Sunday, August 30, 2009
A+E, In this Issue..., Movies
VAMPIRES! WEREWOLVES! ZOMBIES!
From “New Moon” to “Zombieland,” SP’s top 20 fall flicks
Kimberly French
“New Moon”BY KEVIN FOREST MOREAU AND STEVE WARREN
With all the frightening headlines these days—swine flu, rising unemployment, health care “death squads”—it’s a good thing we’ve got Hollywood to distract us. Serial killers, vampires, zombies, demon cheerleaders … wait, aren’t the movies supposed to be a form of escapism? Sure, there’s a lot of mayhem at the multiplex this fall (including no less than four post-apocalyptic scenarios), but it’s all designed to take our minds off of our real-world problems by entertaining us with otherworldly offerings. And if supernatural beings or fantastic futures aren’t your bag, not to worry: We’ve found a few more traditional comedies and dramas, as well. Here, then, are The Sunday Paper’s picks for the top 20 films of the season. Some release dates listed are educated guesses, and as always, all dates are subject to change.
HALLOWEEN 2 (In theaters now)
WHO: Tyler Mane, Malcolm McDowell
WHAT: Rob Zombie (“The Devil’s Rejects”) picks up where his 2007 “Halloween” reimagining left off, with Michael Myers (Mane) on the trail of his baby sister Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton).
WHY: It’s one of many movies shot in the metro Atlanta area recently. Plus, you like a good scare.
—Kevin Forest Moreau EXTRACT (Sept. 4)
WHO: Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck
WHAT: “Beavis and Butt-Head” creator Mike Judge, who directed the 1999 cult hit “Office Space,” examines life on the management side via Bateman, who plays the put-upon owner of a food-extract manufacturer.
WHY: It’s hard to go wrong with Bateman, Kunis and Kristen Wiig. And whatever you think of “Beavis,” Judge has proven himself a smart filmmaker.—
K.F.M. 9 (Sept. 9)
WHO: Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly
WHAT: Wood, Connelly, Christopher Plummer and John C. Reilly are among the voice actors in this animated adventure—adapted from director Shane Acker’s 2005 short of the same name—about a group of rag dolls dodging mysterious, murderous machines in a post-apocalyptic future.
WHY: Producers Timur Bekmambetov (“Wanted”) and Tim Burton lend this full-length feature an impressive action/fantasy pedigree.
—K.F.M.
TYLER PERRY'S I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF (Sept. 11)
WHO: Tyler Perry, Taraji P. Henson, Gladys Knight
WHAT: More uplift and life lessons from Perry, based on his second stage play (and the first one to feature his alter ego, the gun-toting grandmother Madea).
WHY: The theater/movie/TV titan is Atlanta’s biggest media mogul since Ted Turner. Resistance is futile.—
K.F.M. THE INFORMANT! (Sept. 18)
WHO: Matt Damon, Melanie Lynskey, Scott Bakula
WHAT: The true-ish story of a whistle-blower who worked undercover for the FBI until his own crimes and bipolar disorder made him a liability.
WHY: This may sound like “Ocean’s One” without Ocean (Clooney’s an executive producer), but the bizarre story it plays for laughs should make it fun.—
Steve WarrenJENNIFER'S BODY (Sept. 18)
WHO: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried
WHAT: A possessed cheerleader’s best friend tries to stop her from killing their high school classmates.
WHY: Foxy Megan wasn’t the reason fanboys flocked to the “Transformers” movies, but she’s the part they remember most. With Karyn Kusama (“Girlfight”) directing a screenplay by Oscar-winner Diablo Cody (“Juno”), this dark comedy should be more feminist-slanted than most teen horror flicks.—
S.W. SURROGATES (Sept. 25)
WHO: Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike
WHAT: In the future, our lives are lived through robots that look like us, only better. But a murder starts FBI agent Willis investigating where surrogates can’t go.
WHY: Graphic novel author Robert Venditti came up with the concept while working at Marietta-based comic company Top Shelf Productions (and set it in Atlanta). It sounds a little like a lot of other movies, but could be good for some cheap thrills.—
S.W.CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY (Oct. 2)
WHO: Michael Moore
WHAT: Moore had his cameras rolling during last year’s economic collapse and offers his customarily abrasive take on who the bad guys are and why the rich will do anything to get richer.
WHY: “Fahrenheit 9/11” didn’t keep W. from getting reelected, and “Sicko” hasn’t revolutionized health care yet, but Moore continues to amuse progressives and enrage conservatives, and this should be no exception.—
S.W.ZOMBIELAND (Oct. 2)
WHO: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin
WHAT: A post-apocalyptic road comedy finds survivors on the run against marauding zombies.
WHY: “Zombieland” was filmed locally (and in Valdosta). Plus, director Ruben Fleischer opts for more active—and thus more fearsome—zombies than the shambling corpses of George Romero’s movies.
