2008’s Coming Attractions

70 Responses to “2008’s Coming Attractions”

1. Hedwig - Dec 27 '07, 5:08 am

   I forgot about Shine a Light. No Direction Home is one of my favorite Scorsese films, period, so I’m looking forward to what he does with the Stones! And you point out a couple of other good ones too: new films by Soderbergh and van Sant automatically land on my “anticipated” list, and Synechdoche is definitely a must see, too. Hopefully it won’t take too long to come out.

   And thanks for the reference :-)

2. Alexander - Dec 27 '07, 7:30 am

   Hmmm.

   Well, for starters, let me just say that My Blueberry Nights is pretty… well, let’s just say it’s Wong Kar Wai’s worst film by a pretty good distance. I wanted to stick my finger in the eye of critics everywhere who were trashing it or at least cool towards it but after seeing it I see what they were upset about. Nevertheless, it’s not an outright bad film–like Fellini (I’ll defend Fellini’s Roma or City of Women) or Bergman (I’ll defend The Rite or The Serpent’s Egg) or Hawks (I’ll defend Land of the Pharaohs or Hatari!) or Spielberg (I’ll defend 1941 or Hook)–I highly doubt Wong is capable of making an outright bad film. But it’s his weakest effort, perhaps being in English, saddled with some doughy dialogue (befitting the subject matter? yuk, yuk) and lacking the key ingredient in Wong’s previous films–from Days of Being Wild to what I think is probably his actual masterpiece, 2046–which is the characterization of time, found only to be lost again. Oh well, do see it anyway, Craig, and make up your own mind. I was disappointed greatly but I know Wong will be back with a vengeance sooner than later. Maybe he just suffered from the Jude Law Curse which seems to date back to, oh, the summer of 2004?

   And, Craig, let me tell you about this *great* third act twist in Burn After Reading. You see, Clooney and… Just kidding. I’m excited about this film. Imagine if the Coens could do it again–deliver a comic masterpiece after a crime masterpiece ala Fargo/Big Lebowski. Oh, I’m floating on air…

   From what I’ve heard/read, Australia is probable for 2009 and Shutter Island is almost certainly a 2009 release as well unless, unlike the usual Scorsese film, it’s actually pushed *up* rather than *back*.

   Spike Lee’s film has sounded interesting to me since the first day I read about it, even if Jeffrey Wells considered himself sufficiently prescient to dismiss it upon hearing about its existence as “over-plotted” despite not seeing the film. Ah, if only H.E. existed in certain eras. “That Rosselini film will *never* fly! He wants to make it largely about Rome under the Nazis in the waning days of their foothold in Italy, and *also* a statement about disparate Italian classes of people with varying ideologies and holding dear to differeringn articles of faith–Catholicism, communism, nationalism, etc.–fighting off the Nazis? And he’s focusing on a certain group of characters and it sounds as though it culminates with a priest, and…” You get the idea.

   The Curious Case of Benjamin Button sounds like a film I’ll have to see on opening day (is that the Wednesday before Thanksgiving? *thinks about the dates, for instance how the Bond 22 film is coming out* yep, it must be!)

   Charlie Kauffman going out on his own as a director. ‘Twas inevitable. I’m hooked.

   The Dark Knight looks to be pretty rewarding. I’m a big fan of Nolan’s obsession with justice in an unjust world–it recalls Lang with a slightly less deterministic method. I just hope he’s learned how to shoot complex action sequences this time around.

   Oh, and speaking of guys who can shoot complex action sequences… Like you, getting me to get interested in Indiana Jones and The Longest Title For A Movie Since This Little Arthouse Western Some Months Back was, at first, like pulling teeth. Well, not anymore. The shot of Ford way back in June when production began stoked my interest in an unbelievably simplistic way. At this point, I’m very excited about this film and I firmly believe–until someone proves me otherwise–that it will be the best Indy since Raiders. It’s got to be. I hope it sends the character off on a great note and I also suspect there will be a slight, or maybe not so slight, Robin and Marian feel to it, with Marion (!) returning.

   Speaking of The Beard, it looks like Spielberg, being the indefatigable worker that he is, will begin production on The Trial of the Chicago Seven sometime in the early spring (hopefully, if this strike doesn’t screw it up), like late March and get it out before January 1, 2009, giving us another one of those storied one-two punches of his.

3. joel - Dec 27 '07, 7:58 am

   Hopefully 2007’s amazing high-water mark for filmmaking will rub off on some of these 2008 entries. So far Summer is actually looking pretty interesting with Dark Knight, WALLE, Hellboy 2, and Iron Man. I’m always interested in anything the Coens or Scorsese do and I’ve got Fincher and Kaufman on any shortlist I create. Gondry does have potential too.

   Of the rest, there’s some good-sounding stuff in there, some “jury is still out” possibilities, and a couple that I’m dubious of. But that was the same thing I thought about this year’s list back in January and look where we are now?

   I don’t need to even contemplate a Sex in the City movie and I’m fairly certain that Indy 4 is going to underwhelm. I just can’t get hyped about it. Ford lost me sometime around Air Force One. If it’s watchable, color me surprised.

   Of all these, the one that merits the best mix of uncertainty and anticipation for me is The International. Great cast who haven’t had perfect script-choosing track records married to a director who has always done interesting things but sometimes fails to please. I think Tykwer needs to let the little genre director inside him run free and make movies and god knows, Clive Owen salivates at the chance to do anything action-thrillery (as long as it’s not Bond) and can deliver with good material.

   2007, you’ve been good to us. 2008, I raise my glass to you.

4. Craig Kennedy - Dec 27 '07, 9:32 am

   Right now is a time for optimism. I can’t help but hope all but the obvious clunkers are going to be great. Of course they never are, but for the next couple weeks I hope for the best.

   Mr. Wells has a nasty habit of approaching anything not directed by Ridley Scott, Michael Mann or one of his beloved “Three Amigos” (gag) as instantly suspect. In his own words, he’s a neghead. Everything is guilty until proven innocent. Of course I read and comment there daily so this says a little something about my particular form of damage…

   And yes Alexander, despite your convincing arguments, I’m even still hopeful for Blueberry Nights. Skeptical, yes, but hopeful. I’d rather see a master like Wong Kar Wai crap the bed than anything by MIchael Bay or another Saw sequel.

   Having said that, I can see where the English dialogue might fall with a thud. I wonder with some foreign films if they would sound as good in our native language. Do we put up with certain things because we’re enamored of their foreignness? An interesting test would be to watch Blueberry Nights on DVD, change the audio to a language you don’t speak and turn on English subtitles…

   I wouldn’t be shocked if you’re right about Shutter Island or Australia or any number of these others. I hesitated even making a list, but what the hell, a guy can dream can’t he?

   None of these picks feel like slam dunks to me Joel except maybe WALL*E..even if it’s only as good as Cars, it’s still watchable at least once…right? The Tykwer film…I dont know…alarm bells keep going off, but then a little voice in my head says “Yeahbut (one word), Clive Owen and Naomi Watts in an international thriller….” I don’t know. Here’s hoping.

5. Matthew Lucas - Dec 27 '07, 10:02 am

   I definitely agree about “My Blueberry Nights,” I was sad to see it get such bad reviews but I love Wong Kar Wai, so I will definitely see it anyway.

   But it’s “The Guerilla” not the “Gorilla.” It’s about Argentine freedom fighters, not apes. ;-)

6. Craig Kennedy - Dec 27 '07, 10:13 am

   Gorilla! AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

   Oh man. The sad part is you’re not the first person to notice. (in Marlon Brando voice) The horror….the horror!

   I guess there’s no point in convincing you I’m not an idiot so I’m just going to smile and wave and pretend we never had this conversation.

7. Alexander - Dec 27 '07, 10:22 am

   You know, there was something about that which looked funny. Yet my brain never quite concluded what that was.

   Don’t worry, Craig, I think the Internet has a way of dulling our senses to some degree. :-)

   *waves back*

   Back to the thread, though: I’m glad you placed Australia and whichever other films very well could be released in 2008. There are always delayed films and films that experience strange, windy paths to being released. Just ask Brad Pitt.

8. Alison Flynn - Dec 27 '07, 11:12 am

   Hey, how about The Other Boleyn Girl? February 29th USA release date. Another grand period historical-romance spectacle which has the potential to be fantastic…or another Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

   Also rumored: The Duchess. Another of the above. And starring Keira Knightley. No release date yet - it’s supposed to be Fall 2008, but it isn’t confirmed.

9. Craig Kennedy - Dec 27 '07, 12:20 pm

   I have a huge unruly crush on Scarlett Johansson, but I’m not yet convinced of her skills and I’m a little quesy about the idea of her in a historical thing like this with accents and whatnot.

   It’s definitely on my radar though.

   She’s also in a Woody Allen movie later this year that missed my list. After all these years, I’m still not sure how I feel about the Wood man.

10. Alison Flynn - Dec 27 '07, 12:28 pm

    I like some of Woody Allen’s movies better than others. Hannah and Her Sisters was refreshingly upbeat, with a wonderful cast that included the great Max von Sydow and a well-meshed, humorous and touching story. Annie Hall goes without saying.

    He has a unique view that he brings to all of his films, but he can be inconsistent. There’s always at least one classic scene in each of his movies that I’ll never forget, though.

11. Craig Kennedy - Dec 27 '07, 12:43 pm

    I think his inconsistency is the thing that keeps me from being automatically excited about his pending projects. You can just never tell. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I’m just saying.

12. Ari - Dec 27 '07, 2:35 pm

    and what will surely be next summer’s most insane movie, Speed Racer. Have you seen that trailer? That thing looks……out there.

    Can’t wait for Shine a Light, My Blueberry Nights, Burn After Reading, and Synechdoche, New York. Also interested in the new Sam Mendes film with dicaprio and winslet.

13. joel - Dec 27 '07, 2:58 pm

    It’s always best to be as positive as possible about what’s coming out since quite often, you never know what you’ll get until the movie hits. I’ve always found the plot synopsis and capsule info provided on upcoming movies to be pretty vague and/or inaccurate.

    I still recall the snippet about Big Lewbowski a year before it released being that it was a movie about bowling. Well, sort of.

    Or the one for Punch-drunk Love with Adam Sandler playing a guy who wins a frozen foods contest. Hmmm.

