Annie attends an engagement party for Lillian and her fiancé Doug. At this one of many events to come she meets all the bridesmaids in the wedding. The bridesmaids each have their own peculiar quirks, except for Helen (Rose Byrne) who seems to be perfect in every way. Immediately the tension between Annie and Helen is noticed as it seems they are competing for who is Lillian’s bestest friend and deserving of the title of maid of honor.

Annie starts planning things for the bridesmaids to do. First being a dress fitting which goes horribly wrong and features some of the best comedy in the film. Trying to save $800 on a bridesmaids dress she does her best to convince the other girls into purchasing the less expensive couture with little success. The event is a total washout from there when the entire bridal party winds up with food poisoning. Figuring things can only get better with the bachelorette party Annie starts planning, but is quickly demoted when Helen encourages all the girls to go to Las Vegas. Once again Annie causes another detour in the plans and winds up no longer in charge of the event planning.

As Helen drives a wedge between Lillian and Annie we begin to see how the stress is not weighing on just the bride but her maid of honor as well. “Bridesmaids” does an excellent job of letting you relive all that wedding angst you may have experienced in your own wedding or one that you may have been in. Maya Rudolph and Kritsen Wiig obviously had that great female bond that played very well on-screen. Rose Byrne was terrific as the superior stuck up yuppie Helen. “Bridesmaids” is a superb comedy that will have you laughing through to closing credits. Save the date and invite your girlfriends to the wedding of the year!

Screening will be held Tuesday, July 6 at 7:30pm at the AMC Studio 30. Winners will be notified via email and your name will be on a list for check in by the studio rep the night of the screening. Be sure to get there early. These screenings are overbooked to fill every seat. Only ONE entry per email address. Only eligible for Kansas/Missouri metro area residents. Registration ends June 30. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

We have a select number of passes for the screening on Thursday, May 20 at 9:00 PM at the AMC Mainstreet. Winners will be chosen on May 11. An email notification will be sent to the winners. Your name will be added to a list and a screening rep will check you in as  you enter the theatre; no passes needed. Be sure to get there early. These screenings are overbooked to fill every seat. Only ONE entry per email address. Only eligible for Kansas/Missouri metro area residents. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

MACGRUBER

Only one American hero has earned the rank of Green Beret, Navy SEAL and Army Ranger.  Just one operative has been awarded 16 purple hearts, 3 Congressional Medals of Honor and 7 presidential medals of bravery.  And only one guy is man enough to still sport a mullet.  In 2010, Will Forte brings Saturday Night Live’s clueless soldier of fortune to the big screen in the action comedy MacGruber.
 
In the 10 years since his fiancée was killed, special op MacGruber has sworn off a life of fighting crime with his bare hands.  But when he learns that his country needs him to find a nuclear warhead that’s been stolen by his sworn enemy, Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer), MacGruber figures he’s the only one tough enough for the job.
 
Assembling an elite team of experts—Lt. Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe) and Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig)—MacGruber will navigate an army of assassins to hunt down Cunth and bring him to justice.  His methods may be unorthodox.  His crime scenes may get messy.  But if you want the world saved right, you call in MacGruber.

We have a 50 FAMILY FOUR-PACKS of passes to the advance screening. Screening will be Tuesday, March 16th at 6:30pm at the Cinemark in Merriam. Register below and share your best idea on how to train your dragon. The best training guide/advice will win a How to Train Your Dragon PRIZE PACK. Winners will be notified via email and passes will be mailed to your physical address provided. Make sure to bring the pass with you to the screening. Be sure to get there early. These screenings are overbooked to fill every seat. Only ONE entry per email address. Only eligible for Kansas/Missouri metro area residents. Registration ends March 9th. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

Prize pack will include mini poster and pencil from “HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON” and the book “How to Train Your Dragon: Befriending a Foe”.

Relive all of the excitement of Dreamworks’ How to Train Your Dragon with these titles for young readers. Available wherever books are sold.
How to Train Your Dragon: Befriending a Foe
Price: $3.99 each
HarperFestival logo
Description: Hiccup and Toothless the dragon forge a friendship neither one will ever forget in this 8 x 8 storybook with full-color art on every page!

Dragon Training

Robert: teaching him different tricks and how to fight but only when it is needed though and i would also train him to be a good dragon and not to harm other people and to be nice and freindly towards them so that the people would be respectful and nice towards my dragon too.I would also teach him some fun tricks to do so it would give him not only exercise but something fun to do too.My dragon would be the most awsome dragon ever i think.

