What is Russell Brand running from? Could it be the doldrums of moviegoing- late summer and early fall (lucky thing we’ve still got The Expendables and Scott Pilgrim to light up our day, huh?) but after that, nothing to do but wait for Oscar season… or is there?

Here’s an update on what Disney has planned for us for the rest of the year- and oh boy, does it look good! And, of course, with media consolidation and what-not, by Disney I also mean Touchstone and Miramax.

Let me first address the elephant in the room.  NOT on Disney’s schedule for the rest of the year is the anniversary release of Beauty and the Beast… in 3D.  I am a sucker for this movie, and always have been. The animation is gorgeous, and I’ve always had a crush on Belle.  Plus amazing voicework from the cast… but could it be that the fall and winter movie schedules are simply too full and there isn’t room for a 3D re-release?  Are execs at Disney reading the tea leaves (by which I mean the blogs) and realizing the backlash against 3D and the “Fill-in-the-blank raped my childhood” nonsense and decided not be that fill in the blank? *sigh*  So, we’ll make do with a (I’m being told) gorgeous transfer of the film on BluRay.  I’ll miss getting my little 5 year old daughter dressed up in her princess costume and going to see Beauty and the Beast in a theater in 3D, but I won’t miss it sitting at home with hours of viewing pleasure…

Now, on to the flicks! (we’ll go in chronological order, so if you’re looking for Tron, it’s near the end)

You Again – September 24

From the studio:

CAST: Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Odette Yustman, Kristin Chenoweth, Victor Garber and Betty White
DIRECTOR: Andy Fickman
PRODUCERS: John J. Strauss, Eric Tannenbaum, Andy Fickman
CO-PRODUCER: Betsy Sullenger EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Mario Iscovich WRITTEN BY: Moe Jelline GENRE: Comedy RATING: PG

Successful PR pro Marni (Kristen Bell) heads home for her older brother’s (Jimmy Wolk) wedding and discovers that he’s marrying her high school arch nemesis (Odette Yustman), who’s conveniently forgotten their problematic past . Then the bride’s jet-setting aunt (Sigourney Weaver) bursts in and Marni’s not-so-jet-setting mom (Jamie Lee Curtis) comes face to face with her own high school rival . The claws come out and old wounds are opened in this crazy comedy that proves that not all rivalries are forever.

My take: This could be this year’s version of “Hanging Up” (remember that one? No you don’t.) or it could be The Proposal.  I love almost every one of these actresses, and the only thing that makes me sad is Kristen Chenowith doesn’t have a higher billing.  (Dear Touchstone:  You can make it up to me if she performs a musical number. Double if it’s “>a They Might Be Giants song.)

Website: YouAgain-TheMovie.com

Like it on Facebook: facebook.com/YouAgainMovie

Secretariat – October 8

From  the studio:

CAST: Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Dylan Walsh, James Cromwell, Kevin Connolly, Nelsan Ellis, Dylan Baker, Margo Martindale, Otto Thorwarth, Fred Dalton Thompson, AJ Michalka and Scott Glenn
DIRECTOR: Randall Wallace
PRODUCERS: Gordon Gray & Mark Ciardi
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Bill Johnson, Mike Rich
WRITTEN BY: Mike Rich
SUGGESTED BY THE BOOK: “Secretariat: The Making of a Champion” by William Nack
GENRE: Drama RATING: PG

Based on the remarkable true story, “Secretariat” chronicles the spectacular journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner. Housewife and mother Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) agrees to take over her ailing father’s Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge. Against all odds, Chenery—with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich)—manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and what may be the greatest racehorse of all time.

I know, I know– David Spade called and said he really liked this movie the first time when it was called “Seabiscuit,” right?  WRONG.  Different horse, dummy.   I actually have high hopes for this movie. Who doesn’t love a great sports story about a ragtag team of misfits who makes it work?  Unfortunately we already know the ending, but getting there will be a great ride. And Disney always does these sorts of sports stories amazingly well.  Remember the Titans, Glory Road, etc. And, you’ve got John Malkovich.

Like it on Facebook: facebook.com/Secretariat

Tangled – November 24

VOICE CAST: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Ron Perlman, M.C. Gainey, Jeffrey Tambor, Brad Garrett, Paul F. Tompkins

DIRECTORS: Byron Howard, Nathan Greno

PRODUCER: Roy Conli COMPOSER: Alan Menken
LYRICS BY: Glenn Slater

Walt Disney Pictures presents “Tangled,” one of the most hilarious, hair-raising tales ever told. When the kingdom’s most wanted—and most charming—bandit Flynn Rider (voice of Zachary Levi) hides out in a mysterious tower, he’s taken hostage by Rapunzel (voice of Mandy Moore), a beautiful and feisty tower- bound teen with 70 feet of magical, golden hair. Flynn’s curious captor, who’s looking for her ticket out of the tower where she’s been locked away for years, strikes a deal with the handsome thief and the unlikely duo sets off on an action-packed escapade, complete with a super-cop horse, an over-protective chameleon and a gruff gang of pub thugs. In theaters this holiday season in Disney Digital 3DTM, “Tangled” is a story of adventure, heart, humor and hair—lots of hair.

“Rapunzel! Rapunzel! … What kind of a name is that?” —Into the Woods

Ok, let me say this: Tangled will be Disney’s 50th animated feature ever. It is also a return to well-known princess fairy tales that have served as the backbone to the Disney empire for decades (just ask my daughter… and my sister… and my mom…)  And it’s digital animation– not done by Pixar.  Could be a problem?  Well, if they have as much faith in this to pull Beauty and the Beast for it, it’s got me uber-curious.  And the trailer many of us saw before Toy Story showed us that this is likely to be a lot of fun.  Plus, new songs from Alan Mencken, responsible for many of the classic Disney songs from the past two decade, and who most recently brought us the music in Enchanted- the best animated Disney feature that wasn’t a fully animated Disney feature.  If this can straddle the line between subversive self-mockery and bubblegum fun half as well as Enchanted did, this will be an instant classic.

