LiC 2008 Fall Forecast: November
Daniel Craig is James Bond in Quantum of Solace
With a few exceptions, November isn’t feeling like a very strong month for movies. There are several decent prospects, but the filler isn’t as interesting. Here’s hoping the Harry Potter Reshuffle will attract another title or two between now and then. Either way, we continue. Fine print: dates subject to change, blah blah blah, LiC picks marked with a star, yadda yadda yadda.
November 7
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. What do you say about a sequel to a movie you never saw? Liked the first one? Here’s another. Skipped it? There’s nothing to see here. Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and crew return to provide the voices of the animals now stranded on Madagascar. Trying to make it home, they manage to make it as far as the plains of Africa. I’ll admit DreamWorks Animation charmed me with Kung Fu Panda so I guess anything is possible.
Role Models. I’m still waiting for Paul Rudd to completely own a movie. Here he’s paired with Seann William Scott and they play two screw ups who must choose between jail or mentoring troubled children. Of course they pick the latter, otherwise the movie would be called Oz. Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad) plays a 16-year-old a little too heavily into medieval role-play. Elizabeth Banks plays Rudd’s ex-girlfriend. Banks and Rudd sound like a good combo to me, but it might also turn out to be low concept crap.
Soul Men. This one wasn’t even on my radar until Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes died. Mac stars with Samuel L. Jackson in a comedy drama about two aging backup singers who agree to take a road trip together in order to perform at a tribute concert for their former bandleader. The problem is, the pair haven’t spoken in 20 years.
November 14
*Quantum of Solace. I loved James Bond all through my childhood but I finally let it go between the Dalton and Brosnan years. Then I was surprised at how well Sony did with Casino Royale and it got me looking forward to the next Bond film for the first time since high school. I’m skeptical about their ability to pull it off again (and I’m pretty convinced that anything good the Broccoli’s do at this point is purely an accident), but consider me on board and hopeful. On the other hand, Paul Haggis’ name on the screenplay again gives me pause.
*The Road (Wide: 11/21). Viggo Mortensen, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce and Charlize Theron in an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning post-apocalyptic Cormac McCarthy novel. Directed by John (The Proposition) Hillcoat, this could be the feel bad movie of the season and I can’t wait.
November 21
Bolt. In Disney’s 3-D animated talking animal comedy, John Travolta is the voice of Bolt, a TV dog superhero. When he becomes lost, Bolt believes he can actually rely on the heroic skills and powers of his TV character to find his way back home.
The Soloist. Jamie Foxx plays Nathaniel Ayers, the true-life musical prodigy who succumbed to schizophrenia and ended up homeless on the streets of Los Angeles. Robert Downey, Jr. plays the journalist who discovered him. I’m thrilled to see Downey’s continued career resurgence, but this looks like the kind of faux-inspirational, based on a true story, Oscar-baity populist crap that gives me a rash. I hope I’m wrong. Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice) directs.
Twilight. The first of Stephenie Meyer’s popular novels comes to the big screen and teen girls across the country are giddy with delight. Kristen Stewart plays a girl who goes to live with her father in a small Northwest town where she meets the vampire of her dreams.
November 26
*Australia. Baz Luhrman’s epic adventure romance takes place on the eve of World War II as English aristrocrat Nicole Kidman travels from England down under for some inherited land. There she joins up with Hugh Jackman’s rugged cattle driver who helps her protect her ranch from greedy cattle barons. I’m getting a Bogey/Hepburn vibe off of this one for some reason. Here’s hoping it’s half as good as the Huston film. Call it The Australian Queen.
Four Christmases. One crappy holiday movie. Ok, actually maybe this one has potential. Unhappily married couple Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon have their exotic holiday plans free from family commitments foiled by a San Francisco fog. Instead they’re forced to spend the holidays with four different branches of the family, one for each divorced parent. I like the cast. I like the cynical slant. Call it a maybe.
*Milk (Limited). Sean Penn is San Francisco city supervisor and gay-rights icon Harvey Milk, the first openly gay American man to hold public office. His career was cut short when he was murdered along with San Francisco mayor George Moscone by fellow supervisor Dan White. Gus Van Sant directs and I’m looking forward to seeing him work on a slightly bigger canvas than he has in his recent films.
Transporter 3. In 2002, Corey Yuen and Jason Statham transported you. In 2005, Louis Leterrier and Jason Statham transported you back. Now, in 2008, Olivier Megaton and Jason Statham will transport you a third time with a quadruple back flip and a lemon twist while holding a gun in each hand and one between the teeth. It’s going to be Transportacular. Are you buying my fake enthusiasm?
