American Gangster
Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe
The Plot: In 1970s Harlem, Frank Lucas (Washington) constructs a heroin empire by stashing the drug inside the coffins of soldiers returning from Vietnam. Once he is dethroned by Det. Richie Roberts (Crowe), the former kingpin turns informant, the duo sets out to take down law enforcement agents and foreign nationals who are part of his syndicate.
Furious: The trailer looks great and with that cast it really can't go wrong. Denzel isn't terribly picky with his roles but Russell Crowe is. Working with Ridley Scott is a bonus as they've collaborated successfully in the past. I get the feeling Ridley is better in this genre than the bizarre choice the last time he teamed with Crowe; a Good Year. I fail to see where this can go wrong. I think this is one of those rare guaranteed sure things for a good evening's entertainment.
Moser: Oooh, we know this is going to be good, with a possibility of great depending on how much of their potential game Denzel and Crowe bring into it. You really can't have any buyers' remorse at the end of this one, though.
Brimfield: There's no reason this shouldn't be one of the finest films of the year, and Oscar has been buzzing for quite a while around this one, like some sort of golden vulture. Should be excellent.
McGee: Ridley Scott films are always worth watching. This fells like Just Another Gangster Movie from the trailer, but the talent in front of and behind the camera could make it something special.
Jason Chamberlain This looks pretty damn good, I gotta say. And who doesn't love Denzel?
Kristopowitz: Boy, this flick looks awesome. Just from the TV commercial it looks like cinematic greatness. Denzel Washington looking like, well, Denzel Washington, Crowe looking like a scumbum cop, and Ridley Scott putting the whole deal together. I can't wait.
Jerome Cusson: This will be the most hyped movie of the fall. My concern is that this will feel like a sequel to one of my favorite movies ever, Heat. I'm cold to Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe, but this should be a good movie. I don't think it will be the classic everyone wants it to be.
Webb: I have seen this already, so I guess I'll let you wait for the review
Bee Movie
Director: Steve Hickner Simon J. Smith
Stars: Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger
The Plot: Barry B. Benson (Seinfeld), a bee who has just graduated from college, is disillusioned at his lone career choice: making honey. On a special trip outside the hive, Barry's life is saved by Vanessa (Zellweger), a florist in New York City. As their relationship blossoms, he discovers people actually eat honey, and subsequently decides to file a lawsuit against humankind.
Furious: The trailer is surprisingly funny with the Ray Liotta honey being the moment where it won me over. My biggest issue would be sitting through Jerry Seinfeld's voice for 90 minutes. Should fare well at the box office thanks to support from the kids although the summertime may have been a more productive box office area for it.
Moser: Ugh. I don't like the cutesy concept, I don't like Jerry Seinfeld, and I've hated those little Bee Movie TV Jr's that NBC has been running. The big kids will go for Seinfeld, the little kids will go because it's animated, and it will make obscene amounts of money at the box office; but I will be elsewhere.
Brimfield: I'm apparently one of the very few people who don't regard Jerry Seinfeld as some sort of comedy god. I'm sure this will be mildly diverting and not a whole lot more.
McGee: I'm one of the people who just can't figure out what the big deal is with Seinfeld. He's never appealed to me, and neither does this film. Looks like more of Dreamworks sub-par attempts at animation (but then, I'm a Pixar fanboy).
Jason Chamberlain It looks kinda funny.... but I think I'll pass.
Kristopowitz: Aside from the funny teaser trailers I saw for this movie over a year ago, I don't think I want to see this movie at all. This is one of the most overexposed movies this fall. Seinfeld is freaking everywhere, and it's getting annoying. The cartoon does look funny, though. Maybe this will be a DVD rental down the road.
Jerome Cusson: I've seen trailers for this one for the last year, and not one has made me even remotely curious to see what Jerry Seinfeld has in store. The problem with Seinfeld is kids won't be familiar with him. Animal movies are being done to death, and this one doesn't look good at all.
Webb: At one time, I was looking forward to an animated film with Jerry Seinfeld involved, but the TV spots and advertisements for this are everywhere all the time, so I am officially fed up. I will most likely see it out of curiosity, but now it will have to be excellent in order to impress me. It just feels like the trailer for this has been out for years.
November 9th
Lions for Lambs
Director: Robert Redford
Stars: Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford
The Plot: A congressman (Cruise), a journalist (Streep) and a professor (Redford) are drawn into an investigation of two injured American soldiers in Afghanistan.
