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Home > Blogs > Sir Critic on Cinema > Archives > 2009 > September > 02 > Entry
November’s movies: Scrooge, Twilight, Nine, etc.
How much we need to give thanks for November’s movies remains to be seen, but the months slate does hold some promise. In case you missed them, I covered September and October already.
NOVEMBER 6
The pitch: Cameron Diaz and James Marsden come into possession of a mysterious box that promises fortune but portends doom.
The buzz: The premise sounds Twilight Zone-ish; the director is Richard Kelly, who made the cult hit Donnie Darko and the less acclaimed Southland Tales. Hard to get a read on this one, but I’ll put my faith in the cast, which also includes Frank Langella.
The prospect: B
The pitch: Scrooge is haunted by those pesky spirits again, this time in mo-cap 3D, Polar Express-style.
The buzz: As I stated before, I’m growing weary of Robert Zemeckis’ fixation on motion capture animated movies, but I have to admit, the footage here looks very impressive. If it’s as good as Polar Express was in IMAX 3D, this stands to be one of the best movie Carols.
The prospect: B
The pitch: Milla Jovovich goes to Alaska to investigate unexplained disappearances in a town. Is it alien abduction?
The buzz: Can’t get a read on this one way or the other.
The prospect: C
The pitch: The movie with fall’s quirkiest title is about a reporter (Ewan McGregor) who meets a man (George Clooney) who claims to be a member of the U.S. Army’s First Earth Battalion, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions.
The buzz: Based on the cast and the title alone, I’m quite intrigued; Clooney’s instincts lately have been very sound.
The prospect: A
NOVEMBER 13
The pitch: It’s the end of the world as we know it … and I don’t feel fine.
The buzz: Roland Emmerich, who made The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day, blows stuff up real good again, this time taking good actors like John Cusack, Thandie Newton and Chiwetel Ejiofor with him. Those names are not enough to rescue me from Emmerich destructo-fatigue.
The prospect: C
The pitch: Love Actually writer-director Richard Curtis returns with a 1960’s comedy about a pirate radio station run by a band of rogue DJs.
The buzz: Early reviews have been less than kind, but I can’t help but be interested in a film by this director, with actors as funny as Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy and Nick Frost around. This was originally and more cleverly titled The Boat That Rocked.
The prospect: B
NOVEMBER 20
The pitch: This is the true story of Michael Oher, a disadvantaged teen who made his way into the NFL.
The buzz: This is an entry in the true-life/feel good sports drama, and this one was directed by John Lee Hancock, who mined similar territory very successfully in The Rookie. Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw co-star.
The prospect: B
The pitch: The inhabitants of Planet 51 recoil in fear at an alien invader - an astronaut.
The buzz: The premise has potential, but these movies with second-rate CGI rarely work because they usually have second-rate stories too.
The prospect: C
The pitch: An overweight, illiterate teen pregnant with her second child goes to an in alternative school, where others hope she can turn her life around.
The buzz: This developed considerable buzz for the performance by Mo’Nique and the trailer looks very powerful. It’s based on the acclaimed novel Push.
The prospect: A
The pitch: When the relationship between vampire/teen Edward and Bella is threatened, ta-da! Enter a love triangle, via Jacob.
The buzz: Twilight SAGA? Oy. Pretentious, much? All churlishness aside, I did like the first film, and I’m curious to see what new director Chris Weitz brings to the franchise.
The prospect: B
NOVEMBER 25 (Wednesday before Thanksgiving)
The pitch: Angry farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with a fox, look to get rid of said fox. Based on a story by Roald Dahl.
The buzz: I found it rather interesting that the trailer pimps the voice talent (George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray) without saying word one about who made it: Wes Anderson, who directed Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums. For that reason alone, I’m sold.
The prospect: A
The pitch: A film director (Daniel Day-Lewis) struggles to find the meaning of his life and work - and sings too.
The buzz: This musical adaptation of Fellini’s 8 1/2 looks to be one of this fall’s huge Oscar tickets, with a cast also featuring Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Penelope Cruz and Sophia Loren. The director is Rob Marshall, who scored rather big in this genre with Chicago.
The prospect: A
The pitch:Rain plays a rogue ninja who helps a Berlin-based Interpol agent who has linked a secret society of assassins who trained Raizo, to a series of murders.
The buzz: The premise sounds a little ho-hum, but I’m intrigued by the director James McTeigue, who also made V for Vendetta.
The prospect: B
The pitch:Robin Williams plays a successful businessman whose life turns upside down altered when an old flame turns up with twins in tow. Williams enlists his best friend and colleague John Travolta to co-parent.
The buzz: The director who made Wild Hogs returns with another movie about angsty middle-agers trying to be funny. Wild Hogs never interested me, and I’m sorry to say that these days, Robin Williams’ presence in a comedy is not the good sign it used to be.
The prospect: C
The pitch: Cormac McCarthey’s post-apocalyptic novel comes to the big screen.
The buzz: This was delayed from last year, and early negative reviews have dampened my enthusiasm, despite the book’s stellar reputation.
The prospect: C
The pitch: George Clooney plays a corporate downsizing expert who meets the woman of his dreams (Vera Farmiga).
The buzz: The new film from Jason Reitman, the director of Juno, has gotten some absolutely stellar reviews from early screenings, and Paramount is throwing its weight behind it as an Oscar contender. I’m more than a little intrigued.
The prospect: A
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Comments
By SRCputt
September 3, 2009 6:35 AM | Link to this
With A Christmas Carol, Jim Carrey is Scrooge and all 3 ghosts. Gary Oldman is Crachit, Marley, and Tiny Tim. That rating is A in my book.