    Anyway, my point is I’m somewhat excited about all of these, to varying degrees. I want Indy 4 to be great but I’m not expecting much either.

    Speed Racer: Yes, everything about that one makes me equally enthusiastic and cynically dismissive.

14. Craig Kennedy - Dec 27 '07, 3:03 pm

    I have to say I was intrigued by the idea of Speed Racer, but it missed my list partly because I wasn’t too sure about the candy coated trailer.

    I’m going to see it, of course, but I don’t know…

    Anyway, if the Coen film, at least one of the Soderbergh films and the Fincher film all come out in 08 and they’re all good, the rest will be gravy on top.

15. joel - Dec 27 '07, 5:26 pm

    True that. I have many doubts about the Speed Racer movie, but considering the source material I’d have to say I’m kind of intrigued. It has all the markings of a slow-motion train wreck and yet with that cast and those creative minds behind it, who knows?

    And that trailer is beyond weird. I still don’t get how these kind of projects get made at the studios anymore. The pitch meeting for this one had to be really interesting.

16. joel - Dec 27 '07, 5:33 pm

    And when I say considering the source material, I mean that it was a staple of my early youth but in looking back at it now I realize it was about as deep as Michael Bay. Kind of amazing how it’s been fetishized into something great when if you watch the cartoons today, you need a decent helping of controlled substances to stick with a single episode.

    And yet at the age of 7, I ate it up with a spoon and asked for more.

17. glimmer - Dec 27 '07, 7:28 pm

    i’m i the one that doesn’t like everything ???? :(

    anyway glancing at the list this all i want to see.curious about

    my blueberry nights,be kind rewind,the kool aid test thing and synechdoche, new york and that’s it.(and i’m not even going in these expecting them to be good. guess i’m a realist afterall….)

    yes i do think there’s a connection bewteen everyone being up for everything and my hating or at least not being enthused/impressed about anything.

    yes craig i’d give ‘the savages’ points for aesthetics/heart being in the right place and *not* being atonement/no country.

    but it’s hard for me care.

    everybody like f**king everything and i have *nothing*

    anyway you via netland i read whereever ryan gosling/described lars and the real girl(yes i’m a loser and i love this film/thank you) as movie for those bored of movies….

    now how many *other* film has the kids or you raving as a best of year type things can you say that about ??

    is it even one ????

    why isn’t that common at *all* ????

    and no i don’t give a damn about batman.

    although is uh cool…oh well at least interesting that maggie gyllenhaal gets the role.

    cool.glad to see something besides looks first make it.

    but will she actually have anything to do in the movie ???

    hmm my blueberry nights. ok from what i can gather. hell it’s even repeated in the discussions above. is that this is wkw worst film….

    but will it be ‘accessible’ enough/lucky enough to build up a u.s.a. mainstream audience to make up for the critical beating he’s getting ???

    well, this movie as name stateside actors which all the public cares about. well you know what i mean

    could someone please do something different or is that too indie to ask for/want ?????

    ‘there’s a hundred million voices/screaming in my eyes..’

18. Ari - Dec 27 '07, 7:43 pm

    that’s why I’m still interested in Speed. How many huge mainstream summer movies look like that? I like that the Wachowski brothers have the power to make whatever crazy idea that comes to mind. at least it’s their own thing, you know?

19. Alexander - Dec 27 '07, 10:03 pm

    I’m honestly shocked people are interested in anything the Wachowskis do in the wake of Reloaded and Revolutions. Not a value judgment at all. I’m just very surprised.

20. joel - Dec 28 '07, 8:10 am

    I would assume, Glimmer, that Blueberry Nights is already screwed state-side by the poor critical reception. This is one of those movies that will live and die by the film critics, Wong Kar Wai, Norah Jones, and Natalie Portman not withstanding. It’s too bad that artier fare can easily suffer that fate these days, but that tends to be the case.

    If only more mature audiences threw themselves at movies regardless of critics the way mainstream audiences threw themselves at stuff like Wild Hogs…just imagine.

    As for the Wachowskis, if Renny Harlin can continue to get work and sell tickets then there’s hope for anyone.

21. Craig Kennedy - Dec 28 '07, 9:24 am

    Glimmer, the thing about this list is that it’s so far into the movie future, it’s pretty much limited to the known quantities. Directors and actors that I know and like very well, or the big ideas that have been kicking around for awhile.

    Last year, a movie like Lars probably wouldn’t have even shown up on such a list, yet it turned out to be a favorite of mine.

    As for the Wachowskis…truth is I never even bothered with the third Matrix so I see exactly what you’re saying Alexander, but Joel and Ari both have points. 1) for some of us it taps into our childhoods and 2) it really looks like nothing else this summer. You’re probably wise to be skeptical, but if it works it could be a lot of fun.

    And yeah Joel, Renny Harlin has something coming up in 2008, but I’ve alread forgotten what it was.

22. Alexander - Dec 28 '07, 10:42 am

    I don’t know. I mean, there *is* a new Indiana Jones adventure and a new Batman movie.

    But, those are much, much bigger parts of my childhood than Speed Racer.

