by Christian Helm
Daily O'Collegian (Oklahoma State U.)
(U-Wire) As the memories of 2004 fade, speculation of entertainment in 2005 is shaping up. The film industry is teeming with new releases, many of which are already creating a buzz.
First up, for horror fans, "The Ring Two." The sequel to the 2002 blockbuster "The Ring," this film retains star Naomi Watts, playing investigative reporter Rachel Keller, and her son Aidan, played by David Dorfman.
Japanese filmmaker Hideo Nakata, however, has replaced the original director. Nakata previously directed "Ringu," the Japanese film that inspired "The Ring." The upcoming film will be his American debut.
Set six months after the terrifying events in Seattle, viewers find that Rachel and her son Aidan have moved to a small coastal community in Oregon. The town of Astoria is supposed to provide a new start for the two.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
When an unmarked videotape is discovered at a local crime scene, Rachel realizes her trouble may have followed her. Samara, the horrifying little girl who started it all, is back and eerily determined to finish what she started. The movie's release date is set for March 18.
Continuing to bank on the recent trend of animated movies like "Shrek" and "Finding Nemo," DreamWorks Animation SKG will release "Madagascar" May 27. An all-star cast of actors lend their voices to the project.
The four main characters, zoo animals not so keen on the wild, are voiced by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith.
Stiller's character, Alex the Lion, is New York Central Park Zoo's main attraction. Marty the Zebra (Rock), Melman the Giraffe (Schwimmer) and Gloria the Hippo (Smith) comprise Alex's group of misfit animal friends.
Living their entire lives in captivity, they have no urge to see their natural habitats - until Marty decides to escape with a group of unruly penguins. The remaining trio set off to rescue Marty and bring him back to the zoo but end up being caught, crated and stowed aboard a ship to Africa.
Set in the mid-21st century, "The Island" is a futuristic thriller reminiscent of George Orwell's 1984. Scarlett Johansson stars as Jordan Two-Delta while Ewan McGregor plays Lincoln Six-Echo.
Both residents of a utopian society contained in a carefully-controlled environment, they dream of traveling to "The Island" - supposedly the only uncontaminated spot left on the planet.
Unfortunately, Lincoln discovers that he and all the other inhabitants of the controlled environment are merely clones, meant to provide spare parts for their originals.
