by AJ
I had originally planned on writing about how little I went out to the movies this summer in post titled "The Summer of My Discontent." But instead of looking back at how few in number the highlights of the summer were I thought I'd take a look ahead at the movies coming out in the next few months. Here are some that I am looking forward to:
September 16th: Drive
IMDB Synopsis: A Hollywood stuntman (Ryan Gosling) who moonlights as a get-away driver for the criminal underground finds himself on the run from after a botched job.
Yes, it sounds like Transporter, but with Ryan Gosling in the lead it seems worth checking out. Also, Nicolas Winding Refn won best director at Cannes and the movie was up for the Palm d'Or so that makes me think twice about this being just another action movie.
September 23rd: Moneyball
IMDB Synopsis: Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) works to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.
So there's the Bad News Bears angle, but this isn't really about a group of misfits that work hard to prove themselves (though I'm sure that'll happen). It's mostly about looking at the game of baseball in a different way and that is what has me interested.
September 30th: 50/50
IMDB Synopsis: A comedic account of a 27-year-old guy's cancer diagnosis, and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.
I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogan are good enough at what they do to walk the tightrope of a dark but good hearted comedy about about someone with cancer. I liked Funny People from 2009 which more or less had the same premise, but, despite being about funny people, was much more of a drama. There were also too many subplots in Funny People that don't seem likely to occur here since the trailer focuses on Gordon-Levitt and Rogan trying to look on bright side of things.
October 14th: The Thing
IMDB Synopsis: Do you really need one?
I think this is still a prequel to John Carpenter's The Thing which I imagine will end up being a lot like John Carpenter's The Thing. I mean there's only so many directions this story can take. I hope it isn't bogged down with low rent CGI effects that are so common in horror and action movies theses days (how expensive can corn syrup and red dye be?). I really like John Carpenter's The Thing which is the reason I want to see this version/prequel at all. Also, I'll be looking out for a wolf and a helicopter at the end of this movie (stay tuned for angry rant when that ending doesn't happen).
The Skin I Live In
IMDB Synopsis: A thriller centered on plastic surgeon Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas), who has been conducting experiments on a human subject (Elena Anaya) while trying to perfect an artificial skin to use to treat his severely burned wife.
Four words will get me to see a movie quicker than just about anything else: A Film by Almodovar. The plot sounds weird and twisted, the trailer is infinitely enticing, and Almodovar clearly knows how to make a movie and make it good even if, or especially if, it's about something, shall we say, uncommon.
October 21st: Red State
IMDB Synopsis: A group of teens receive an online invitation for group sex, though they soon encounter Pastor Abin Cooper (Michael Parks), his followers, and their sinister agenda.
I'm a Kevin Smith fan and I'm very interested in Red State. There's not too much in the trailer that says "this is a Kevin Smith film" and neither does the premise. He's talked about making Red State for so long that I almost have to see it just because, finally, it's here. I've heard less than stellar things about it from critics that have seen it so far, but I still think there's a good chance for this to be a satisfying movie.
November 18th: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
IMDB Synopsis: During the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6's echelons.
This is another film I've been hearing about for a while. I'm a bit tired of Bourne-style action movies which even the new James Bond movies are trying to imitate, so I'm kind of excited about a spy story where the spies are men in suits after documents or microfilm or in this case a double agent. And a cast including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, and Tom Hardy is reason enough to be excited.
November 25th: The Muppets
IMDB Synopsis: When an oilman hatches a plan to raze the Muppet Theater, Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the rest of their friends reunite and, with the help of some of their biggest fans, they decide to stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever in order to save their old stomping grounds.
This plot reminds me a bit of The Blues Brothers and I really hope this new Muppet movie is like that. I recently watched a few episodes of The Muppet Show and I still thought they were great. With the songs and irreverent comedy the Muppets reminded me of The Marx Brothers and I hope this movie, written by Jason Segal, sticks with that spirit.
December 23rd: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
IMDB Synopsis: Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a young computer hacker.
I can't tell you how extremely excited I am to see this movie. I've never read the books. I've never seen the movies. I don't really know what it's about or why it's a big deal. And that's a good thing especially with a movie like this that has so much baggage. I want to go in blind and experience this movie fresh, my expectations and preconceived notions at a minimum. So far, to me, this is only the new David Fincher film which is plenty of reason to be excited. Also I love that a studio is willing to put it's name along with the phrase "presents the feel bad movie of Christmas."
We Bought a Zoo
IMDB Synopsis: Set in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.
It's been 6 years since Cameron Crowe's last film, Elizabethtown, which was not nearly as bad as people talk about it as. In fact, it's not bad at all, it's quite good. In any case, I will certainly see Cameron Crowe's latest. There's no trailer as of yet, but Matt Damon as the lead is a good place to start.
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