Furious: What with all the hype surrounding the Cruiser's next project Valkyrie this one seems to have evaded the usual hype radar. The Cruiser has himself a heavyweight cast but Redford's history as a director is fairly unremarkable. This is his seventh time behind the camera. Last time out was the Legend of Bagger Vance. While I enjoyed that movie everything he directs just feels quite bland. Maybe that would explain the lack of Hollywood excitement ahead of this release.
Moser: Meryl Streep is really the only reason I'm compelled to get out and see this flick. As Furious mentioned, Redford hasn't blown anyone away with his direction and this seems to be a whole lot of talking with very little payoff. Tom Cruise is certainly capable of turning in killer performances from time to time, though, so add that to Streep's guaranteed knockout acting this movie seems more intriguing than it should be.
Brimfield: Oh lord, I can already feel the seriousness radiating out of this one. Everyone's least-favorite leathery midget Redford is bound to pile on the self-importance, and Cruise's current reputation isn't up to withstanding any critical failings. Still, with Streep in there at least we're guaranteed one decent performance.
McGee: I hadn't even heard of this flick until a few days ago. Feels kind of bland, to be honest, but I'm a total mark for Cruise, Streep, and Redford. At least it should be solidly bland.
Jason Chamberlain Snooooooooore.....
Kristopowitz: I had no real interest in this movie until Bill O'Reilly went freaking insane about how Redford was hurting the war effort and blah, blah, blah. Now I think I may be forced to go see it, eventhough I still really have no interest in it. The "war" scenes from the trailer look interesting, though. But I couldn't care less about Redford's professor character, Cruise's Senator character, or Streep's whatever the heck she's supposed to be. I hope it makes $100 million its first weekend.
Jerome Cusson: I will be seeing this one the first chance I can, and I'm someone who wants to boycott every Tom Cruise movie from now until the end of time. Something about the script and the people involved just makes me very interested to see what happens. My only hope is that Cruise plays a version of his Frank T.J. Mackey character. Redford looks to be playing something close to Bob Woodward and I can't wait for this movie to come out.
Webb: This has Oscar potential written all over it I'd wager. The acting looks phenomenal, but what worries me are the evident transitions from political dialogue to battle scenes. That can be tricky. Still Redford, Cruise, and Streep should make an interesting team. I hope this delivers, but since we have to endure so many films on terrorism and/or Iraq, this has an uphill climb to gain attention despite the fact that Redford is generally good filmmaker.
No Country for Old Men
Director: Ethan Coen Joel Coen
Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin
The Plot: A series of violent events ensue after a hunter (Jones) decides to keep the heroin and $2 million in cash he discovers amongst a pile of dead men near the Rio Grande.
Furious: The film sort of plays like the Terminator as the central character, played by Josh Brolin, is pursued by Javier Bardem with a bad haircut. He's a total unstoppable badass while Brolin's Moss is your everyman who happens upon something fortunate. I was sold on the trailer and it IS the Coen's so you know it'll be good at the very lease.
Moser: Coen brothers? I'm in. Tommy Lee Jones? Well, that's just gravy. There is absolutely no excuse for missing this movie. None.
Brimfield: I'm not sure the Coens know how to make a bad film. This looks like it will be just as good as some of their previous efforts, especially with Bardem's character eating up the screen.
McGee: Even when the Coens are off (see: Intolerably Cruelty), they're on. I never get all that excited about their movies, but I usually end up enjoying the heck out of them. With Tommy Lee "By Gawd" Jones in the mix, it should be fun.
Jason Chamberlain Booooring.
Kristopowitz: The trailers for this movie are great. Javier Bardem looks like a great villain, and Tommy Lee Jones looks like he's in another good fall movie (the other being "In the Valley of Elah").
Jerome Cusson:: I'm not as big a Coen brothers' fan as a lot of other people are, but this looks very different than anything they've ever done. I'm also a huge Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin fan so this could be good. I just hope the Coen brothers have created a fully developed story and not just quirky characters that you can't really relate too.
Webb: Well, The Coens' rarely supply an unoriginal or unappealing movie, and unfortunately I cannot avoid the reviews which label this as perfect. The trailer looks outstanding, and Josh Brolin is really making strides with his performances this year. I am definitely anxious for this one.
Fred Claus
Director: David Dobkin
Stars: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Elizabeth Banks
The Plot: Santa's little-known brother, embittered by living in the shadow of his sibling's spotlight, is forced to move back to the North Pole.
Furious: It might sound stupid but Dobkin directed Wedding Crashers and that was good. Plus he and Vince Vaughn obviously get along. And Paul Giamatti is good in anything let alone playing Santa. I'll give this a chance although it's probably going to get released over a year later in England as is the trend with holidays movies.