    So, perhaps it’s far more subjectively based on our respective childhoods than I believed it to be. How could it not influence us to some degree?

    Then again, I used to like watching Nick at Nite when they showed Get Smart and enjoyed that TV show. I’m not entirely hostile towards the film yet, but there are some alarms going off about it… I’m cautious about it but slightly hopeful.

23. Craig Kennedy - Dec 28 '07, 10:56 am

    There’s a huge nostalgia factor to all of these types of films so of course whatever was big to you growing up will have a certain weight now.

    I think I’m having the same reaction to you about Get Smart. I loved the show as a kid, but it sounds like a horrible idea on paper. My first response to any TV show turned movie is hostitlity (even with Speed Racer) but Steve Carell is probably perfect for it and damnit if the teaser didn’t make me laugh. Still, it would have to get good reviews before I saw it.

24. Alexander - Dec 28 '07, 11:08 am

    Oh yeah: I believe DiCaprio will have two movies out in ‘08, like ‘02 and ‘06: Ridley Scott’s Body of Lies, where he stars with Russell Crowe in trying to capture an al-Qaeda terrorist or some such thing and the Sam Mendes film with Titanic co-star Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road. I’m interested in both of those and his likely 2009 film, Scorsese’s Shutter Island (here’s hoping they fix that atrocious ending of the novel…)

25. Alison Flynn - Dec 28 '07, 11:12 am

    I’m very interested in seeing Revolutionary Road. I didn’t realize Body of Lies was coming out in 2008 - definitely will be seeing that.

26. Alexander - Dec 28 '07, 11:39 am

    Yes, I’d like to see Mendes return to suburbia, even if I think American Beauty was terribly overrated and probably would have worked better if *it* had been set back in the 1950s, at least to a certain degree. (Thankfully, it helped produce much of Chris Cooper’s subsequent career, so at least one very good thing came out of it.)

    Two films I have very little interest in but will doubtless end up seeing: Clint Eastwood’s The Changeling (not to be confused with the superior ghost/haunted house film starring George C. Scott) starring Angelina Jolie and Ron Howard’s Frost/Nixon starring Frank Langella as Richard Nixon.

    I *like* Eastwood but even I have become tired of him for whatever reason. The Changeling sounds like a return to work for hire, or searching for a bestselling book to adapt like his mid-90s-to-2003 stretch. Word has it he’s going to make a schmaltzy film about Nelson Mandella after this starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon? That sounds terrible for some reason.

    And Ron Howard’s quest to be taken seriously hurts me. It’s what helps to create A Beautiful Mind and Cinderella Man. Enough said, at least for me. He should stick to straight genre stuff like The Missing, which I thought was actually an okay and better-than-it-was-received little reworking of The Searchers. I liked Apollo 13 okay but have never even begun to feel the urge to see it again. The less said about outings such as The Grinch… and DaVinci Code, the better.

27. Craig Kennedy - Dec 28 '07, 12:05 pm

    I remember seeing the Scott film when I was going down the list…Comingsoon.net still has it listed as Untitled Ridley Scott Project…but I’m not sure how or why that was left off my top 20. I’m not a HUGE Ridley Scott fan, but I think there’s still room for it. I could probably take off The Bank Job despite my zombie-like predilection for heist films…

    Revolution Road was also a near miss, mainly because I love watching Kate in anything.

    I still have fond memories of American Beauty though I haven’t seen it since it was in theaters. I’m always surprised at the backlash, but I’m willing to believe it hasn’t held up very well.

    As for Ron Howard…well I’m sure he’s a nice fellow. Always liked him on Happy Days and Andy Griffith. Night Shift is a classic. I loved Splash back in the day. But the rest of his output has been nearly unversally awful. I even disliked Apollo 13. Beautiful Mind was like fingernails on the chalkboard. Cinderella Man was very nearly half-way decent, but dropped the ball (I blame Akiva Goldsman). DaVinci was the single most boring evening at the movies in 2006. I think I was able to read the novel faster than it took to watch that movie.

    The Grinch…ok we don’t even want to go there. That was almost the subject of a “Christmas Time Living In Cinema Full Throated Red Blooded Rant.” but A) it would mean watching the f’ing thing again and B) Christmas is a time for being positively reflective. You know, peace, love, understanding…all that jazz.

    But let me just say: GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

    Anyway, ComingSoon doesn’t have Frost Nixon listed for ‘08 but it probably would’ve missed the list anyway, Frank Langella notwithstanding.

28. Hedwig - Dec 28 '07, 2:25 pm

    American Beauty so does not live up to many viewings. I mean, I saw it in the cinema and I thought it was close to brilliant, but every time I’ve seen it afterwards I liked it less. Kevin Spacey remains pretty great, and funny, too, but the whole film is way too pretentious and on-the-nose and it thinks it’s a whole lot deeper than it really is.

    That said, I’ll prolly see the Mendes project. I mean, he married Kate Winslet, right? So at least we know he has good taste…and it’ll be interesting to see him direct her.

29. Craig Kennedy - Dec 28 '07, 2:47 pm

    Speaking of Kate. I’m struggling to write a review right now, but anyone who likes Kate or Susan Sarandon or Christopher Walken or James Gandolfini should make it there business to give Romance and Cigarettes a try despite all the horrible things you’ve probably heard about it.

