Summer officially starts on the 21st of June but, in film world, summer traditionally kicks off on Memorial Day weekend which is the last Monday of May (even though summer releases have been trickling out earlier and earlier in recent years). Below, we list for you the big releases of the summer in the US and try to map out the likelihood of each film getting a simultaneous release here in Dubai.

May 2010

Iron Man 2
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Done Cheadle, and Mickey Rourke
Director: Jon Favreau
Distributor: Paramount
US Release date: 7th of May
Is it getting a simultaneous release in Dubai?: Releases on the 29th of April, a full week before it hits US screens!

The first Iron Man was a gigantic hit back in 2008, grossing $585 million worldwide, which would explain why Marvel rushed to release this sequel. If the early marketing is any indication, they should have another equally gigantic hit on their hands (there’s little doubt about this). The film has a bit of everything that could be considered right: big name stars, a passionate director, continuation of the exciting setup from the first film – but the real standouts from the trailer seem to be Mickey Rourke and those great action scenes featuring War Machine. Expectations are high.

Robin Hood
Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Mark Strong, and William Hurt
Director: Ridley Scott
Distributor: Universal
US Release Date: 14th of May
Is it getting a simultaneous release in Dubai? Official release date is 13th May 2010, a full day before official US opening.

This is director Ridley Scott’s take on the classic story of the Prince of the Thieves. The film will open Cannes Festival on the 12th of May and heading the stellar cast is Scott’s favorite collaborator, Russell Crowe. The buzz around the film is almost non existing, and both the director and the star have not made the best choices with their last few projects. We anticipate that the film will be good and might because we need Scott and Crowe to get their groove back together once again. The films trailer focuses perhaps a bit too much the action probably to draw in the younger audience. Only time will tell whether this works or not. continue reading »»

2010 could mark the beginning of decade where movies take advantage of the meteoric rise in advanced special effects that the noughties also heavily relied upon. It seems the big studios will make money (despite the ubiquitous recession) as long as there are super-hero graphic novels to pillage and tween vampire tales to tell. Unfortunately, this also means that the dearth of original ideas will continue to plague cinemas. Most mainstream movies today tend to be adapted from or are sequels of a book, movie, blog and/or a memoir. In fact, one upcoming movie is even about facebook! As many of us plan the year ahead — with resolutions, family, vacations, career, etc — we at WearetheMovies.com have shortlisted, from the 200-odd movies that Hollywood will unload on cinemagoers this year, a few of the more popular titles that we look forward to. The aim is to get you excited about what’s in store. Some of these may be postponed, even cancelled. Others may turn out to be total duds (Transformers 2, anyone), and yet others may surprise everyone, coming out of nowhere and stealing the limelight (like last year’s funny Hangover). The titles are sorted in ascending order of their US release dates. continue reading »»

Ashraf Ghori
Visual Artist & Filmmaker

Ashraf Ghori is known to many residents here as the creator of Xero Error, the first CG animated short film to be produced in the United Arab Emirates. Some may even nostalgically recall Ashraf Ghori as the guy that did those amazing illustrations for Khaleej Times (if you grew up in the UAE and had a subscription to the children’s magazine Young Times, you know it, friendo!). Born in India, Ashraf was very little when his family moved to the city of Dubai, which he considers “his hometown.”  Ashraf completed his college at the University of Houston in 1994, founded Tempest Comics, and won several accolades in the United States including being the featured artist at the 1994 Dallas Comic Con. Ashraf returned to the UAE in 1994 and has since been working on independent 3D animation and design projects. In 2007, he began the animation studio Xpanse CGI, and the very next year started work on his labor of love, Xero Error.

WearetheMovies.com loves and supports independent filmmakers in the Middle East. We asked the very talented Ashraf Ghori about Xero Error, Dubai’s potential for independent film production, and…three people he’d like to have dinner with (apparently, Megan Fox made the list!) continue reading »»

Reel Cinemas is a 22-screen cinema megaplex located in The Dubai Mall, as AME Info ingratiatingly put it, “in the heart of Downtown Burj Dubai.” The new Cineplex competes in a somewhat monopolistic market dominated by two cinema players: Grand Cinemas which operates the majority of cinemas in Dubai; and Cinestar Cinemas whose home has remained the crowded Majid Al Futtaim shopping enterprises such as City Center and Mall of the Emirates. So what has Reel Cinemas really got to offer that other cinemas don’t? continue reading »»

#1
Wall-E
Andrew Stanton | USA | 2008
98 min

For being a perfectly believable, perfectly entertaining and perfectly unique film, with the most lovable character (human or otherwise) to grace the screen all year. It also includes a wonderful romance, a unique friendship, a nod to the silent era, an eco-friendly story in a classic sci-fi setup that doesn’t pontificate, and to top it all off a last act where the entire fate of mankind is at risk. Wall-E was the highlight of the year 2008. continue reading »»

Every year brings a new set of expectations. But as the year progresses, expectations can turn into joy, frustration, even misery. For the avid movie fan a new year comes with the salubrious promise of exaltation. Let the WearetheMovies.com team take you through its selection of ten of the finest movies of 2009. continue reading »»

In a year that saw Sara Palin running for VP, few things may be considered worst — yet the financial meltdown of global economies outwitted the formidable Alaska governor who keeps an eye on Russia from her bedroom window! The team at WearetheMovies.com bids farewell to the dismal 2008 with a selection of the finest films that forewarn the very idea of greed. continue reading »»

Numbers may not mean much — but with a whopping 181 films to choose from, diversity was never a problem at the 5th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF ‘08), which got off to an unexceptional start but managed to impress in its last days. For our self-afflicted fest madness, complicated screening schedules were created, intricate routes to venues were devised and in the end, we somehow managed to see it all (at least what we wanted to anyway). It was quite an experience, this wild rush…yet in this hallowed quest by the girded WearetheMovies.com team, cinematic gold was indeed found. continue reading »»