The Movies I Most Want to See in 2015

A lot of sites have listed the most anticipated films of 2015, but honestly, their list doesn't usually match my own. It's a lot of the usual suspects. Avengers, Star Wars, Hunger Games, etc. I'm looking forward to those too, but I usually prefer to go off the beaten path. So I present my list of 12 films I'm most looking forward to seeing, roughly in order of release. 

The Last Five Years: I'm a big fan of Anna Kendrick and her musical chops. I loved Into the Woods, and that's just the first of three musical films she has in the can. Most people know that the Pitch Perfect sequel comes out in May, and I'm all over that too, but I'm even more intrigued by this adaptation of the Jason Robert Brown musical, co-starring Jeremy Jordan. (Feb. 13). 

Mad Max Fury Road - Well, shit. Have you SEEN the trailer? (May 15)

Jurassic World: That trailer works too. (June 12) 

Inside Out - Summer offers its greatest one-two punch with Jurassic World one week, and the film I believe will be Pixar's creative comeback on June 19. 

The Walk: Robert Zemeckis has long been the master of photo-realistic visual effects. With this film, chronicling the incredible tightrope walk between the Twin Towers, he may have accomplished his most impressive feat yet.

Crimson Peak - Jessica Chastain in a Guillermo Del Toro movie? That's all I need to know. (Ocotber 16)

Untitled Cold War Spy Thriller: Steven Spielberg directing a Coens script? That's all I need to know. And on the same weekend as Crimson Peak! (October  16)

Peanuts -I've been a fan of the classic comic for about as long as I can remember. I still have significant chunks of A Charlie Brown Christmas memorized. So when I heard a CGI movie was being made, I cringed. And yet the trailers, including the latest, seem to capture Schulz's spirit well. Five cents, please.   (Nov. 6) 

Spectre: Skyfall was the best Bond movie in EONs. (Bond fans will see what I did there.) The follow-up, also directed by Sam Mendes, is probably THE film I'm most looking forward to seeing in 2015. 

Star Wars - The Force Awakens:  Yeah, it's one of the obvious answers. But I'm excited like everyone else is. Besides, maybe it'll get people to stop bitching about the prequels, which are flawed but still take too much abuse.  (Dec. 18)

Joy: Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence team up for the third time with David O. Russell. After Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, that's fine by me. (Dec. 25)

Carol: I covered the shoot of this for the Journal-News in Hamilton last year and caught a glimpse of Cate Blanchett. So naturally, I'm curious to see how it turned out. (Fall) 

Silence: A Martin Scorsese picture. Any questions? (TBA, but probably in the fall) 

The 2013 Films I Most Want to See

Some media outlets have put together stories forecasting what people are most looking forward to seeing, like this one. Most of them lists titles like the next Hunger Games and Hobbit movies.

In the word of Homer Simpson, BOR-ING!

Granted, I'm looking forward to some blockbusters, but my taste for upcoming movies doesn't tend to run towards big, giant franchises with advertisements that bludgeon us into seeing them. So here are the 10 movies Sir Critic most wants to see in 2013, partly because they haven't all been previewed to death. In no particular order, except for the first title.

 

The Wolf of Wall Street: The four words "directed by Martin Scorsese automatically value any film to the top of the list. I'm only pained that there is no definite release date; but I'm betting sometime in October or later. (TBA)

Oz: The Great and Powerful: The Wizard of Oz is one of my very favorite films, and I would normally resist any attempt to follow in its footsteps. But the trailers for this one are truly impressive. (March 8)

The Great Gatsby: Baz Luhrmann's take on F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of my most anticipated movies of last year. Now it's one of my most anticipated films of this year. I'm especially eager to see how the visaully ostentatious Luhrmann plays with 3D. (May 10)

Man of Steel: I feel sort of funny looking forward to any film directed by Zack Snyder, especially after something as awful as Sucker Punch. But the newest trailer has my attention, and I'm certainly not going to argue about Amy Adams playing Lois Lane. (June 14)

Oldboy: Spike Lee remakes Chan-wook Park's movie. Gee, guess I better get around to seeing the original. (October 11)

Star Trek: Into Darkness: This is one blockbuster I simply can't resist. It's predecessor, um ... Energized me.

Gravity: Alfonso Cuaron directs. I don't really care what it is, since it's been seven years since his last movie, Children of Men. But as it happens, he's venturing into sci-fi again with a story of a fateful space shuttle mission. (October 18)

Captain Phillips: Paul Greengrass (the middle two Bourne films), directing the true story of a ship hijacked by Somali pirates. Tom Hanks stars. (October 11)

Saving Mister Banks: Hanks again, playing none other than Walt Disney as he buys the film rights to something called Mary Poppins. It does fairly well. (Dec. 20)

Inside Llewelyn Davis: The Coens direct Carey Mulligan. Le sigh.

Grown-Ups 2: Only kidding. But I will concede it's the 2013 movie with the most ironic title.

 

Posted with Blogsy

A tale of two trailers - No Strings Attached

January 21, 2011

No Strings Attached opens today, and I'm quite eager to see it - especially because of the way it's been sold.

If you've only seen the green-band trailer - the one made for general audiences, you could be forgiven for thinking it looks fairly slight and  innocuous. Witness:




But then Paramount put out the Red-Band trailer - the one that can only play before R-rated movies. Take a gander at THIS, with the warning that it's NSFW:




Makes a world of difference, doesn't it? The red-band trailer actually made me laugh, while the green trailer only kinda made me chuckle.

So it distresses me a bit to see that the reviews are mixed. And in light of these trailers, I'm particularly intrigued by Roger Ebert's comments:

The movie is rated R, but it's the most watery R I've seen. It's more of a PG-13 playing dress-up.

I'm also mindful that the film's director, Ivan Reitman, has been off his game for a number of years. He's gone from great entertainment such as Ghostbusters and Dave,  to piffle such as Father's Day and My Super-Ex Girlfriend. I was kind of hoping his son's influence had rubbed off on him. Jason Reitman has directed Thank You for Smoking, Juno, and the best film of last year, Up in the Air. Given the reviews of No Strings Attached , maybe not.