—S.W.GOOD HAIR (Oct. 9)
WHO: Chris Rock
WHAT: The comic explores African-American “hair culture” in this documentary, which goes behind the scenes at salons, laboratories and “styling battles” to look at the big business of black hair and its relationship with, and effect on, the black community.
WHY: Rock takes a look at the annual Bronner Brothers hair show in Atlanta, and solicits commentary from the likes of Ice-T, Maya Angelou and Atlanta’s own Raven-Symoné.
—K.F.M. A SERIOUS MAN (Oct. 9)
WHO: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind
WHAT: In 1967, a Minnesota professor’s life falls apart when his wife leaves him for one of his colleagues.
WHY: With the Coen Brothers at the helm, this won’t be a serious movie. The trailer’s not too promising, but the Coens usually deliver.
—S.W.THE ROAD (Oct. 16)
WHO: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron
WHAT: Originally scheduled for release last November, this adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel follows a man (Mortensen) and his son raveling through a bleak, post-apocalyptic future filled with roving bands of cannibals.
WHY: McCarthy’s book won a Pulitzer Prize, and you might have heard of his “No Country for Old Men.” Oh, yeah, and a little somebody named Oprah Winfrey also gave it her seal of approval.
—K.F.M.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (Oct. 16)
WHO: A bunch of fuzzy horned monsters
WHAT: Spike Jonze (“Being John Malkovich”) adapts the famous children’s book by Maurice Sendak, expanding the comparatively brief read into a feature-length film that Sendak himself has reportedly blessed.
WHY: Jonze is hit-or-miss as a director, but the casting (Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo, James Gandolfini) is impressive—and the trailer looks good.—
K.F.M. MICHAEL JACKSON: THIS IS IT (Oct. 28)
WHO: The King of Pop
WHAT: Kenny Ortega, who was directing the concerts Jacko was scheduled to perform in London this summer, assembled rehearsal footage from April through June that gives insight into their creative process.
WHY: This is as close as you’ll get to seeing what might have been. The film’s been announced to play “two weeks only,” but if there’s an office pool, I bet it will still be running at Christmas.—
S.W.THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS (Nov. 6)
WHO: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges
WHAT: In a story “based on true events,” a reporter learns about a secret, experimental military unit of psychics whose paranormal powers are intended to end war as we know it.
WHY: You don’t need a psychic to tell you intelligent satire is rarely commercial. This one reunites Clooney with his friend and “Good Night, and Good Luck” producer/co-writer Grant Heslov, who directed.—
S.W.PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL “PUSH” BY SAPPHIRE (Nov. 6)
WHO: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton
WHAT: At 16, Precious is poor, black, illiterate, obese, abused and pregnant for the second time by the same father: her own. Can an alternative school bring out her desire and ability to learn?
WHY: Lee Daniels’ drama took both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at Sundance, and Mo’Nique makes a shameless grab for an Oscar.—
S.W.2012 (Nov. 13)
WHO: John Cusack, Amanda Peet
WHAT: Roland Emmerich (“Independence Day,” “Stargate”) brings about the end of the world in this ensemble thriller.
WHY: The title refers to theories that a cataclysm will take place in December of 2012, the end of the Mayan calendar. Given that Emmerich also directed “The Day After Tomorrow,” “10,000 BC” and the 1998 “Godzilla” reboot, some critics are bracing for another kind of disaster.
—K.F.M. THE BLIND SIDE (Nov. 20)
WHO: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron
WHAT: Based on the Michael Lewis nonfiction book, “The Blind Side” concerns a couple (Bullock and McGraw) who adopt a homeless teenager (Aaron), who becomes a high-school football star and eventually signs with the Baltimore Ravens.
WHY: The film was shot in and around Atlanta last spring. And insiders say relative newcomer Aaron gives a career-making performance.
—K.F.M. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON (Nov. 20)
WHO: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
WHAT: The breathlessly anticipated sequel to last year’s star-making box office smash “Twilight”—as if you didn’t know. Director Chris Weitz (“About a Boy”) takes over from Catherine Hardwicke.
WHY: “New Moon” promises more of the original’s melodramatic romance, this time with a love triangle—and a werewolf.
—K.F.M. NINE (Nov. 25)
WHO: Daniel Day-Lewis
WHAT: This adaptation of the 1982 Tony-winning musical, loosely based on Fellini’s “8 1/2,” deals with an Italian film director’s midlife crisis and the women in his life (Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Fergie, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson).
WHY: Director Rob Marshall did such a great job with “Chicago,” he’s the current go-to guy for bringing Broadway musicals to the screen. This one has “cult” written all over everything but the budget. Can it attract a mass audience?—
S.W.
SP