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Monday, January 5, 2009
January movies: What’s coming up?
Now that we all need to start remembering to write “09,” it’s time to look at what the movies will bring us in the early part of the new year. This month, it usually ain’t much.
Most movie fans hate January because that’s when the studios scrape the bottoms of their barrels and dump their shavings on us. Still, it’s not all bad. With Southwest Ohio being a smaller market, we get a handful of the Oscar contenders that have already reached “select cities.”
Here’s what’s coming - and in some cases, will be going before the month is out. Here’s what the prospect grades mean.
A= Can’t wait
B= Curious, but not dying
C= Eh
D= Close to death
F= I’d rather watch any Michael Bay movie except Bad Boys II.
JANUARY 9
Bride Wars
The lowdown: Friends Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson find out they’re getting married the same day at the same place and squabble a lot.
The forecast: The two leads can be very appealing, but the trailers make it look very paint-by-numbers.
The prospect: C
Gran Torino
The lowdown: Clint Eastwood hearkens back to his tough-guy roles in this drama about a bigot who becomes an unlikely protector of his Asian neighbors.
The forecast: Reviews so far have been wildly mixed, with some people loving it, and some hating it. Still, Clint is almost always interesting to watch, even when he misses. But when he hits …
The prospect: B
Not Easily Broken
The lowdown: A car accident tears asunder the lives of Clarice Johnson (Taraji P Henson) and her husband, Dave (Morris Chestnut) — then begin to develop feelings for other people.
The forecast: No read on this one.
The prospect: C
The Unborn
The lowdown: Haunted by strange, Casey learns he had had a twin brother who never made it to term, and that her intended sibling is tied to a curse that requires Casey’s death to take effect.
The forecast: David S. Goyer, who co-wrote the recent Batman movies, directs. Sorry, but I’m not excited about Goyer’s involvement unless Christopher Nolan directs.
The prospect: F
JANUARY 16
Defiance
The lowdown: A group of Jewish brothers organize the largest armed rescue of Jews during the Holocaust. Daniel Craig leads the cast.
The forecast: Director Ed Zwick’s output has been uneven, ranging from the excellent Glory to the ponderous Legends of the Fall (Asleep). At the least, I hope this film falls somewhere in the middle. Reviews are decidedly mixed.
The prospect: B
Hotel for Dogs
The lowdown: Orphaned teens Emma Roberts and Jake T. Austin turn an abandoned house into a canine hostel.
The forecast: For a long time, people have been saying that Roberts had real potential to be a bona-fide movie star, but the right vehicle hasn’t come her way, really. Could this be it? I’d feel more confident if the release weren’t in January.
The prospect: C
Last Chance Harvey
The lowdown: Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman star in this story of a couple who meet when Hoffman’s life is at a low ebb.
The forecast: Even though reviews are so-so, I can’t help but think that two leads as good as these hold at least some promise.
The prospect: B
My Bloody Valentine 3D
The lowdown: Tom returns to his hometown on the tenth anniversary of the Valentine’s night massacre that claimed the lives of 22 people when he becomes suspected of the killings.
The forecast: Ooh - schlocky horror that will probably suck in not two, but three dimensions!
The prospect: F
Notorious
The lowdown: The story of the late rapper Notorious BIG.
The forecast: There’s certainly potential for a good movie here, but I just can’t get all that excited with a mid-level director, George Tillman Jr. (Men of Honor) at the helm.
The prospect: C
Paul Blart, Mall Cop
The lowdown: A bumbling mall cop is called upon to save the day when thieves invade. Lots of fat jokes ensue.
The forecast: You know, for a second there I really thought that Kevin James might have a nice movie career based on his fun performance in Hitch. Now he seems bent on proving me wrong, starring in a lower-rent vehicle produced by Adam Sandler. Pity.
The prospect: F
JANUARY 23
The Dark Knight
The lowdown: If you don’t know by now, you really need to get out more. It comes back out in theaters to capitalize on hoped-for Oscar nominations. And yes, you should see it again, especially if you haven’t seen it in IMAX, for which it was specifically designed.
Inkheart
The lowdown: A little girl tries to rescue her father (Brendan Fraser), a bookbinder who can bring characters to life by reading aloud.
The forecast: The premise certainly holds promise. Director Iain Softley can be hit (Wings of the Dove) or miss (The Skeleton Key), but I’m intrigued enough to be optimistic.
The prospect: B
Revolutionary Road
The lowdown: A young couple raising a family in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s look to break free from their mediocre lives.
The forecast: Kate (Winslet) and Leo (DiCaprio) together again at last, directed by Kate’s Husband, Sam Mendes, the director of American Beauty and Road to Perdition. Initial buzz was very high based on the cast and director, but the film’s momentum has seriously flagged, with many people calling it “too depressing.” I remain excited to see it nonetheless. With this crew, even a miss will he fascinating.
The prospect: A
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
The lowdown: The vampires and werewolves bloody each other up in this prequel.
The forecast: Hey, I actually liked the first Underworld, but I thought the crummy sequel exhausted all the goodwill of the series.
The prospect: D
JANUARY 30
New in Town
The lowdown: Renee Zellweger plays a city slicker who finds herself stuck in cold Podunk Minnesota amid pratfalls and such.
The forecast: Zellweger is always watchable, but I get the distinct sense she looked at her stack of underwhelming scripts, found nothing really good and picked this one at random.
The prospect: C
Taken
The lowdown:A former spy (Laim Neeson) uses his skills to save his daughter who was kidnapped by slave traders during her vacation in Paris.
The forecast: It’s always good to see Neeson heading up a movie, but a low-rent action flick that gets a January release? Ehhh …
The prospect: C
The Uninvited
The lowdown: After her mother’s death and her subsequent hospital stay, a girl is concerned about her new stepmother (Elizabeth Banks), who looks decidedly sinister.
The forecast: I’m torn. On the one hand, I always love to watch Banks, but what’s she doing in a retread of all those “The (Blank) from Hell” that came out in the early 90s like The Hand That Rocks the Cradle? Banks could make it work, but the previews make it seem awfully predictable.
The prospect: C
The Wrestler
The lowdown: Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) makes his way through the independent circuit, trying to get back in the game for one final showdown with his former rival.
The forecast: This has been winning raves across the board, especially for Rourke. I’m always up for any film by director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, the underrated The Fountain.)
The prospect: A
What are you looking forward to/dreading at the movies this month?
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