Rooftop Films is turning its projector towards New York City and its residents this Friday night for its New York Non-Fiction Short Film screening. The majority of the filmmakers are New Yorkers themselves, with topics as diverse as a “cinematographical voyage” into Greenpoint, the Red Hook Pool, a 74-year-old jazz musician recording his album, and the Mysterious Hair Man of Williamsburg.

Drunk History Vol. 1 even manages to find its way in there somehow (Alexander Hamilton was a New Yorker — he was our delegate to the Constitutional Convention and the Congress of the Confederation who lived and died here.)

The doors at the Open Road Rooftop (350 Grand St.) open at 8pm, live music at 8:30, and the films are at 9pm. The after-party is an open bar at Fontana’s (105 Eldridge St.). If you haven’t been to a Rooftop Films screening yet this summer, this would be a great one to kick things off.

(h/t Miss Heather, Gothamist)

by Dave Thomas

Scarlett Johansson, Iron Man II
Either I’m getting too old for this, or this is the least exciting launch to blockbuster season since, um, last year.
MAY 7
IRON MAN 2
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
He hates Iron Man, duh-de-duh-de-duh-duh, Mick-ey Rourke!
WILL IT SUCK?
Jon Favreau is back and is a known and welcome quantity as a director. Justin Theroux only has one other screenplay under his belt, but it’s Tropic Thunder so I’m satisfied. Whole cast (minus Terence Howard) is back plus Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Don Cheadle, and John Slattery.
Early buzz is mildly disappointed, but still happy.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Summer may blow its load early. Be surprised if anything actually beats this (Toy Story 3 or Twilight: Eclipse stand a chance). $444mil.
——————————————————
BABIES
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Doc about four babies growing up in Namibia, Mongolia, Japan, and the US, respectively.
WILL IT SUCK?
Hard to get a read on this one since not much is known about the filmmakers. That having been said, if you like babies, you’ll get your fill. Cute trailer.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
I don’t know about releasing it wide, but this is certainly good counter-programming for Iron Man. $1mil.
——————————————————
MOTHER AND CHILD
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Ensemble drama about several mothers/would-be mothers (Annette Bening, Naomi Watts, Kerry Washington).
WILL IT SUCK?

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by Dave Thomas

Kick-Ass
Think of April’s line-up as the opening acts for the summer blockbusters.
APRIL 2
Wide
CLASH OF THE TITANS
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Wow, Harry Hamlin really pulled it together and…oh, no, wait, this is a new guy.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good. I’m surprised because for every The Thing, there’s twenty any remake you can think of off the top of your head that sucks. That having been said, Louis Leterrier is a solid action director. He won’t make you think, but he will keep you entertained. Good cast, too: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng, Mads Mikkelsen, Nicholas Hoult, Pete Postlethwaite, and Danny Huston.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Originally this was supposed to come out March 26th, but then they decided to make it 3D which, apparently, takes a week to add. So now it has to vie for space on 3D screens with the second frame of How to Train Your Dragon. This, however, is a rich person’s problem. $157mil.
THE LAST SONG
(3/31)

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Man, that Notebook guy sure wrote a lot of books.
WILL IT SUCK?
This is the first time that Nicholas Sparks has had a hand in the screenplay adaptation of one of his novels. No idea what impact that will have. Director has done some good TV (Pushing Daisies, Grey’s Anatomy, Weeds). Greg Kinnear is, you know, Greg Kinnear. Yeah, I’m not that psyched.
However, this is called Not Without My Daughter 2 in the Philippines, so it has that going for it.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Combining the Miley Cyrus crowd with the Sparks crowd with an inexplicable two-day head start should be successful counterprogramming to a bunch of CG scorpions. $70mil.
TYLER PERRY’S WHY DID I GET MARRIED TOO?
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Finally someone brings back the use of the word “too” in a sequel title.
WILL IT SUCK?
You know by now whether or not you like the Tyler Perry.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The audiences have already decided that they like the Tyler Perry. $58mil.
Limited
THE GREATEST
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Boy meets girl (Carey Mulligan). Boy dies in car crash. Boy’s family tries to cope with the fact that the girl is now preggers.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good but not great. Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan play the parents.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Mulligan is a hot indie property, and with Leaves of Grass suddenly pushed from this weekend to the summer, the field is suddenly wide open. $8mil.
THE WARLORDS
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Here’s a history lesson. Jet Li, Andy Lau, and Takeshi Kaneshiro were there for the Tapei Rebellion of the 1860s.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is mixed, but the reuniting of Lau and Kaneshiro for the first time since House of Flying Daggers is enough to get me interested even before you throw Li into the mix. Not for nothing, but the flick won Best Actor (Jet Li) Best Director, Best Film and five other awards (nominated for a total of 13) at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?

