New And News: Good Movies In January?! About Vampires?! This Really IS A New Year!

It's the first Monday of the new year, which means it's time for the first New And News of the new year!  This week, three new movies are hitting screens: we've got a vampire movie, a quirky teen comedy, and a romantic drama.  Now, traditionally, January is a dumping ground for some of the worst movies that studios have lying around.  Marred by poor box office performances and wretched reviews, January is usually one of the least exciting times to be a movie buff.  However, times may be a'changin'.  Two of this week's releases, Daybreakers and Youth In Revolt, are actually receiving some very good reviews, and Leap Year doesn't look half bad either!  Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come in 2010!  Anyway, go ahead and read my take on this week's newcomers, and then check out some news stories Sandra Bullock, James McAvoy, and Star Trek 2.

New:

Daybreakers (Lionsgate) - 2,400 theaters - Reviews

Could there be a more perfect movie in the midst of our country's vampire obsession?  Daybreakers takes place in 2017, when a virus has spread across the Earth that has turned almost everyone into a vampire.  The problem is, if everyone becomes vampire, who's providing the blood to help them survive?  Ethan Hawke stars in this horror/suspense movie as a man trying to save the human race, and I've got to say, Daybreakers has got a pretty great concept.  On top of that, reviews are currently sitting at 100% positive on RottenTomatoes! 

Leap Year (Universal) - 2,400+ theaters - Reviews

Amy Adams stars in this romantic comedy about a woman named Anna who can't wait any longer for her boyfriend to propose to her.  Thus, she takes him on a trip to Dublin, where there is a tradition on the day of the Leap Year that the woman can propose to the man.  Unfortunately, Anna and her boyfriend end up on opposite sides of the country, and she must enlist the help of a local Irish man named Declan to help her get across the country.  Over the course of their time together, Anna will inevitably fall for her new Irish beau, and when it comes time to propose, I'm guessing Anna will ask Declan to be her husband after a few days of knowing him.  Maybe this movie will prove me wrong and end a bit more creatively, but even if it doesn't, it looks like a harmless entry into the rom-com genre.  After Julie And Julia's success last year, this Amy Adams' chance to prove herself as a box office draw on her own.  It should be a mid-sized performer, earning $40 million-ish and finding solid life on the home market.  To me, the only glaringly odd thing about Leap Year is that it's not being released on a leap year!

Youth In Revolt (Weinstein) - 2,000 theaters - Reviews

Michael Cera stars in yet another awkward teen comedy with Youth In Revolt.  You can't say he doesn't know his genre!  Cera plays a young man named Nick who is smitten by the girl of his dreams.  Nick is decidedly not cool enough to win her over so he creates an alter ego named Francois to get the job done.  Francois wears a mustache and an ascot, and he smokes cigarettes.  Nick hopes that Francois might finally be able to get Sheeni to sleep with him.  Youth In Revolt is earning some strong reviews, but I doubt it will be very successful.  The film is rated R for drug use, sexual content, and language, and that alienates most of the teen audience it is targeting.  Put it beside Adventureland as a super-hip movie that critics love and the public ignores.

News:

Sandra Bullock Named Top Box Office Draw

In Quigley Publishing's 78th Annual Poll Of Exhibitors, in which theater owners are polled on the stars that rake in the most box office dollars, Sandra Bullock was named the top money-making star of 2009.  While I agree with her drawing power and most of the other members on the well-respected list, I don't believe that George Clooney deserves the #4 spot.  Check out the list and let me know what you think.

Star Trek 2 To Shoot In Late 2010

Zoe Saldana told MTV News, "We'll probably be going into pre-production around this time next year."  That means we're looking at a release either in late 2011 or sometime in 2012, and personally, I can't wait!  Star Trek converted me into a huge fan!

James McAvoy To Play James Bond Author, Ian Fleming

McAvoy is a fine actor, and I can definitely see him playing an author.  What I can't quite wrap my mind around, though, is why anyone would drop $40 million to produce this biopic.  Do people really care about Ian Fleming enough to go see this movie?  I mean, Peter Rabbit is a famous character, but that didn't drive audiences into theaters to see Miss Potter, which earned just $3 million in the U.S. and $32 million worldwide, in early 2007.  This is a strange development, in my opinion.