First impressions of upcoming movies, based on trailer (Click on the title to watch the trailer: You may need QuickTime for most). Release dates are subject to change.

27 Dresses (dir. Anne Fletcher) Katherine Heigl sure is riding high: A hit show (Grey's Anatomy), an Emmy, a hit movie, the love of a public who cheers her when she chides an announcer (live!) for mispronouncing her name. Now she primes herself as the next Julia in this romantic comedy about a perpetual bridesmaid who's stuck making other people happy, in particular her younger sister (Malin Ackerman) who's marrying the man Heigl loves (Edward Burns). Can Heigl's beautiful-AND-funny shtick carry the whole movie? With scene-stealer Judy Greer as her sidekick, anything's possible. (Jan. 11)






Cassandra's Dream (dir. Woody Allen) There's been very little written about Allen's latest, a thriller about two brothers (Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell) who commit a crime at the behest of a family member (Tom Wilkinson, who's neck-and-neck with Bill Nighy for Most Employed Actor of 2007). Can Allen continue the comeback streak Match Point started? Looks promising. (Dec. 28)







Revolver (dir. Guy Ritchie) It's been seven years since Ritchie directed Snatch, and in between that little gangster flick and this similarly flashy crime thriller, he did (cough) Swept Away (cough). Luckily, the Madge is nowhere to be found here, just Ritchie staple Jason Statham--sporting some seriously greasy locks--as a recently sprung criminal who likes to hover over a chessboard and growl profound statements in his Cockney accent as, "It can only get smarter when you play a smarter opponent." There are guns, casinos, and a shouting Ray Liotta either locked in a freezer too long or attempting to turn into one of the X-Men. Beats us where this is all going. (Dec. 7)





There Will Be Blood (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson) Daniel Day-Lewis plays a miner with a young son who settles in a California town to strike oil during the petroleum boom. The trailer, which intercuts many shots of people covered in oil, scary cello music, and mustache-twirling monologue, doesn't say much about where the story goes from there. But two things pique our interest: Little Miss Sunshine's Paul Dano, anything but mute here as a charismatic preacher, and an ominous last line from Day-Lewis: "I can't keep doing this on my own.. with these... um, people." Cackle. Black screen with title. (Dec. 26)




Alvin and the Chipmunks (dir. Tim Hill) Chipmunks living in a guy's house was cuter when they were all animated. Now that the three are in "live" (well, CGI) form and eating through Jason Lee (as Dave)'s pantry, taking showers in his dishwasher, singing "Funkytown" and eating each other's poop, it's about as cute as, well, living with rodents. Gross. (Dec. 14) -- Ellen

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