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by Dave Thomas

Chloe starring Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried
This month offers a surprisingly good mix of potentially solid mainstream and indie fare. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of crap to go around, too.
March 5
Wide
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Tim Burton sequel to the Lewis Carroll adventures. With Johnny Depp, of course.
WILL IT SUCK?
Tim Burton is a visionary in the best sense of the word. Screenwriter did Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. Depp as the Mad Hatter seems a slam dunk, and he’s joined by Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Anne Hathaway, Stephen Fry, Christopher Lee, Michael Sheen, Alan Rickman, and Timothy Spall. Looks like the first bona fide event movie of 2010 worth checking out.
Early buzz is good.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Green Zone the following week has a sliver of the same demo, but this will dominate the month. $207mil.
————————————————-
BROOKLYN’S FINEST
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Three cops’ (Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke) paths intertwine in an undisclosed New York borough.
WILL IT SUCK?
From the director of Training Day, and this is supposed to be better (according to IMDb). Also stars Wesley Snipes, Lili Taylor, Ellen Barkin, Will Patton, and Vincent D’Onofrio.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Snagged w/in 24 hours of premiering at Sundance last year, so somebody thinks it has potential, enough to buy a Super Bowl spot and give it a wide release, two things that almost never happen with Sundance buys. Still, don’t know if that will translate into wide release money. $26mil.
————————————————-
Limited
THE SECRET OF KELLS
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Kid looks for a book. A really, really important book.
WILL IT SUCK?

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by Dave Thomas

Brothers
While nothing this month stands out as an awards season frontrunner, there’s lots of potential Oscar suitors to choose from, and isn’t it more interesting that way?
DECEMBER 4
Wide
ARMORED
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Armored truck guard (Columbus Short) agrees to inside heist with his co-workers (Matt Dillon, Laurence Fishburne, Jean Reno, Skeet Ulrich), but changes his mind when someone (Milo Ventimiglia) gets hurt.
WILL IT SUCK?
All eyes on Kontroll director Nimrod Antal, who failed to impress with his American debut, Vacancy. Also not encouraging, the let’s-reveal-everything trailer. A little more pressure added since Antal’s directing Predators, until you remember that Predators probably isn’t a good idea to begin with.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Not much action to compete with. $57mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Maybe if Sidney Lumet directed.
BROTHERS
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Guy (Jake Gyllenhaal) comforts his recently widowed sister-in-law (Natalie Portman) like, you know, Biblically. Then his brother (Tobey Maguire) returns from the war. Turns out he wasn’t dead after all. Awk-ward.
WILL IT SUCK?

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by Dave Thomas

A Serious Man
Is it wrong of me to be more psyched about Black Dynamite than Where the Wild Things Are?
October 2
ZOMBIELAND
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Jesse Eisenberg of the Dead
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good. Also starring Woody Harrelson, Mila Kunis and Abigail Breslin. Don’t know much about the creators, but the trailer’s a hoot.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
More Shaun of the Dead than Scream. $18mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Best Zombie Kill. Give it time. The Academy will get there.
————————————————-
WHIP IT
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Ellen Page gets into roller derby.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good. The directorial debut of Drew Barrymore. With Alia Shawkat, Kristen Wiig, Zoe Bell, Marcia Gay Harden, and Daniel Stern. And roller derby handles like Malice in Wonderland and Eva Destruction.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Similarly demo’d Fame crashed and burned, but this has more names. $44mil.

