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Thursday, August 28, 2008
December’s movies: The Oscar race heats up
The fall movie preview concludes with the strongest lineup yet. You’d think the Oscars are afoot or something.
DECEMBER 5
Punisher: War Zone
The lowdown: Hero shoots a lot of bad guys and makes mean faces.
The forecast: Funny - I don’t seem to remember many people actually liking the previous Punisher film. So where’d this come from?
The prospect: F
DECEMBER 12
The Day the Earth Stood Still
The lowdown: A remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic, reportedly with a bit of an eco spin. Keanu Reeves is Klaatu.
The forecast: Many people have understandably howled in protest at this film, but it’s being directed by Scott Derrickson, who made The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which I quite liked. That’s why I’m willing to give it a shot.
The prospect: B
Defiance
The lowdown: A group of Jewish brothers organize the largest armed rescue of Jews during the Holocaust. Daniel Craig leads the cast.
The forecast: Director Ed Zwick’s output has been uneven, ranging from the excellent Glory to the ponderous Legends of the Fall Asleep. At the least, I hope this film falls somewhere in the middle.
The prospect: B
DECEMBER 19
Revolutionary Road
The lowdown: A young couple raising a family in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s look to break free from their mediocre lives.
The forecast: Kate (Winslet) and Leo (DiCaprio) together again at last, directed by Kate’s Husband, Sam Mendes, the director of American Beauty and Road to Perdition. Works for me!
The prospect: A
Seven Pounds
The lowdown: A professional man (Will Smith) who is close to suicide for his role in an auto accident that claimed the lives of seven people finds a reason to live, and to atone, when he falls for a woman (Rosario Dawson).
The forecast: Smith reunites with Pursuit of Happyness director Gabriele Muccino, who kept that film from being too maudlin. With any luck, he’ll repeat that feat.
The prospect: B
The Yes Man
The lowdown: Jim Carrey’s just a man who cain’t say no, he’s in a terrible fix.
The forecast: The premise sounds maybe a little too similar to Liar Liar, but Carrey hasn’t made a flat-out comedy for a while, so it will be nice to see him mine that territory as long as he doesn’t go too far over the top.
The prospect: B
The Tale of Desperaux
The lowdown: Banished from his home for being more man than mouse, Despereaux (Matthew Broderick) is befriended by Princess Pea (Emma Watson) who teaches him the value of reading books.
The forecast: Looks like a charming little animated entry, and it’s nice to see the gifted Emma Watson doing something besides Hermione, even if it is only voice work.
The prospect: B
DECEMBER 25
Bedtime Stories
The lowdown: The lavish bedtime stories that a hotel handyman (Adam Sandler) tells his niece and nephew start to magically come true. Kerri Russell and Courtney Cox co-star.
The forecast: Haven’t seen any trailers yet, but I like the cast. I’m just hoping it’s more inspired than, say, Night at the Museum.
The prospect: B
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The lowdown: As everyone around him grows older, the title character (Brad Pitt) ages backwards.
The forecast: The trailer for this movie is utterly spellbinding, and director David Fincher’s visuals are never less than enthralling. All at once, this seems like a departure for the director, while still seeming of a piece with his other work. This is the Oscar candidate I am most eager to see.
The prospect: A
Frost/Nixon
The lowdown: Chronicles the legendary interviews in which President Nixon opened up about Watergate.
The forecast: It was a tremendous hit on Broadway, with Frank Langella earning raves as Nixon. But will it translate successfully to the screen? With Ron Howard at the helm, I’m thinking yeah.
The prospect: A
Marley & Me
The lowdown: A Labrador retriever named Marley teaches his newlywed owners (Jennifer Aniston and OWen Wilson) a thing or two about patience and parenthood. From the director of The Devil Wears Prada, David Frankel.
The forecast: I thought the teaser was extremely cheesy. Chariots of Fire parodies are so 20 years ago. Still, I know it’s based on a well-liked book and the leads are appealing, so I’m curious.
The prospect: B
The Spirit
The lowdown/forecast: Frank Miller brings another graphic novel to the screen, and this time he’s calling all the shots, directing and adapting Will Eisner’s work. The ads make it look a bit too much like a Sin City sequel, but I’m in.
The prospect: B
Valkyrie
The lowdown: Tom Cruise leads a group of fellow Nazis in an attempt to assassinate Hitler.
The forecast: It’s been the victim of all kinds of bad buzz, from being bounced around the calendar to lugging the baggage that Cruise carries these days. Unlike some people, I’m willing to give Cruise a chance, particularly when he’s being directed by Bryan Singer.
The prospect: B
LOCAL DATES TBA
One of the particulars of being in a smaller market like Dayton is that it’s not always certain when some holiday movies will open locally. Here are movies I could not find firm local dates for. Some may not open until January.
Doubt
The lowdown: The principal (Meryl Streep) of a Catholic school in the Bronx grows suspicious of a priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who might have crossed the line with one of their students; her accusation leads to a confrontation that also involves a young nun (Amy Adams) who might have proof of the priest’s wrongdoing.
The forecast: I’m sold on the basis of Adams alone, of course, but we also have Streep, Hoffman and a Pulitzer-winning play? Da-yum.
The prospect: A
Gran Torino
The lowdown: Clint Eastwood directs himself as a Korean War vet who tries to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager, who tried to steal Kowalski’s prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino.
The forecast: This is said to be the stronger candidate of Eastwood’s two films this year, and The Changeling didn’t exactly get bad buzz so far. How prolific can you get?
The prospect: A
Milk
The lowdown: The story of Harvey Milk’s (Penn) ascent to become San Francisco’s first openly gay city supervisor in 1977, and the fallout that led to his assassination.
The prospect: These events already inspired an excellent documentary, The Times of Harvey Milk. If this dramatization is half as good, we’re in decent shape.
The prospect: A
As always, tell me what strikes your fancy, not only this month but through the whole season. What is the one film you are most anxious to see?
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