I know I'm writing a lot about TV and movies. But if you were living in an essentially windowless hotel room, you would too.
Trust me.
So. We're about to get to the end of the January to February film Dead Zone, where the Films No One Expects to Do Well are typically dumped. At best, it's B-Movie land, at worst...films like No Strings Attached and Season of the Witch.
After Valentine's Day, things start to look up. Now, usually around this time of year, at least one studio releases a date-movie for V-Day (last year it was named "Valentine's Day," just to clear up any confusion). This year? The closest thing to a romantic comedy is the Adam Sandler pic Just Go With It, which is as much like a romantic comedy as, say, a Kia Soul and a Bugatti Veyron. Sure, they're both cars...but there's a kind of palpable difference between them.
So. That said, here's what else the weeks and months ahead have to offer.
Unknown - 2/18
Based on the casting alone, I'm interested. Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, and Frank Langella are all people who are interesting to watch on screen. I like a good cerebral thriller - the concept looks solid if the somewhat untested writers and director can pull it off.
The Adjustment Bureau - 3/4
I've been looking forward to this movie since before it was bumped from a September to a March release. Again, great cast. It's based off of a short story, if I remember right, so here's hoping to translates well to a feature film.
Jane Eyre - 3/11
According to this blog, there are two kinds of people - Wuthering Heights people and Jane Eyre people. Well, I'm solidly in the Jane Eyre camp (I even enjoyed this recent YA adaptation). I had my doubts when Mia Wasikowska was cast as Jane, but a mousy dye-job and lots of furrowed eyebrows shows that she can be librarian-ish enough to be the title character. No matter - it has the Judy Dench seal of approval, which will have to be enough for everyone else.
Red Riding Hood - 3/11
Two girl movies releasing the same weekend? This is Catherine Hardwicke's first film since Twilight; Little Red Riding Hood reimagined as a werewolf tale. I like a good dark, gothic romance, so I'm excited about this. From the trailer, it looks as though this film got the budget Twilight ought to have had, but oh well. Cast members include Billy Burke and Virginia Madsen; Julie Christie as the grandmother is a classy touch.
Hanna - 4/8
Another movie with an unusual concept (one I wouldn't have expected director Joe Write to helm, at least) and a strong cast. I'll be curious to see the reviews for this, but until then, it's on my to-watch list. Oh, and with the red hair - does Cate Blanchett remind anyone else or Nina Sharp?
What I'm waiting to hear more about - Arthur, with Russell Brand, Hellen Mirren, and Jennifer Garner. I love two out of the three, but with no trailer released yet, I'm wondering how concrete the April release is. Source Code could be good, or it could be Vantage Point meets Groundhog's Day. Rango just looks weird to me. Like Water for Elephants could be good, but given the source material (Sara Gruen's bestselling novel and former NaNoWriMo project of the same title) and the stars (Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Christoph Waltz), the April release date could mean the studio has something large and not quite cohesive on their hands (a la Robin Hood). Sucker Punch has a lot of fanboy (and girl) love, but I'm not sold on the concept yet.
So we'll see. Even if nothing pans out, there's a lot come May that looks like fun...
...but more about that later.
Trust me.
So. We're about to get to the end of the January to February film Dead Zone, where the Films No One Expects to Do Well are typically dumped. At best, it's B-Movie land, at worst...films like No Strings Attached and Season of the Witch.
After Valentine's Day, things start to look up. Now, usually around this time of year, at least one studio releases a date-movie for V-Day (last year it was named "Valentine's Day," just to clear up any confusion). This year? The closest thing to a romantic comedy is the Adam Sandler pic Just Go With It, which is as much like a romantic comedy as, say, a Kia Soul and a Bugatti Veyron. Sure, they're both cars...but there's a kind of palpable difference between them.
So. That said, here's what else the weeks and months ahead have to offer.
Unknown - 2/18
Based on the casting alone, I'm interested. Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, and Frank Langella are all people who are interesting to watch on screen. I like a good cerebral thriller - the concept looks solid if the somewhat untested writers and director can pull it off.
The Adjustment Bureau - 3/4
I've been looking forward to this movie since before it was bumped from a September to a March release. Again, great cast. It's based off of a short story, if I remember right, so here's hoping to translates well to a feature film.
Jane Eyre - 3/11
According to this blog, there are two kinds of people - Wuthering Heights people and Jane Eyre people. Well, I'm solidly in the Jane Eyre camp (I even enjoyed this recent YA adaptation). I had my doubts when Mia Wasikowska was cast as Jane, but a mousy dye-job and lots of furrowed eyebrows shows that she can be librarian-ish enough to be the title character. No matter - it has the Judy Dench seal of approval, which will have to be enough for everyone else.
Red Riding Hood - 3/11
Two girl movies releasing the same weekend? This is Catherine Hardwicke's first film since Twilight; Little Red Riding Hood reimagined as a werewolf tale. I like a good dark, gothic romance, so I'm excited about this. From the trailer, it looks as though this film got the budget Twilight ought to have had, but oh well. Cast members include Billy Burke and Virginia Madsen; Julie Christie as the grandmother is a classy touch.
Hanna - 4/8
Another movie with an unusual concept (one I wouldn't have expected director Joe Write to helm, at least) and a strong cast. I'll be curious to see the reviews for this, but until then, it's on my to-watch list. Oh, and with the red hair - does Cate Blanchett remind anyone else or Nina Sharp?
What I'm waiting to hear more about - Arthur, with Russell Brand, Hellen Mirren, and Jennifer Garner. I love two out of the three, but with no trailer released yet, I'm wondering how concrete the April release is. Source Code could be good, or it could be Vantage Point meets Groundhog's Day. Rango just looks weird to me. Like Water for Elephants could be good, but given the source material (Sara Gruen's bestselling novel and former NaNoWriMo project of the same title) and the stars (Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Christoph Waltz), the April release date could mean the studio has something large and not quite cohesive on their hands (a la Robin Hood). Sucker Punch has a lot of fanboy (and girl) love, but I'm not sold on the concept yet.
So we'll see. Even if nothing pans out, there's a lot come May that looks like fun...
...but more about that later.
