Australia
November 22, 2008
Director:
Baz Luhrmann
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
The Plot: Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat (Kidman) who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man (Jackman) in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, they experience the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by Japanese forces firsthand.
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THE BUZZ: Originally Russell Crowe was set to star opposite Kidman in this paean to the antipodean outback, but everyone’s favorite bad boy balked at the salary, stating, “I don’t do charity work for major studios.” Charming or surly? In stepped Wolverine to help Mrs. Keith Urban herd cattle, and while we couldn’t be happier that Jackman and Kidman will play dueling cheekbones, the combination of dust, sweat, and livestock seems a far cry from Luhrmann’s usually spangled-and-sumptuous milieu. This better deliver more than cattle or you’re looking at the Australian Atonement come Oscar time.
An Update, with an Even Cattier Quote: In response to reports that Fox pressured Luhrmann to go with a more-uplifting ending than the one screened to test audiences, the director had this to say: “You really think that on my films people tell me what to do? I don’t think so — on my films I decide.” Additionally, Luhrmann said it will be a surprise as to which of the three endings he shot will end up attached to the final print.
Milk
November 22, 2008
Director:
Gus Van Sant
Stars: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch
Studio: Focus Features
The Plot: A chronicle of Harvey Milk’s (Penn) ascent to become San Francisco’s first openly gay city supervisor in 1977, and the political fallout that led to his assassination, as well as Mayor George Moscone’s, the following year.
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THE BUZZ: While millions of Californians are reeling from Proposition 8’s passage, Gus van Sant turns the clock back 30 years, to a golden moment in San Francisco that, though it soon turned to rust, provided a singular voice for the city’s gay and lesbian population (perhaps something that was missing for Prop 8). I am fortunate enough to live in said city, and it was striking to see what the Milk crew did with their big budget (well, big for a GVS production) in order to return the Castro to its 70s-era splendor; Milk’s camera store was recreated, the Castro Theater got a hot makeover, classic cars jammed the streets, there were parades, and Sean Penn could be seen traipsing around the Haight, looking foxy in a kimono. (At least I think that was him.) While the film received its fair share of attention toward the end of the summer — James Franco, who plays Milk’s lover, seemed to enjoy throwing a kink in Pineapple Express press junkets by describing what it was like to kiss Sean Penn — we already know that distributor Focus Features (still smarting from Brokeback?) has an Oscar campaign waiting in the wings. Will Josh Brolin, who here plays city-supervisor-turned-assassin Dan White, receive a nomination for this role, or for W., or both?
Four Christmases
November 22, 2008
Director:
Seth Gordon
Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn, Mary Steenburgen
Studio: New Line Cinema
The Plot: A comedy about a married couple (Witherspoon and Vaughn) from two divorced families who are tasked with attending four Christmas Day celebrations.
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THE BUZZ: Sounds more like Christmas with the Kranks to us, given the reports that Reese and Vince didn’t exactly get along during filming. That’s going to make promoting the movie interesting; picture them on daytime TV together: him rumpled and probably hungover, her glowering and taking questions about her other upcoming projects. Maybe this one should end with the main characters going about their separate ways. That sure seemed to work for The Break Up …
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Transporter 3
November 22, 2008
Director:
Olivier Megaton
Stars: Jason Statham, Robert Knepper, Katia Tchenko
Studio: Lionsgate
The Plot: Frank Martin (Statham) puts the driving gloves on for a third mission: To deliver Valentina (Rudakova), the kidnapped daughter of a Ukranian government official, from Marseilles to Odessa on the Black Sea. En route, he’ll have to contend with thugs who want to intercept Valentina’s safe delivery and not let his personal feelings get in the way of his dangerous objective.
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THE BUZZ: Looks like a much leaner (as in: 0% body fat) Jason Statham has punched in for a third-and-final? installment of the franchise that helped him break big in America. But do me a favor: Watch the teaser trailer and let me know if you think it’s kind of embarrassing that the production — which is still being steered by writer/producer Luc Besson, but is in the hands of graffiti-artist-turned-director Olivier Megaton — lifted a story convention from Statham’s Crank 2: High Voltage? In C2, Statham has a rejiggered heart that needs electrical jolts to keep ticking, here in T3, he’s been outfitted with a silver bangle that will detonate if removed. Is this a metaphor for what might happen to Statham if he ever decides to transition out of action-anti-hero mode and into, say, a romantic leading man?
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Special [limited]
November 22, 2008
Director:
Hal Haberman Jeremy Passmore
Stars: Michael Rapaport
Studio: Magnet Releasing
The Plot: Metermaid Les Franken (Rapaport) has an unexpected reaction to the anti-depressant he’s taking as part of a clinical trial; suddenly convinced he’s a superhero, he embraces his new powers, dons a homemade costume, and hits the streets to protect the citizens of his city. the corporation behind the pill, fearing bad publicity about their drug, set out to bring down our hero, who in turn hones his abilities to fight off his new arch-nemeses.
THE BUZZ: This one has been around since ‘06, but Magnet Films has saved it from DVD obscurity as part of their Six Shooter Film Series. You can bank on an ace performance from go-to character actor Michael Rappaport (who is sadly un-super-famous), but reviewers say prepare for a tonal shift that steers the story away from its comedic beginning and into murky, paranoid territory. Is that a good or bad thing? Either way: It sounds better than Hancock to me.
