It seems crazy to me that studios "claim" release dates two and three years before the movies come out. I understand that it builds up anticipation, but hanging a release date over filmmakers' heads can't help the end result. For example, I attended a screening of the director's cut of Troy the other night (very cool), with director Wolfgang Petersen introducing. He discussed how at test screenings he realized the score of the film wasn't working. He wound up replacing it in a huge rush to make the release date, and it became one of many aspects of the final film he was unhappy with. Why not just give directors time to make the films they want instead of all the "starting without a finished script" -type stuff that goes on? Well, two upcoming movies -- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (or as I call it, TCONTVOTDT -- it just flows better) and The Wolf Man -- seem to be doing just that.

Prince Caspian, the second Narnia adventure, is still set for release this May, but TCONTVOTDT has been moved from May 1st, 2009, to May 7th, 2010. Taking its place on the '09 date is something called G-Force, "a Jerry Bruckheimer family-adventure about a band of animal commandoes trying to stop an evil billionaire taking over the world." If that plot description is any indication, Summer '09 is going to be a magical time at the cineplex! Mark Romanek's The Wolf Man, with Benicio del Toro in the title role, is being moved from November 18th, 2008 to Spring 2009. I love del Toro, and am really looking forward to that one. I wonder if the notoriously hairy Robin Williams was considered for Wolf Man? Might have saved money on makeup. Reasons have not been given for the release date changes, but Empire speculates that it likely has something to do with the actor's strike that could shake up the industry next June. Hopefully, putting some extra time and care into these movies will be a good thing.

Of all the big-budget period-piece mega-spectacles that arose in the wake of Gladiator (including Alexander, King Arthur and Kingdom of Heaven), the one I enjoyed most was Wolfgang Petersen's Troy. I know the thing was seen as something of a disappointment to many (its Tomatometer hangs at 55%) but I found it to be a pretty compelling piece of filmmaking. Sure, sure, Brad Pitt was miscast, I agree, but it's a big fat monster of a movie and it certainly might deserve a second date with your DVD player ... especially if you have one of those massive widescreen TVs.

On the other hand, you could simply head on over to the Berlin Film Festival this Saturday and enjoy Wolfgang Petersen's all-new director's cut of Troy, which takes the 162-minute film and inserts an extra half-hour into the equation. (The loooong version will also hit German cinemas on March 23.) Whether or not the home video consumers of the world will actually embrace a 3 hour and 12 minute version of Troy remains to be seen ... but I know at least one geek who'll be checking it out. (Yes, me.) Warner Bros. hasn't announced a DVD date for this extended edition just yet, but Petersen plans to record an audio commentary and produce some new extra features as well. According to Variety, he's hoping it'll be as well-received as his (seriously awesome) Das Boot re-cut. (We're also promised a little extra sex and violence in this new version, and that's always nice.)

And just so I can clear up a little confusion: Yes, Troy cost about $180 million to produce (some say more) and yes, it only grossed about $133 million in domestic box office. It also did just over $364 million outside of North America, and that's a huge international haul. So knock the flick if you don't like it, but I certainly wouldn't call it a box office bomb. And hey, things could be worse: You could be asked to contend with the 214-minute version of Oliver Stone's Alexander!, which Ryan will be reviewing next week.

   • Big Momma's House 2 - In Martin Lawrence's desperate minstrel show, the comedian reprises his role as undercover FBI agent Malcolm Turner, again donning a fat suit to become the sassy, black Southern matron Big Momma. He has to stop a potentially destructive computer hacker, and the movie is broad, shameless and pandering in most every respect. Lawrence appears to assume that we automatically like him and Big Momma, and does little to endear them to us any further. Incessant mugging, weak slapstick and Teflon catchphrases fill in the many cracks of its already shaky foundation, leaving a hammy house of horrors that should have been condemned when it was still a half-baked pitch.
    • Grandma's Boy - Adam Sandler's longtime second-banana, Allen Covert, gets his shot at a lead in this stoner comedy, but despite his appealing, aw-shucks demeanor, the movie, about a 36-year-old video game tester who moves in with his grandmother and her two roommates, is just irredeemably stupid. It is sad to see three lovely ladies like Doris Roberts, Shirley Jones and Shirley Knight stooping for laughs like this, though based on the fact that practically no one saw it in theaters (or will go out of their way to rent the DVD), it is a very minor tragedy.