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by Dave Thomas
[Check out Dave's amazing new project straight2dvdmovies.com]

Extract
The month begins and ends with thrillers about people who live their lives through androids or other people while they stay at home. Think Hollywood’s getting a little passive aggressive about people who don’t go out to the movies?
September 4
GAMER
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Gamers control real-life death row inmates as if they were characters in an first-person shooter.
WILL IT SUCK?
From the guys who gave you Crank and Crank 2, so expect lots of stylized action…and not much else. Interesting cast: Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall, Zoe Bell, Alison Lohman, Milo Venitmiglia, John Leguizamo, Keith David, Kyra Sedgwick, Efren Ramirez, Sam Witwer, and Chris ‘Ludacris” Bridges.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Probably about as well as any late summer/early fall action flick (like, say, Crank). $28mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
I’m not sure the Academy knows what a gamer is.
——————————————————————
EXTRACT
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Factory Space
WILL IT SUCK?
Mike Judge (Office Space, Idiocracy) has a proven track record. Cast is hot: Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck, Kristin Wiig, J.K. Simmons, and David Koechner.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Will probably do well for a Mike Judge film, which isn’t very good. $20mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
If they didn’t recognize Office Space…
——————————————————————
CARRIERS
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
You know those tough who lives/who dies decisions you have to make during a zombie attack? Same ones generally come up during a global viral outbreak.

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by Dave Thomas

Humpday
Comedy continues to dominate, with Big New Releases from Sacha Baron Cohen and Judd Apatow, though Harry Potter will pwn the month.
July 3
PUBLIC ENEMIES
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) vs. John Dillinger (Johnny Depp).
WILL IT SUCK?
Gotta say I agree with the choice of director. Michael Mann (who co-writes) made his bones on cops and robbers. One of his co-writers, Ann Biderman, also has some good crime under her belt (Primal Fear, Copycat). Cast doesn’t exactly suck, with Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard, Rory Cochrane and Lili Taylor thrown into the mix.
Early buzz is good.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
It’s Purvis vs. Dillinger, not Batman vs. Jack Sparrow. Ice Age will pull any demo that might otherwise make that mistake. $78mil.
———————————————————————
ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
In case you were wondering, yes, they do have a plausible explanation for dinosaurs being around during the Ice Age. Well, an explanation, anyway.
WILL IT SUCK?
Co-director of the original and director of the sequel is back, along with writers from the original plus Simpsons vet Mike Reiss. So there’s hope. Also Simon Pegg joins the voice cast, and that’s always fun.
Early buzz is meh.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Ice Age movies are only getting bigger grosses, but this is the first time they’ve launched in the summer. 2nd frame of Transformers is nothing to sneeze at, but at least there’s a cushion of a weekend before Harry Potter hits. $205mil.
———————————————————————
I HATE VALENTINE’S DAY
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
How to Lose a Guy in Five Dates
WILL IT SUCK?
Wasn’t Nia Vardolos just in a romantic comedy? This one has more in common with Big Fat Greek however, given that she wrote it and co-stars with her Greek co-star John Corbett. Also her directorial debut. And how they kept Judah Friedlander out of the trailer is beyond me. Vardolos penning the screenplay tips the odds in favor of not suck.

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by Dave Thomas

As is becoming the norm, May looks to be the most densely-packed event picture month of the summer.
MAY 1
BATTLE FOR TERRA
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
The human race invades a peaceful planet because our planet done got blow’d up.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good. Garnered some praise on the festival circuit.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
It’s got balls to open against Wolverine. And that’s about all it has going for it. $5mil.
———————————————————–
GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
A Christmas Carol, but with exes.
WILL IT SUCK?
Before you scoff that this is just another silly Matthew McConaughey romcom, remember this. This is coming from Mean Girls, Freaky Friday, Spiderwick Chronicles helmer Mark Waters. It is however, also coming from the writers behind Rebound and Four Christmases. Okay. You can go back to scoffing.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
THIS is how you compete with Wolverine. $71mil.
———————————————————–
X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Wolverine Begins
WILL IT SUCK?

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