Upcoming movies
Film 04/03/2004 |Every so often, Prairie and I will go through Apple’s movie trailer page, checking out what’s coming up in the next few months and seeing what interests us. Here’s today’s batch of possibilities (in no particular order)…
- The United States of Leland: Can Jena Malone be in a bad movie? Everything I’ve seen her in so far has impressed me (Contact, Donnie Darko and The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys), and now I keep seeing her in trailers for movies that catch my eye (Saved, and now Leland). Add Kevin Spacey and an interesting looking trailer, and it definitely goes on the “potential” list.
- King Arthur: So far, I’ve got mixed feelings on this one. If they can do the story well, then I’m all for it (one of my favorite retellings of the Arthurian saga is Jack Whyte’s Camulod Chronicles, which take a very realistic non-magical approach) — but something about the trailer isn’t quite grabbing me. All the stars look much to “pretty” on first blush, like they’re trying to aim for a cast full of Viggo Mortenson-as-Aragorn to pull in the teen girl contingent. On the other hand, Keira Knightley looks supremely drool worthy in her battle garb, so maybe I’m not one to talk….
- The Village: M. Night Shyamalan is a bit of an enigma to me. So far, each of his films has been great upon first viewing, but has absolutely no replay value afterwards (with the sole exception of The Sixth Sense, which was fun to watch a second time just to see all the subtle hints you missed the first time), and I found Signs to be a letdown at the end. As with the rest, the trailer for this one has me going “Oooohhh…” — but will he finally be able to craft a movie that stands up to multiple viewings?
- Raising Helen: Okay, this one was definitely a Prairie pick.
Looks to be a cute little comedy — but it’s got Kate Husdon (yum) and Joan Cusack, who I’ve always enjoyed when she pops up in a film. Probably a renter rather than one to beeline for in the theater (at least in my estimation). - Connie and Carla: The first part of the trailer had me cringing. Then the drag queens showed up, and suddenly I was fine with it. Which probably says something about me, but I’m not sure I want to go there….
- The Notebook: Again, sappy romantic stuff is generally more along Prairie’s tastes than mine, but if I’m in a mood for it, this looks like it could be good, and it’s certainly pretty. We’ll see when it comes out.
- The Last Shot: I’m most intrigued by the fact that this is apparently based on a true story about a guy hired by the FBI (without his knowledge) to direct a movie (that will never be released) in order to run a sting on the mob. The trailer has some cute lines in it (though these days, often those are the only good lines in the entire film)…reserving judgment on this one for the moment.
- Godsend: This one I’d never heard of before tonight, but it’s rocketed right the top of my “potential” list. After a couple loses their son in an accident, they’re approached by a doctor who offers to inseminate the mother with a clone of their son, essentially allowing him to be “reborn.” Once the new son hits the age that he died, things start to get all sorts of freaky. Looks to be quite cool.
- Garden State: This trailer caught my eye when Prairie, Kirsten and I went off to see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Very little idea what the movie is about, but the imagery in the trailer is enough to catch my interest. I am amused by the link on the trailer page to the trailer’s music on the iTunes Music Store, though — hadn’t seen that trick before!
- The Stepford Wives: I’m really unsure about this one. While I’ve not read the book, I’m a fan of the (dated, but still creepy) original film version, and the fact that this is listed as a “comedy” makes me wonder about it. Of course, with Nicole Kidman (yum) and Christopher Walken in the film, it can’t be all bad, right?
- Godzilla: The orignal — UNCUT. UNCENSORED. UNDUBBED. I am so there.
iTunes: “Kooler Than Jesus (Electric Messiah)” by My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult from the album Confessions of A Knife (1990, 4:12).
[See also: Trailers that caught my eye | Star Wars Episode 3 Trailer | Troy | better a terrorist than a republican | Trailers: Harry Potter, Peter Pan ]
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3 Responses to “Upcoming movies”
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April 3rd, 2004 at 10:28 pm
I really have enjoyed all of M. Night Shyamalan’s films, especially Signs. I did like The Sixth Sense, but I thought Signs was extemely interesting and had some very poignant moments. I never get bored watching it. I also like that the aliens were not the point of the movie, they were merely a catalyst.
April 4th, 2004 at 8:02 am
So far, each of his films has been great upon first viewing, but has absolutely no replay value afterwards
Some films just don’t stand up to repeated viewings and this seems to apply most to films with a lot of unexpected plot twists, puzzle movies and movies with surprise endings. I enjoy M. Night Shyamalan’s films in the theater, but I have never revisited them. This is probably why. They are a great ride the first time through, so I will likely go see his new film and enjoy myself.
The United States of Leland was recently reviewed by Ebert and Roeper and they didn’t care for it.
Films I’m looking forward to:
Godsend and Door in the Floor look like possibilities, depending on how the reviews look. But Coffee and Cigarettes looks great. And I will have to see I, Robot, but it will suck and I’ll be annoyed.
April 4th, 2004 at 9:18 pm
I’m not sure. I can think of at least a few movies like that off the top of my head that I find very rewatchable — Fight Club, The Usual Suspects, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not, Dark City, and Jacob’s Ladder, just for starters. I tend to find that these movies have more depth to them — where Shyamalan’s tend to be “one-trick-ponies”, the others often have multiple layers, so in addition to seeing the “tricks” on subsequent viewings, you can also gain more insight into the characters, their motivations, seemingly secondary characters will take on more importance, and so on.
I’ll have to look up Ebert and Roeper’s review to see what they say when it hits the ‘net — it hasn’t been posted online yet.
Kill Bill v.2, Harry Potter, and Sky Captain are all definitely on my list also. Coffee and Cigarettes and The Reckoning I hadn’t heard of yet…guess I’m going to have to go see what I can find, huh?