    It’s a bit of a mess but, I liked it. Kate and Susan and Christopher were especially entertaining.

30. sartre - Dec 28 '07, 3:48 pm

    They’re all wonderful actors. I think Kate is my favorite actress currently. Cate B amazes me too, but I love Kate W’s ability to present fully formed and complex characterizations without being mannered. She’s beautiful too but all the more so for being a natural beauty who looks like a regular person rather than a Hollywood-like fantasy/manifestation of beauty.

31. Alexander - Dec 28 '07, 3:56 pm

    I couldn’t decide after seeing Little Children whether I loved the film because it was great or because I love Kate Winslet. That film was uniquely satisfying. :-)

    Craig, thanks for the advice. I’ve been trying to see it but it’s a hard one to get to. Poor, poor, neglected little despised film.

32. Craig Kennedy - Dec 28 '07, 3:59 pm

    It’s a tough one to recommend. Many will despise it. I was taken by the ballsy performances. I’m having trouble writing about it though…

33. sartre - Dec 28 '07, 4:02 pm

    I know exactly what you mean Alexander.

34. joel - Dec 29 '07, 9:28 am

    Yeah, Alexander, I’m not sure I would have liked Little Children all that much without Kate Winslett. I really think her performance held the whole movie together. Without her, the script itself is kind of trite. I know the movie has some great supporting performances but she’s the wonderful glue in the middle.

35. W.J. - Dec 29 '07, 12:15 pm

    One of my most anticipated films is Blindness. The plot sounds silly (IMDB: “a doctor’s wife becomes the only person with the ability to see in a town where everyone is struck with a mysterious case of sudden blindness”), with lots of potential for bad Twilight Zone-style acting. However, it’s directed by Fernando Meirelles and stars Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. And, hell, I’m a sucker for the Twilight Zone.

    I don’t care for James Lee Burke, but I’m interested in seeing Tommy Lee Jones in In the Electric Mist. I also want to see The International and My Blueberry Nights. Bad reviews be damned, a Wong Kar Wai film always looks good at the very least. Based on the stills, Darius Khondji’s work seems as visually stimulating as Christopher Doyle’s.

    Christopher Nolan has removed the only weak link from Batman Begins, Katie Holmes, for the sequel.

36. Craig Kennedy - Dec 29 '07, 12:32 pm

    Blindness was on my list of finalists, but it got paired down when I went with 20. I’ll be keeping my eye on that one though.

    Speaking of Meirelles, I also noticed a follow up to City of God called City of Men, though FM is only producing.

37. glimmer - Dec 29 '07, 3:28 pm

    joel….well i’m the weirdo that likes wkw’s ‘fallen angels’ more that ‘in the mood for love’

    so let my loser light glow……may it burn forever. *ha ha*

    anyway since Wong Kar Wai has but on the table in this thread. i’ll continue…even if i have no where to go…

    hmm people/especially critics are going crazy/very crazy over the visuals/cinematographer of the diving bell movie(janusz kaminski) basiclly probabbly hated everything christopher doyle brought to the table in the wong kar wai films.

    but i foregt doing somthing different is ok within the context of a ’serious’ movie or when there’s a ‘reason’ for it.(ok this isn’t 100% entirely correct. and it’s thought out or represented to well.but it has so much truth to it you can’t deny it…..)

    long may ‘indie’s’ trad heart burn……

    anyway diving bell, in now ‘in my area’ so yeah i’ll check it out. if it isn’t gone next week. ha ha….

    ’so where do we go from here/just about anywhere…’

38. Craig Kennedy - Dec 29 '07, 3:35 pm

    As I’ve said elsewhere Glim, the thing about Kaminski in Diving Bell is the camera work goes a long way to telling this story from the perspective of a guy who can only blink one eyelid without being opressive or depressing. The screenwriter Ron Harwood also deserves a lot of credit.

39. glimmer - Dec 29 '07, 3:50 pm

    and that’s why adults accept it. you’re saying pretty much what i’m saying……..

    but it into an acceptable context/’serious’ story and people eat it up.

    same story always….

40. Harvey - Dec 29 '07, 3:57 pm

    I’ll be curious to see how Van Sant adapts “Kool Aid.” I can’t imagine how he’ll crack it.

    I’ve actually enjoyed his recent shift to slower, quieter cinema (esp “Elephant”) but I hope he doesn’t shift too far back into “Even Cowgirls” territory with this.

41. Craig Kennedy - Dec 29 '07, 4:11 pm

    It should be interesting. There are many ways it could all go horribly wrong, but here’s hoping he nails it.

42. Alexander - Dec 29 '07, 5:06 pm

    I have to admit, the only Van Sant film I’ve genuinely liked in the past ten years is Elephant. Everything else he does is *so* achingly remote, so lethargic and yet somehow excessively schematic (the latter term describes Elephant, too, btu at least, despite its slowness, it seems sure of where it is going) that I just can’t get into it. Paranoid Park was another disappointment for me, after some undeserved hype at Cannes.

