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The Film of the Week

The WORD of the Week

Matthew 3:7-10

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Stupid Fact of the Week

There was only one civilian casualty during the three-day Battle of Gettysburg

11 January, 2009

Awards, Take Two - Golden Globes

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
(( Slumdog Millionaire ))

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Meryl Streep, Doubt
(( Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road ))

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
(( Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler ))

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Happy-Go-Lucky
(( Vicky Cristina Barcelona ))

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
(( Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky ))

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
(( Colin Farrell, In Bruges ))

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
(( Wall-E ))

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
(( Waltz With Bashir (Israel) ))

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Amy Adams, Doubt
(( Kate Winslet - The Reader ))

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
(( Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight ))

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
(( Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire ))

BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
(( Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire ))

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
(( A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire ))

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
(( “THE WRESTLER” — THE WRESTLER ))
(( Music & Lyrics by: Bruce Springsteen ))

###########

Result - 11/14... not bad, though I obviously don't know my actresses, and a major congrats to Ms. Winslet.

posted by Rockel @ 7:55 PM 2 comments

08 January, 2009

The Official Opening of Award Season (Grab Your Guns)

*Updated* with (( Winners ))

The BFCA hand out their Critics Choice awards tonight... I've been watching screeners from friends frantically this past week and have seen most (though unfortunately not all) of the major films in contention for top prizes at the early Awards shows...

Predictions for tonight...

BEST PICTURE
(( Slumdog Millionaire ))
runner-up: Milk

"Slumdog" is riding Heath-Ledger-esque momentum right now... as topical, political, and controversial as "Milk" is, I don't think it has enough to knock Boyle's piece out of the top spot.

BEST ACTOR
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
(( runner-up: Sean Penn - Milk ))

Rourke has been the frontrunner in this one for a long while, and now that I've finally seen it, I can't say I wholeheartedly disagree, although, to be honest, I'm a little disappointed with this category this year. I still need to see "The Visitor," but I was not at all inspired to watch Eastwood in "Gran Torino" after viewing the trailer, Langella was well over-hyped as Nixon, and Pitt left quite a weak impression on me in "Button."

BEST ACTRESS
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
(( runner-up: Meryl Streep - Doubt ))
(( Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married ))

Anne Hathaway had the momentum in this category shortly before Jolie took it over, and now Streep appears to be the favorite. It may be the fact that I'm not a huge fan of Ms. Streep, but her performance in "Doubt," while strong, dominating, and a bit quirky, couldn't match the power of Leo's performance (sort of soberingly honest a la Amy Ryan/"Gone Baby Gone") in "River."

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
(( Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight ))
runner-up: Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt

Well, I have to say, this category didn't quite turn out to be the landslide everyone (including myself) sort of assumed in the wake of Ledger's death and stupendous opening of "The Dark Knight." Brolin and Franco were both equally incredible in "Milk," which, unfortunately, as is often the case, will cancel each other out, and Downey Jr., as much as I love him, should be grateful to have pulled in a nomination, as the BFCA rarely gives them out to off-the-wall patently comic performances in silly (albeit big budget), goof-ball comedies. Hoffman can do no wrong in my eyes, and his performance in "Doubt" was easily the strongest - high praise when looking at his co-stars.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Viola Davis - Doubt
runner-up: Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
(( Kate Winslet - The Reader ))

Alright, this is me basically picking the upset over someone I can't stand. Not to take anything away from Davis, as her performance in "Doubt" was remarkable and perhaps (taking into account her very brief time on screen) the most powerful and lasting one this year, but Cruz seems to have everyone assuming this one is locked up.

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Doubt
(( runner-up: Milk ))

In much the same way that Viola Davis' dense (or, perhaps, "consolidated") performance should win out over Penelope Cruz, the very few masterful performances in "Doubt" should topple the larger cast with great performances, "Milk."

BEST DIRECTOR
(( Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire ))
runner-up: David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Nolan and Howard both made some excellent decisions which led to great films, but both made several choices I didn't take well to, and, as a result, should not be considered for this one. Van Sant's film was remarkable, and while I think it'll do better at the more political Oscars, I don't see it bringing home the critics. I love Danny Boyle. I love David Fincher. Both are well under-awarded, and as much as I would love to see that change for the latter, "Slumdog" is by far the superior film.