Sherry: being patient

Tosha: by giving it treats

Kyle: showing it pretty girl dragons and feeding it Oreos when it does something right. Mmmm, Oreos. Unless he likes Cheetohs, then I will feed it Cheetohs. If it likes both then it will need to go on a diet. My dragon doesn’t need to get fat.

MJ: feeding him hot fudge sundays with hot tamamles when he does what i ask

Todd: giving it love and affection.

Cheree: feeding it chocolate covered leprechauns. 

Judy: giving treets for good behavor. Works with kids

Reuben: tell him that he would have to eat salads until he get the task right

Van: letting play wii so he could see how it it done

Kristy: Petting him really softly.

Cheryl: First letting him know I won’t hurt him. I have CP (well my grandson does) so I will teach him to be kind to everyone and teach him how to give me a ride. I will feed him, pet him and take him everywhere with me. He will be my hero. Just because he looks different doesn’t mean you have to be afraid. I will help people to understand that I am a Good Dragon and I love everyone regardless of what they look like.I will be a kind caring Dragon.

Amanda: feeding him twinkies when he’s a good boy!

Aaron: feeding him chickens

Lauren: enrolling it in doggie training.

Lindsay: rewarding it with gummy bears.

Gary: The best way is to train a dragon is to reward him with a krispy kreme donut every time he does something right….you can start off with the donut holes for the small tricks and the jelly filled ones for the the more difficult tricks.

John: giving him lots of love.

Nina: FOOD REWARDS AND A CLICKER.

Van: taking him to the park

Jose: running with it, racing against it in a plane, and last i shoot fire arrows at the targets while my dragon spits fire balls a his targets

Jason: Food. Lots of food. The more food you give it during training, the less chance there is of it eating you instead.

Dalia: Feeeding him extra!!!

Lori: tickling his ears

Scott: feeding him cookies

Christian: be good with hem

Kelley: feeding him cheetos and using a reinforcement clicker. If that doesn’t work I will get a dog whistle.

Eddie: giving food and taking my dragon on walks

Eduardo: telling him what he haves to do and how and a treat at the end of every thing he dose good hope to see this movie with my kids thank you

Francisco: giving him something he likes so he can do what i tell him or show him what to do when i tell him

Theresa: positive reinforcement

Reuben: take him McDonals and then tell if he don’t get it right he will have to eat salads

Van: playing wii so he could see how to fly and the best way to breathe fire

Dave: Having him watch for great movie pass’s on advancescreenings

Gail: having my dachshunds chase him around the back yard

Amar: keeping him on a leash!

Kristen: Give my dragon fried chicken to be good! -Jack age 4

Patrick: using remote controlled devices so as not get burnt, injured, or killed.

Annamarie: TRI-Brownies.

Marlee: CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!

Shelby: wearing a fire-proof suit

Kris: By showing him lots of dragon snacks and praise.

Judy: I use continuity and repitition. I practice the same commands over and over until it becomes a habit of his. By using short and simple commands that are easily understood by a dragon-it makes my job much easier. I follow through all the time, every time. He always gets a reward for positive behavior.

Warren: Living in the mountains will allow my dragon open space to fly, hunt, and remain safe. I would teach my dragon ariel tricks, like flying upside down, rolling, and flips.

Khadijah: jumping on and enjoying the ride!!!

Jhe’la: Showing him whose the boss. Yes he’s bigger and maybe even stronger. But lets face it there’s not many great pairs like me and my dragon. We’re like dreamworks and shrek. If there was no dreamworks there would’nt be any dragon 3-d. So lots of love, good food and good time is how I would train my dragon. Dragonai’ from far far away:) You can’t beat that with a stick.

Brandy: giving it alot of love and all the dumb ass prejudice people it could eat. Show him that equality isn’t a dream but a realness for us all. And then I would train him to fly me to work. Because traffic is horrible in KC!Everybody should have a chance at their dreams.

Lisa: By using goldfish crackers.

Elissa: day and night mostly

Debbie: hand signals

Chad: feeding it… people… tee hee

Casey: rewarding him with M&M’s when he does well! (It worked when potty training my kids, too!)

Heather: making it my friend.

Debbie: hand signals

McKinley: Feeding it raw steak then make it attack a peace of wood then fly

Brandon: By giving treats

Ginny: using hand signals & small treats.