    That said, I’m still always looking forward to his next film and Kool Aid sounds very interesting. So, despite my usual coolness towards his final products, I recognize he’s talented and capable of still delivering.

    joel, I agree about Kate Winslet in Little Children. The truth is, even though that film landed in my top ten for 2006, I’ve never bothered seeing it again. I have this feeling it probably doesn’t play as well, or maybe I saw that it was flawed enough not to really be sublimely great and don’t care to see it again. Then again, it takes a lot for me to see a film more than once. Todd Field’s previous film, In the Bedroom, is one I’ve seen twice and found it to be just as powerfully draining the second time as the first, perhaps even more so.

    There’s some disagreement over whether Peter Jackson is actually going to get The Lovely Bones out before 2008 concludes. It’ll probably be something of a race to the finish, if he can, because, though production began over two months ago, it reportedly wasn’t going so well. Ah, who knows for sure, right? I don’t know anything about it, never read the book, but I hope Jackson can return to similar territory as Heaveny Creatures and get away from his Return of the King Kong bloat infection.

    A film I’m *really* looking forward to: Rian Johnson’s follow-up to my #1 film of 2006, Brick, a conman film called The Brothers Bloom, starring Mark Ruffalo, Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz and (the best part of Babel in my opinion) Rinko Kikuchi. Go, Rian, go.

43. Craig Kennedy - Dec 29 '07, 5:14 pm

    I wasn’t quite as high on Brick as you Alexander, but I admired the hell out of it and I was looking forward to his next film. Now that we know the cast, I’m completely on board.

    Oddly, Ruffalo didn’t really click for me as an actor until Zodiac…yet he’s not getting any attention at all for that.

44. Alexander - Dec 29 '07, 5:19 pm

    I’ve always liked Ruffalo, Craig. He’s fundamentally a chameleon, shifting from You Can Always Count on Me, to atrocious movies like Windtalkers (ugh), XX/XY (ugh), In the Cut (ugh), and View from the Top (ugh). But he finally landed a couple of solid roles again in 2004, with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Collateral. Then he was in a couple more lousy movies but Zodiac was definitely his breakthrough, I think. I really wish his performance in that film was receiving more love than it is. I’d love to see him nominated along with Bardem, Wilkinson, Holbrook, Hoffman, etc. Too bad it’s not going to happen.

45. Craig Kennedy - Dec 29 '07, 5:22 pm

    Not flashy enough and you only notice how much he transforms himself when you compare it to his other work.

46. sartre - Dec 29 '07, 5:25 pm

    Rinko would have got my vote for best supporting actress last year. I wish my favorite female lead performance of this year - Tang Wei - was in the awards mix. I’ve yet to see either Away from Her or La Vie en Rose.

    Peter Jackson showed himself able to meet tough yearly deadlines with regards each film in the Ring cycle (an incredibly demanding endurance test) and their special edition director cuts DVDs.

    I’ve not seen Little Children a second time but this is the result of living away from home where my DVD collection resides. It was my third favorite film of last year after CoM and Babel. I admired Brick too, and look forward to his ongoing efforts as a filmmaker.

47. Alexander - Dec 29 '07, 5:29 pm

    Very true.

    Ruffalo, to my mind, was the real acting workhorse of Zodiac, though it certainly featured a fine ensemble.

    Zodiac would be the kind of film to most benefit from a Best Ensemble Oscar award. Of course, it wouldn’t even receive that nomination, most likely, this year due ot its coming out so darned early. So many fine ensemble pieces this year, with No Country for Old Men, Michael Clayton and others, though.

48. Alexander - Dec 29 '07, 5:36 pm

    sartre, though I wasn’t a fan of Babel (huge disappointment for me, as I was jonesing for it, being a big fan of Amores Perros and 21 Grams and I hoped Alejandro could hit it out of the park again) I agree: Rinko Kikuchi should have won that Oscar. Jennifer Hudson winning is still one of those mystifying, scratch-thy-head wins that seemed to be more a result of massive hype (it was as if, when it came out, suddenly they went, “Well, the film’s not so hot but boy ain’t Jenny GREAT?!”) than anything else.

    Little Children was #3 for me as well for 2006, after Brick and Pan’s Labyrinth.

    Back to 2008: I hope Clooney’s Leatherheads is the pleasant little Howard Hawks comedy it seems to be wanting to be, judging by its trailer. It almost looks like a film that could have been made back when it’s set. (That may sound like I’m dismissing it but it’s actually something close to an endorsement.)

49. sartre - Dec 29 '07, 5:51 pm

    I agree that Hudson was all about hype. The actors don’t do the standing of their craft any favors by awarding oscars to children and to someone for their singing performance. Just as well the comedic turns of animal costars don’t qualify for consideration.

    I hope you’re right about Leatherheads. Sadly, the trailer looked dreaful to me. But I’ll retain an open mind.

50. joel - Dec 29 '07, 6:42 pm

    OK, sartre, we disagree on Leatherheads because before the trailer I had no interest in it and after seeing the trailer and chuckling at the silly 40’s-era screwball style of it, i was on board. I don’t know…I don’t expect much but I have to admit i love the fact that Clooney seems dedicated to doing all he can to pay homage to the films and pop culture of that era.

    Alexander, I’m interested in Johnson’s newest too. A budget and a full crew might yield some interesting results for him although I admit, I’m somewhat hesitant to get my hopes up. Sophmore slump and all.