BEST WRITER (Original or Adapted Screenplay)
Dustin Lance Black - Milk
(( runner-up: Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire ))

This one was a tough one. Neither "Frost/Nixon" nor "Button" left me in awe of the writing. However, the other three are all very strong contenders. "Slumdog" is such an amazing film all around that although the writing didn't stick out as mindblowing, it was adequate to the purpose of the film, which, in such a terrific film, makes it great. However, you really have to appreciate the writing in films like "Milk" and "Doubt" that boast multiple Actor/Actress/Ensemble nominations. For me, great writing and great acting are so closely interlaced that it becomes the chicken-and-egg situation (Could that many strong performance come from a less worthy script? Could a less worthy script pull in that many strong actors/performances?). I don't know if "Doubt" will suffer because it is an "adaptation" (meaning the major speeches/dialogue were already "existing," even though the adaptation was done by the original writer), but I can't see "Milk" walking away from the evening empty handed.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
(( Wall-E ))
runner-up: Waltz With Bashir

This category would be a huge upset if anything other than Wall-E took it.

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS (Under 21)
(( Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire ))

No real contest here, I don't think. There still a lot of buzz over Dakota Fanning. Hopefully true talent will beat out name recognition.

BEST ACTION MOVIE
(( The Dark Knight ))

No real contest here, either. Too much press. Too much love. Too much Ledger. It can't be overthrown.

BEST COMEDY MOVIE
(( Tropic Thunder ))
runner-up: Burn After Reading

I guess you could call this an upset. "Burn" is the more "traditional" comedy winner, and "Barcelona" still has all that Penelope momentum, but "Thunder" is far and away the funniest (and the best) film on the list.

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
(( John Adams ))

No real contest. Again, I might look for "Recount" to do better at the Oscars, but I don't think "Adams" has anything to worry about tonight.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Let the Right One In
(( runner-up: Waltz With Bashir ))

I'm ashamed to say that I have seen 0 of the 6 films nominated in this category. So I'll just have to go with the buzz.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
(( Man On Wire ))
runner-up: Young At Heart

I've seen a few in this category, including my favorite movie from last year, "Young@Heart," but for predicting purposes I'm going to have to go with the film I just rented last night but have yet to watch, which has impressed 100% of the critics over at rottentomatoes.com, "Man on Wire."

BEST SONG
"Another Way to Die" (performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys, written by Jack White) - Quantum of Solace
(( runner-up: "The Wrestler" (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen) - The Wrestler ))

The Boss is the frontrunner, but you've got to love the theme song to the new Bond film. Alright, maybe you don't have to, but I certainly do. Best song of the year. No doubt. Even though Bruce will win.

BEST COMPOSER
Hans Zimmer/James Newton Howard - The Dark Knight
runner-up: Danny Elfman - Milk
(( A. R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire ))

I contemplated removing the runner-up on this one, because there's pretty much no way Zimmer/Newton Howard lose this one. But if they do it'll be to Elfman.

The Rockel score = 9/17... that's gotta get better

posted by Rockel @ 10:48 AM 0 comments

02 January, 2009

'09 Top Ten

#10

Title: A Serious Man
Release Date: TBD 2009
Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Starring: Michael Stuhlbarg, Fred Melamed, Richard Kind, Aaron Wolf
Description: A black comedy set in 1967 and centered on on Larry Gopnik (Stuhlbarg), a Midwestern professor who watches his life unravel when his wife prepares to leave him because his inept brother (Kind) won't move out of the house.

Someone once asked me if I thought the Coen brothers could do no wrong. Of course they can. It was called "The Lady Killers" (and to a lesser extent "Intolerable Cruelty"). But they're going back to a proven formula: Coens + oringinal script + black comedy + midwest - Hollywood A-list actors = win. (Cinematography, as always, by the magnificent Roger Deacons).

