Coming Soon...

Soul Power

Opens Jul 10, 2009

Starring: James Brown, B.B. King
Directed by: Jeffrey Levy-Hinte
Release date: July 10

Three weeks prior to the Rumble in the Jungle, the legendary 1974 boxing match in Zaire in which Muhammad Ali defeated George Foreman, the country hosted a concert. Actually, it was more of an extravaganza, featuring such R&B luminaries as James Brown, B.B. King, and Bill Withers — who teamed up with a myriad of Southern African musicians for three days of performances. Levy-Hinte, an editor of the 1996 Oscar-winning Ali doc When We Were Kings, combed through 125 hours of surviving footage from the event and whittled it down into a definitive concert film. ''It gives you the opportunity to put on platform shoes and bell-bottoms and jump right into one of the coolest events of the '70s,'' says Levy-Hinte. Groovy.

Bruno

Opens Jul 10, 2009

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen
Directed by: Larry Charles
Release date: July 10

Three years ago, Baron Cohen spiked America's punch bowl with his merry-prankster comedy Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, obliterating all manner of racial, ethnic, and political taboos and reaping $129 million in grosses (in every sense of the word) — not to mention a raft of lawsuits. Plans were quickly announced for a comedy based on another of Baron Cohen's stealth-comedy characters, the gay Austrian fashion reporter Brüno. But after Borat successfully lured unsuspecting people into his satirical trap, some wondered if the now-infamous Baron Cohen could possibly pull off such a brazen, high-risk stunt again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, you've got a franchise.

Well, he's baaaack! Transplanting Brüno from the cult HBO series Da Ali G Show to the big screen, Baron Cohen (reunited with Borat director Charles) again sets out to detonate our notions of political correctness in the name of jaw-dropping comedy. Early in the development process, producer Jay Roach hinted at the deeper levels of Brüno. ''There's an aspect of the story that is even more layered than Borat,'' Roach told EW. ''Brüno is a guy trying to decide what's cool because he himself is constantly wrestling with his own identity — almost like Andy Warhol.''

The film is being kept tightly under wraps, but at last month's SXSW festival in Austin, Universal screened about 20 minutes of footage, including scenes of the ever-trendy Brüno adopting an African baby (whom he names O.J.) and making out with another man before an audience of rabid (and homophobic) Ultimate Fighting fans. By all accounts, the scenes were greeted with shock and awe. In early April, the film's red-band trailer debuted online and quickly became a viral phenomenon. Not surprisingly, however, the guardians of cinematic propriety at the MPAA have been less amused, slapping an early cut of Brüno with an NC-17 rating. It is now being reedited in hopes of landing an R. Whatever the rating, prepare to have some cultural sensitivities brüised.

I Love You, Beth Cooper

Opens Jul 10, 2009

Starring: Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust, Lauren London
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Release date: July 10

Based on the best-selling 2007 novel by Larry Doyle (The Simpsons), Cooper follows a sad-sack valedictorian (Semi-Pro's Rust) who reveals his true feelings for the titular cheerleader (Heroes' Panettiere) at graduation and then embarks on a long night of postgrad partying with her. For Columbus, the film marks a return to the teen-comedy genre he left for dramas (Stepmom) and big-budget spectacles such as the first two Harry Potter adaptations. ''I thought about Adventures in Babysitting and about how much fun I had making that film,'' says Columbus of his 1987 directorial debut. ''Over the years, so many people have told me how that movie meant a lot to them growing up.'' Doyle acknowledges that his plot may sound familiar. ''The story is about the cheerleader and the nerd — I'm not going to pretend like it's never been done,'' he admits. ''Although specific things change, you can go back 100 years and find teenagers doing the same things. Kids doing crazy s--- in cars just never goes away.''

Humpday

Opens Jul 10, 2009

Starring: Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard
Written and directed by: Lynn Shelton
Release date: July 10

Ben and Andrew are going to have sex. But they're not gay. As the two manly ex-college roommates insist, their drunken dare to costar in an erotic film for a local festival is ''beyond gay.'' Leonard (The Blair Witch Project) was so eager to work with Duplass (Baghead) that he signed on before knowing the racy plot. ''Don't ever let me commit to anything again without asking what it's about first,'' he jokes. The characters' panic is real — the Sundance hit was heavily improvised, leaving the actors uncertain whether Ben and Andrew would fulfill their pact.