Tidbits - Super Bowl XLIV Movie Spots

It's hard to get a good feel for an upcoming film based on a 30 second ad, long enough to put up some action and give us the title, and that's just about it (and it cost about $3 million for any of the commercials to get a 30-second slot). Here's a list of the films represented this year: (all videos provided by spike.com)

• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Trailer
     Jake Gyllenhaal plays the title role of the Prince (Dastan, that is), done by Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer, who also brought us Pirates of the Caribbean in '03. The Super Bowl spot (along with the full-length trailer that was also released) promises that Prince of Persia will feature much the same action and wit, even if it doesn't promise us Johnny Depp. This movie will hit theaters May 28th. 

• Alice in Wonderland Trailer
     Speaking of Johnny Depp, you'll see much of his corrupted face on television in the coming months, with Alice in Wonderland being the next Tim Burton movies, which typically are composed entirely of some form of delicious artwork and the equally delicious Depp. Depp plays The Mad Hatter, and the relatively unknown Mia Wasikowska plays Alice as she takes a tumble down the rabbit hole. The remainder of the cast plays much like a who's-who of Hollywood, including: Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Anne Hathaway, Stephen Fry, Christopher Lee, among many others, including the 92-year-old Michael Gough (remember Alfred from the 90's Batman movies?) who also is a frequent player in Burton's movies. You can see Alice and her adventures March 5th. 

• Robin Hood Trailer
    The Hero of Sherwood forest is back again, this rendition of the British hero played by none other than Russell Crowe. Cate Blanchett will appear as the Maid Marian. The Super Bowl spot told us that the plot will take place "Before Sherwood Forest", which would imply Robin's adventures abroad, however, the cast listing includes "Sheriff of Nottingham", "Friar Tuck", and "Little John"; perhaps this movie will encompass much more of Robin's epic tale. The adventure begins May 14th. 

• The Last Airbender Trailer *
* - via YouTube.com - Apparently Spike.com didn't list this one as part of the Super Bowl commercials, perhaps because it appeared right before kickoff.

     "Avatar: The Last Airbender" was a very successful animated show hosted by Nickelodeon. The story centers around Aang (Noah Ringer), the playful remnant of a race of peaceful and reclusive Airbenders (people with mastery over the element of air), his friends, Sokka and Katara (Jackson Rathbone and Nicola Peltz, respectively), of the Southern Water Tribe, and their battles against the warmongering Fire Nation. The original series was a blend of lighthearted humor and exciting action, and hopefully the movie, written, produced, and directed by the famous M. Night Shyamalan, will promise the same. Aang and company will come to theaters July 2nd. 

• The Wolfman Trailer
    Directed by Joe Johnston, who is known mostly for effects driven family films (Hidalgo (2004), Jumanji (1995), The Rocketeer (1991), and others), this remake of the 1940's horror classic stars Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, and Hugo Weaving. In Victorian England, Lawrence Talbot (del Toro) visits his ancestral homeland and father (Hopkins) after the disappearance of his brother. The bestial murders of several villagers brings Scotland Yard detective Aberline (Weaving) to investigate. The transformation begins February 12th. 

• Shutter Island Trailer
     In this feature, directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese, U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) tracks the mysterious disappearance of a deadly inmate from an asylum for the criminally insane on Shutter Island, and discovers that the island is not all that it seems. Rounding out the cast are Mark Ruffalo, Patricia Clarkson, Max von Sydow, and Ben Kingsley. This nail-biting thriller can be found in theaters February 19th.