Still, I will definitely see the film. For one thing, the suddenly ubiquitous Ms.Portman is always worth watching, even if her movies aren't. Most importantly, it could make for a really interesting He Said/She Said review with my colleage Hannah Poturalski.

And as Leonard Maltin puts it in his review of the film.

I do wish all these talented people had produced a more original, or memorable, film, but it is January, after all. We shouldn't expect miracles.

Rooney Mara IS Lisbeth Salander?

The first pictures of Rooney Mara in full Lisbeth Salander regalia were published Wednesday. Color me intrigued.

I think the look strikes just the right balance. It's faithful to the look Noomi Rapace created in the original films, and yet it's different enough to suggest that Rooney will be her own animal.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think it's because she looks somewhat younger than Rapace did, suggesting more of a tarnished soul underneath a pierced exterior.

It's not just the look that sells me, though. It's Mara's performance in The Social Network.

That may seem strange considering she's in the movie for all of 15 minutes, if that. That may be true in terms of screen time - but her character is everywhere in that film,

As The Social Network tells it, Mara's character, Erica Albright, was the motivating force behind the creation of Facebook. And every time Mark Zuckerberg thinks of her, it only increases his already formidable drive to make himself the winner of whatever game he plays. And the pitch-perfect ending drives home just how critical Mara's work was in the film.

It helps, of course, that David Fincher directed The Social Network and will direct The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Fincher has rarely stepped wrong, and I trust in his skill and judgment. And Mara already has me hooked.

Pixar watch: Cars 2 Trailer/Brave

Pixar has seemed to be a little behind the cylinder when it came to promoting its next film, the sequel to Cars, due next summer. I was surprised not to see at least a teaser for it in front of Toy Story 3.

The studio has rectified that situation with the release of this ... well, doesn't even seem right to call it a teaser. More like a tease of  a teaser. Take a look-see:



Not what you expected, is it? But I can sorta see how it might fit, given that the sequel is supposed to be set on the overseas racing circuit. In any case, label me intrigued. Like many people, I believe that Cars is the least great of Pixar's movies, but it had great moments, and this teaser-teaser takes the Cars world for a fun little spin. I just now found out that Pixar guru John Lasseter, who directed the original picture, is now co-directing after so-called "creative problems."

That seems to be cropping up a lot at Pixar lately. First there was the cancellation of Newt, which was to be the first feature by sound maestro Gary Rydstrom, who made the short Lifted (about the alien taking the drivers' test). And now there comes news that the company has replaced the director of Brave (formerly titled The Bear and the Bow). That's notable because the director was Brenda Chapman, who was to be the first female to helm a Pixar movie. Her replacement is Mark Andrews, who made One Man Band, the short that preceded Cars.

The move has prompted some to call Pixar sexist. My gut tells me that accusation is more than a little churlish. It's a legitimate criticism that Pixar's stories have been male-centric, but it is also well known that Pixar doesn't make such drastic moves unless absolutely necessary. Same thing happened with Ratatouille, which Brad Bird retooled at the 11th hour, and it turned out pretty well. And it's worth noting that Disney's three great fairy tales of the late 1980s/early 90s were each directed by two men.

All us outsiders can do is sit and idle ...

It's an alien! It's a spider! It's an agent!

So Superman and Spider-Man have both flown back into the headlines with news on their reboots. Superman has his director in Zack Snyder, Spider-Man has his girlfriend.

Superman's new director is Zack Snyder, the so-called "visionary" director of Watchmen, 300, and The Night of the Living Dead remake. Snyder is a very talented guy, and not many directors would veer from a zombie flick to an adrenalized Greek action epic to a comic book movie to an animated owl movie (Legend of the Guardians, now in theaters).  I'll say this for him, he's nothing if not ambitious. And he certainly knows his way around an action scene better than my favorite whipping boy, Michael Bay.

Still, with four big-budget action films under his belt, it concerns me that Snyder still seems underdeveloped as a storyteller. He's not really good at getting to the emotional core. Granted, Night of the Living Dead and 300 didn't suffer much for it, but Watchmen certainly did. And perhaps more than any superhero, you need a strong emotional core to make Superman fly. I'm not convinced Snyder is there, but this film will certainly be the ultimate test. I'm at least encouraged that Christopher Nolan is producing the project. I'll trust his judgment.

Then there's the  Spider-Man reboot. The fabulous Emma Stone, who proved with Easy A that she could carry a film with flair, will make a great Gwen Stacy (I guess because of her red hair, people assumed Mary Jane. Turned out not to be the case.)  Based on his very fine work  in The Social Network as the scorned creator of Facebook, I'm convinced Andrew Garfield has what it takes to play Peter Parker. The director, Marc Webb, made one of my favorite films from last year, 500 Days of Summer.

So why am I so iffy? I'm still not convinced of the whole reboot business. Spider-Man 3 was a mess, but it wasn't a Batman and Robin-level travesty that left the characters with nowhere to go.

My suggestion to both franchises? Forget the origin stories. Everyone knows them by now and telling them again will just slow things down. Suggestion two: Use villains that haven't been done yet. That means no more Luthor or Green Goblin. Superman can battle Braniac, maybe, and Spider-Man can go the James Bond route. Just as Judi Dench stayed as M, even when Bond himself changed, Spider-Man can keep Dylan Baker, who appeared in the previous films, and cast him as The Lizard. The solution is right under their noses. Let's just hope their Spidey senses are strong enough.

Somewhat lost in all this superhero business is the news that Jason Bourne is getting closer to coming up for air. The franchise seemed at a standstill when Paul Greengrass, who made 2 and 3, said he would not be back, and Matt Damon said he would not be back without Greengrass. However, it was announced that Tony Gilroy has almost signed on the dotted line to direct the fourth movie. Gilroy is a skilled director, having made the excellent Michael Clayton and the underrated Duplicity. And more to the point, he knows the series, having had a hand in writing all three films. And I'm willing to bet if Gilroy is on board, Damon will be too. And so will I.

Second Rapunzel trailer less Tangled than the first

Disney has released a second trailer for its November fairy tale, Rapunzel, which I refuse to call by its more marketable than thou name.