November 28
Slumdog Millionaire. Danny Boyle didn’t impress many people with his most recent effort Sunshine, but I liked it. Yes, even the ending. Here the director of Trainspotting returns to earth with a true story about a poor street kid from Mumbai who wins top prize on a million dollar game show. The story isn’t doing anything for me, but I’ve still got a reserve of respect for Boyle and I’ll be looking forward to this one.
Up Next: December
Filed under: Previews
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Oh baby, baby, BABY….
Are you kidding me, my precious little lamb chop?
November is THE month, Craig. It’s the only decent one that you’ve looked at so far.
*Ahem*
DANIEL CRAIG as JAMES BOND (with the awesome JUDI DENCH as - hee hee - M)?
NICOLE KIDMAN and HUGH JACKMAN in AUSTRALIA?
Plus MILK (with SEAN PENN and JAMES FRANCO) is likely to be an enormous awards magnet. THE SOLOIST (with JOE WRIGHT directing ROBERT DOWNEY JR.) may be worth a good long look as well.
All I can say is: Thank God for November!
Now let’s hurry and get on to December, where you have Christmas and my birthday and all that fun exciting whiz bang stuff.
It’s the purrfect end to the year. If I do say so myself.
And I do….
I’m with you beat by beat with all of your picks, although I’m not looking forward to Milk as much. I’m interested to see what James Franco can do, but biopics always burn me - I never seem to enjoy them that much.
An interesting note on 4 Christmases: I have a screewriting book called “Save the Cat” where the author discusses what makes a great logline. The first example he gives is of 4 Christmases - “A newly married couple must spend Christmas Day at each of their four divorced parent’s homes.” Vince Vaugh and Resse Witherspoon don’t sell me, but I’ve always remembered that logline. The spec script sold for 6-7 figures.
November is definitely the month where every single movie could be a disaster or we could have a lot of cinematic gold. Or just mediocre, OK movies. Anything is possible with these options all things considered.
I’m hopeful for The Road, Milk, and Quantum of Solace, although I agree with Evan that biopics almost always end in pain. I have no hope at all for Australia, but we’ll see if Miranda is right on that one. I think Boyle could really surprise us with Slumdog Millionaire, considering Millions was a fairly strong movie, but then again he’s travelling well-worn territory AND the concept has the stink of a Disney film…so I’m cautiously hopeful.
The beauty of this is that half the October releases will arrive here in November, so it all balances out for me.
Like I said in the opening paragraph Miranda, the highlights are fine, but the filler leaves something to be desired. The big picture is weak.
I also second Evan’s remark about biographies (sorry, the other word is banned at LiC). If it wasn’t for Van Sant, I wouldn’t care as much.
My picks of interest perfectly fit in with Craig’s, and Joel’s (except I think Australia could be great, or just middling, or possibly bad, but I admire the ambition already) and probably nearly everyone else.
What’s funny is that Jackman looks quite Bondian in that shot in the at that party or whatever in the Australia.
Evidently, Milk won’t be your standard-issue biographical feature (in full respect of not using the LiC-banned word) with Van Sant directing it.
There’s another Bond movie coming out?!
I didn’t realize Milk was on the way so soon. Sorry folks, November sounds just as good to me as Sept. and Oct. did. I’ll be at the theater every week for sure.
Biopic! Biopic!
*runs away cackling*
hahah Daniel…I didn’t say others weren’t free to use it, I just can’t.
Two big “yesses” this month with Quantum of Solace and The Road. Maybe on Milk. I never trust Van Sant’s instincts when doing Oscar material.
What is Australia going to be like? Has it been eight years since a Luhrmann movie.
And what’s the story with Reese Witherspoon’s career. She was churning out lighthearted hit after lighthearted hit. Then the Oscar. Now we’ll see about Four Christmases.
The Curse of the Oscar.
Babies and divorces?
Australia is a toss-up in my opinion, but I’m hoping it will be epic and fun.
I actually like Nicole Kidman though, so there’s that.
keep we please stop these talking animals movies. *please*
that’s write get rid of supehero movies and talking animals stuff..and big action movies too.
yeah i mot the most realistic person in the world. ha ha…
but please no more talking animal/pixar stuff.i’m gonna take that dvd from your hands too !!! ;)
Gotta disagree with you on THE SOLOIST. That is one of my most eagerly awaited fall films. The joining of one of Britain’s brightest rising stars with one of America’s best actors (RDJ) has my ticket bought and sold. I’ve read the story it’s based on, and it is inspiring. Not every inspirational film is bad and not every melancholy film is good.
MILK, THE ROAD, and QUANTUM OF SOLACE are my other must-sees. I’ll hold off on AUSTRALIA until I read some reviews.
November’s shaping up to be a pretty good month, film-wise. Everything else-wise depends on what happens on that fateful Tuesday.
I hope you’re right about Soloist. I agree with you about the cast, it’s just this kind of thing tickles a genetic response in me. Here’s hoping I’m wrong.