Paramount Pictures’ “Drillbit Taylor,” a new comedy starring Owen Wilson as a bodyguard hired by several high school students to protect them from a psychopath in training, will have its opening Friday, March 21. How big this opening will be, it remains to be seen, as the movie seems to be nothing but a faint re-make of “Superbad,” one of the best comedies of last year (about three nerds humiliated en route to a party) and the 1980 middle-school fave “My Bodyquard.”

Produced by Judd Apatow and co-written by Seth Rogen (creative minds behind “Knocked Up” and “Superbad”), this high school comedy suggests that Apatow’s laughing machine may be breaking down.

As the movie opens, two teenage geeks are bracing themselves for their first day of high school. Wade (Nate Hartley) is a shy, skinny egghead, while his best friend Ryan (Troy Gentile) is a chubby, curly-haired smartmouth. They are fresh reminders of Michael Cera and Jonah Hill from “Superbad,” but with fewer penis jokes.

Of course their debut goes spectacularly badly: Wade and Ryan unwittingly wear the same dorky bowling shirt, then attract an annoying pint-size tagalong named Emmit (David Dorfman) and the wrath of sociopath school bully Filkins (Alex Frost).

Over the next week, Filkins stuffs the trio in lockers, soaks them in urine and evades prosecution by the school’s clueless principal (”Office Space’s” Stephen Root).

Out of desperation, the three unfortunate friends place an online add for a bodyguard and the best they can afford is an AWOL homeless soldier named Drillbit, played by Owen Wilson (“Meet the Parents,” “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “You, Me and Dupree,” A Night at the Museum,” The Life Aquatic,” “Zoolander” and “Wedding Crashers”).

Wilson’s character is a shiftless bum who camps in Santa Monica bushes, looking for some easy cash. And, he thinks he’s closer than ever to achieve his goal of skipping town and heading to Canada when meeting the three pals. He plays the good guy, but his real motive is to rob them and their parents.

Like so many contemporary comedies, “Drillbit Taylor’s” plot doesn’t make a lick of sense. For example, Los Angeles rich kids like Wade and Ryan would certainly not be attending public school, much less one in which the principal is so indifferent to the violence taking place right beneath his nose. Even more puzzling is the plot twist that has Drillbit entering the school and being confused for a substitute teacher — and then returning day after day, calling himself “Dr. Illbit,” and even beginning an affair with a randy English teacher named Lisa (Leslie Mann, who’s too good an actress to be taking parts that give her this little to do).

And as if this wasn’t bad enough, Steven Brill (Mr. Deeds) seems to have directed the show in a carefree mood: the scenes are crisp, and the action flows with uncomplicated ease.

One thing is positive about this “Drillbit Taylor”: Owen Wilson, as this is his first movie since suffering from depression last August and being hospitalized for a week after an apparent suicide attempt. However, not even an actor like Wilson can save this movie from drowning.

And still, “Drillbit Taylor” could be the best from a list of five movies all opening this weekend: “Shutter,” (a PG 13-rated movie about a newly married couple that discovers ghostly images in photographs developed after a tragic accident); “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns”(also a PG-13 rated movie about a daughter meeting her late father’s family for the first time); “Snow Angels” (an R-rated drama that interweaves the life of a teen with that of his old baby-sitter, her husband and their daughter) and “Paranoid Park” (about a teenage skateboarder whose life begins to fray after he is involved in the accidental death of a security guard).

Drillbit Taylor: Comedy

Opens Friday, March 21

Directed By: Steven Brill

Written by: Seth Rogen and Kristofor Brown

Starring: Owen Wilson, Nate Hartley, Troy Gentile, Alex Frost, Josh Peck and David Dorfman

Running time: 102 minutes

Rated: PG13 (crude sexual references throughout, drug references, partial nudity, gleeful profanity, and bullying)

“Horton Hears a Who,” the Dr. Seuss adaptation starring wacky comedian Jim Carrey as Horton the Elephant set a box office record this weekend, opening at No. 1 with $45.1 million in North America as the year’s biggest release.

Children across the U. S. and Canada crowded to see the animated film “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!” thus giving it the year’s biggest box-office opening with $45.1 million.

The Blue Sky Studios project, produced by 20th Century Fox, is directed by Jimmy Hayward (animator on “Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo”) and Steve Martino and has Jim Carrey voice Horton the Elephant and Steve Carell voice The Mayor of Who-ville.

This is Carrey’s second Dr. Seuss adaptation, after the live-action film “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” which opened with $55.1 million in 2000. “The Grinch” went on to gather $260 million in U. S. ticket sales; what with spring break giving kids around the country extra free time, “Horton” has a good chance of reaching similar heights.

Lending his voice to the rubbery elephant has brought Carrey his greatest debut at the box office since 2003’s “Bruce Almighty,” which took $67.9 million in its opening weekend.

Second to “Horton” is last weekend’s number one, the Warner Bros. adventure film “10,000 BC,” which slipped into second place with a $16.4 million take.

“Never Back Down,” from Summit Entertainment, debuted in third place, with a nice $8.6 million gross, while Walt Disney Pictures’ “College Road Trip” earned another $7.9 million at No. 4. Sony Pictures’ political thriller “Vantage Point” is still in the charts and ranking well too, at No. 5, with ticket sales worth $5.4 million in its fourth week.

British film “The Bank Job,” starring Jason Statham and Saffron Burroughs, ranked seventh, with a $4.9 million gross. It was followed by new release “Doomsday,” a British sci-fi film which earned only $4.7 million.

Will Ferrell’s sports spoof “Semi-Pro” was at eight, bringing New Line another $3 million in ticket sales, while Columbia Pictures historic romance “The Other Boleyn Girl” followed at No. 9 with $2.9 million. Family flick “The Spiderwick Chronicles” rounded up the top ten with $2.4 million.

Doomsday is Neil Marshall’s homage to various films from his youth. The Mad Max films and Escape From New York must have made a vivid impression on him. Judging from Doomsday, their pull on his imagination is enthralling and maddening. Last year, Edgar Wright made Hot Fuzz which was an excellent and hilarious homage to American action films. I would not say that Hot Fuzz is as derivative as Doomsday. In fact, the only film I have seen that is more derivative is Richard Kelly’s Southland Tales. Kelly used Kiss Me Deadly, Repo Man and several other films as a template to make his own film. Kiss Me Deadly seemed to have been the most influential film in Richard Kelly’s view of the world. Southland Tales may have been one of the most self-indulgent films ever made. I do not think this is bad thing, but watching Marshall’s Doomsday, I could not stop thinking about the constant barrage of visual quotes that Marshall made throughout the film. Neil Marshall has cited the Mad Max films, Escape From New York, Metalstorm, The Warriors, Zulu, Excalibur and the films of Terry Gilliam as big influences. Trust me, these films are in there and more. I would throw in Def-Con 4 and Damnation Alley as possible influences as well– I see shades of them too. The impact of these films on him is undeniable. The impact of these films on me is undeniable. After his brilliant The Descent, this is the last thing I expected from him. That is not a bad thing, but does it ever rise above homage? Does the film ever feel like it has anything original to say?

The debut of “The Incredible Hulk” trailer released Wednesday night comes on the background of some dissensions between the lead actor Edward Norton and the Marvel Studios execs, over the film’s final cut, Deadline Hollywood reports.

Insiders say that Norton “was promised tremendous involvement and access” into the movie, and now there is “a lot of posturing going on between Edward’s camp and Marvel over how you edit the final version.”

The sources, which were not named, have also revealed that Norton has been meeting with Marvel Studios Chairman David Maisel, Marvel Studios president of production Kevin Feige, and director Louis Leterrier, and they are all trying to “reach an amicable resolution” to this feud.

Norton rewrote the scrip of the $150+ million production, and he is also the lead actor playing the role of Bruce Banner, which has been previously portrayed by Eric Bana in 2003.

The movie is due to be released on June 13 this year.

Norton has expressed his views as far as editing is concerned with other films, such as “Frieda” and “Keeping the Faith.” “[…] to me the whole thing was to envision it in multiple parts. We left a lot out on purpose. It’s definitely intended as chapter one,” Norton said in an interview earlier this year.

“The Incredible Hulk” is directed by Louis Leterrier, and is said to be more action-oriented than Ang Lee’s 2003 flick.

Incredible Hulk Trailer With Ed Norton

The final installment of the Harry Potter movie franchise is being released in two parts, six months apart. Warner Bros. is set to release the first part of Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows in November 2010 with the second part of the finale opening in May 2011. Both movies will be directed by David Yates and written by Steve Kloves. The movies will be shot concurrently, and it’s not yet clear at what point in the story, adapted from J.K. Rowling’s 784-page book, the films will break. The seventh and final novel sees Harry and his friends battle archnemesis Voldemort to the death. The book sold a record 11 million copies during the first 24 hours after its release last July. The sixth movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, also directed by Yates, will open this November. Daniel Radcliffe and the rest of the cast from the sixth movie are already confirmed for the finale.