Le Ann: offering some marshmallows for toasting.

George: positive reinforcement (and the occasional kick in the ass when appropriate).

Joshua: Developing a friendship.

Penny: Just expecting him to do what I say when I say it!! Just kidding. I would give him love and treats for doing good and try to give him time out if he is bad!

Suzie: I would train my dragon the way I train my kids. Teach with full instruction, expect him to do the best he can and praise him for following directions. Be firm, fair and loving above all!!

Amanda: treating them nice. (Per my 7-year-old)

Laurie: draggin’ him ’round

Deborah: Making him look into a mirror

Crystle: leash

Lakeisha: DRAGON SNACKS!

Michael Jackson’s This Is It: A rare glimpse into the final days of Michael Jackson, the documentary is compiled from an estimated 80 hours of rehearsal and behind-the-scenes footage of the legendary entertainer preparing for his 50 sold-out shows at London’s O2 Arena that were scheduled to commence in July 2009 before his untimely death in June at age 50. Interviews with collaborators and close friends of the late performer are also featured.

Surrogates: People are living their lives remotely from the safety of their own homes via robotic surrogates – sexy, physically perfect mechanical representations of themselves. It’s an ideal world where crime, pain, fear and consequences don’t exist. When the first murder in years jolts this utopia, FBI agent Greer discovers a vast conspiracy behind the surrogate phenomenon and must abandon his own surrogate, risking his life to unravel the mystery.

Saw VI: Special Agent Strahm is dead, and Detective Hoffman has emerged as the unchallenged successor to Jigsaw’s legacy. However, when the FBI draws closer to Hoffman, he is forced to set a game into motion, and Jigsaw’s grand scheme is finally understood.

Whip It: Hang onto your helmet and get ready to break away from the pack! Ellen Page scores huge laughs as Bliss Cavendar, a small-town teenager with a big dream: to find her own path in the world. Tired of following in her family’s footsteps of compliance and conformity, Bliss discovers a way to put her life on the fast track…literally. She lands a spot on a rough-and-tumble roller derby team and becomes “Babe Ruthless” — the hottest thing on eight wheels!

District 9: Twenty-eight years ago, aliens made first contact with Earth. Humans waited for the hostile attack, or the giant advances in technology. Neither came. Instead, the aliens were refugees, the last survivors of their home world.

The creatures were set up in a makeshift home in South Africa’s District 9 as the world’s nations argue over what to do with them. Now, patience over the alien situation has run out. Control over the aliens has been contracted out to Multi-National United (MNU), a private company uninterested in the aliens’ welfare – they will receive tremendous profits if they can make the aliens’ awesome weaponry work.

(500) Days of Summer: In this quirky romantic comedy about love and fate, a young greeting card writer (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is hopelessly, helplessly searching for the girl of his dreams…and his new co-worker, Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel), may just be “the one.” But the 500 days of their offbeat relationship reveal (in no particular order) that the road to happiness can be unpredictable, uncontrollable—and unbelievably funny!

All About Steve: “The Proposal’s” Sandra Bullock, Oscar® nominee Thomas Haden Church, and “The Hangover’s” Bradley Cooper star in a hilarious tale of a woman who, after falling hard for a guy, thinks they’re an item; unfortunately, he thinks she’s stalking him!

Bullock’s Mary Horowitz is a cruciverbalist – a crossword puzzle constructor. Her brain spins at warp speed with an endless stream of arcane information. She can come up with the perfect word – and dozens with the same meaning – at a moment’s notice, but “normal” behavior eludes her.

Take, for example, the fact that she lives with eccentric parents. Or her inability to engage in social intercourse without dropping a litany of twenty-dollar words and unleashing a tsunami of trivia. Then, there’s the matter of her omnipresent fire-engine-red go-go boots.

For Mary, nothing is typical, especially relationships. When she is set up on a blind date with handsome cable-news cameraman Steve, Mary thinks the chemistry is undeniable – that Steve is “the one.” Steve, on the other hand, thinks Mary is crazy. Mary, who just knows she’s found her soul mate, decides to do anything and go anywhere to be with him. She begins to pursue Steve relentlessly as he crisscrosses the country, covering breaking news stories.

Mary’s escalating infatuation with Steve is encouraged by the self-serving actions of news reporter Hartman Hughes (Thomas Haden Church), who enjoys torturing his insolent cameraman at every opportunity. With Mary never far behind and Hartman urging her on, Steve becomes increasingly unhinged.

