Thursday, August 18, 2011

Fall Movie Preview Part 3

Wrapping up the Fall Movie Preview. See you at the Cineplex.


J. EDGAR – Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar Hoover biopic. Oscar talk already. J.Edgar’s gowns supposedly knockout!

HUGO – After directing BOARDWALK EMPIRE for television, Martin Scorsese decided to return to features before getting roped into megging episodes of THE GLADES. This one is set in 1931 Paris, features the obligatory Parisian robot, and is shot in Trois-D.

THE ARTIST – A silent movie shot in black-in-white. It’s not like MR. WOODCOCK where the release date kept getting pushed back. Wasn’t made originally in 1921 and held back until the right opening weekend could be found. Supposed to be amazing.


TOWER HEIST – Caper film starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy. They try to steal $20,000,000 from someone who didn’t deserve it originally. If they want to accomplish the same thing Eddie could just give back the money he took for MEET DAVE and THE ADVENTURES OF PLUTO NASH.


JACK AND JILL – Adam Sandler plays dual roles as a brother and his sister. This way he can be twice as unfunny.


MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – A week in the life of Marilyn Monroe. But not a week in which she slept with Sinatra, DiMaggio, Miller, Kazan, Dougherty, Slatzer, Montand, Gable, Brando, Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy, or (as a favor to one of the Kennedys) Lawford. Makes you wonder what did happen the week they picked.


A DANGEROUS METHOD – Viggo Mortensen as Sigmund Freud. When Michael Fassbender as Carl Jung bangs Keira Knightley, Siggie goes all TEXAS CHAINSAW 3 on his analytical ass.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – The story of Diablo Cody.

THE DESCENDANTS – Alexander Payne’s first film since SIDEWAYS. Can’t wait. One of my favorite filmmakers and one of my favorite stars -- George Clooney.


WAR HORSE – Not to be confused with the Cher concert film. Steven Spielberg directs this adaptation of an extraordinary play set in World War I.


SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS – Robert Downey Jr. is back as the badass sleuth facing his arch nemesis Moriarty (played by Jared Harris – Bryce Lane from MAD MEN). He can’t outwit Joan, how’s he going to do against Sherlock Holmes?

NEW YEAR’S EVE – Follow up to Garry Marshall’s VALENTINE’S DAY. Same thing. A holiday theme, bunch of stars, gaggle of little story lines. Next up for Garry, YOM KIPPUR.


THE IRON LADY – Since everybody knows it’s impossible to find a good British actress, they had to resort to Meryl Streep to play former prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. Judi Densch, Helen Mirren, and Maggie Smith probably read and just weren’t right. I mean, you just don’t believe them as English. Not like you do with Meryl Streep.


ALBERT NOBBS – Glenn Close as a woman who masquerades as a male butler in 19th Century Ireland. Not only does she pull it off, everyone thinks she’s Red Buttons.


THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN – The lovable German shepherd is back with Rusty and the rest of the gang from Fort Apache. Oh wait. That’s Rin Tin Tin. This is a motion-capture movie of a Belgium comic book character. Directed by Steven Spielberg. So it’s the “childlike wonder” Steven Spielberg as opposed to the “ravages of war-where’s my Oscar?” Steven Spielberg.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCAL – Before you say, “Oh no, not again”, this one is directed by Pixar’s Brad Bird so expect a decent story that makes sense for once. As for Tom Cruise -- he can run, he can jump, he can grin, he can grimace. That’s pretty much all any director is going to get out of the guy.

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: SHIPWRECKED -- The events in Germany that led to the emergence of Adolph Hitler.

26 comments :

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Aw god dammit why do all my favorite people in Hollywood have to work with this Scientology nutjob?

I mean come ON. Brad Bird? Mr. Incredible himself?

I have to see that chipmunk movie. Can't wait to see who will have to stay in the room.

Joe C said...

Hopefully, Glenn Close will use the "Never got a dinner" line somewhere in the movie

purplejilly said...

I've got a friday question for you - who is the person who decides what goes into a movie trailer? I have seen some movie trailers where I think "Huh. They've just shown me the entire plot. Maybe there's a twist." and I go and see the movie, and there is no twist. and the preview trailer had all the best scenes. Then with other movies, I watch the trailer, and either I can't tell what the movie is about, or when I do go see it, it is NOTHING like the trailer portrayed it. I wonder if there is a lot of backstage squabbling between the writer or director ot producer with the studios about what the trailer should be.

Also, have you seen those 're-cut' trailers on youtube, where these clever young kids take scenes from movies, and recut them so the movie looks completely different from the trailer? Some of them are funny as anything, and it's made me realize you sure can't judge a movie by its trailer!

Mary Stella said...

