Well this should be a fun week of movies regardless, with no less than 4 films I've been eagerly anticipating hitting theatres this week, and all of vastly different genres.
What'd you think? That 9 would be at the top of my list this week? You must not have been paying attention all these many months. Have you seen the amount of talent populating this remake of the original 1983 slasher? If I wanted I could've written a dozen 'The Talent Show' columns just from the cast of this movie alone. Briana Evigan(guh!!) and Jamie Chung(double guh!!) who find themselves the target of a hooded killer after a prank goes fatally wrong. Slasher films like this are more my speed than something like Halloween, equal parts cheesecake and bloody violence.
The delays have been worried, sure. Whiteout has been completed and on the shelf for more than 2 years. Not a good sign. But the premise is undeniably interesting and the source material was intense, so hopefully it translates to the big screen. Kate Beckinsale plays a U.S. marshall assigned to Antarctica. Mere days before the Antarctic winter begins, she's called upon to investigate a murder with ties to a larger, sinister conspiracy. I want to throw on my parka everytime I watch the trailer for this, and of course I'm a huge fan of Beckinsale....in skin tight leather. Not sure how I'll feel about her with a mountain of clothing on, but we'll see.
In a clever bit of marketing, 9 actually came out two days ago on 9/9/09. The reason it's not higher on the list is that I saw it yesterday, and was floored by the amazing visuals. 9 is an expanded version of director Shane Acker's short film from backin 2005, about a band of humanoid creatures struggling to survive in a world where machines have completely wiped out the human race. Produced by two of cinema's visual masters, Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov, 9 is worth seeing for the look alone, but the voice acting is also top notch featuring Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, and John C. Reilly among others.
Y'know, I'm about as much of a football diehard as it gets. I bleed Chicago orange and blue, but I ain't got nothin' on this guy. Big Fan stars Patton Oswalt, makin' a bold step into the dark drama, as a down on his luck loser with nothing in his life other than his beloved New York Giants. When the team's star player brutally attacks him, he's reluctant to press charges becaue of the adverse effect it'll have on the team. That's pretty effed up, homie. I'd sue the pants off Devin Hester if I could! Big Fan is playing at Landmark E Street Cinema in the DC/Metro area, so go check it out!
Nominated for the best foreign language film at the Academy Awards, Der Baader Meinhoff Complex is a fictional account of the creation of the Red Army Faction, a communist terrorist outfit that operated extensively from 1960 to the late 90s. Look up the phrase, German Autum, and you'll see exactly the type of hell these guys reigned. Despite some open condemnation from the relatives of those who were actually involved, the film has gained nearly universal acclaim. This'll be tops on my list for tomorrow. Sunday is off-limits for obvious pigskin related reasons.
What just missed the mark?
I love a good documentary, and I'm man enough to admit that I take more than a passing interest in the fashion world. But do I really care about some homely elitist broad who is the judge of what's "hip" in the world of fashion? The September Issue follows Vogue editor, Anna Wintour, who was atleast partially the inspiration for Meryl Streep's character in The Devil Wears Prada. The film is supposedly really good and insightful, but I'll probably be more annoyed than entertained. If I have time to squeeze it in, I will.
On the other hand, if they promised free lap dances at every showing of Tyler Perry's new turd film, I still wouldn't go. This'll probably be the #1 film this week, and I'll get to listen to all my co-workers sing it's praises all week. I will as usual be the bad guy when I'm inevitably asked "Did you see it"? and my response is "Not if the world itself depended on it".