Moser: I like the concept, Vince Vaughn's Fred being Paul Giamatti's Santa's slacker brother...but I like it as a 5-minute sketch rather than a feature-length film. Actually, this feels like an SNL sketch that missed being a popular recurring character and just went straight to a movie that will probably clever and funny for half-an-hour before devolving into something horrible. I'll take a pass until I can properly Netflix it.
Brimfield: Vaughn is inoffensively funny, Giamatti is always top value and Banks is hot, all of which should offset the fact that this sounds absolutely dire.
McGee: Dear Santa, please make this movie go away…
Jason Chamberlain The concept sounds kinda funny, and Vaughn is usually money, but from the trailers it looks like the execution was off. That, and Paul Giamatti ain't no Santa Claus of mine.
Kristopowitz: I'm not much of a Vince Vaughn fan, but this movie doesn't look half bad. Ninja bodyguard elves, Pig Vomit as Santa, and Kevin Spacey earning a paycheck. Who wouldn't want to see that? Hopefully this does better than Tim Allen's "Santa Clause 3," which was the last big Christmas movie that I actually had an interest in.
Jerome Cusson: I would love to see this movie but for the lousy PG rating. The potential funny factor went down about 100 percent when that happened. Vince Vaughn could be funny, but sadly he will learn to be a better person to have that all-important happy ending. A number of talented people will be wasted in this family comedy, and that's a real shame because this had a lot of potential.
Webb: Does anyone remember the first teaser long ago? That was funny, but then the extended trailer was released, and the film now looks incredibly disappointing. I like Vince Vaughn, and I love Paul Giamatti, but I'm not sure if they are striving for originality, or trying to topple The Santa Clause. Director David Dobkin made friends with everyone after The Wedding Crashers, but I have my doubts this time.
November 16th
Beowulf
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Stars: Ray Winstone, Crispin Glover, Angelina Jolie
The Plot: A hero (Winstone) saves the Danes from the indomitable monster Grendel (Glover), only to incur the wrath of the demon's mother (Jolie), a wickedly seductive entity.
Furious: I'm a fan of Bob Zemekis and when he takes his time over something it's usually well worth waiting for. It's curious casting here that goes against the usual grain. Winstone isn't usually seen as a leading man. Crispin Glover isn't usually seen at all since Back to the Future. And Jolie has been traditionally the lead star or alongside another big box office draw. This unusual casting could produce a memorable film and if Zemekis' track record is anything to go by it'll be thoroughly entertaining. Consider me onboard.
Moser: Come on, they made you read it in high school, the least you can do is see the big budget screen version. Am I right? I'm right.
Brimfield: A powerhouse cast in an adaptation that I just can't quite imagine how they're going to pull it off. I'll certainly be interested to see the attempt, though.
McGee: What an awesome cast (on paper at least)! This has the potential to be a hack-n-slash masterpiece if handled correctly.
Jason Chamberlain Sounds good to me!
Kristopowitz: On one hand, this looks fabulous. Zemeckis and crew have outdone themselves with how good this all looks. But for some reason I'm just not that interested in seeing this. I wish I knew why because this looks right up my genre alley. But I can't muster up the necessary enthusiasm for it. What the heck is wrong with me?
Jerome Cusson: I have mixed feelings about this one. While I like Zemeckis, I can't help but notice that this movie looks really creepy. This could be very good or bad, depending how distracting the look actually is. Based on my own skepticism, I'm gonna skip this one until the DVD comes out.
Webb:This is my big one for the month. Robert Zemeckis is one of my favorite and reliable filmmakers next to Scorsese. I know the tale of Beowulf from school, and since he has elected to utilize the motion capture animation technique again, it should be cool to see what the cast and crew come up with. I thought his adaptation of The Polar Express was underrated, so this method doesn't bother me. And any cast with Ray Winstone and Crispin Glover should not fail to be entertaining.
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
Director: Zach Helm
Stars: Natalie Portman, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Bateman
The Plot: Edward Magorium (Hoffman), the eccentric, 243-year-old owner of the most fantastic toy shop in the world wills his business to his shy, awkward store manager (Portman). But her leadership is soon challenged by a dark, ominous presence in the shop.
Furious: This is certainly different. It has a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory vibe about it. Helm is best known for penning Stranger Than Fiction, which was a solid film. While this doesn't have the same Charlie Kaufman feeling to it the ideas at play seem quite entertaining. Whether it'll be an entertaining enough gimmick to last an entire film is another matter.