That's appropriate, considering this trailer is much more Rapunzel-centric than the first trailer, which baffled many  people, including me. Disney seemed to be trying so hard to sell a princess movie to boys that it seemed to me to be in danger of selling its soul. It was just this sort of clouded thinking that contributed to Disney animation's decline in the past decade.

I will give credit where it's due. The new trailer is an improvement over the first. Maybe that's because I'm somewhat old-fashioned in my Disney tastes, and because I think Mandy Moore, who voices the lead, is an underrated talent.

But Disney isn't quite out of the woods here, in more ways than one. The trailer gives no indication that the movie is a musical, but it is - with songs by Alan Menken, no less - the composer of Disney's latter glory days who wrote the music for the "big three" - The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Shouldn't that be a selling point?

Apparently not. Does Disney think that the mention of songs will send today's kids screaming for the hills, even in a more female-centric trailer?

Then again, Menken's partner on this picture is Glenn Slater, who collaborated with him on the utterly forgettable songs for the udderly forgettable Home on the Range, so maybe Disney has a point, though I prefer to give Menken the benefit of the doubt.

At the very least, this new trailer gives me more hope than the old trailer that Rapunzel will be a fun film - even if Disney's marketing is awfully tangled.

Holiday movie preview: December/Undated

I changed the title of the blog post because even though most of December IS technically autumn, it just doesn't seem right to call it "fall," does it? On with the show ...

DECEMBER 10

The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader: The Narnia franchise moves from Disney to Fox, although I don't expect there will be much of a difference. One encouraging sign: the presence of the usually steady hand of Michael Apted behind the camera. PROSPECT: B

The Fighter: Amy Adams is in it, which is all I need to know, although I suppose it's also cool that Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg co-star and that David O. Russel (Three Kings, I (Heart) Huckabees) directs.  PROSPECT: A

The Tourist: The director of The Lives of Others makes a thriller with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. On the basis of the names alone, I'm interested. I shall withhold further judgment until I see a trailer. PROSPECT: B

DECEMBER 17

How Do You Know: James L. Brooks directs Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson. Good enough for me, althrough it remains to be seen if this is closer to As Good as It Gets or Spanglish, the latter of which wasn't bad but needed an extra pass through the typewriter. PROSPECT: A

Tron Legacy: I had a big Tron Poster and the silly little electronic game when I was 12. I'm SO there. PROSPECT: A

Yogi Bear: Attention, Hollywood studios: Turning 2D cartoon characters into CG mutations is profoundly wrong and ugly, whether it's , Scooby-Doo, The Chipmunks or  Garfield. Enough!  PROSPECT: F

DECEMBER 22

Gulliver's Travels: I like Jack Black and Emily Blunt but I have to agree with IMDB that this has a very Land of the Lost vibe too it. I'm wary. PROSPECT: C

Little Fockers: I'm not quite so in love with this series as the general public, but not quite so down on it as some critics. The notion of trying to shoehorn in Dustin Hoffman at the last minute via pickup shots troubles me. PROSPECT: B

True Grit: The Coens remake John Wayne's Oscar winner with Jeff Bridges in the lead. How can one NOT be interested in that? PROSPECT: A

DECEMBER 29

The Debt: John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) directs Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington and Tom Wilkinson in a story about Mirren being a Mossad agent. The premise and the trailer are intriguing enough.

UNDATED LOCALLY

Another Year: Mike Leigh directs. Attention must always be paid on that fact alone. PROSPECT: B

Black Swan: Darren Aronofksy moves from The Wrestler to The Dancer in a gritty ballet movie that is generating very strong buzz, particularly for Natalie Portman's performance. PROSPECT: A

Fair Game: Don't worry, this is not a remake of the Billy Baldwin/Cindy Crawford caper, but the film version of the Valerie Plame story, starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts and directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity). PROSPECT: A

The King's Speech: The King in question is George VI, father of Elizabeth II. Such period pieces often strike me as stuffy, but I can't fault the cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Colin Firth, Guy Pearce, Michael Gambon, Geoffrey Rush, Timothy Spall, Derek Jacobi. PROSPECT: B

I Love You Philip Morris: This has been jockeyed all over the schedule, probably because the distributor fears that the notion of Jim Carrey playing a gay man in a dramatic role will make people's heads explode. Here's what makes my head explode: it's directed by the guys who wrote Bad Santa. PROSPECT: B

Never Let Me Go: Adapted from a story by Kazuro Ishiguro, the author of The Remains of the Day,  the new film by Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) has divided critics, with some saying it's a masterpiece and some saying it's too chilly and remote. But that very division is what intrigues me, along with the female leads: Keria Knightly and Carey Mulligan. PROSPECT: A

127 Hours: Danny Boyle follows up Slumdog Millionaire - and that's enough to hook me, but the premise ups the intrigue: a man becomes trapped under a boulder in a canyon and resorts to desperate measures to survive. PROSPECT: A

Somewhere: Sofia Coppola returns with a film about an actor (Stephen Dorff) holed up in the Chateau Marmont hotel, where his daughter (Elle Fanning) visits him. Dorff turns me off a bit, but Fanning is looking to match her sister in the eerie talent department. PROSPECT: A

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger: The buzz says that Woody Allen's latest is not one of his better movies, but as a film buff, I must obey the commandment: Thou Shalt Always Give Woody a Shot.

What fall/holiday movies are you most looking forward to? Least? I would put The Social Network in the "most" slot and Yogi Bear in the "least" slot.

Fall movie preview: November

Apologies for the delay in continuing this preview - work got very busy and I needed the Labor Day weekend to recharge. Depending on how you're viewing this entry, my September and October entries can be seen either by scrolling down or hitting the hyperlinks.

NOVEMBER 5

Due Date: The trailers for this certainly look amusing enough, but I hope this isn't a case of huge hit (The Hangover) followed by letdown. That's another way of saying I hope the best jokes aren't all in the ads. PROSPECT: B

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf: Tyler Perry's movies have not interested me. Can't say if  this one, an adaptation of someone else's work, will be the one that hooks me. PROSPECT: C

Megamind: The good news is that DreamWorks has been on a strong streak of late, with How to Train Your Dragon and Shrek Forever After both being better than expected. The bad news is, the lead voice is Will Ferrell, whom I generally cannot stand. On the other hand. I did like him in Elf. We'll see. PROSPECT: B

NOVEMBER 12

Skyline: Yawn. Haven't we been through this before with War of the Worlds, Independence Day, Cloverfield,  etc. etc? It'll take more than a trailer showing the sky falling to hook me. Quite frankly, I'd be more interested if this were about the chili.  PROSPECT: C

Morning Glory: Rachel McAdams and Harrison Ford in a morning news environment, directed by Roger Michell, who made Notting Hill and the underrated Changing Lanes? We're on in 5, 4, 3, 2 ... PROSPECT: A

Unstoppable: Well, that was quick. Just last year, Tony Scott and Denzel Washington took a train ride with their remake of The Taking of Pelham 123. That movie was decent, but rather tepid. The premise of this one, an out-of-control train,  looks just ridiculous enough that this movie might be more entertaining. PROSPECT: B

NOVEMBER 19

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I: The trailer boldly calls this, "The Motion Picture Event of a Generation" - and it actually doesn't sound like so much hyperbole. After all, can YOU think of another long-running franchise that has been so consistent? Where even the least compelling film (my vote is Chamber of Secrets) is still pretty good? Not even James Bond has managed that. PROSPECT: A

The Next Three Days: This thriller starring Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks and directed by Paul Haggis, about Banks being accused of murder and Crowe trying to clear her, looks pretty good - so why is Lionsgate  putting it up against Potter, which EVERYONE is going to see? Either Lionsgate knows something we don't or has performed the dumbest counter-programming of all time. PROSPECT: B

NOVEMBER 24

Burlesque: Co-starring Cher and Christina Aguilera. Wow. Sounds like a train wreck. Just hope it's the good kind. PROSPECT: C

Faster: Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton co-star in a revenge drama, directed by George Tillman, whose output is not all that distinguished. No read. PROSPECT: C




Love and Other Drugs: Anne Hathaway is earning very strong Oscar buzz for her reportedly sexually charged re-teaming with Brokeback Mountain star Jake Gyllenhaal - and this is romantic COMEDY, we're told. One blip is that the director is Edward Zwick, who is sometimes great (Glory) but is often middling (Blood Diamond, Defiance). PROSPECT: B

Red Dawn: Sigh - a remake of another movie where nostalgia clouds judgment, elevating a movie that was never that good in the first place. Casting for the Dirty Dancing reimagining in 5, 4, 3, 2 .... PROSPECT: C

Tangled: I really and truly hope the Disney magic is there with this musical fairy tale about Rapunzel. Yet I remain deeply suspicious of gearing the marketing to boys and changing the title in the wake of The Princess and the Frog's unspectacular box office. ("It underperformed because we didn't get the guys!") That's exactly the sort of corporate groupthink that stifled Disney animation in recent years. It would be the greatest joy of the season if the movie proved me wrong. PROSPECT : B

Fall movie preview: October

Ah, October 2010. It's looking to be an important month in a number of ways. Not only is it the month I turn 40, but it's also the month of some of the fall movies I most want to see - and some that I  least want to see.

In case you missed my September issue, click here.

OCTOBER 1

Case 39: This wouldn't be one of the movies, but I am sort of intrigued by the idea of Renee Zellweger heading up a horror flick. Let's just hope she's done a better job of picking scripts than she has of late. It would not be good if this were the bloody equivalent of New In Town. PROSPECT: B

Let Me In: This isn't the movie I was referring to either, but I AM very curious to see this one. Since it's the American remake of the well-loved vampire film Let the Right One In, some will dismiss it out of hand. I'm going to give it a chance. The director, Matt Reeves, has talent - he made Cloverfield. And the lead is ideal: she's  Chloe Grace Moretz, a bright young talent who was the best thing about Kick Ass. PROSPECT: B

The Social Network: What's on your mind? Eric Robinette is majorly stoked to see the movie about Facebook's formative years. He also wants to see Rooney Mara, AKA The Girl who Will Play Lisbeth Salander in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo remake. Eric Robinette likes David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin. GRADE: A

OCTOBER 8

Buried: There was a time when I would have applauded the idea of Ryan Reynolds being buried in a coffin underground, in a schadenfreude sorta way. Now I applaud it for more sincere reasons. The premise and the trailers have got me quite intrigued. PROSPECT: A

Life as we Know It: Katherine Heigl in a romantic comedy. Blah. And to think that once actually sounded attractive. Not after junk like The Ugly Truth. And supposedly Takers. PROSPECT: C

My Soul to Take: Normally I would scoff at 3D horror, but Wes Craven directed. Gotta give him a shot. PROSPECT: B

Secretariat: It has a fine cast with Joan Allen, and a great true-life sports story in the titular horse, but a mediocre director in Randall Wallace (The Man in the Iron Mask) and a mediocre writer in Mike Rich, who piles on the sentimental glop in treacle like Radio. Unless the reviews come in strong, I'll pass. PROSPECT: C

OCTOBER 15

Jackass 3D: How to kill the 3D revival Part I. PROSPECT: F

Red: The good news: This thriller stars Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren. The bad news: It's from the writers of Whiteout and the indistinct director of Flightplan and The Time Traveler's Wife. Wait and see. PROSPECT: C

OCTOBER 22

Hereafter: All you have to say is "Clint Eastwood directs," and I'm in. Don't care what it is. PROSPECT: A

Paranormal Activity 2: I liked the first Blair Witch Project. I heard the Blair Witch sequel sucked. I liked Paranormal Activity. Why do I get the sense history is about to repeat itself? PROSPECT: C

OCTOBER 29

Saw 3D: How to Kill the 3D Revival Part II. PROSPECT: F

Fall movie preview: September

Having just returned from vacation, having played catch-up at work, and having noticed that it's now officially September, it's time to start the fall movie preview - even if it's officially still summer.

As always, each film gets a prospect grade, which goes like this.

A = Woohoo!
B = Cool
C = Eh.
D = *Mumble, grumble, gripe*
F=  #$!%!@$

Here's how September looks:

SEPTEMBER 3

The American: If George Clooney toplines a film, I'm automatically there. Even when he kinda-sorta misses (e.g. The Men Who Stare at Goats) he at least misses in an interesting way. Those expecting a Bourne-style thriller may be disappointed; this feels much more low-key and European. In fact, I've heard it resembles the work of Antonioni, which to me is not entirely a good thing -  much of his work strikes me as self-important. Still, this is one of the top picks for the month, kinda by default. PROSPECT: B

Going the Distance: On again/off again couple Drew Barrymore and Justin Long hook back up and - meh, can't find much of a reason to care. PROSPECT: C

Machete: The trailer from Grindhouse sprouts into a full-length movie. Looks rollicking enough, and I'll probably check it out, but Rodriguez's endless genre riffing is starting to feel a bit stale. PROSPECT: B

SEPTEMBER 10 

Resident Evil: Afterlife: I liked the first Resident Evil well enough, but not well enough to muster much interest in the sequels. PROSPECT: C

SEPTEMBER 17

Devil: This jeopardy in-an elevator thriller actually looked fairly intriguing until seven unlucky words popped up onscreen: "From the Mind of M. Night Shyamalan." What was once promising has become a total buzzkill.     I don't care if he didn't direct, his name has become a liability. Crowd in big cities have reportedly jeered when seeing Shyamalan's name - but it was happening in Dayton, Ohio too. Unless the reviews direct me otherwise, count me out. PROSPECT: D

Easy A: Teen comedies don't typically ring my bell, but this one has a funny premise (girl repeatedly fakes losing her virginity) and has a very appealing lead actress: Emma Stone, who was delightful in Superbad, The House Bunny and Zombieland, among others. Count me in. PROSPECT: B

The Town: I suppose one could say this looks a little too much like director Ben Affleck trying to be like Marty, but so what? The trailer is dynamite, and so is the cast. This is the movie I most want to see in September.  PROSPECT: A

SEPTEMBER 24

Legend of the Guardians - The Owls of Ga'Hoole: Gesundheit. And yeah, it looks like Happy Feathers as opposed to Happy Feet. But I am most intrigued by the director credit: Zack Snyder, that "visionary" who made 300 and Watchmen, but I won't hold the latter against him. PROSPECT: B

Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps: Maybe money never sleeps, but the quality of Oliver Stone's movies has sort of been snoozy lately. Still, a sequel is more than a little timely, and he has an excellent cast. Let's just hope he doesn't give Mr. LaBeouf an excuse to bad-mouth the movie months down the line. PROSPECT: B

You Again: Certainly has a likable roster of actors, including Sigourney Weaver, Kristen Bell and the ubiquitous Betty White, but I have no read on this one. PROSPECT: C

So who should helm The Hobbit?

So Guilliermo del Toro bailed on The Hobbit. So now the question becomes, who bails out the franchise and steps in to direct?

The logical alternate is, of course, Peter Jackson, and contrary to initial reports, Jackson has said he would direct in a pinch.

But what if Jackson doesn't feel the pinch? Who else could step in. I'll tackle some of the suggestions that have been bandied about.

In no particular order:

Christopher Nolan: I love his work, but his strength in the Batman movies has been his melding of the real with the fantastic. I'd love to see him try, but the whole Tolkienkein world seems too otherworldly to suit his style.

Tim Burton: He's undoubtedly at home in the fantasy realm, but his work has been uneven lately. I don't trust him, I'm sorry to say.

Paul Thomas Anderson: Hoo boy. This has to be a joke suggestion. His Hobbit would be something unique, no doubt, but it seems foolish to contemplate what clearly ain't gonna happen.

Alfonso Cuaron: Seems the most logical choice. He can clearly handle big-budget fantasy, as he proved with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, still the best film of that series to date. And since he and del Toro are simpatico, he might be easily persuaded.

Baz Luhurmann. WOW. The mind boggles. Tolkien by way of Moulin Rouge. Strongly doubt it will become reality, but the idea is tantalizing.

Ron Howard: Not as iffy an idea as some might think. Some say he has no distinct style. Those people don't pay close attention. Still, the last time he did a big fantasy, the result was the rather iffy Willow.

Steven Spielberg: Clearly, he could handle it, but clearly he wouldn't. Besides all that, his visual style seems too distinct for the world Jackson has already built. This just seems like the default choice for people who can't name any other director. Besides, Spielberg and Jackson are already collaborating on Tintin.

Ridley Scott: No. Robin Hood managed to be undercooked and overwrought at the same time. The man needs to recharge his batteries.

Neill Blomkamp: After Curaron, Jackson's protoge who made District 9 seems the next most logical choice. He's got skills. But is he ready to tackle a project this huge?

David Yates: I rather doubt he would go straight from wrapping two Potter films at once to two Tolkien films at once.

Pedro Almodovar:  Ay de mi. No es probable.

Kenneth Branagh: Interesting idea. I always thought he would do well with Potter. But he's busy with Thor.

Darren Aronofsky: VERY interesting idea! He's able to hop from genre to genre, going from the fantastic (The Fountain) to the gritty (The Wrestler). Still, Tolkien doesn't seem like his best fit.

Alex Proyas: Can create amazing images as evidenced by The Crow and Dark City. But then there was the ludicrous Knowing ...

 Wes Anderson: Too quirky.

James Camron: Nah. By now he prefers to make up his own worlds.

Sam Raimi: Raimi actually considered directing this, as I recall, but considering how much fun Drag Me to Hell was,  I still think it's best for him to regroup some more after losing Spidey.

Wolfgang Petersen:  Why not? He did a pretty good job with The Neverending Story.

Peter Weir: This is the suggestion I am most intrigued by. Weir's particular strength is immersing us in atmosphere, whether it be the artificial world of The Truman Show, the sea of Master and Commander, and the Amish of Witness. Still, somewhat like Nolan, he seems best at working with earthly worlds, not fantastical ones like Middle Earth.