Title: This Side of the Truth
Release Date: March 20, 2009
Director: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson
Starring: Ricky Gervias, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Louis C.K., Tina Fey, Christopher Guest, Jeffrey Tambor, Jonah Hill, John Hodgman, Jason Bateman, Patrick Stewart.
Description: The film is set on an alternate Earth where no one has ever lied, and stars Gervais as a performer who tells the world's first lie, coming to wield its power for personal gain.

Ricky Gervais is easily one of the funniest and most creative men alive... an odd group of truly funny talent and the outlandishly silly premise should make this one of the funniest films this year.

Title: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Release Date: TBD 2009
Director: Terry Gilliam
Starring: Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield, Tom Waits, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell
Description: In the present day, immortal 1,000-year-old Doctor Parnassus (Plummer) leads a traveling theater troupe that offers audience members a chance to go beyond reality through a magical mirror in his possession. Members of the troupe include a sleight of hand expert, Anton (Andrew Garfield), and a dwarf, Percy (Verne Troyer), Parnassus had been able to guide the imagination of others through a deal with the Devil (Waits), who now comes to collect on the arrangement, targeting the doctor's daughter (Lily Cole). The troupe, which is joined by a mysterious outsider named Tony (portrayed by Ledger, Depp, Law, and Farrell), embark through parallel worlds to rescue the girl.

If you've been following this one at all, you're a bit uneasy by the fact that this one still doesn't have a release date. But if Gilliam is somehow able to break his curse and cut this one together, it will no doubt find considerable success. Not only will this exhibit Heath Ledger's final appearance on film, but the three superb actors stepping up to help flesh out Ledger's incomplete role will no doubt draw elevated crowds. Add to this the reports that Gilliam looks to be returning to the style of his earlier works ("Brazil," "Time Bandits") as opposed to his less-appealing more recent works ("Brothers Grimm," "Tideland"), and hopefully the remaining Gilliam faithful will show their support.

Title: The Year One
Release Date: June 19, 2009
Director: Harlod Ramis
Starring: Jack Black, Michael Cera
Description: This comedy blends the old-school talent of director Harold Ramis with the new millennium hit-making prowess of producer Judd Apatow. YEAR ONE stars Apatow collaborator Michael Cera and funnyman Jack Black as men who are banished from their ancient village, causing them to travel across the world.

This thing has been pretty well shrouded in mystery... what we do know for certain is that Harold Ramis is amazing and will be directing this Biblical-era comedy, as he says, in the style of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Title: Sherlock Holmes
Release Date: November 20, 2009
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams
Description: Detective Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr.) and his stalwart partner Watson (Law) engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England.

Sure, it's no secret that quite a few people will be looking forward to this one, but some may question such a high ranking. I'm a huge Ritchie fan, as well as a Downey fan, and something just feels right about this one. I'm fairly confident this isn't going to be the knockout punch that Favreau-Downey landed this past year with "Iron Man," but I think this Ritchie-Downey combo will do far better than many assume.

Title: Where the Wild Things Are
Release Date: October 16, 2009
Director: Spike Jonze
Starring: Paul Dano, Forest Whitaker, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara
Description: An adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's story, where Max, a disobedient little boy sent to bed without his supper, creates his own world--a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler.

I'm more than a little disappointed with all the people who still, to this day, question Jonze's ability to handle this project. Have you seen the screen test? The production stills? Those alone are more than enough to convince me. I'm predicting no letdown whatsoever.

Title: Brothers
Release Date: TBD 2009
Director: Jim Sheridan
Starring: Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, Sam Shepard
Description: A young man Tommy Cahill (Gyllenhaal) comforts his older brother's wife Grace (Portman) and her children after his older brother Sam (Maguire) goes missing in Afghanistan. Based on Susanne Bier's award-winning film, "Brodre" ("Brothers").

As much as I would never like to see Tobey Maguire on screen again, I can't help but believe in the amazing Jim Sheridan ("My Left Foot," "The Field," "In the Name of the Father"), even though he will be sans-Day-Lewis and the setting/subject won't be Ireland.