ALBERT NOBBS – Glenn Close as a woman who masquerades as a male butler in 19th Century Ireland. Not only does she pull it off, everyone thinks she’s Red Buttons.

Looking at that photograph, they should have cast Glenn Close to imitate Sir John Gielgud as the butler in the remake of Arthur.

Anonymous said...

Simon H - Worse than that, he's a Scientologist.

RCP said...

"...and is shot in Trois-D" - Groan. I didn't realize there were so many dimensions to your humor.

Actually, a number of these look quite good. And you're right about Glenn Close resembling Red Buttons - if he were brought back from Pet Semetary.

AlaskaRay said...

sephim said...
Simon H - Worse than that, he's a Scientologist

I have no particular affinity for Scientology or Scientologists, but I must ask, when did overt religious bigotry become acceptable?

Ray

Eduardo Jencarelli said...

So it’s the “childlike wonder” Steven Spielberg as opposed to the “ravages of war-where’s my Oscar?” Steven Spielberg.

This quote just made my day. Spielberg in a nutshell.

Brad Bird might be directing Mission Impossible 4, but J.J. Abrams still has story credit in it. He's also producing it.

Doug Thompson said...

ALBERT NOBBS – Glenn Close as a woman who masquerades as a male butler in 19th Century Ireland. Not only does she pull it off, everyone thinks she’s Red Buttons.

Thank goodness this isn't one of those blogs where young whippersnappers write in asking "Who is Red Buttons?"

Ho ho, hee hee!

Sue in Seattle said...

Damn, Ken!! I sprayed my coffee all over my desk with the Red Buttons line!!!

jbryant said...

Close looks a bit like Wilfrid Lawson, too.

I don't know if David Seville was a Nazi or a Scientologist, but he was guy who dressed chipmunks in little outfits and raised them like his kids. Definitely a weirdo.

Matso Limtiaco said...

There's an extreme level of cognitive dissonance that occurs when you see "chipmunks" and "Hitler" in the same paragraph. I'll be chuckling over that for weeks.

cadavra said...

HUGO is based on a well-received children's book and is certainly a departure for Scorsese. I'm stoked for it.

Assuming you weren't kidding, MY WEEK WITH MARILYN takes place during the production of the 1957 film THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL, with Kenneth Branagh co-starring as Laurence Olivier. Another must-see in my book. Others, of course, may feel otherwise.

Ref said...

Wow, Branagh finally gets a credit for impersonating Olivier.

Kathryn Hartog said...

Is there a reason Pixar directors are suddenly pointing cameras at real-life people? Andre Stanton's doing John Carter and Brad Bird with MI...

Cap'n Bob said...

The thing is, Alaskaray, Scientology is no more a religion than Amway is. It's a scam and a hustle, and a dangerous cult. By supporting people like Cruise you also support the cult, if indirectly. You should check out Operation Clambake to acquaint yourself more on this subject.

Bill White said...

Red Buttons- Huh-Yuck!

Pat Reeder said...

Aside from the silent movie (I love silent movies anyway, and every awards show makes me long for the days when actors couldn't talk), this is the film I'm looking forward to the most:

http://filmdrunk.uproxx.com/2011/08/a-fancy-british-period-drama-about-the-inventor-of-vibrators

Anonymous said...

diCaprio as Howard Hughes, now as J.Edgar. Seriously...? Cut together scenes from Scorcese diCaprio films, they would seem like basically the same pretty boy actor-lite. Try the same with deNiro, radical difference. It's like after years of deNiro-strength drugs, he's had to adjust with diCaprio-methadone. There's never going to be a Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, etc.. going to come out of di Caprio/Scorcese.
The guy looks like an overstretched Jimmy Cagney - oh no, no do NOT do the Jimmy Cagney bio next please!

Anonymous said...

AlaskaRay said...

I have no particular affinity for Scientology or Scientologists, but I must ask, when did overt religious bigotry become acceptable?


That sounds like something a Scientologist would say.

Matt Patton said...

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN -- So we get Branagh as Olivier making nasty anti-semitic remarks about Monroe's acting coach Paula Strasberg and chafing because a WOMAN is producing the movie and because he couldn't cast his wife as his leading lady (Larry was pleasant when he couldn't get Viv as his leading lady when he wanted her--as Joan Fontaine found out when she was shooting Rebecca.

Matt Patton said...

Larry wasn't pleasant.

bevo said...

AlaskaRay said... I have no particular affinity for Scientology or Scientologists, but I must ask, when did overt religious bigotry become acceptable?

When did Scientology morph from being a cult into a religion?

KXB said...

Re. George Clooney- how is it his movies are NEVER as good as they look on paper?

Krupuk said...

About the Artist, here's the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDY8dfwGQNU

I think it looks really good. And the main actor Jean Dujardin has already starred in the two OSS117 movies, also period movies from the 60's.