Kristen Stewart, left, stars in ‘Twilight,’ an adaptation of the young
adult novel about a teenager whose boyfriend is a vampire.
From left, Matteo Sciabordi, Omar Benson Miller, Michael Ealy, Derek
Luke and Laz Alonso star in director Spike Lee’s World War II drama
‘Miracle at St. Anna.’
More than 100 new films will unspool from now until Christmas,
including ones by Clint Eastwood and Spike Lee, plus a new Bond flick
and a few dog stories
Just when about everyone was anticipating a new Harry Potter movie,
Warner Brothers yanked “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” from
its fall slate and moved it to summer 2009. That’s some magic act, and
a cruel one to Potter’s slavering wizards in waiting. Warner blames
the Hollywood writer’s strike for the switcheroo, but that hardly
muffles fan sniffles.
Yet the movie world rolls on. Especially in autumn, when studios and
stars save the best for last, unleashing a torrent of serious-minded
films, lavish family pictures and just about every movie that will be
honored at the Academy Awards. It’s quality time, the theory goes, so
after a summer of smashing fun, from “Ironman” to “Tropic Thunder,” we
are expected to sober up, sit still and watch sumptuous epics,
historical period pieces, literary adaptations and at least three
tales starring dogs.
This is when the heavy guns are pulled, from Al Pacino to Nicole
Kidman, Spike Lee to David Fincher.
Prestige season begins Friday and doesn’t let up until early next
year. From the new crop, we’ve highlighted 10 hot picks for each month
and rounded up many — but not all — of the rest. Note: As
Mr. Potter teaches us, all dates are subject to change.
‘Burn After Reading'(Sept. 12) — Seven months after taking a
best picture Oscar for the grim “No Country for Old Men,” boy geniuses
the Coen brothers are back to their screwball wont with a caper about
dumb guys trying their hand at top-level extortion. Brad Pitt and
Tilda Swinton join Coen veterans George Clooney and Frances McDormand.
‘Righteous Kill’ (Sept. 12) — Clad in black leather, Al Pacino
and Robert De Niro seethe street cool in one of their rare
collaborations. They’re a pair of tenacious New York cops prowling for
a vigilante. Could be the ultimate buddy movie, save for this glaring
caveat: It’s directed by Jon Avnet (“Fried Green Tomatoes” and the
Pacino stinker “88 Minutes”).
‘The Women'(Sept. 12) — Fourteen years in the making (don’t
ask), this is a “Sex and the City”-like recasting of George Cukor’s
catty 1939 gem about female social politics at full boil. That one had
Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer. This one has Meg
Ryan, Annette Bening and Eva Mendes. We’re simply (cough) thrilled.
Directed by “Murphy Brown” creator Diane English.
‘Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys'(Sept. 12) — Comedy
powerhouse Perry aims for a wider audience with another feel-good
message movie, starring Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard.
‘Ghost Town’ (Sept. 19) — Ricky Gervais sees dead people. We
scream — with laughter. An ectoplasmic comedy, co-starring Greg
Kinnear as a ghost and Téa Leoni as the woman he wants the
baffled Gervais to romance.
‘Miracle at St. Anna'(Sept. 26) — A quartet of U.S. soldiers in
the Buffalo Soldier Division is trapped behind enemy lines during
World War II. Spike Lee, that mercurial handler of moral ordnance,
explores race and history with stars Derek Luke, Laz Alonso and Omar
Benson Miller.
‘Eagle Eye'(Sept. 26) — This high-tech thriller — foot-
chases, frantic cell phone calls, obscene iPhone product placement
— gets its Austin premiere during Fantastic Fest later this
month just days before its release. Director D.J. Caruso will be at
the screening. Caruso re-teams with his “Disturbia” star Shia LaBeouf
in surely the most mainstream offering at the festival, running Sept.
18 through 25 at the Alamo South.
‘Towelhead'(Sept. 26) — An Arab teenager wrestles adolescence
and assimilation in Houston in Alan Ball’s funny, heartfelt drama
about race and being human.