Title: Public Enemies
Release Date: July 1, 2009
Director: Michael Mann
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Channing Tatum, Giovanni Ribisi, Billy Crudup
Description: The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger (Depp), Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and Pretty Boy Floyd (Tatum) during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.

Amazing cast; Depp as Dillinger; cinematography by Dante Spinotti ("Heat," "Last of the Mohicans"); costumes by Colleen Atwood ("Chicago," "Memoirs of a Geisha," "Sweeney Todd").

Title: The Tempest
Release Date: TBD 2009
Director: Julie Taymor
Starring: Helen Mirren, Jeremy Irons, Djimon Hounsou, Russell Brand, Alfred Molina, Ben Whishaw, Felicity Jones, Chris Cooper, Alan Cumming
Description: In Julie Taymor's version of 'The Tempest,' the gender of Prospero has been switched to Prospera. Going back to the 16th or 17th century, women practicing the magical arts of alchemy were often convicted of witchcraft. In Taymor's version, Prospera is usurped by her brother and sent off with her four-year daughter on a ship. She ends up on an island; it's a tabula rasa: no society, so the mother figure becomes a father figure to Miranda. This leads to the power struggle and balance between Caliban and Prospera; a struggle not about brawn, but about intellect.

Oh, sweet Bard. If "Titus" is an accurate measure of the depth of Taymor's genius (and I believe it is), this, her second venture into putting Shakespeare on the big screen, can only be brilliant. Once again surrounded by incredibly talented artists, including one of the greatest costume designers alive, Sandy Powell, Taymor will once again bring a visually stunning, powerful piece of theatre to the silver screen.

Title: Nine
Release Date: December 11, 2009
Director: Rob Marshall
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Stacy Ferguson, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren
Description: Nine is a musical following a film director named Guido Contini (Day-Lewis), who is in his middle age. He is trying to complete his next film. His main problem is that he has too many women in his life. Luisa (Cotillard), his wife, Carla (Cruz) his sexy mistress, and Claudia (Kidman), his muse and protege. Based on the 1982 Tony-award-winning Broadway musical of the same name, which was an adaptation of Federico Fellini's 1963 film, "8 1/2."

There are few things that can best Julie Taymor directing William Shakespeare, but this one is ridiculous. The script was co-adapted by the late, great (Academy Award winner) Anthony Minghella; it will be shot by (Academy Award winning cinematographer) Dion Beebe (who worked with Marshall on "Chicago," in addition to shooting "Memoirs of a Geisha" [for which he won the Oscar] and "Rendition"); also Simon Lamont is attached (the supervising art director from "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight"). Plus, taking on the acting (and singing!) duties are (Academy Award winner) Daniel Day-Lewis, (Academy Award winner) Marion Cotillard, (Academy Award winner) (Dame) Judy Dench, and (Academy Award winner) Nicole Kidman. Did I mention Daniel Day-Lewis is going to sing?

posted by Rockel @ 10:16 PM 1 comments

01 January, 2009

New Year, New Films

Well, there's a lot to get thru so lets just jump in...

Quick note: all release dates, or rather months (ex. "(JAN)"), are subject to change. Those films whose release dates/months are unknown or unsure are labeled as such (UNS).

2009 is gonna be the year of 3-D... get ready for it... We shall be treated to massive amounts of horrors/thrillers in this new added-dimension form, including My Bloody Valentine 3D (JAN), Final Destination: Death Trip 3D (AUG), Piranha 3-D (JUL), and of course Horrorween (OCT). I'll also be sure to miss Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience (FEB) as well as Jim Carrey's latest destruction of a classic, A Christmas Carol (NOV). On the positive side of the 3D-ness is James Cameron's long-anticipated Avatar (DEC) as well as most of the animated films being released this year (and some re-releases), including Toy Story 3-D (OCT), Monsters vs. Aliens (MAR), Astro Boy (OCT), and Pixar's Up (MAY).