Whom would you like to see direct The Hobbit? Can you suggest anyone I've not covered here?

Shrek is over? I'm over Shrek.

There was a time when I would be excited to see a new animated film, even if it wasn't by Disney or Pixar.

That time has passed. Shrek Forever After comes out today, and I just  ... don't really care.

I think a lot of people feel similarly after Shrek the Third played so flatly. Truth be told, however, I've thought this series was overrated from the beginning.

I enjoyed the original Shrek quite a bit but found much of its anti-Disney humor overly harsh and mean-spirited. It wasn't surprising, considering the main creative force behind DreamWorks Animation, Jeffrey Katzenberg, has, um -  mixed feelings about the Mouse House. More importantly, the meanness felt out of place because the main core of characters - Shrek, Donkey and Fiona - was quite strong and endearing.

Still, DreamWorks' penchant for pop culture riffing was already starting to rear its ugly head. The film opened with the overplayed song "All Star," which immediately dated it, even in 2001. When the first Oscar for Best Animated Film was handed out the next year, Shrek expectedly won, but I think many would agree in hindsight that Pixar's Monsters Inc. would have been a better choice.

Three years later, Shrek 2 came along, and at first, I liked the sequel a little better than the original because some of the meanness had dissipated. However, the rampant pop culture riffing was still in place. The movie spoofs Spider-Man, Lord of the Rings and The Little Mermaid - and that's just within the first 5 minutes. DreamWorks seemed to think those gags were what made people fall in love with the first film, when it was, in fact, the characters. Puss in Boots was a great addition, but time hasn't been kind to the sequel, and it galls me to no end that it's the most financially successful animated film of all time.

Then came Shrek the Third, and even ardent fans of the series were disappointed. It wasn't terrible, it was strictly blah. The movie just sat there. I laughed out loud only once or twice. Sure, it made tons of money, but people often forget that how well a sequel performs at the box office greatly depends on how much people loved its predecessor. Shrek 2 made as much as it did because people loved the first film. Shrek the Third managed to cross $300 million because it had enough goodwill from Shrek 2.

I'm not at all convinced Shrek Forever After (or Shrek: The Final Chapter, whatever they want to call it) will get close to $300 million. Even if it's better than the third film, I think its momentum will stall because Shrek the Third was so underwhelming.

Alas, the reviews are not encouraging so far. At this time of writing, it has a mediocre 57 score on Metacritic - about even with Shrek the Third. That's not nearly enough to convince me to see it. Even if I do, it will be more out of a sense of obligation (or boredom) than anticipation.

It goes without saying that I'm all over Toy Story 3 next month. But I'm also more interested in Despicable Me. Heck, even Legend of the Guardians, the Happy Feet-like movie with the owls, looks more intriguing to me, especially since Zack Snyder (yes, same guy who made 300) directed it.  Even if the owls don't mingle with zombies or burly Spartans, we might be in for a treat.

August Summer Movie Preview: Cooling down, wrapping up

August doesn't exactly end the summer with a whimper, but it doesn't end with a real bang either.

AUGUST 6

THE OTHER GUYS: I have long made my feelings about Will Ferrell clear in my writings. He's not just nails on the blackboard, he's a meat thermometer through the ear. His frequent collaborator/director Adam McKay is more talented than Dennis Dugan, for instance, but that's a bit like saying Wendy's is better than McDonald's. They're both still junk. PROSPECT: C

STEP UP 3D: Ya know, I could be a real smart-aleck here, but that's just too easy. Classic fish in a barrel. Suffice it to say I won't be seeing any new movies in the theater this weekend. PROSPECT: D

AUGUST 13

EAT, PRAY, LOVE:  Three things make this particularly interesting to me - in descending order of obviousness: 1) Julia Roberts, 2) Writer-director Ryan Murphy, the force behind my new favorite show, Glee and C) Murphy had the good taste to hire the best American cinematographer, Robert Richardson, who most recently shot Shutter Island and Inglorious Basterds - meaning  this will look several cuts above your average "chick flick." Sold. PROSPECT: A

THE EXPENDABLES: Good Sylvester Stallone movies come along once in a couple blue moons. Given the cast alone, this just might be one of the blue moons. PROSPECT: B

SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD: From the director of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. That's enough to sell me right there. Then there's the trailer.




Double sold. PROSPECT: A

AUGU ... ah, ya know what? The last two weeks of August are rarely worth it, I'm just gonna stop now. If you really wanna know the rest of the roster, or you need a substitute for Nyquil, click here.

July Summer Movie preview: Inception and Schmucks

If this lackluster summer movie season has a best month to it, it has to be July. The last week aside, most of the offerings sound halfway decent - or even better.

JULY 2

THE LAST AIRBENDER: Many people absolutely swear by the Nickelodeon show (which has another A-word that couldn't be used because some one else *ahem* co-opted it). And it's not just kids. Adults quite like it as well. I am not familiar with the show, but I am willing to give the film a shot. Yes, the quality of M. Night Shyamalan's movies has been in freefall - but I have a feeling he'll bounce back. Could just be that I'm really hopeful I'll see it with my favorite young artist. PROSPECT: B

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE: Shoot, I never even got around to New Moon. But I guess I gotta catch up, now that they've handed Breaking Dawn to a quality director, Bill Condon (Dreamgirls). This one is directed by David Slade, who has a mixed resume. Hard Candy, Ellen Page's breakout movie, has a good reputation. His previous vampire flick, 30 Days of Night? Not so much. PROSPECT: C

JULY 9

DESPICABLE ME: Universal has been very smart in selling this movie, not really revealing exactly what it's about - which only makes the picture seem more tantalizing. Take this teaser, for instance.




Now that piques my interest. PROSPECT: B

PREDATORS: Ordinarily I would dismiss this project out of hand, considering what schlock Alien vs. Predator was. (Never even bothered with the sequel.) Since Robert Rodriguez is at least producing, however, I will give it the benefit of the doubt. PROSPECT: B

JULY 16

INCEPTION: Not only has Christopher Nolan not missed yet, he hasn't made anything less than a Grade-A film. (That's without seeing his debut, Following). I have a very strong sense this movie will blow people's minds and be bigger than anyone expects. This is the summer film I most want to see yesterday. PROSPECT: A+


THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE: On the one hand, part of me is curious as to just what the hell this movie is; it's hard to gauge the tone by the trailer. And on the other hand, a larger part of me is discouraged that a generation of kids will know the Sorcerer's Apprentice not as a classic Mickey Mouse short, but as a noisy adventure flick. Between this and Prince of Persia, ol' Jerry Bruckheimer's judgement seems a bit foggy these days. PROSPECT: C

JULY 23

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS: The premise and the cast of Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell seem promising, yet for reasons I can't define, this seems like a movie other people will find hilarious, while I find it merely amusing. Perhaps I'm wary of leery of humiliation-based comedy. We shall see. PROSPECT: B

RAMONA AND BEEZUS: One of Beverly Cleary's books makes it to the big screen for the first time, I believe. I just hope it's more Bridge to Terabithia and less Diary of a Wimpy Kid. PROSPECT: B


SALT: I want to like this picture. The director, Phillip Noyce, has done good work, and I'm curious to see how Angelina Jolie fares in a role once set for Tom Cruise. Yet every time Jolie goes the action route (Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Wanted, etc.) I find the results lacking. Jury's out on this one. PROSPECT: B

JULY 30

BEASTLY: This new take on the "Beauty and the Beast" mythos could be good, but I have to agree with IMDB's buzz: "looks like a super-sized episode of Gossip Girl and Smallville." Meh. PROSPECT: C

CATS &  DOGS: THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE: The original was OK, but an overly juvenile approach kept it from being the riot it could have been. I don't expect better from the sequel. PROSPECT: C

CHARLIE ST. CLOUD: Zac Efron reteams with his 17 Again director in a story about Efron working in the cemetery where his younger brother is buried. Sounds just ... odd. No read. PROSPECT: C

June Summer Movie Preview: Anything 'sides the Toys?

June is usually a little hotter than May, but not at the movie theaters this year. In fact, it's second verse, same as the first. Only one-must see movie, a few decent attractions, and a whole lotta meh - or worse.

JUNE 4

GET HIM TO THE GREEK: Jonah Hill and Russel Brand star in a movie by the same guys who made Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which I quite liked. Good enough for me. PROSPECT: B

KILLERS: The good news: Katherine Heigl can be a winning screen presence. The bad news: Her last movie was the cliche machine The Ugly Truth, which was directed by Robert Luketic - just like this movie. One can only hope Luketic is in Legally Blonde mode. PROSPECT: C

MARMADUKE: A CGI dog movie based on a lame comic strip and directed by Tom Dey, the man who badly made the likes of Shanghai Noon, Showtime (so I've heard)  and the aptly titled Failure to Launch?  Oh HELL no! Put this  movie into the CONE OF SHAME! PROSPECT: F

SPLICE: When I saw the trailer for this, I thought it looked like a remake of It's Alive. Then I realized it had Sarah Polley in it. Last time she was in a horror flick, it turned out pretty well: The Dawn of the Dead remake. PROSPECT: B

JUNE 11

THE A-TEAM: I thought the original show was stupid (not in a good way), and this is directed by Joe Carnahan, who made the repugnant Smokin' Aces. Only Liam Neeson's presence saves this from an F. Unless Carnahan shows massive improvement, the only reason this movie will succeed is because of people's misguided nostalgia for the 1980s. PROSPECT: D

THE KARATE KID: Now here's something from the 80s I liked. Jackie Chan is a great performer, and Jaden Smith (son of Will) has screen presence. But behind the camera is (drum roll please) ... Harald Zwart!  (Insert puzzled utterings of "Who?")  HIs last credit was the sequel to the Pink Panther remake. Woo fricken' hoo. Directors matter, folks. PROSPECT: C

JUNE 18

JONAH HEX: Ladies and Gentlemen, the movie no one is going to care about because it's competition is going to KILL it. Ironically enough, the director, Jimmy Hayward, was a Pixar animator, but the movie went in for reshoots under Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend). Uh-oh. PROSPECT: C

TOY STORY 3: I trust no explanation is necessary. PROSPECT: A+

JUNE 25

GROWN-UPS: So last year Adam Sandler makes a movie that actually has a brain in its head (Funny People), but the masses don't like smart Adam Sandler movies, so it's back to the same ol' Dennis Dugan- directed dreck. D'oh. PROSPECT: D

KNIGHT AND DAY: Now here's the summer's real curio. A lot of people are still leery of Tom Cruise. I am not one of those people. Sure, the guy's nutty sometimes, but he never became a bad actor - And I think people lost sight of his talent more than Cruise lost sight of himself. The one thing that does bother me a little here is, it has the air of Mission Impossible - With Jokes! But again, directors matter. The helmer is James Mangold.  He's not an auteur, and he's had only one really big hit, Walk the Line. But he's a good actor's director, and he has good action chops too, as 3:10 to Yuma showed. I'm cautiously optimistic. PROSPECT: B

May Summer movie preview: Iron Man, Shrek, Prince of zzzz.

Is it just me or does summer seem a little chilly this year?

Oh, sure, this summer offers some tantalizing prospects at the cinema, but 2010's slate is rather lacking in "Wow, my life depends upon seeing that" attractions. May is a good example of this.

I'll be previewing summer movies throughout the week, essentially doing one day a month. I cannot do advanced screenings anymore, but I will see Iron Man 2 at the first available opportunity and hope to review that over the weekend.

Note: I may not cover every single title coming out. If I can't find much to say about a particular movie, why waste my energy and your time?

As usual, every movie gets a prospect grade.

A: I will die if I don't see it.

B: I will see it, but will not die if I don't.

C: Not dying to see it, won't kill me if I do.

D: This movie may be hazardous to my health.

F: This movie will kill me.

MAY 7

BABIES: Cute-looking documentary about, well, ya know. Looking to be the March of the Penguins of the infantile set. PROSPECT: B

IRON MAN 2: I covered this in this post last week. I'm excited to see it  like everyone else, but I'm going in with tempered expectations. Just as it's ill-advised to go in to a film prepared to hate it, it can also be dangerous going in prepared to love it. PROSPECT: A-

MAY 14

JUST WRIGHT: Sports romance with Common and Queen Latifah seems appealing enough, but I'm not getting much of a buzz from it. PROSPECT: C

LETTERS TO JULIET: The presence of Amanda Seyfried in the lead automatically makes this interesting to me. She's a talent who is increasingly landing on people's radars. Note of caution: The director, Gary Winick, has made movies as winning as 13 Going on 30 and as allegedly awful as Bride Wars. PROSPECT: B

ROBIN HOOD: Normally I would be thrilled at seeing a new Ridley Scott movie, yet I can't escape the feeling this is just Gladiator in the forest.. And I wasn't that big a fan of Gladiator. Good movie, but if that film deserved Best Picture, I'm Friar Tuck.  PROSPECT: B

MAY 21

SHREK FOREVER AFTER: I have a feeling this will be better than the tepid third movie, and yet will be the least successful movie of the series. Why? Well, can you think of anyone above the age of 6 who really LIKED Shrek the Third?  This will be much like what happened to Back to the Future III - people who saw it liked it better than the second, but the second turned so many people off, they lost interest. This movie had jolly well better improve upon the last one. I'm thinking my B- review was charitable. PROSPECT: B-

MACGRUBER: I just don't get the buzz for this movie, largely because I just don't get SNL these days. By my reckoning, that show hasn't been funny since the mid 90s. As is so often the case, the show has talented players, but saddles them with lame shtick. PROSPECT: D

MAY 28

SEX AND THE CITY 2: I liked the first one well enough, but since journalistic obligations no longer require me to see this,I think I'll pass this time, thanks. PROSPECT: C (Opens Thursday, May 27) 

PRINCE OF PERSIA: Maybe it's my aversion to video games, but I just cannot muster up interest in this hyperactive-looking thing, which really looks rather ridiculous, right down to the choice of director. Because when I think of big, sprawling action, I think the of director of Four Weddings and a Funeral. (Yes, I know, he did Potter 4 and did it rather well, but that don't make him an action director) PROSPECT: C

Slightly rusty Iron Man?

OK folks, don't get all up in arms JUST yet. I have not seen Iron Man 2, so I have no way of telling if early mixed reviews are justifiable or not.

Yet, such as the anticipation, such is the pent-up demand, over this movie, that a few brickbats, most of which are not all THAT harsh, have unleashed a fusillade of "Oh nos!" Indeed, the name of -GASP!- Spider-Man 3 has been invoked! Too many heroes! Too many villains! Too many too manys!

Let's all take a deep breath here, guys. For one thing, most of the pro critics have not yet weighed in. Over at Metacritic, which counts more established critics than Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of  52, which means mixed, but that's based on only four reviews at this time of posting.

I understand the mini-hysteria here. I know very well a lot of people loved Iron Man. I wasn't QUITE among them. I really, really liked the film - but I did not adore it, as I explained in my original review. The film very much entertained me, and like most everyone else, I thought Robert Downey Jr was fantastic. In fact, I would argue that performance was much more deserving of a Golden Globe than his winning work playing Sherlock Holmes, which struck me as ersatz Tony Stark.

However, I thought the third act of Iron Man flagged, particularly because as gifted and now Oscar-ed  as Jeff Bridges is, playing villainous types is not his strong suit. See the remake of The Vanishing. Or better yet, don't. The film rated n a solid B+, which means "occasionally excellent - but only occasionally." I thought The Dark Knight, which came out later that same year, topped  Iron Man in almost every respect.

There is a very real chance that Iron Man 2 will break The Dark Knight's opening weekend gross of $158.4 million. However, I'm not at all certain Iron Man 2 will be able to live up to its buzz.  In today's age of impatience and inflated anticipation, anything that's less than blindingly brilliant gets derided as terrible. See the Star Wars prequels, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,  and the aforementioned Spider-Man 3, which, contrary to popular belief, are NOT bad movies, but ones that merely committed the sin of having more clunky scenes than most of their predecessors.

So what's the moral of the story? Dial it down, folks. I know that's hard amid all the hype, but lofty expectations are dangerous. Not only does it hurt when they come crashing down, but once the crash occurs,  rash judgement tends to follow. If Iron Man 2 isn't utterly awesome, that doesn't mean it will be utterly abominable either.

Not that I'm immune. I led off my review of the first film by saying "I can't wait for Iron Man II. I bet it will be even better than the original." I'm not so sure about that now. I am  prepared to have a good time, but not to be blown away.

Scorsese to shoot 'Hugo Cabret' in 3D - Variety.com

Scorsese to shoot 'Hugo Cabret' in 3D - Variety.com

Some people may cry foul on this - Roger Ebert, the critic closest to the director, and a 3D detractor, chided Scorsese on Twitter, typing:

Marty! Marty! Can you hear me, lad? This is Father O'Malley. Don't do it, Marty! I'm beggin'. Don't jump!

I can see where Ebert's coming from - Scorsese has an "old school" vibe to his directing, which may make this venture seem like jumping on the bandwagon. But Honestly, the idea of Scorsese kid-lit fascinates me - and the idea that Scorsese will SHOOT in 3D (a la Avatar) and not just post-convert a la Alice in Wonderland, makes it all the more intriguing. Few people have as good a command of film as Scorsese - I trust him to get 3D right.

One friend of mine theorized that 3D may die by the time this film comes out in 2011. Perhaps. But then there was a director who made a movie in the original 3D craze who said something to the effect of "3D was an eight-day phenomenon, and I came in on the ninth day."

The film was Dial M for Murder. The director was Alfred Hitchcock. Didn't exacltly hurt him, did it?

Further evidence that Christopher Nolan RULES

He shot parts of his upcoming film Inception on 65 millimeter film and on Vistavision - two high-quality film formats that have largely been eschewed in today's digital-happy age.

Read the details here, and commentary here via Jeff Wells.

This only further cements Inception's status as the Summer Film I Most Want to See.