    And I’d also agree that Little Children ended up on my faves list of 2006 but I’ve had little or no interest in revisiting it since.

51. Alison Flynn - Dec 29 '07, 7:19 pm

    I’m on the fence about that trailer for Leatherheads. I’ve seen it a couple of times now. It does look kind of silly, yet on the other hand it looks like it could be great. And I’ve always liked that era, so if nothing else I’ll enjoy that aspect of the movie.

52. Craig Kennedy - Dec 29 '07, 7:37 pm

    Well let me just throw in my two cents and disagree with Sartre about Babel but agree with him about the Leatherheads trailer.

    Having said that, I have faith in Clooney with light comedy and I’ll be ignoring the trailer for this one.

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Never trust a trailer. It should be Living in Cinema’s motto.

53. Alison Flynn - Dec 29 '07, 7:54 pm

    Never trust a trailer.

    That should be everyone’s motto.

54. Alison Flynn - Dec 29 '07, 10:15 pm

    I got your email a few minutes ago, Craig, and responded. Ditto everything you said.

55. sartre - Dec 29 '07, 11:45 pm

    There’s no Babel love at LiC *sigh*. And I thought this was a classy joint :-)

    Actually, and I’m not just trying to be a contrarian, I think that for the most part trailers are a good guide to films - particularly the bad ones. I love the best screwball comedies from past eras but I only saw broad mimicry of them in the Leatherheads trailer - not one gag on display even made me smile. Like I said, I truly hope it turns out to be a fine film.

56. joel - Dec 30 '07, 10:26 am

    No Babel love from me either, sartre. Sorry. The only reason I didn’t end up walking out of that movie was because it was such a big awards contender that I figured the ending might pay off for me, but it did not. I’m not saying it’s an awful movie, but it rubbed me the wrong way. Had some great performances though, especially the non-pro child actors.

    And I agree, you should never trust a trailer. I think I even said that elsewhere on this site, but if that’s all I have to go off I attempt to discern something about the movie from them. Maybe not a great idea…

57. Nicholas Plowman - Jan 1 '08, 11:04 am

    Boy did it take me a long time to read through all these comments! One 2008 film I am interested in is Winged Creatures, the cast alone makes me want to see it, but a great cast does not mean it’s going to be good (Evening is proof).

58. sartre - Jan 1 '08, 11:25 am

    Raiders is a masterpiece but unlike you I could never see beyond Kate and Short Round. And I was lukewarm on the Last Crusade from the outset, though it was an improvement on Temple. The last two films left such a bad taste in my mouth that I feel no excitement about the belated new instalment.

    I thought Science of Sleep was an excellent little film.

    I’m feeling hopeful about Dark Knight and Bond given the quality of their immediate predecessors.

    Every Fincher film is an event to cherish. The only one that hasn’t worked for me was The Game

    Let’s hope Charlie can make the transition from writer to writer/director.

59. Alexander - Jan 1 '08, 1:38 pm

    I think Temple of Doom and Last Crusade, apart from one another, suffer when lined up against Raiders of the Lost Ark because they are each one-half excellent, one-half botched to some degree. And those two respective excellent halves, if placed together, would make a film that could definitely rival Raiders.

    Temple of Doom is like Raiders without any filter; nonstop, absurd hysterics and campiness pervading almost all of the scenes. It’s the most complete “frolic,” in the series, insofar as it’s the most obviously brainless and sincerely lowbrow “stupid.” It’s pulp taken to an almost dangerous extreme. Unfortunately, it feels as though Spielberg was completely on autopilot as far as everything else is concerned. It lacks his buoyant personality, charm and most vitally his sense of character that would elevate it to something beyond a live action cartoon.

    Last Crusade, while frequently beaten up online, is something of a return to form for Spielberg with the Indiana Jones character himself, probing the character’s impestuousness against the father figure’s aloof sagacity. I know it’s popular these days to badmouth some of its sentiment but there are definitely some scenes between Ford and Connery that undeniably shine with fine chemistry (despite not being far enough away from each other in age, it somehow doesn’t matter). It’s personal Spielberg again, rife with his familial concerns, most crucially the father-son relationship he’s gone back to time and time again.

    Problem is, though, that it’s “creaky,” as I’ve seen Craig describe it, and the action sequences are lazily staged (especially for Spielberg) and the plot is clumsy in its sequential passages in particular.

    So, as I say, if you were to couple Temple of Doom’s frivolous but at times brilliant action and childish camp with Last Crusade’s personality and sense of character stemming from its director, I think you would have one heck of a film. As it is, I always find myself having to watch them immediately back-to-back because one’s great in one area, miserable in another, and vice versa.

    I suspect Kingdom of the Crystal Skull *will* be the film that couples these elements together. By default, it’s described as closest to Raiders of the Lost Ark by Lucas and a few others.