Speaking of Animated films, this looks to be a strong category this year... I'm going to recommend passing on The Princess and the Frog (DEC), Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey (SEP), as well as Rob Zombie's The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (UNS) (although, truth be told, I am [very] slightly interested by the casting of Paul Giamatti in the [voice] role of "Dr. Satan"). Top Picks in the Animation category:

`7` - Jackboots on Whitehall (UNS)... if for no other reason than Alan Cumming will be voicing Hitler, with Tom Wilkinson as the voice of Goebbels, in this "satirical version of World War II in which the Scottish defeat the German invasion of England." Yes, you read that correctly... the Scottish. So yes, Ewan McGregor will also being voicing a character.
`6` - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (SEP)
`5` - Coraline (FEB)... A lot of talk about this one already. Based on a Gaiman book; directed by Henry Selick(Nightmare Before Christmas).
`4` - Monsters vs. Aliens (MAR)
`3` - Up (MAY)... it's tough to beat Pixar. Even so...
`2` - Fantastic Mr. Fox (NOV)... I think Wes Anderson's first journey into Animated features, on the back of the amazing Roald Dahl, has to beat out an old man and a boy scout in a floating house.
`1` - 9 (SEP)... Just saw the trailer for this one a couple days ago.... looks amazing... based on the director's (Shane Acker) short film of the same title that was nominated for an Academy award in 2006 (lost to "Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation, The").

Even more so than 3D, 2009 is (once again) shaping up to be the year of the sequel/prequel/series. And once again, there are plenty to avoid:
- Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (JAN)... no Beckinsale, no thanks.
- The Pink Panther 2 (FEB)... bad idea
- Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (FEB)... worse idea
- Fast & Furious (APR)... and just when you think it can't get worse-
- Crank 2: High Voltage (APR)... it does. But we're not done yet.
- Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakuel (DEC)... oh yeah, you read that right.
- Saw VI (OCT)
- The Descent 2 (UNS)... a sequel to the only film bad enough to make me leave the theater... it was a mistake to go attempt to see it anyway... and a long story, too... we'll just move on.
- New Moon (NOV)... Sequel to Twi- eh, scuse me.... Sequel to Twighli- whew, tougher than I thought... Sequel to Twighlight. Hurts to say that.

However, once again, not all the news is bad:

Some of it is just mediocre...
- Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian (MAY)
- Angels & Demons (MAY)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (JUL)... sorry, still can't justify recommending this series.
- Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (JUL)

And the Top of the Category:

- Bruno (MAY)... okay, technically not a sequel to Borat, so I won't give it a number.... I'm still looking forward to it, though.
- New York, I Love You (FEB)... alright, again, not technically a sequel, but it is, I think we can safely say, a "follow-up" to 2006's "Paris, je t'aime" (which, translated, means "Paris, I [something] You"... oh, man... it'll come to me)

`4` - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (JUN)
`3` - X-Men Origins: Wolverine (MAY)
`2` - Terminator Salvation (MAY)... Christian Bale attempts to claim the title of "Able to ressusitate any series"
`1` - Star Trek (MAY)... I can't believe I'm putting J.J. first at something... whatever.

In addition to tons of sequels et al., there are a fair amount of remakes coming out this year, including:

- Friday the 13th (FEB)... trailer's out... actually doesn't look that horrible
- Race to Witch Mountain (MAR)... The Rock.... 'nuff said.
- Fame (SEP)... even Kelsey Grammer and Megan Mullally won't be able to come anywhere remotely close to saving this one.
- The Stepfather (OCT)
- The Wolfman (NOV)
- The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (JUN)... this looks like it might actually be good (as a film on its own, rather than as an assessment of how well it preserved the original, but lets not ask too much), however, it looks as though the filmmakers are abandonning the "color" character names (ie. - Green, Blue, etc.) of the original. There has been some speculation that this is due to the fear that modern audiences would assume they stole this idea from "Reservoir Dogs" and not the other way around. Just another way Tarantino sucks.

Speaking of sucking, there's gonna be quite a lot of bad comedies this year. It would take far too long to list out all the bad, so here are some highlights:

Dance Flick (AUG), continues the tradition of "Not Another _____ Movie," and then Not Another Not Another Movie (UNS) makes fun of it and all its predecessors (actual movie, not a joke). If you're in the mood for a bad comedy about a mall cop, you actually have your choice this year between Kevin James (Paul Blart: Mall Cop (JAN)) or Seth Rogan (Observe and Report (APR)). Lindsay Lohan will be playing a young woman who pretends to be pregnant (just so we're all up on where here career is currently), in Labor Pains (UNS), and Will Ferrell will star in a film adaptation of the TV show Land of the Lost (JUN).... not sure which one is going to stink more (and that's sayin' somthing, Will).

Some Comedies that got my "hmmmm" rating, meaning that there looked to be at least one redeaming virtue to them, are:

- Sunshine Cleaning (MAR)... Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, and Steve Zahn... all that and it still only got a "hmmmmm"
- Adventureland (MAR)... Ryan Reynolds, directed by Greg Mottola ("Superbad")
- My Life in Ruins (MAY)... Nia Vardalos has a way of making horrible things seem decent, and decent things seem good... this one kinda looks horrible.
- The Maiden Heist (MAY)... love me some William H. Macy... but not sure about this one.
- Funny People (JUL)... Happy Madison and Apatow team up... seems like a winning combo, but I smell destruction.

So, I was going to post the top ten films I'm looking forward to in 2009 at the end of this post, but its already getting long and there's still a lot to cover, so the top ten will be in the next post. I mention this here because 4 of the films in my top 10 are comedies... and as a result, there's not a whole lot left to put in the "good" category... so here are a few to take note of:

- All About Steve (MAR)... this is the Sandra Bullock romantic comedy that I worked on. Decent cast, but still only "rental"-worthy.
- Away We Go (UNS)... Sam Mendes (ooh) directing John Krasinski (nice) and Maya Rudolph (what?).
- Youth in Revolt (FEB)... I find it sad that a comedy about a 14-year-old boy trying to lose his virginity would make my "films to take note of" segement, but when Michael Cera plays the 14yo, and Justin Long, Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, and Fred Willard round out the cast, it's gotta be worth a little something.
- The Informant (SEP)... Steven Soderbergh comedy with Matt Damon in the lead.
- Old Dogs (NOV)... this film, starring Robin Williams and John Travolta, boasts the final performance of the late Bernie Mac.
- Young Americans (JAN)... Topher Grace... Anna Faris...
- Cold Souls (UNS)... nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, this offbeat indie comedy stars Paul Giamatti.
- I Love You Phillip Morris (UNS)... this one picked up a lot of press for its "shocking" factor, as it tells the true story of Steven Russell (Jim Carrey), a married father whose exploits landed him in the Texas criminal justice system where he fell madly in love with his cellmate (Ewan McGregor)
- Chandni Chowk to China (JAN)... I don't know why, and I'm a bit ashamed, but, after seeing the trailer, I want to see this goofball action-comedy.
- Fanboys (FEB)... I've been looking forward to this film for (literally) over 2 years... it has been pushed back time after time to accomodate more and more reshoots, as it won over lots of people who threw lots of money at it, and the potential then seemed limitless. I'm worried that with all the reshoots, the original brilliance may have been lost.
- Leaves of Grass (UNS)... No, not based on the Whitman collection... this is a comedy written and directed by Tim Blake Nelson ("Eye of God") starring Edward Norton as both an Ivy League professor and his pothead twin brother.

In addition to the rise in scripts adapted from books, Hollywood is also ramping up adaptations from TV Series' - Hannah Montana: The Movie (APR), G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (AUG) - as well as video games - Dragonball (APR), Warcraft (UNS).

The horor genre actually has some decent offerings this year (in addition to, of course, a plethora of those ridiculously bad, cheap, tasteless, etc. etc. etc.)... I'll skip the multitudes of worthless films, and list the four (yes, that's right, 4... I'm actually a bit proud of myself) at the top:

- Jennifer's Body (SEP)... Academy Award winner Diablo Cody (pain... in... chest...) follows up "Juno" with this story of a sultry high school cheerleader who begins killing her male classmates (pain... radiating...). As awful as it sounds, with her previous success and with Megan Fox ("Transformers") in the (very) titular role, this one will unfortunately do well (but won't win an Oscar, let's hope).

`3` - Drag Me to Hell (MAY)... with Sam Raimi back in his element, I can't deny that this will be successful, and with Allison Lohman in the lead I can't deny that I might actually see it.
`2` - The Box (NOV)... based on Richard Matheson's short story "Button, Button," Richard Kelly ("Donnie Darko") directs this horror/thriller about a small wooden box that - when opened - grants the owner(s) large sums of money at the expense of someone they don't know dying.
`1` - The Lovely Bones (DEC)... Peter Jackson directs a terrific cast in this film about a young girl who is murdered and "watches over her family - and her killer - from heaven."

Okay, more like three and a half.

The "Romance" category is another that I usually feel doesn't live up to the potential of the art/industry that is film. Once again, this year, I remain unconvinced by pretty much all of the offerings in this category, but if I had to recommend one, it would probably be one of the following two:

- 500 Days of Summer (JUL)... Zooey Deschanel... yeah, that's pretty much it. Also, Clark Gregg.
- Nailed (UNS)... David O. Russell ("Three Kings," "I Heart Huckabees") directs an incredibly offbeat romantic comedy with Jake Gyllenhaal, Jessica Biel, Catherine Keener, Paul Reubens, and Jon Stewart.

The Sci-Fi/Fantasy category, for me, boiled down to two iffy films, Mr. Nobody (UNS), and Inkheart (JAN). The latter, although it stars Brendan Fraser, features Paul Bettany and Helen Mirren, which may be its saving grace.

Almost to the end... two categories remaining... next up, Action/Adventure:

Side Note: I realize a lot of these categories are overlapping (ie. - there are plenty of sequels that are also action/adventure, etc.)... I put this together in a hurry... deal with it.

- Inglourious Basterds (UNS)... a lot of people are looking forward to Tarantino's return... most notably, M. Night Shyamalan, as he is tired of being the worst director working (Zing!)
- Whiteout (SEP)... Kate Beckinsale... Antarctica... sure, why not?
- The International (FEB)... this one has been a long time coming... should be pretty good... Clive Owen.
- Tree of Life (UNS)... a couple people have put this on their "best of upcoming films" lists... kind of a dark one, starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn.
- Watchmen (MAR)... a lot of hype, a lot of litigation... looks like it'll actually come out this year... prediction: won't live up to the hype.
- Ninja Assassin (UNS)... oh, come on! do you need anything else after a title like that? Directed by James McTeigue ("V for Vendetta")

Alright... into the home stretch... Drama/Suspense/Thriller:

We've got a couple of political films...
- Crossing Over (UNS)... imigrants struggling to acheive legal status... featuring Harrison Ford, Sean Penn, Ray Liotta, and Ashley Judd
- Green Zone (UNS)... CIA agents searching for WMD... with Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson, and Amy Ryan. Directed by Paul Greengrass ("The Bourne Supremacy," The Bourne Ultimatum").

Then we've got Pedro Almondovar's latest (Broken Embraces (UNS)), Martin Scorcesse's latest (Shutter Island [aka Ashecliffe] (OCT)), and Francis Ford Copolla's latest (Tetro (UNS))

And rounding out the category, and the post:

- Notorious (JAN)... one of the few biopics this year.
- Shanghai (UNS)... asian period piece... sounds like fun... plus my girl Rinko is in it.
- The Limits of Control (UNS)... Jim Jarmusch's crime drama starring Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, John Hurt, and Gael Garcia Bernal
- The Soloist (APR)... Directed by Joe Wright ("Atonement"), this one looks like it could get a bit Movie-of-the-Week, but hopefully Downey Jr. will be enough to save it.
- Killshot (JAN)... all eyes will be on Rourke's performance here as a psychopathic hitman, after his strong performance in last year's "The Wrestler"
- The Road (UNS)... Viggo Mortensen's been hot lately... I expect good things from this post-apocalyptic thriller.
- Duplicity (MAR)... Tony Gilroy, Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, Paul Giamatti, Tom Wilkinson... a little spy vs. spy... a little "Out of Sight"... should be quite good.

Alright... top ten coming up next.

posted by Rockel @ 6:29 PM 0 comments

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