But when Mary becomes embroiled in the news story of the year, Steve and Hartman begin to see her differently. Hartman is plagued by guilt, knowing his game of one-upmanship with Steve has placed her squarely in harms way, while Steve is feeling his own pangs of remorse at his callous behavior. Despite the media storm surrounding her, Mary with her upbeat, unaffected manner brings together a small community of new friends. And all who encounter Mary will realize that sometimes the ones who don’t fit in are the ones who really stand out.

Extract: Joel is one step away from selling his flavor extract factory and retiring to easy street when a freak workplace accident sets in motion a series of disasters that put his business and personal life in jeopardy.

Bliss hesitant at first trys out and is found to be one of the fastest skaters on the team. To her surprise she makes the cut and begins training. Unbeknownst to her parents, especially her overbearing mother (Marcia Gay Harden) who would much rather sees Bliss in a dress at a beauty pageant then in fishnets using her aggression on the track. Bliss’ double life eventually catches up to her as she is lying to her team about her age and lying to her parents about taking SAT classes while she is in competition.

Bliss is not willing to give up on the one thing that makes her happy and when her parents realize this and see her fans they are amazed by their little girl. “Whip It!” is the film for the Fall, also making it one of my favorite films this year. It takes girl power to the extreme and made me wish I was a roller derby girl. Jam packed full of excitement, action, humor and intensity. Ellen Page once again proves to be an A list star with an agenda. Kristen Wiig proving she has a lot more to offer than her comical tendencies as her heartfelt mothering role showed. On top of these stellar performances, we get to listen to some great tunes. “Whip It!” can’t be missed, roll on in to theatres this weekend and catch this brilliant film.

As the injured employee threatens to sue and it begins to look like his company will be bought out, the frazzled owner attempts to catch the culprit responsible for stealing wallets from the coat room and begins to suspect that his wife is sleeping with the gigolo he hired to seduce her. Sounds outlandish but all so true.

In Extract, writer/director Mike Judge (Beavis and Butt-Head, King of the Hill) tries to make a large comeback. However this film is aloof with many things. The characters are underdeveloped. A lot is left to the imagination, from beginning to end. Mila Kunis portrayal as Cindy was pleasing, but her character seems to vanish from screen. The always hilarious Kristen Wiig was severally misused in the film and had little screen time. Ben Affleck as the bar guru Dean was very comical and enjoyable to see Affleck step outside his usual performance. Extract could not survive the bland dialogue. There was potential, but it could not EXTRACT it well.

Sunshine Clearing: Once the high school cheerleading captain who dated the quarterback, Rose Lorkowski now finds herself a thirty something single mother working as a maid. Her sister Norah is still living at home with their dad Joe, a salesman with a lifelong history of ill-fated get rich quick schemes.

Desperate to get her son into a better school, Rose persuades Norah to go into the crime scene clean-up business with her to make some quick cash. In no time, the girls are up to their elbows in murders, suicides and other…specialized situations. As they climb the ranks in a very dirty job, the sisters find a true respect for one another and the closeness they have always craved finally blossoms.

By building their own improbable business, Rose and Norah open the door to the joys and challenges of being there for one another — no matter what — while creating a brighter future for the entire Lorkowski family.

Adventureland: From the director of Superbad comes Adventureland, a smart, witty comedy we can all relate to. When James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) has to cancel his dream summer vacation and make some money for grad school, the only job he can get is at Adventureland, a tacky amusement park where the games are rigged and the rides make you hurl. But it’s where he meets Em (Kristen Stewart, Twilight), and his rollercoaster ride to nowhere turns into the best summer ever.

Fighting: Small-town boy Shawn MacArthur (Channing Tatum) knows firsthand that every day in New York City is a struggle to survive. So when scam artist Harvey Boarden (Terrence Howard) gives him a chance to be something more in the brutal underground world of bare-knuckle street-fighting, Shawn decides that he has something worth fighting for and puts everything on the line to win. Every knockout brings him closer to the life he’s always wanted, but also traps him in a dangerous web he can’t escape.

Duplicity: Academy Award® winner Julia Roberts and Clive Owen star as two sexy spies-turned-corporate operatives who attempt to pull off one of the biggest heists ever. As the stakes rise in the ultimate game of cat-and-mouse, they’ll put everything on the line to remain one double-cross ahead of the rest.