Twilight
November 22, 2008
Director:
Catherine Hardwicke
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke
Studio: Summit Entertainment
The Plot: In her new town of Forks, Washington, misfit teenager Bella Swan (Stewart) falls for her alluring and mysterious classmate, Edward Cullen (Pattinson). As it turns out, Edward belongs to a lineage of vampires, although he doesn’t fit the typical vampire mold. As their passion reaches dizzying heights, can Edward resist his natural urges, and will he be able to defend Bella from his family members who have come for her?
THE BUZZ: In terms of movies, 2008 will be remembered as the year superheroes went truly mainstream and, separately, the industry realized that female and gay male audiences are a neglected demographic. But what about the younger generation — more specifically, teenage girls? Has any studio been able to figure out what they want, aside from Hannah Montana? Enter Catherine Hardwicke’s adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s first novel, a project that first captured our interest very early this year when Kristen Stewart (Bella), Robert Pattinson (Edward), and a handful of their castmates took over our STARmeter chart, well in advance of any available footage from the production. The hype reached its first apex at Comic-Con, when the movie’s panel earned Beatlemania comparisons from aging journalists who covered their ears as the teen girls and their “Twilight Moms” made the event more of a freak-out and less of a presentation. It’s always tricky to predict if Internet buzz will turn into box-office gold (or, in this case, crimson) but I will say this: If the mother-daughter duos turn out for opening weekend (which was pushed up from mid-December to pre-Thanksgiving once Harry Potter decided to hide until 2009), Twilight could trump some higher-profile holiday movies, powered by repeat audiences, and send competing studios rushing off to optioned like-minded novels. Stephenie Meyer is keeping a blog on the movie’s progress, so you might want to bookmark it as your destination for all things vamp as the release date draws near.
Bolt
November 22, 2008
Director: Byron Howard Chris Williams
Stars: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The Plot: Bolt (voice of Travolta) is a celebrity dog and the star of a hit TV show where his amazing feats and powers draw big ratings. But when a mail-room mix-up finds him roaming free on the streets of New York City, the wonder dog will have to learn to rely on his actual strengths — as well as his new friends, an abandoned housecat and a starry-eyed hamster — in order to find his way back home to his owner and co-star, Penny (voice of Cyrus).
THE BUZZ: Disney’s latest morality tale sort of sounds heaps better than, say, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, but way less interesting as the Monsters Vs. Aliens teaser trailer that popped up online earlier this week. Hmm, what else to say? Well, Travolta is nowhere near as creepy to look at here than he was in Wild Hogs and Hairspray. Good luck to Ms. Miley Cyrus in her voice-role debut; she might be barely audible among the presence of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” standout Sussie Essman — listen for her to steal as many scenes as she’s in, though she’ll have to keep her language family-friendly here.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
November 1, 2008
Director:
Mark Herman
Stars: Asa Butterfield, David Thewlis, Rupert Friend
Studio: Miramax Films
The Plot: A WWII-set story as seen through the eyes of Bruno (Butterfield), whose Nazi-Officer father (Thewlis) has just been made the commandant of a concentration camp outside Berlin. Bruno’s eventual friendship with Shmuel, a boy his age who is detained at the camp, will usher in a troublesome reality for Bruno, and lead to a fateful attempt to alter Shmuel’s situation.
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THE BUZZ: Typically cheery British director Mark Herman (Little Voice) looks back to the dark days of WWII in his adaptation of John Boyne’s acclaimed, super-depressing novel. Prepare to be horrified by David Thewlis and Rupert Friend in what could be the saddest film released this year. Awards bait? Certainly. What are its chances? We’ll have to see what sort of push Miramax gives it — they’ve also got Mike Leigh’s buzzing Happy-Go-Lucky on their plate this season …
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House
November 1, 2008
Director:
Robby Henson
Stars: Reynaldo Rosales, Heidi Dippold, Michael Madsen
Studio: Roadside Attractions
The Plot: A freak accident strands a couple on a deserted back road in Alabama. Happening upon the Wayside Inn, they meet another couple — victims of a similar accident — and thus begins a game enacted by a killer known as the Tin Man. Can the couples survive the night, knowing the only “safe” way out of the inn is to kill one of the four of them?
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THE BUZZ: This adaptation of the best-selling novel from Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti finally locked in a post-Halloween release after a year of come-and-go dates. Seeming to combine elements of the Saw legacy, Vacancy, and even Se7en, the material here focuses on the struggle between Good and Evil; that fact, combined with the faith of the writers, is causing a lot of people to brand House as a “Christian cult film.” Be that as it may, the trailer reveals a potentially controversial phrase (the villain apparently “killed God” after he let Him into his house) — a brazen statement that to me makes Jigsaw (who is so tired after Saw V) and his ilk feel somewhat tame in comparison. Director Robby Henson has worked from novels by Dekker (Thr3e) and Peretti (The Visitation) before, and something tells me this triad will find their greatest success working together. Fans of the hardworking Michael Madsen will not be disappointed here, either.
Role Models
November 1, 2008
Director:
David Wain
Stars: Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks
Studio: Universal Pictures
The Plot: Unsavory behavior forces a pair of energy-drink reps (Rudd and Scott) to enroll in a Big Brother program, where the duo learn, however reluctantly, to bond with their assigned kids.
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THE BUZZ: David Wain (The Ten) isn’t nearly as famous as Judd Apatow, but he got his career started the same way (both guys turned oddball comedy shows into cult hits in the early/mid-90s) before taking tentative steps toward the big screen. And from the sound of this movie’s premise, it appears that Wain is learning the lesson Apatow aced a few years ago: Get less cerebral with your comedy, rotate key players through your projects, and gun for the hard-R rating. I’m curious as to why these Models earned a winter release when they are clearly a summer-movie confection, though it is a savvy and rather funny counter-programming effort by Universal …
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