Billy Crystal and Bette Midler may not be the box office names they once were, but it’s always good to see them on screen, and now they’ve teamed up for Parental Guidance, based on an idea from Crystal. A new trailer for the movie has now arrives, which you can see right here.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Old school grandfather Artie (Crystal), who is accustomed to calling the shots, meets his match when he and his eager-to-please wife Diane (Midler) agree to babysit their three grandkids when their type-A helicopter parents go away for work. But when 21st century problems collide with Artie and Diane’s old school methods of tough rules, lots of love and old-fashioned games, it’s learning to bend – and not holding your ground – that binds a family together.’ It’s currently due for release on December 26th, 2012.

The promised weekly updates on Star Wars continue with the latest chat between George Lucas and Kathleen Kenned about the franchise. It seems the conversations are laregely an attempt to stop fans’ heads exploding due to rampant speculation that Disney buying the franchise will end up with Mickey Mouse fighting Captain America on Tatooine.

This time the old and new heads of Lucasfilm talk about how they first met and why Lucas felt Kennedy might be the woman to pass the company to (the fact she’s produced everything from ET to Jurassic Park probably helped). Don’t expect many details on Star Wars VII, as this is more about suggesting a smooth transition from old to new and that fans don’t have to worry (although worrying is one of the defining features of the true Star Wars obsessive).

I’m not sure how many more of these there will be, and as they were all recorded a few weeks ago, they may not give us too many more details about future plans, but we’ll have to wait and see.

The Smurfs movie was far more fun than it had any right to be, and with a worldwide gross of $563 million you can certainly understand why Sony wants another bite at the cherry. The Smurfs 2 is set for release July 31st 2013 and now a brief, international teaser has shown up over on The Smurfs’ Hong Kong Facebook page.

There’s no story details, just a Smurf giving us notice that he and his brethren will be back for more 3D adventures next year.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘In this sequel to the hybrid live action/animated family blockbuster comedy The Smurfs, the evil wizard Gargamel creates a couple of mischievous Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties that he hopes will let him harness the all-powerful, magical Smurf-essence. But when he discovers that only a real Smurf can give him what he wants — and only a secret spell that Smurfette knows can turn the Naughties into real Smurfs — Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette and brings her to Paris, where he has been winning the adoration of millions as the world’s greatest sorcerer. It’s up to Papa, Clumsy, Grouchy, and Vanity to return to our world, reunite with their human friends Patrick and Grace Winslow (Neil Patrik Harris and Jayma Mays), and rescue her! Will Smurfette, who has always felt different from the other Smurfs, find a new connection with the Naughties Vexy and Hackus – or will the Smurfs convince her that their love for her is True Blue?’

 

Magic (of the stage variety) seems popular at the moment, with a Magic Castle movie in the works, Steve Carell starring in Burt Wonderstone and the heist thriller, Now You See Me, for which we now have the first trailer. It’s got an awesome cast, including Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo, Isla Fisher, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.

Louis Letterier’s movie sees ‘The Four Horsemen, a magic super-group led by the charismatic ATLAS (Jesse Eisenberg), perform a pair of high-tech magic shows, first astonishing audiences by robbing a bank on another continent, and then exposing a white-collar criminal and funneling his millions into the audience members’ bank accounts.

‘FBI Special Agent DYLAN (Mark Ruffalo) is determined to make the magicians pay for their crimes—and to stop them before they pull off what promises to be an even more audacious heist. But he’s forced to partner with ALMA (Melanie Laurent), an Interpol detective about whom he is instantly suspicious. Out of desperation he turns to THADDEUS (Morgan Freeman), a famed magic debunker, who claims the bank heist was accomplished using disguises and video trickery. One thing Dylan and Alma agree on is that the Horsemen must have an outside point person, and that finding him (or her) is key to ending the magicians’ crime spree. Could it be Thaddeus? Or Alma? Or could it really be…magic?

‘As pressure mounts and the world awaits the Horsemen’s spectacular final trick, Dylan and Alma race to find an answer. But it soon becomes painfully clear that staying one step ahead of these masters of illusion is beyond the skills of any one man—or woman.’

It opens next June.

I’d imagine Melissa McCarthy is ruing the day she signed on for the sitcom Mike & Molly. At the time it must have seemed like one of the few chances she’d get to take to lead in her own show, but now she’s broken out in Hollywood and is trapped in one of the worst shows on TV (but hey, perhaps she likes it). However she’s squeezing in as many movies as she can, including The Heat, where she teams up with Sandra Bullock for a buddy cop film.

The film reunites McCarthy with Bridesmaids director Paul Feig. Here’s the synopsis, ‘Uptight and straight-laced, FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) is a methodical investigator with a reputation for excellence – and hyper-arrogance. Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy), one of Boston P.D.’s “finest,” is foul-mouthed and has a very short fuse, and uses her gut instinct and street smarts to catch the most elusive criminals. Neither has ever had a partner, or a friend for that matter. When these two wildly incompatible law officers join forces to bring down a ruthless drug lord, they become the last thing anyone expected: buddies.’

It doesn’t exactly sounds like this will be breaking the rulebook on the buddy cop formula, but as long as it’s well made it could be fun. It hits cinemas next spring.

You gotta love Tina Fey, and while she hasn’t had a huge amount of success with movies she’s starred in (Baby Mama in particular should be struck off her CV), she’ll be hoping for more success with Admission. In the film she is Portia Nathan, the assistant admissions officer at the Princeton University, who’s involved with her colleague Mark (Michael Sheen). An opportunity arises when she discovers that her boss (Wallace Shawn) is retiring. However if she wants his jobs she’s have to compete with friend/colleague Corinne (Gloria Reuben).

However her life goes in an unexpected direction when she heads for as experimental New Hampshire school to evaluate students who are applying to Princeton. She fins a connection with the school’s co-founder, John Halsey (Paul Rudd), and he introduces her to precocious college applicant  Jeremiah (Nat Wolff), who could be the son she gave up when she was younger.

Based on Jean Hanff Korelitz’s 2009 novel, Admission will be released sometime next year.