5. Bridesmaids
Genre. Comedy
Dir. Paul Feig
Starring. Kristen Wiig, Jon Hamm, Rose Byrne
Release. May 13th(US), June 24th (UK)
We all know that the wedding comedy genre has produced some of the greatest films of all time. The Wedding Planner, My Best Friends Wedding, Runaway Bride, and who could forget that instant classic Bride Wars just to name a few. OK so the genre doesn't have the best reputation; I didn't say I was expecting Citizen Kane here.
To set this film back even further, the plot sounds exactly like that annoying episode of Friends where Rachel and Phoebe fight for the position of Monica's maid of honor. Erg.
But putting all of that animosity aside, I still have hope. Kristen Wiig finally gets a leading lady role, and I'm curious to see if she can shine in the spotlight and not slip into her usual supportive character based role. Her name on the writing credits along with the Freaks and Geeks team up of Apatow (producing) and Feig (directing) makes this a promising prospect. Finally a chick flick worth seeing? Or just another fixture for Sunday afternoons on the Oxygen Network? I'm looking forward to finding out.
4. Rango
Genre. Animation
Dir. Gore Verbinski
Starring. Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Bill Nighy
Release. March 4th (US and UK)
I honestly hadn't given Rango a second thought until I saw the trailer. It was one of those rare times when I got that stirring in my gut which slowly blossomed into excitement and finally manifested as a thought: "Could it be? Something...good?" Johnny Depp's name used to be enough to induce this feeling, but lets face it, he's not carrying the same stigma as of late. It's unfortunate, but happens to the best of us.
Anyway, I think this could be more than a sort of Western version of the Ice Age franchise. The character design is truly striking and like nothing I've seen before (it's ILM's first animated feature). I was even more intrigued when I saw a featurette showing how closely the animation was based on actual performances by the actors and without the use of motion capture. Nickelodeon hasn't put out a good film since Good Burger (or before it). Do I smell...redemption?
3. The Way Back
Genre. Drama
Dir. Peter Weir
Starring. Jim Sturgess, Colin Farrell, Ed Harris
Release. Jan 21st (US), Dec 26th 2010 (UK)
Russia, prison break, epic landscapes, Colin Farrell, and lots and lots of walking. This could be a giant miss. There are few things worse in this world than a film that tries too hard to be epic, but somehow fails on all fronts (remember the travesty that was Troy? Oh, and Tron, now that I think of it). But this film has something they didn't: Mr. Weir. I believe in you Peter.
2. The Tree of Life
Genre. Drama
Dir. Terrence Malick
Starring. Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain
Release. May 27th (US), Unannounced (UK)
After watching the trailer a few times, reading several synopses, and consulting with a magic eight ball, I still have no idea what this film is about. Maybe it's something about how a man reflects on his opposing relationships with his mother and father in order to better define himself. Or maybe it's about an astronaut that falls into the ocean, has a baby, plants a tree, has his house flooded, goes rock climbing, goes to church, goes to the beach with a bunch of people in suits, and then visits Niagara Falls. We just don't know. But whatever it is, I'm up for it.
1. Hanna
Genre. Thriller
Dir. Joe Wright
Starring. Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana
Release. April 8th (US & UK)
Ok, who did the titles for this trailer? Seriously who did them? How dare you ruin this for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment