The trailer for "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" is playing in front of "Tooth Fairy" right now, and it makes me laugh out loud. Especially when the one kid is trying to get the other kid to chuck a nerdy "Me and My Mommy" T-shirt. "Your mom is trying to get you killed," he says.

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid," in theaters April 2, 2010, is a live-action adaptation of Jeff Kinney’s illustrated novel about a wise-cracking middle school student. It’s directed by Thor Freudenthal, who directed "Hotel for Dogs" (so he’s got some kid movie creds) and was a conceptual artist on both "Stuart Little" movies.

The movie stars Chloe Moretz, Rachael Harris, Alex Ferris, Zachary Gordon, and Steve Zahn. It reminds me a little of "How to Eat Fried Worms," but this is 20th Century Fox, not Walden Media. See what you think of the trailer.

Image: Amazon.com

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A premonition of a fatal racing accident gives a group of young friends a second chance at life. But Death doesn’t like people who cheat the system, and the friends find that their second chances are easily revoked.

“The Final Destination” is rated R for strong violent/gruesome accidents, language, and a scene of sexuality. Directed by David R. Ellis, it stars Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Krista Allen, Mykelti Williamson, Haley Webb, Nick Zano, Andrew Fiscella, and Richard T. Jones.

Are you hoping this will be the final “Final Destination” movie? Or are you hoping for more installments? Let me know if the comments below!

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It’s based on a true story about 19-year-old Michael Peterson, who in 1974 decided he wanted to make a name for himself. So with a home-made sawn-off shotgun, he tried to rob a post office and was sentenced to seven years in jail. But he’s been behind bars for 34 years, 30 of those in solitary confinement. This movie follows his metamorphosis into one of Britain’s most dangerous criminals, Charles Bronson (Tom Hardy).

The trailer looks very stylized and … what’s the word? … distinctive, to say the least. It hits theaters Oct. 9, 2009.

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Movie: Bandslam * Gecko Preview *  Official Site	In Theaters: Aug. 14, 2009
Runtime: 111 minutes	Directed by: Todd Graff; Produced by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas
MPAA Rating: PG for some thematic elements and mild language	Gecko Rating:

I take back my earlier thoughts about "Bandslam." If, like me, you were expecting something akin to "High School Musical," you’d be dead wrong!

Yes, there’s a teensy bit of sap in this movie, but nothing like the volume offered up in Disney’s HSM. This is Summit Entertainment, after all, which automatically kicks it to a different level. The soundtrack includes Lou Reed’s "Femme Fatale" and Steve Wynn’s "Amphetamine," and David Bowie is an integral part of the story. You wouldn’t get that with Disney.

Vanessa Hudgens is the known star here, but it’s really an ensemble cast, all revolving around Gaelan Connell’s character, Will Burton. In the opening scene, Will is being kicked around and made fun of at his high school. He’s the class nerd and the target of bullies and jocks. And right away, we learn that he has a secret, only we don’t get to know what it is until the end of the movie.

Will and his mom Karen (Lisa Kudrow) move to a new town and a new high school, where he falls in with former cheerleader Charlotte (Aly Michalka). The fact that she befriends a nerd is another mystery, which we learn more about later in the movie.

Will also befriends a sullen Vanessa Hudgens – her name is Sa5m (the 5 is silent) –  who tries to warn him about Charlotte. But he gets ever more friendly with her and ends up managing her band, made up of other nerds. The main story revolves around a "battle of the bands" contest called Bandslam, with the winner getting a recording contract.

Charlotte’s band includes a rag-tag group of kids, including Charlie Saxton (Ray Drecker’s son on HBO’s "Hung"), Tim Jo, Ryan Donowho, Elvy Yost, and Lisa Chung.

Competing against Charlotte’s band is a band fronted by her former boyfriend Ben, played by Friday Night Lights’ Scott Porter.

How to sum up "Bandslam"? It doesn’t break any new ground in cinematic history, but it’s a good movie. I think of it as "Napoleon Dynamite" meets "The School of Rock" meets "The Breakfast Club." Funny, heartfelt, dramatic, engaging.

Music lovers will appreciate the soundtrack, which includes the aforementioned tunes, as well as David Bowie’s "Rebel Rebel" and Rick Nielsen’s "I Want You to Want Me." Nerds will appreciate the nerdy-boy-makes-good storyline. And parents will appreciate the fact that there’s more to these characters than meets the eye – something you don’t often get in a movie about teens.

Images: TM and © 2009 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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"The Girl From Monaco" is about a high-priced Parisian lawyer named Bertrand (Fabrice Luchini) who travels to Monaco to defend a wealthy woman accused of murder. He discovers that his bodyguard, the scowling Christophe (Roschdy Zem), can be useful in a variety of ways. But then they run into a stunning – and dangerous – TV weathergirl, played Louise Bourgoin.

Directed by Anne Fontaine, it’s rated R for some sexual content and language. Arrives in theaters July 3, 2009.

After the jump, check out the trailer…

Image: © Magnolia Pictures, 2009

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Zac Efron

Hudgens ("High School Musical") and Alyson Michalka ("Phil of the Future," "Aly and AJ") are starring in "Bandslam," due in theaters Aug. 14, 2009. Michalka plays a gifted singer-songwriter who recruits a new kid in town (Gaelan Connell, "Chocolat") to manage her rock band. Her main motivation? Go up against her egotistical ex-boyfriend (Scott Porter, "Friday Night Lights") and his band at a battle of the bands competition. Meanwhile, Sam (Hudgens) and Will find romance.

My first instinct is this sounds a lot like "High School Musical" kicked up to a PG rating (for some thematic elements and mild language). But it’s produced by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and distributed by Summit Entertainment ("Twilight"), so it might surprise me. It will definitely appeal to fans of Hudgens and Michalka. Are you looking forward to this movie?

After the jump, more pics and a trailer…

Images: TM and © 2009 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Anyway, he’s back in "Bruno," playing a flamboyant Austrian fashionista who comes to America and shakes things up. Frequent collaborator Larry Charles is directing. It’s rated R and opens in U.S. theaters July 10, 2009. See what you think of the trailer (thanks to MTV for the embed code)!

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The clip shows some behind-the-scenes stuff, followed by a montage featuring Brad Pitt and our first look at Mike Myers in character. Pitt plays Lt. Aldo Raine, who’s in charge of eight Jewish-American soldiers tasked with invading France and killing Nazis occupying the area. I haven’t been that excited about this movie, but this clip looks pretty cool! 

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I’m not a huge fan of Brad Pitt’s acting, but let’s hope he does something besides just play himself like he usually does. He plays Lt. Aldo Raine, who’s in charge of eight Jewish-American soldiers tasked with invading France and killing Nazis occupying the area.

"The Basterds," as they’re known, have one job: screw up the German war machine. "Inglourious Basterds" hits theaters August 21, 2009.

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