Moser: I'm interested, but skeptical. It's a hit-or-miss concept with a hit-or-miss cast. Netflix is probably the way to go with this one, too.
Brimfield: Helm's first outing at the helm (zing!) of a movie has a fascinating outline and looks to be higher-quality material. Helm seems to be on the route to establishing himself as the new Charlie Kaufman, so let's hope this continues his rise to prominence.
McGee: If there's more than silly kiddy rot here, I'll be very surprised. At least Natalie looks adorable, as always.
Jason Chamberlain Does Roald Dahl know anything about this? Because this sounds like plot rape to me. Someone call security.
Kristopowitz: So far, Walden Media has had a good run with the movies they've produced (their version of "Charlotte's Web" is a classic), so I have high hopes for this one. Portman looks like she's having a blast in the trailer, as does Hoffman. I think the big potential "issue" here could be Jason Bateman. He's been the "it" character comedy guy since "Arrested Development" went off the air, but I've always found him annoying. So as long as he isn't that annoying, this should be another Walden Media blast.
Jerome Cusson: This seems to be a film geared for children and less for adults. Around fall and into Christmas, you'll usually see a lot of these fantasy type films, especially because of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings coming out at the same time. This does look intriguing and I like Portman and Hoffman.
Webb: Any project Natalie Portman signs onto catches my fancy. Dustin Hoffman looks a bit odd, but as far as it looks right now, this should be harmless family fun in the vein of Willy Wonka and Chocolate Factory. Zach Helm is making his directorial debut here, so anything could happen, but we'll wait and see. I'm not expecting a classic, but something average would be fine.
Margot at the Wedding
Director: Noah Baumbach
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Flora Cross
The Plot: Margot (Kidman) and her son Claude (Pais) decide to visit her sister Pauline (Leigh) after she announces that she is getting married to less-than-impressive Malcolm (Black). In short order, the storm the sisters create leaves behind a a mess of thrashed relationships and exposed family secrets.
Furious: I don't really care for the casting. I think Nicole Kidman starting losing it a while ago, Dogville aside, and I've never really liked Jennifer Jason Leigh. However Jack Black is almost enough to get me interested and early reviews are positive.
Moser: Not to cut and paste a previous answer or anything, but...I'm interested, but skeptical. It's a hit-or-miss concept with a hit-or-miss cast. Netflix is probably the way to go with this one, too.
Brimfield: The only thing that sounds remotely good about this is the why-didn't-they-think-of-it-before casting of Kidman and Leigh as siblings. Otherwise, mediocrity abounds by the sound of it.
McGee: Blah, nothing but intense indifference to this one.
Jason ChamberlainI was reading the plot for this and I must have fallen asleep, cause my face looks like a keyboard and it's dark outside.
Kristopowitz: I don't know what to think about this movie. It sounds prententious. But then just because it "sounds" that way doesn't mean it's going to be that way in the end. Why haven't we heard more about this movie?
Jerome Cusson: I had never heard of this movie until this roundtable. However, being that this movie is from the director The Squid and the Whale, I am immediately enthusiastic about this film. Jack Black looks to be playing his loser character in a movie that looks good. This also looks to be an interesting character study as well a bit of a comeback film for Kidman, who's been in a lot of bad movies lately.
Webb: Noah Baumbach's highly anticipated follow up to The Squid and the Whale has a more well known cast with the intelligent writer/director, and hopefully the same knack for mixing comedy and drama. The plot looks relatively amusing and intriguing, but it all boils down to Baumbach, and whether or not he can mold another success. He is one of my favorite up and coming filmmakers, so yes, I'm rooting for this one.
November 23rd
Enchanted
Director: Kevin Lima
Stars: Amy Adams, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden
The Plot: When she falls in love with a prince, a peasant girl (Adams) is banished from her animated kingdom by the evil queen (Sarandon). She winds up in the very real New York City, where she falls in love with someone else, though her prince -- and the queen -- are heading her way.
Furious: Disney poking fun at itself? What reality is this? While they'll almost certainly ruin it at some point Disney coming up with an original concept all by themselves that doesn't involve something sickening (although there are talking animals) is quite refreshing. I'll see how the reviews go before considering it though.
Moser: Fun enough concept, but it's still Disney so I don't trust that the reality check our main character is destined for will be dark enough. Still, it might be executed better than Last Action Hero, which was a similar idea.
Brimfield: Looks twee and nasty, but Amy Adams is great and will certainly lift this up a notch or two.
