Limitless

THE LINCOLN LAWYER

Premise: Accused of a crime he claims he didn’t commit, a high-priced lawyer agrees to take the case but may have to uncover nasty secrets in order to win.
Box Office Prospects: $45 M
Expectations: None. Matthew McConaughey has been a has-been for some time. I don’t know why they’re trying to reignite his career.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: The Lincoln Lawyer

Also Releasing this weekend: Paul, Two British comic-book geeks traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51; Cracks, a look at the lives and relationships among girls at an elite British boarding school.; Desert Flower, the autobiography of a Somalian nomad circumcised at 3, sold in marriage at 13, fled from Africa a while later to become finally an American supermodel and is now at the age of 38, the UN spokeswoman against circumcision.

MARCH 25-27, 2011

SUCKER PUNCH

Premise: Taken to a home for the criminally insane, a young woman fights to escape her prison using the very tools they have taught her.
Box Office Prospects: $75 M
Expectations: Modest. Visually stimulating, the premise is interesting, but director Zack Snyder has yet to direct a good movie.
Oscar Prospects: None of Snyder’s prior films were Oscar contenders even though they probably should have been in the tech categories.
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Sucker Punch

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID 2: RODRICK RULES

Premise: The sequel to the popular adaptation of the illustrated book about a wise-cracking sixth-grader.
Box Office Prospects: $70 M
Expectations: None. Never saw the original and still have no desire to do so.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: None available at this time.

THE BEAVER

Premise: A toy company executive finds himself in a deep depression over the collapse of his family life, but finds comfort and redemption in a beaver hand puppet.
Box Office Prospects: $5 M
Expectations: None. I don’t like Mel Gibson as an actor, never have. I like him even less as a human being and the concept is too ludicrous to be interesting.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: The Beaver

Also Releasing this weekend: Miral, a drama centered on an orphaned Palestinian girl growing up in the wake of the first Arab-Israeli war who finds herself drawn into the conflict.; Skateland, in the early 1980s, in small-town Texas, dramatic events force a 19-year-old skating rink manager to look at his life in a very new way; Win Win, disheartened attorney Mike Flaherty (Giamatti), who moonlights as a high school wrestling coach, stumbles across a star athlete through some questionable business dealings while trying to support his family.

APRIL 1-3, 2011

HOP

Premise: https://www.cinemasight.com/Previews/Annual/2011/Hop.html
Box Office Prospects: $95 M
Expectations: None. The trailers have given very little information to form much of an opinion, though live action/animation combinations are seldom worthwhile.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Hop

INSIDIOUS

Premise: A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.
Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Expectations: Low. I haven’t seen a trailer for it yet, but a cast like that in a horror flick could be fun.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: None available at this time.

SOURCE CODE

Premise: Forced to relive the last 8 minutes of another man’s life, one man must make decisions that may alter the past.
Box Office Prospects: $80 M
Expectations: Modest. It’s not an original concept, but it looks to be entertaining enough for a good time.
Oscar Prospects: Depending on the film’s popularity, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing could be possible.
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Source Code

SUPER

Premise: After his wife falls under the influence of a drug dealer, an everyday guy transforms himself into Crimson Bolt, a superhero with the best intentions, though he lacks for heroic skills.
Box Office Prospects: $45 M
Expectations: None. Rainn Wilson hasn’t proven to be a box office draw and I expect this comedy to fail to catch on.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: None available at this time.

APRIL 8-10, 2011

ARTHUR

Premise: A drunken playboy stands to lose a wealthy inheritance when he falls for a woman his family doesn’t like.
Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Expectations: None. The original didn’t need to be made. Neither Russell Brand nor Jennifer Garner are worthy to fill the roles in this film.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: None available at this time.

HANNA

Premise: The daughter of a CIA agent is assigned a special mission by her father.
Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Expectations: Modest. A smart cast and a mysterious concept could make things interesting.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Hanna

YOUR HIGHNESS

Premise: Two brothers, one noble the other incompetent embark on a quest to save a fair princess.
Box Office Prospects: $65 M
Expectations: Modest. A humorous cast could make this rather limited concept work.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Your Highness

Also Releasing this weekend: Born to Be Wild, a documentary about human encroachment into the wild habitats of elephants and simians and the efforts to preserve and re-release these animals into the wild; Ceremony, a young guy crashes the wedding of the thirty-something woman he wants back; Meek’s Cutoff, settlers traveling through the Oregon desert in 1845 find themselves stranded in harsh conditions.

APRIL 15-17, 2011

RIO

Premise: Raised in the wilds of small-town Minnesota, a nerdy macaw finds himself out of his element when he finds himself lost in Rio.
Box Office Prospects: $120 M
Expectations: Low. A couple of funny segments do not a great movie make. This is mostly an attempt to pull the hard-earned dollars out of parents’ pockets and little more.
Oscar Prospects: Even money-grubbing animation has a chance at an Oscar nomination.
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Rio

SCREAM 4

Premise: as the tagline says “New Decade, New Rules” as the fourth film in the popular Scream franchise gives us new rules to live by updated to modern horror memes.
Box Office Prospects: $115 M
Expectations: Modest. I’ve enjoyed the three prior films, so I should enjoy this fourth one.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Scream 4

Also Releasing this weekend: Soul Surfer, a young, teenage surfer girl summons the courage to go back into the ocean after losing an arm in a shark attack.

APRIL 22-24, 2011

AFRICAN CATS

Premise: DisneyNature’s third Earth Day documentary focuses on two families of Savannah felines, one leopard and one lion, as the fight for their survival.
Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Expectations: Modest. It looks cute and more appealing than Disney’s second Earth Day feature last year.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: African Cats

BORN TO BE A STAR

Premise: A kid from the Midwest moves out to Hollywood in order to follow in his parents footsteps — and become a porn star.
Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Expectations: Modest. I can’t help but find the idea humorous and with Christina Ricci and Stephen Dorff in the actors’ seats, it should at least be entertaining.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: None available at this time.

TYLER PERRY’S MADEA’S BIG HAPPY FAMILY

Premise: Madea jumps into action when her niece, Shirley, receives distressing news about her health.
Box Office Prospects: $80 M
Expectations: None. I haven’t had a desire to see any of the Madea films and I doubt that will change.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: None available at this time.

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS

Premise: An aging circus veteran reminisces about the most memorable circus disasters in history and how he and love were a part of it.
Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Expectations: Modest. It doesn’t look too awful, but I’m not sure how good it will be as the trailer could be misleading.
Oscar Prospects: It all depends on how good the film is. With an April release, it may well have little hope, but at least a few design tech nominations might be possible.
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Water for Elephants

APRIL 29-MAY 1, 2011

FAST FIVE

Premise: The fifth installment in the Fast & Furious franchise.
Box Office Prospects: $105 M
Expectations: None. I have had no desire to watch any of the prior films, so I won’t start now.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Fast Five

PROM

Premise: A comedy about several high schoolers coping with the potential excitement and disappointment of prom.
Box Office Prospects: $25 M
Expectations: None. The pseudo-reality conceit is wearing thin.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: Prom

WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER?

Premise: A woman looks back at the past twenty men she’s had relationships with in her life and wonders if one of them might be her one true love.
Box Office Prospects: $30 M
Expectations: Low. Chris Evans and Anna Faris would be an interesting pairing, but the idea just doesn’t have a lot of promise.
Oscar Prospects: None
Cinema Sight Preview Page: None available at this time.

Also Releasing this weekend: The Arbor, Portrayal of the late Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar.