I’m really not in the mood for a depressing movie and I feel like the odds are about 50-50 on this one ending like I’d like it to, but I’m a Craigaholic right now.
Like I said back here, “Violet from Lemony Snicket vs. Hand that Rocks the Cradle and some creepy imagery about black goo. I don’t know why that works so well for me, but there you have it.”
Yes! I just watched Love Actuallya couple of days ago and it made me realize how much I want to see a new Liam Neeson movie. Even if it looks sort of similar to Frantic, I liked Frantic and I’m all for Qui-Gon taking his turn as a family-man hunting kidnappers in Paris.
One of my favorite – though in a bittersweet way – parts of the Oscars is the memorial they always do for filmmakers who’ve passed away the previous year. I didn’t know Turner Classic Movies did one too, so thanks to Will Pfeifer for pointing it out.
I don’t know if it’s me or the movies, but I’m really underwhelmed by the releases this month. Stuff that I’m supposed to be excited about just isn’t doing it for me. I’ve decided that I’m not as in love with gangster films as the rest of the country, so American Gangster looks tedious. Bee Movie and Fred Claus look dumb. I can’t get past the creepy motion-capture of Beowulf. And Martian Child, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium and Hitman look respectively like they’re trying too hard to be touching, whimsical, and stylish.
But I did find some stuff to be interested in:
Last Week
Darfur Now: (LA/NY only) I can’t honestly say that I’m looking forward to seeing this, and I don’t even know that I will see it. I don’t know that I want or need the images in my head. Hotel Rwanda was bad enough and there I could comfort myself with the knowledge that it was a re-enactment, whereas this…
But it’s important. I don’t need to see the documentary to know that and I’ve been doing what I can to help, but I’m glad there’s a movie about the situation and hope that people who don’t know what’s going on will see it.
Today
I’ll Believe You: (limited) Funny premise (late-night radio talk show host receives phone call from extraterrestrial and tries to find out who placed the call). Funny cast (Patrick Warburton, Fred Willard, Chris Elliot, Ed Helms from The Office). Funny trailer.
November 21
Enchanted: I’ve got pretty low expectations for this, but I’m curious enough to give it a watch.
August Rush: I’m so torn. On the one hand, it’s Keri Russell and Freddie Highmore. On the other hand, it’s Robin Williams trying to play Bono (which, to me, is sort of like Rob Schneider trying to play Gandhi in a serious role). I may wait for DVD on this one so if Williams kills it for me I can just eject the disc instead of having to walk out of the theater.
This Christmas: I’m a sucker for Christmas family dramas. I liked Home for the Holidays and The Family Stone too. What’re ya gonna do?
November 28
The Savages: The plot about adult siblings trying to arrange long-term care for their mentally deteriorating father didn’t do anything for me. Then I realized that one of the siblings is Philip Seymour Hoffman. And then I saw the trailer. Looks like good stuff.
November 30
Awake: This is what I’m in the mood for. A suspense thriller with Lena Olin, Hayden Christensen (I don’t have the problems with his acting that most Star Wars fans claim to), Jessica Alba, and Terrence Howard in a role where he may not have to cry.
This is a new feature I want to try. At the first of each month, I’ll list and talk about the new movies that are coming out that month. Or the ones that I want to see anyway. If I don’t mention one that you think I should’ve (or you think one of mine is unworthy of mention); well, that’s what comments sections are for.
Pirates
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (Opens May 25th): I don’t think I really need to explain my excitement about this one, do I? Easily my Pick of the Month, if not the Summer; if not the Year.
Fantasy
Shrek the Third(Opens May 18th): Yeah, yeah. I know. I wasn’t thrilled about it either until I saw an ad for it that reminded me how much I liked Antonio Banderas as Puss n’ Boots. I was lukewarm about the first Shrek movie and that still taints my perception of the franchise, but I really did enjoy Shrek 2 a lot.
Superheroes
Spider-Man 3(Opens May 4th): I’m not a big fan of Venom. He comes from the days when Marvel was making nastier, grittier versions of all their heroes and he just seems like a lazy concept to me. But Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films have been anything but lazy and I like how he’s gone out of his way to choose just the right villains to emphasize just the right lesson that Peter Parker is learning in each film. So, I trust Sam and I fully expect this to be as great an experience as the other two were.
Not So Much with the Adventure, but Still Looks Good
The Ex(Opens May 18th in limited release): Another one I’ve mentioned before. Zach Braff and Jason Bateman in a movie Braff describes as being for people who like Scrubs and Arrested Development. Well, that’s me.
Update: Would it be more useful to see these organized by genre or by release date?
