Best wishes for a very happy New Year!

All of the studios took a break from releasing HD DVDs this week so I thought it might be a good idea to take a look at some movies that they’re likely to put out on disc later this year. All of these movies are scheduled to hit theaters in 2008, and are very likely to be released for home consumption at least five months later, if not sooner. Remember, these aren’t movies from 2007 which have already been announced, but new theatrical releases for 2008 which are highly probable to be released on HD DVD a few months later.

We’re going to start with Paramount Studios, which also includes movies made by Dreamworks and others that are part of the Viacom umbrella, like Nickelodeon. Under an exclusivity deal, Paramount will only release movies on HD DVD for the rest of 2008, and at least a couple of months into 2009, and from the looks of it, there’s going to be a lot to look forward to.

I’ve included movie trailers as well as links to each movie’s official site when possible. These trailers are all from Movieweb.com, and are better video quality than the typical clips found on YouTube. You can get even more background information on the movies mentioned here by clicking through to the Movieweb.com site or the text link to the movie’s site.

Cloverfield, January 18
The year starts out with the action-packed thriller, Cloverfield, which is about a group of friends trying to survive a monster that attacks New York City. Not necessarily a Blair Witch Project, but the story is documented on their camcorder. I saw the teaser for this in the theater, and a larger trailer last night. This looks to be a really interesting movie.

(Click here if the video is not available above – link goes to official movie site: cloverfieldmovie.com)

 

Strange Wilderness, February 1
Since you already have an HD DVD player, it follows that you have an HDTV. And thus it follows that you probably have cable or satellite delivering HD channels like Animal Planet and National Geographic. Imagine a movie where Animal Planet meets Will Ferrell, except it’s not Animal Planet and not Will Ferrell. Well, something like that is what would explain Strange Wilderness which stars the Apple dude from the Mac commercials, and that boy from Superbad, in a movie about a TV crew in a last-ditch attempt to save their show by trying to find Bigfoot.

(Click here if the video is not available above)

 

The Spiderwick Chronicles, February 15
There’s plenty of fantasy movie material in the youth section at the bookstore, and Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black’s The Spiderwick Chronicles is the latest to be translated to the big screen. A mom and her three kids move into their uncle’s old house in the woods. It turns out that their uncle, Arthur Spiderwick, was in on a very interesting secret about magical creatures living in the woods, and the kids are about to embark on an adventure in this new world.

(Click here to view the if the video is not available above – link goes to the official movie site: spiderwickchronicles.com)

I’m wondering when Artemis Fowl will be made into a movie.

 

Drillbit Taylor, March 21
Superbad with a more family-friendly rating. This pretty much sums up the appeal of Drillbit Taylor, although I’m sure it’s much more than just that, though it is from the same team. In this movie, Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson) is hired to help three boys whose high school fun is hampered by a most evil bully.

(Click here if the video is not available above)

 

Stop Loss, March 28
The war in Iraq is likely to be a theme for many movies coming out in the next couple of years. Stop Loss is the story of a decorated war hero who returns home and starts to settle back in to a normal routine, when his life is turned upside down by an order to return to Iraq.

(Click here if the video is not available above)

 

Shine a Light, April 4
Martin Scorsese assembled a team of experienced cinematographers for a documentary on The Rolling Stones based on two of their concerts at the Beacon Theater in New York City. It’s not just a concert video, but an actual documentary that shows the behind-the-scenes stuff that went on in planning the documentary and concerts.

(Click here if the video is not available above – link goes to shinealightmovie.com where HD trailers are also available)

 

The Ruins, April 11
Scott Smith’s novel comes to life in The Ruins, the story of four friends who disturbed something that was better left alone in the jungles of Mexico. Unfortunately, there’s no trailer or teaser to show just yet.

UPDATE: Thanks to a tip from Mike in the comments, here’s a trailer for The Ruins. Mike had some good things to say about the book over at his blog.

 

Iron Man, May 2
Audiences will be able to choose from a few superhero movies this summer. Paramount has a story about a billionaire with gadgets who wears a specially made suit to become Iron Man (Warner Bros. has another billionaire with gadgets and a suit — Batman). This movie brings Robert Downey Jr. to the role of Tony Stark, a genius inventor by day and Iron Man by night.

(Click here if the video is not available above – link goes to ironmanmovie.com where an HD trailer is also available, along with other Iron Man goodies.)

 

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, May 22
Whether this movie comes out for home consumption, especially on HD DVD, is not clear, but we can hope. Harrison Ford brings back the hat and whip yet another time for the fourth Indiana Jones movie. No trailers just yet, but expect to be bombarded by a major marketing and media push as Memorial Day approaches.

 

Kung Fu Panda, June 6
Dreamworks Animation brings Jack Black as Po, the Kung Fu doing Panda in Kung Fu Panda, a movie about a panda who does Kung Fu (my tribute to Strange Wilderness). Featuring voices by Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, and many more, I’m betting that this movie will join Shrek the Third as one of the best HD DVD discs for picture quality.

(Click here if the video is not available above – link goes to kungfupanda.com where they also have HD trailers and some additional Panda fun)

 

Second half of 2008
Some of the movies scheduled for release later in 2008 are probably in post-production right now, meaning they’re getting edited and fixed up for a proper debut later in the year. Trailers and teasers aren’t even available for most of them. Here’s a quick summary of what to expect…

The Love Guru, June 20
In his first new character since Austin Powers, Mike Meyers is Pitka, an American kid raised at an ashram in India. Pitka is called in to save the marriage of a pro hockey player so that his team might actually win the championship Stanley Cup. No trailers yet for this comedy, but I’m curious to find out whether Pitka is good enough to come back for sequels as Austin Powers was.

Case 39, August 22
Renee Zellweger plays a social worker who saves in a little girl from her horrible family, but that’s when the real terror begins.

Nowhere Land, September 26
Eddie Murphy is a businessman whose career is saved when he begins to pay more attention to his little girl and her imaginary world.

Madagascar: The Crate Escape, November 7
Dreamworks brings back the whole zoo for their greatest escape ever – a return to the homeland in Africa. Well, at least for the mammals, I’m sure the penguins are happy just to get out again.

A Tale of Two Sisters, release date to be announced
Tale of Two sisters is a remake of a Korean horror film, about two sisters who have been released from a mental institution, and are called upon by their mother’s ghost to stop their father from remarrying.

Ghost Town, release date to be announced
Spookily describable with some of the same description as for the Two Sisters movie, this one is actually a comedy starring Ricky Gervais, who comes back from a near-death experience with the ability to see ghosts. One ghost in particular comes after him to stop the marriage of his widow.

Revolutionary Road, December 19
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet star in this adaptation of Richard Yates’ novel. It’s the story of a Connecticut couple who try hard to break out of their ordinary lives.

DVD release dates have not been announced for these movies, and it’s possible that some of the theatrical release dates may also change. All of these movies will be accompanied by releases from Paramount’s catalog of older films as well, and it looks like we’ll have a lot to watch for in the months ahead.