    Interestingly enough, just to throw something out there: does anyone else think Casino Royale has aged pretty poorly in the last year or so? Daniel Craig is still fantastic in it, but I finally made myself see it again recently (just the fact that I’ve lacked the will to see it again for so long says something about my opinion of it) and it didn’t do much for me. There are some very good bits, but the plot feels bloated with an overlong first act (the Miami airport sequence is too “Bronsan era” for me, it was when I first saw it, too) and a it-feels-tacked-on-and-needlessly-drawn-out-third act. That second act, though, has remained as well-carved and dynamic as I initially believed it to be. Though I still don’t understand why they’re playing *poker* for goodness sakes. I think Ian Fleming probably rolled over in his grave due to that.

    And, I hate to feel like a party-pooper with regards to the next Bond–which already has a cast I like a great deal, particularly the stunning Amalric–but I have a bad feeling with Marc Forster helming it. Then again, maybe he’ll happily surprise me.

    Fincher making an F. Scott Fitzgerald adaptation is enough to make anyone instantly interested.

60. Craig Kennedy - Jan 1 '08, 1:58 pm

    “Temple of Doom is like Raiders without any filter; nonstop, absurd hysterics and campiness pervading almost all of the scenes.” I think this is what I like about it the most. It’s truest to its serial roots in that way.

    I still like Crusade, but it feels tired like it’s just mopping up before turning out the lights and locking the doors. Still you’re right that it has an emotional component lacking in Doom.

    A combination of both films is indeed a lot to wish for from Skull. I hope you’re right.

    I still enjoyed Casino the 2nd time around, though perhaps not as much. I used to defend the poker playing, but I’ve changed my mind. It was a cop out, caving in to popular trends. Then again, the Bond films have done that to one degree or another in every film since Goldfinger.

61. Alexander - Jan 1 '08, 2:02 pm

    “I still like Crusade, but it feels tired like it’s just mopping up before turning out the lights and locking the doors.”

    Ha, that’s very true. It’s an early Sunday afternoon time-killer. I still enjoy it on that level, but it does feel tired. If not for Connery infusing the film with his presence, it would be all the more apparent. His exchanges with Ford, though, make the film despite itself for me.

    You’re right, Craig–the poker playing is just another in a long series of the Bond series caving in to popular trends. It still rubs me the wrong way, though, for some reason.

62. Craig Kennedy - Jan 1 '08, 2:08 pm

    The poker is especially jarring because baccarat and chemin de fer are such classic elements of the Bond myth. Hold ‘Em is so banal.

63. BurmaShave - Jan 3 '08, 2:19 am

    I’m pretty sure MILK will be Van Sant’s project, not KOOL-AID, and with Penn, Brolin Hirsch and Franco, how can you not be salivating?… about the possible quality of the film, that is. Pervs.

64. Alexander - Jan 3 '08, 2:31 am

    Burma, I will not even try to palliate for my newly-vanquished indifference towards Milk. This is a project that sounds like it falls into Van Sant’s wheelhouse (and I don’t mean because it touches upon homosexuality, though that doesn’t hurt).

    Another one, though it’s probable for 2009 rather than 2008: Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs a tire-larigot. What happened to Life of Pi?

    Most fascinating bit of casting news since this thread began: (a) Philip Seymour Hoffman playing William Kunstler in Spielberg’s Chicago Seven (yes!).

    Oh, and I’m also looking forward to The Appaloosa, a western starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen (and directed by Harris as well).

65. Craig Kennedy - Jan 3 '08, 9:32 am

    Good call Burma. ComingSoon lists Kool-Aid as a 2008 film and doesn’t list Milk at all, but then Milk is supposed to start filming this month. Whether or not Milk is done in time for 2008, it’s probably safe to say Kool-Aid isn’t going to be 2008, if it happens at all.

66. sartre - Jan 3 '08, 10:00 am

    I’m looking forward to Viggo (rumored) in The Road - perfect casting. And it seems the wonderful Guy Pearce and Danny Huston may have (what can only be) small parts in it too. They need to find an exceptionally talented child actor.

    I’m hopeful about Jon Penhall’s role as adaptator of the novel. He did a great job with Enduring Love - contributing to what I found the best screen translation thus far of McEwan’s evocation of slowly escalating psychological unease.

    My only nervousness about the project relates to Hillcoat as director. Unlike many I found The Proposition disappointing in terms of direction and writing (Nick Cave is a wonderful lyricist but I’m not sure about his facility with character motivation).

67. joel - Jan 3 '08, 10:36 am

    I thought Life of Pi was still with M. Night Shyamalan but I see it’s not listed with anyone on IMDb currently. That seems to be another ping-pong pre-production hell script.

68. Craig Kennedy - Jan 3 '08, 11:01 am

    This is why I only look into the future once a year. There is too much rumor and conjecture and high hopes. Once cameras are rolling and a date is set, then I’m interested.

69. Alexander - Jan 3 '08, 11:55 am

    Gosh, I hope Life of Pi stays out of Shyamalan’s hands. You’re right, joel, it sure has ping-ponged all over the place.

    Agreed, Craig.

    Agreed about The Proposition being disappointing, sartre. It had a few good moments but it mostly fell flat for me.

    As much as I hate to say it, I fear any adaptatiion of The Road is going to turn out to be something nearing a disaster. I’d like to think not but that is just my fear.

70. sartre - Jan 3 '08, 12:03 pm

    Life of Pi presents a real challenge. The fantastical that we can accept in literaure is always tricky to make convincing on film.

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