‘Blindness’ (Sept. 26) — Every human on Earth goes blind in this
creepy drama based on José Saramago’s novel. Everyone except
Julianne Moore. Imagine that responsibility. Director Fernando
Meirelles’ film met with mixed reaction at the Cannes Film Festival
this year. By title anyway, it could make a good double-feature with
“Eagle Eye.”
‘Nights in Rodanthe'(Sept. 26) — Richard Gere and Diane Lane’s
combustible chemistry (recall “Unfaithful”) should heat up this mush-
hearted romance based on the Nicholas Sparks novel.
Also in September: Actor Ed Harris stars in and directs the
Western’Appaloosa.’ … South by Southwest Film Festival veteran
‘Battle in Seattle’ dramatizes the 1999 World Trade Organization
protests, with Charlize Theron. … The pot dramedy’Humboldt
County’also played this year’s SXSW, as did’Choke,’a valiant if
erratic attempt to turn Chuck Palahniuk’s comic cult novel into edgy
cinema. … The nonfiction ‘Flow’examines the world’s water crisis.
‘Religulous'(Oct. 3) — Cynic, crank and political humorist Bill
Maher punctures religion’s pomp and sacrosanctity, interviewing
spiritual leaders around the world with utmost irreverence.
Paralleling the recent rise of atheism, the results are hot to the
touch. Directed by Larry Charles (“Borat”).
‘The Duchess'(Oct. 3) — The British costume drama is an autumn
requisite. Keira Knightley is the titular Duchess of Devonshire, whose
notoriety in political and personal arenas mirrors today’s scandal-
driven celebrity. With Ralph Fiennes as the worst husband ever.
‘Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist’ (Oct. 3) — A pair of lonely
teens — Michael Cera and Kat Dennings — wander Manhattan
all night looking for a secret concert. Director Peter Sollett showed
he knows teen minds and hormones in his lovely “Raising Victor
Vargas.”
‘RocknRolla'(Oct. 8) — Guy Ritchie revives London gangster chic
in the slashing mold of “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.” Gerard
Butler plays a thug antihero mixed up in all things wicked and wanton.
‘Body of Lies'(Oct. 10) — Russell Crowe, who gained weight for
the role, is a CIA guy who hires Leonardo DiCaprio, who grew a goatee,
to find terrorists in Ridley Scott’s thriller.
‘Happy-Go-Lucky’ (Oct. 10) — Writer-director Mike Leigh is known
for his magical hand with actors. Sally Hawkins won an acting trophy
at the Berlin Film Festival for her role as an outlandishly optimistic
schoolteacher. A sunny comedy from the maestro of dark realism.
‘W.’ (Oct. 17) — Timed for the febrile election season, Oliver
Stone’s mocking farewell to President George W. Bush looks like broad
satire in trailers, with Josh Brolin portraying a drunk and rowdy
young Bush straight out of “Animal House.” Controversy? Stone? Nah.
‘The Secret Life of Bees'(Oct. 17) — Dakota Fanning ditches her
bad dad and lands on a bee farm run by Queen Latifah, where the 14
-year-old learns many life lessons from this Queen bee. A ’60s period
piece from Sue Monk Kidd’s best-selling novel.
‘Synecdoche, New York'(Oct. 24) — Expect something of a head-
scratcher in Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut. That’s nothing new
from the guy who wrote the loopy “Adaptation” and “Eternal Sunshine of
the Spotless Mind.” Here, Philip Seymour Hoffman follows a dream of
making a life-size replica of New York inside a giant warehouse. Er,
OK. Yeah. (Wha?)
‘Changeling’ (Oct. 31) — When a mother’s little boy goes missing
and returns not quite the same — Is it even him? — you get
the recipe for a taut drama. Angelina Jolie stars, and Clint Eastwood
directs.
Also in October: Kevin Smith’s raunchy but sweet ‘Zack and Miri Make a
Porno,’ which gets an early screening at Fantastic Fest on Sept. 18.
The rockumentary ‘Call + Response’ mixes music and activism, with
performances by Moby and celeb appearances for a good cause. … Anne
Hathaway is a recovering drug addict at her sister’s wedding in
Jonathan Demme’s drama ‘Rachel Getting Married.’Then she’s a grief
counselor in the horror-thriller ‘Passengers.’… Robert De Niro, Sean
Penn and Bruce Willis lampoon Hollywood in Barry Levinson’s ‘What Just
Happened?’ … Allow funnyman Simon Pegg to show you ‘How to Lose
Friends & Alienate People.’ … Drew Barrymore voices the title (and
entitled) pup who gets lost in Mexico in the family comedy’Beverly
Hills Chihuahua.’ … Rob Brown scores as black college football hero
Ernie Davis in the biopic ‘The Express.’ … Bullets and bodies soar
in the screen version of the video game’Max Payne.’ Madonna, bless her
heart, tries directing with ‘Filth and Wisdom,’ which took a beating
at the Berlin Film Festival. … Tweens are atwitter about ‘High
School Musical 3: Senior Year.’ … Torture-porn still has teeth in
‘Saw V.’ … Another teen-sex road “comedy” — that’s what ‘Sex
Drive’is steering for. … Bill Murray tries to keep the lights
glowing in an underground world in the family fantasy ‘City of
Ember.’… Timely political doc’Frontrunners’— another SXSW
premiere — follows heated student council elections in a New
York high school.
‘Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa’ (Nov. 7) — Animated zoo animals,
always a delight. Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and the madcap menagerie
return for more adventures outside their cages in this sequel. Other
voices by Jada Pinkett Smith and the late Bernie Mac.
‘Role Models’ (Nov. 7) — Paul Rudd co-wrote and stars in this
out-there comedy about men-children tutoring real children. It’s
directed and co-written by longtime Rudd bud David Wain (“Wet Hot
American Summer”).
‘The Road’ (Nov. 14) — Australian director John Hillcoat brought
such an uncompromising view of violence and humanity to “The
Proposition” that we trust Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic novel in
his hands. Viggo Mortensen, drawn and bearded, plays the father who
protects his young son during their biblically shaded odyssey across
the wasteland.
‘Quantum of Solace'(Nov. 14) — Bond is back. If “Casino Royale”
tapped Daniel Craig as a worthy 007 heir, this should seal the deal.
Even if we don’t understand the title. At all.
‘Twilight’ (Nov. 21) — A teenage girl falls in love with a
vampire. Why couldn’t she have crushed on the varsity quarterback?
Love truly sucks in this take on Stephenie Meyer’s popular young adult
novel, directed by Catherine Hardwicke (“Thirteen”). We believe a
werewolf is involved, too, which puts us over the moon.
‘Bolt’ (Nov. 21) — A heroic super-dog on TV, Bolt finds life
isn’t so make-believe-y and easy in the real world. Cartoon family
fare with the voices of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus, who pretends
she’s really offended about a sexy spread in Dog Fancy.
‘The Soloist'(Nov. 21) — A schizophrenic musical prodigy (Jamie
Foxx) hits the skids, big-time. A troubled journalist (Robert Downey
Jr.) becomes his friend and helps him reach his dreams. Based on a
true story. Joe Wright (“Atonement”) directs.
‘Australia’ (Nov. 26) — World War II and a cattle drive rumble
in Baz Luhrmann’s epic Down Under historical drama, starring true
Aussies Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman as lovers. Kidman plays a Brit,
but whatever.
‘Milk’ (Nov. 26) — Gay rights activist and San Francisco city
supervisor Harvey Milk was a bona fide hometown hero, well before he
was famously murdered by disgruntled fellow supervisor Dan White in
1978. Sean Penn plays Milk in Gus Van Sant’s biopic, and Josh Brolin
plays White. Penn totally wants another Oscar.
‘Four Christmases'(Nov. 26) — Seth Gordon, who directed last
year’s terrific video-game documentary “The King of Kong,” puts Reese
Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn through the funny paces in a
dysfunctional spin on home for the holidays.
Also in November: In ‘Soul Men,’ Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson
groove as back-up singers in a classic soul group. Issac Hayes makes
an appearance. Both Mac and Hayes died last month. … Body parts,
songs and Paris Hilton feature in horror-musical ‘Repo! The Genetic
Opera.’ … Sissy Spacek stars in raw, southern family drama ‘Lake
City.’ … Really? Another one? Dang: ‘Transporter 3.’ … An orphan
from the Mumbai slums might get very, very rich on a game show in
Danny Boyle’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’
‘Doubt’ (Dec. 12) — Acclaimed writer John Patrick Shanley
(“Moonstruck”) has directed only one other film, 1990’s “Joe Versus
the Volcano.” Here he directs his Tony-winning play, about accusations
of sexual abuse by a priest, with a killer Oscar-baiting cast: Meryl
Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams.
‘Defiance’— The Bieskli brothers — Daniel Craig, Liev
Schreiber, Jamie Bell — are Jews during World War II who are mad
as hell and not going to take it anymore. So they start a resistance
fight that shows no mercy. Based on a true story. Directed by morally
attuned action man Edward Zwick (“The Last Samurai”).
‘Yes Man'(Dec. 19) — Once upon a time, Jim Carrey was funny. He
tries again, playing an everyman who can’t say “no” to anything, no
matter how wacky or dangerous, after attending an uplifting
motivational seminar. Carrey funny again? Merry Christmas.
‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'(Dec. 25) — A new David
Fincher film is enough to excite. But in this, based on an F. Scott
Fitzgerald story, Brad Pitt adds to the allure, playing a man who ages
in reverse. Snazzy technology allows Pitt to play every age, from
elderly to infant. Word is that it’s amazing to behold. With Cate
Blanchett and Tilda Swinton.
‘The Spirit'(Dec. 25) — A noirish crime fighter stalks the
streets of Central City to crush a killer who goes by the briny handle
the Octopus. Frank Miller adapts and directs Will Eisner’s classic
comic from the ’40s and ’50s with a wildly stylized live-action look.
‘Wendy and Lucy’— Kelly Reichardt, who directed the quietly
dazzling “Old Joy,” applies her minimalist dramatic touch to another
deeply human story. Michelle Williams is Wendy, a woman under economic
duress after losing her job. Lucy is her dog, a pretty mutt, played by
a canine actress really named Lucy.
‘Gran Torino’ — Clint Eastwood’s teenage neighbor attempts to
steal his cherished car (the title Gran Torino). Is he kidding? Steal
a car from Dirty Harry? Go ahead, make all of our days. But wait.
Eastwood, also directing, is going for something kinder, gentler, more
heart-warming. Darn it.
‘Frost/Nixon'(Dec. 25) — Frank Langella is President Richard
Nixon. Michael Sheen (so exemplary as Tony Blair in “The Queen”) is
interviewer David Frost. In 1977, Frost and Nixon sat down and
discussed Nixon’s presidency on television. The results were
revelatory, history-making. As a play, “Frost/Nixon” was a smash. Now
Ron Howard directs the film version with an all-star cast portraying a
host of political figures. Peter Morgan, who also wrote “The Queen,”
adapted his play.
‘Revolutionary Road’ — Eleven years on, “Titanic” stars Leonardo
DiCaprio and Kate Winslet reunite as a suburban married couple heading
for an existential iceberg. Bored and mired in blah, the couple essays
to shake up their atrophying lives by moving to France. Oops. Based on
Richard Yates’ famous 1961 novel and directed by Winslet’s real
husband Sam Mendes, who so mordantly limned suburban malaise in
“American Beauty.”
‘Marley & Me’ (Dec. 26) — You might think of Owen Wilson as a
big, shaggy, playful dog. Not here. A real hound takes that spot,
playing Marley, the “world’s worst dog” in the words of John Grogan,
who wrote the best-selling book on which this inspirational family
weeper is based. Wilson made the movie after his suicide scare last
year, playing a family man who learns how to live from the exploits of
his huggable but prickly pooch. Jennifer Aniston plays his wife, who
also refuses to fetch.
Also in December:’Seven Pounds,’a big-hearted holiday-ready movie
about love, illness and salvation, stars Will Smith. … Bedtime
stories come to whimsical life when they’re told by Adam Sandler
in’Bedtime Stories.’… Actor/statue Keanu Reeves plays the dapper
alien Klaatu in ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still,’ the 1951 sci-fi
classic reimagined as an environmental cautionary tale. … ‘The Tale
of Despereaux’ is an animated fairy tale about an adventurous mouse
(Matthew Broderick).
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