Website: Disney.com/Tangled

Like it on Facebook: facebook.com/DisneyTangled

The Tempest -Dec 10 / 17 (limited)

CAST: Helen Mirren, Russell Brand, Reeve Carney, Tom Conti, Chris Cooper, Alan Cumming, Djimon Hounsou, Felicity Jones, Alfred Molina, David Strathairn, Ben Whishaw
DIRECTOR: Julie Taymor

PRODUCERS: Julie Taymor, Robert Chartoff, Lynn Hendee, Julia Taylor-Stanley, Jason K. Lau
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Ron Bozman, Tino Puri, Rohit Khattar, Stewart Till, Anthony Buckner, Greg Strasburg
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Phyllis Lavoie
SCREENPLAY BY: Julie Taymor
ADAPTED FROM THE PLAY BY: William Shakespeare
GENRE: Drama/Fantasy
RATING: PG-13
U.S. RELEASE DATE: December 10, 2010, New York and Los Angeles • December 17, 2010, limited expansion

In her big-screen adaptation of Shakespeare’s mystical thriller “The Tempest,” Academy Award®– nominated Julie Taymor (“Across the Universe,” “Frida,” “Titus”) brings an original dynamic to the story by changing the gender of the sorcerer Prospero into the sorceress Prospera, portrayed by Oscar® winner Helen Mirren (“The Queen”). Prospera’s journey spirals through vengeance to forgiveness as she reigns over a magical island, cares for her young daughter, Miranda, and unleashes her powers against shipwrecked enemies in this exciting, masterly mix of romance, tragicomedy and the supernatural

Shakespeare wrote The Tempest 400 years ago. It’s always been a favorite of mine– a little more bittersweet than most of his comedies, almost as if Shakespeare knew that it would be the last play he would write.  I personally love the idea of Prospero now being a woman- Prospera- as that changes some of the subtext but not too much. And I can’t think of a better cast… except maybe Russel Brand.  I don’t think of him as having the chops to do Shakespeare, but I am ready to be surprised. This would be the film I am most excited for this Fall/Winter, if not for my next review…

TRON: LEGACY – In IMAX and Disney Digital 3D – December 17

CAST: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, James Frain, Beau Garrett and Michael Sheen
DIRECTOR: Joseph Kosinski PRODUCERS: Sean Bailey, Jeffrey Silver, Steven Lisberger

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Donald Kushner WRITTEN BY: Eddy Kitsis & Adam Horowitz (writing credits not final)

BASED ON CHARACTERS CREATED BY: Steven Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird

“TRON: Legacy” is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that’s unlike anything ever captured on the big screen Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), a rebellious 27-year-old, is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his father Kevin Flynn (Oscar®- and Golden Globe®-winner Jeff Bridges), a man once known as the world’s leading video-game developer . When Sam investigates a strange signal sent from the old Flynn’s Arcade—a signal that could only come from his father—he finds himself pulled into a digital world where Kevin has been trapped for 20 years. With the help of the fearless warrior Quorra (Olivia Wilde), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe—a universe created by Kevin himself that has become far more advanced with never-before-imagined vehicles, weapons, landscapes and a ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to prevent their escape . Presented in Disney Digital 3DTM and scored by Grammy® Award-winning electronic music duo Daft Punk, “TRON: Legacy” hits U.S. theaters on Dec. 17, 2010, in Disney Digital 3DTM and IMAX® 3D.

Oh, I love Tron.  I watched it repeatedly as a kid.  Look, if you love Tron, you already know everything about it. You’ve seen the footage, the stills. And if you haven’t, be prepared to get sucked in to the hype faster than the Master Control Program can digitize Jeff Bridges.  Let’s hope they bring the goods.

And if you haven’t seen the pictures, here they are in all their beautiful goodness:

Website: Disney.com/TRON

Like on Facebook: facebook.com/TRON

Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/TronLegacy

The Debt – December 29

CAST: Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain, Jesper Christensen, Marton Csokas, with Ciaran Hinds and Tom Wilkinson
DIRECTOR: John Madden PRODUCERS: Matthew Vaughn, Kris Thykier, Eitan Evan, Eduardo Rossoff SCREENPLAY BY: Matthew Vaughn & Jane Goldman and Peter Straughan BASED ON THE FILM “HA-HOV” WRITTEN BY: Assaf Bernstein and Ido Rosenblum GENRE: Drama RATING: R (for some violence and language)

Helen Mirren and Sam Worthington star in “The Debt,” the powerful story of Rachel Singer, a former Mossad agent who endeavored to capture and bring to trial a notorious Nazi war criminal—the Surgeon of Birkenau—in a secret Israeli mission that ended with his death on the streets of East Berlin. Now, 30 years later, a man claiming to be the doctor has surfaced, and Rachel must go back to Eastern Europe to uncover the truth . Overwhelmed by haunting memories of her younger self and her two fellow agents, the still-celebrated heroine must relive the trauma of those events and confront the debt she has incurred

More Helen Mirren Oscar-fodder. And Sam Worthington shows up in another movie. Still, the plot seems intriguing and surely this is a great cast. It’ll also be interesting to see what, if anything, Matthew Vaughn(Layer Cake, Kick-Ass) brings as Producer.  Some producers, like Robert Rodriguez, you can feel their fingerprints all over a film, like this summer’s Predators. Many sit back and let the Director do the heavy lifting. But this is surely another piece of art delivered up by Miramax where the title may as well be “Gimme an Oscar!”  Let’s hope the film delivers on that point.