Sunday, July 13, 2008

by Brian

The end of the year movie season is nearly upon us and, as has become standard, the big studios are holding the majority of their dramatic works for such a time when they might best be remembered by those whacky Oscar voters. More and more movies are crammed into the waning days of December each passing year, here are 10 that if not buzzed about, will soon have their day on screen.

Burn After Reading: The latest film by the Coens surely needs no help from me to promote fresh off the brothers award winning past 12 months. The cast - Pitt, Clooney, Swinton, McDormand, (to name but a few) - is unquestionably impressive. Yet, an edge of hesitation lies within, due to the Coens last two straight comedies being arguably their weakest efforts in Intolerable Cruelty and the remake of The Ladykillers. That said, the Coens gave us such comic gems as Raising Arizona, O’ Brother Where Art Thou? and of course the sensational The Big Lebowski. To date, their dramatic works have been all aces, hopefully Burn will be another check in the column for the Coens comedy resume.

Miracle At St Anna:

Unfortunately, the majority of the talk for Spike Lee’s latest film has been in the midst of a recent verbal spat with Clint Eastwood. As Miracle At St Anna draws closer that will likely change, as Lee goes for his most ambitious looking picture since Malcolm X. The tale of four black American soldiers trapped in a small Tuscan village during World War II looks to be an engaging one, aided by a cast including Derek Luke, John Turturro, John Leguizamo, Kerry Washington and recent indie favorite Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Lee’s work has been hit and miss throughout his career, but rarely are they boring.

The Brothers Bloom: The plot for The Brothers Bloom sounds, if anything, cliche. Two con men go for one last big job. Yet, this duo are Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo, who are joined by Rachel Weisz and Rinko Kikuchi. Oh, and The Brothers Bloom also happens to be the big second picture from acclaimed director Rian Johnson, the man who many a cineaste fell for with his debut Brick, the sleek and smart high school film noir that worked despite its pitch. There is quite a bit to savor in Johnson’s latest, aside from the clearly stupendous casting. First and foremost, what else does Johnson have up his sleeves. Is his work more style than substance? Does his dialogue require its catchiness? With so few young American film makers breaking through this decade, after the formidable crop of 90s wonders, one wonders if Johnson can end the slump.

Choke: The excitement and worry of Choke is a constant battle these days. Going for it is a lead performance by the stellar Sam Rockwell, supporting players Angelica Huston and Kelly Macdonald plus being only the second book to be adapted from much beloved/reviled author Chuck Palahniuk, he of Fight Club fame. Choke the novel is a fascinating one and its narration, as in all of Palahniuk’s works, is more than half the fun. Whether the untested Clark Gregg can pull of a solid picture from the author’s words is a mystery. Gregg, an actor whose only past script work is the abysmal What Lies Beneath, is at the helm of the screenplay and directing. The trailer came across as very standard indie fare but critics have largely praised the film in its festival rounds. Palahniuk’s narratives are not of the ordinary variety, hopefully the latest movie won’t be either.

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist: What could be one of the surprise gems of the fall is what looks to be a sweet, charming story of young romance featuring the, let’s just admit it, adorable Michael Cera, the titular Nick. In order to get out of awkwardness with his ex-girlfriend, Nick asks Norah, The 40 Year Old Virgin’s Kat Dennings, to go out with him, if just for a few minutes. The buzz has been solidly building for Playlist, the latest from director Peter Sollett. The concept is simple but the leads are fun and the possibilities could be splendid.

City of Ember: Likely to be picked up and loved by a few and ignored by everyone else is City of Ember, the second film by director Gil Kenan, who helmed the underrated 2006 film Monster House. In an underground society, whose mayor is none other than Bill Murray, the power is going out and a group of teenagers are out to save the day. The plot is classic family fantasy and its recently released trailer is a charmer. Unlikely to be groundbreaking, City of Ember simply appears to be a solid tale, featuring amongst it adults the previously mentioned Murray, Martin Landau and Toby Jones, with its child protagonist being Saoirse Ronan, of Atonement acclaim. With a script by The Nightmare Before Christmas scribe Caroline Thompson, City of Ember fits right into the fall family film slot and possibly a cult classic to be.

Australia: Epic. That is the word for Baz Luhrmann’s Australia. After years of delays, recasting and other issues, Mr. Luhrmann is finally back in a film tailor made for his sweeping visions. The romantic epic is shaky terrain and has not truly clicked in years, a classic genre practically dead in the current Hollywood climate. Luhrmann, however, is not of said climate, working in the titular nation of the film, joined by some of its biggest stars, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, the latter of which seems born to be a grandiose romantic lead. Personally, I find Luhrmann to be a filmmaker bombastic in scope and ideas, weaving them together with a surprising mix of elegance and edge. The visuals unquestionably will be there, whether the rest comes along will be seen in the coming months.

The Road: It appears to be 2007 all over again, just mashed up. Three of last year’s finest contributors to film come together. Viggo Mortensen fresh from Eastern Promises, Cormac McCarthy of No Country for Old Men acclaim and the music team of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, who brought a majestic score to The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Add up and coming director John Hillcoat, who for my money made one of the best westerns of the last 20 years with The Proposition, and you have an absolute must see. The pulitzer prize winning novel has become a modern classic, recently named the best book of the past 25 years by Entertainment Weekly, and reveals a post-apocalyptic world where a father (Mortensen) wanders in fear and hope, doing whatever he must to protect his son. Mortensen has shown time and again to be a commanding presence and will be surrounded by Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron and Robert Duvall in The Road. After two powerhouse performances with David Cronenberg, it will be fascinating to see what else Viggo has up his sleeve. Equally captivating is to discover what type of director Hillcoat can become, given the material he has to build around. The hype is brewing and we may get a true wonder if all those involved click, a masterpiece in the making.

Revolutionary Road:

11 years after they made the most successful film of all time and numerous Oscar nominations later, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet will share the screen again in the newest film by Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road...and they brought Kathy Bates from the boat too. Set in the 1950s, the story is of a married couple’s slow fade in life, losing their passion for one another and trying to start anew, leaving their Connecticut hometown for France. Winslet has proved to be one of cinema’s finest actresses, playing any type of role to perfection. DiCaprio, after years of being seen as nothing but a pretty boy, broke through in 2006 with The Departed and Blood Diamond, finally being heralded as one hell of an actor. Mendes, who won a bevy of Oscar love for his first film American Beauty, has struggled on screen since, making two well received but largely forgotten pictures in Road to Perdition and Jarhead. Back in the realm of marital un-bliss, his scope may be smaller but possibly finer tuned. Either way, it will be interesting to see the reaction to old Kate and Leo back together again.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Like many, I recently sat to watch the latest Indiana Jones film. Smeh. The film’s biggest problem, an unfair one no doubt, is that it followed the trailer for David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Originally written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Button’s titular character is a boy, born old, who slowly becomes a man, who dies young, aging in reverse. Brad Pitt joins Fincher, a third collaboration for the two, and coming off one of the director’s finest achievements, last year’s exquisite Zodiac, a film that in an just over a year has proved to age tremendously well. With a supporting cast of Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton and Julia Ormond, Button already had cinephiles taste’s piqued, the inspired trailer only increased the appetite. In less than two minutes, Fincher and company built a vivid world, epic and intimate, rich and wonderful to see, dreamlike and unquestionably thought out. Fincher spent years away from the screen after Panic Room, and his return has been a joy, appearing as if it could develop into one of the finest of any filmmaker working today.