WHIP IT

Release:       October 9, 2009

Directed by:       Drew Barrymore

Screenplay by:         Shauna Cross

Produced by:       Barry Mendel, Drew Barrymore

Executive Produced by: Peter Douglas, Nancy Juvonen, Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith, Nathan Kahane, Joe Drake, Chris Miller

Cast:         Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Jimmy Fallon, Alia Shawkat, Eve, Zoe Bell, Ari Graynor, Eulala Scheel, Andrew Wilson, Carlo Alban, Landon Pigg, Rachel Piplica, Kristen Adolfi, Daniel Stern
WHIP IT, the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore, stars Ellen Page as Bliss, a rebellious Texas teen who throws in her small town beauty pageant crown for the rowdy world of roller derby. Marcia Gay Harden plays Bliss’ disapproving mother, while Drew Barrymore, Kristen Wiig and Juliette Lewis play roller-derby stars. 

AMELIA

Release:       October 23, 2009

Directed by:       Mira Nair

Screenplay by:         Ron Bass, Anna Hamilton Phelan

Based on the books:  “East to the Dawn” by Susan Butler and “The Sound of Wings” by Mary S. Lovell

Produced by:       Ted Waitt, Kevin Hyman, Lydia Dean Pilcher

Executive Produced by:  Ron Bass, Hilary Swank

Cast:         Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston, Joe Anderson, Cherry Jones, Mia Wasikowska

Visionary.  Lover.  Dreamer.  Fighter.  Legend.  Icon.  AMELIA.   An extraordinary life of adventure, celebrity and continuing mystery comes to light in AMELIA, a vast, thrilling account of legendary aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart (two time Academy Award® winner Hilary Swank). 

After becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, Amelia was thrust into a new role as America’s sweetheart – the legendary “goddess of light,” known for her bold, larger-than-life charisma. Yet, even with her global fame solidified, her belief in flirting with danger and standing up as her own, outspoken woman never changed.  She was an inspiration to people everywhere, from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (Cherry Jones) to the men closest to her heart: her husband, promoter and publishing magnate George P. Putnam (Golden Globe® winner Richard Gere), and her long time friend and lover, pilot Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor).  In the summer of 1937, Amelia set off on her most daunting mission yet: a solo flight around the world that she and George both anxiously foresaw as destined, whatever the outcome, to become one of the most talked-about journeys in history. 

GENTLEMEN BRONCOS

Release:                    October 30, 2009

Directed by:   Jared Hess

Written by:   Jared Hess & Jerusha Hess

Produced by   Mike White, John J. Kelly

Executive Produced by  Ben LeClair, Jerusha Hess, Jared Hess

Cast: Michael Angarano, Jennifer Coolidge, Jemaine Clement, Mike White, Hector Jimenez, Halley Feiffer, Josh Pais and Sam Rockwell

Benjamin (Michael Angarano), home-schooled by his eccentric mother (Jennifer Coolidge),  is a loveable loner whose passion for writing leads him on an offbeat and hilarious journey as his story first gets ripped off by the legendary fantasy novelist, Ronald Chevalier (Jemaine Clement) and then is adapted into a disastrous movie by the small town’s most prolific homespun filmmaker. 

FANTASTIC MR. FOX

Release:    November 13, 2009

Directed by:    Wes Anderson

Written for the Screen by:   Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach

Based on the book by:    Roald Dahl

Produced by:     Allison Abbate, Scott Rudin, Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson

Executive Producers:   Steven Rales, Arnon Milchan

Voice Cast:   George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Wally Wolodarsky, Eric Anderson, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, Jarvis Cocker
FANTASTIC MR. FOX is visionary director Wes Anderson’s first animated film, utilizing classic handmade stop motion techniques to tell the story of the best selling children’s book by Roald Dahl (author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach). 

Mr and Mrs Fox (Clooney and Streep) live an idyllic home life with their son Ash (Schwartzman) and visiting young nephew Kristofferson (Eric Anderson).  But after 12 years, the bucolic existence proves too much for Mr Fox’s wild animal instincts.  Soon he slips back into his old ways as a sneaky chicken thief and in doing so, endangers not only his beloved family, but the whole animal community.  Trapped underground and with not enough food to go around, the animals band together to fight against the evil Farmers – Boggis, Bunce and Bean – who are determined to capture the audacious, fantastic Mr Fox at any cost.