McGee: I have lost so much faith in Disney over the years that I just sense disaster in this very promising idea. This could very easily be one of those films that appeals to audiences across the board—kids with the cute, animated stuff, and adults with the self-referential humor. Whether it actually manages to pull it off…well, we'll see.
Jason Chamberlain This is a cool idea. I just doubt I'll go see it.
Kristopowitz: This looks like fun. I'm not expecting a classic or anything, but it sure does look like a blast. The trailer for it is hilarious (I love the mean bus driver). I do wonder why Patrick Dempsey picked this movie to be in, though. Must have been the money.
Jerome Cusson: See what I mean with the fantasy fare. This is another one. Maybe one of these two films will be good, but I won't hold out any hope.
Webb: No matter what the cast, or who the director, any time one attempts to blend live-action and animation, the results can be a sloppy, corny failure. Amy Adams is an adorable actress, so that is a plus. Director Kevin Lima has given the world Tarzan and A Goofy Movie, the latter of which I enjoyed, so it is obvious he knows Disney cartoons, but as far as live-action is concerned it's anyone's guess.
The Mist
Director: Frank Darabont
Stars: Thomas Jane
The Plot: Everyman David Drayton (Jane) is caught up in a freak storm that unleashes a species of blood-thirsty monsters in his small town.
Furious: Frank Darabont; the man who doesn't make bad films. He has a near flawless career to date from Shawshank Redemption to the Green Mile to the Majestic. As per usual he's taken his time to select this project, which bodes well as his other projects were on the money. However it's totally against type. All his films are feel good human interest stories where adversity is overcome. A generic horror movie seems like a backwards step. Although this is another Stephen King adaptation and we all know how Darabont handles those. I read the Mist in King's collection "Skeleton Crew" and it's good stuff albeit a little on the generic side. Maybe it'll be ok.
Moser: Maybe? I can't get a trailer to play at the moment, so I don't have much to go on. I like a good horror flick, though, so if this one looks interesting I'll give it a whirl.
Brimfield: It's intriguing that Darabont has managed to finish this film from scratch in about nine months when his efforts usually take several years. His reputation is certainly strong, and the premise is simple and easy to execute, so I'd imagine this will be a solid if not spectacular horror.
McGee: See my recommendation for The Thing above to see why I like this story so much. I agree with Furious that it seems to go against Darabont's usual choice in subject matter, but maybe that means he'll put the focus on the human element, which is were the juicy stuff is anyway. It runs the risk of not finding the right audience, though, if people just look at it as a generic horror film. Thomas Jane is very underrated, so I hope this does well for him.
Jason Chamberlain I have a bone to pick with you, Mr Jane. Unlike most people, I kinda dug The Punisher. And you were undoubtedly the best thing about it. WHY did you pull out of the second one? Cause you thought it would suck, I hear. Well then dive in there and make it better, man! And no, I won't see this. Take that!
Kristopowitz: This looks great. I hope Darabont can translate King in full on horror story mode as well as he does with King prison movies. And I hope Thomas Jane doesn't "Deep Blue Sea" this movie (if you've seen "Deep Blue Sea" you know what I'm talking about). It's also cool to see Andre Braugher back in a big movie, along with William Sadler.
Jerome Cusson: I usually like Darabont, but I think we're going for too much here. We have a character study combined with religion and also a horror movie. This movie reeks of a lack of a focus, and I think we're all in for a disappointment here.
Webb: Frank Darabont has always amazed, or at the very least satisfied me when I see one of his films, but this is the first one that really has me worried. How similar is this to The Fog? With Stephen King adaptations you never can tell what you'll receive, but Darabont has proven his skill in translating them from book to screen. I hope his good fortune continues. This is another release I'm crossing my fingers for.
Hitman
Director: Xavier Gens
Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott
The Plot: A gun-for-hire known as Agent 47 (Olyphant) is hired by a group known as "The Agency" to kill targets for cash.
Furious: Am I the only guy who finds Tim Olyphant a grind to watch? I just find his face irritating and his voice more so. I'll probably skip this.
Moser: My rule about video game movies is this: "They all suck, don't watch." This is not an invitation for you to try to sell me on Resident Evil or its sequels.
Brimfield: It's the wrong casting, so hopefully the script is enough to make up for it. I can't really imagine it being anything greater than mediocre though.
McGee: There's a ton of potential with this one, but I don't expect much from it. Olyphant looks all of fifteen in the trailer, so that's not a very good start (where's Jason Statham when you need him?). Plus, it's a video game adaptation, which almost never bodes well. When is somebody going to get it right?
Jason ChamberlainI never played the games, and I probably wouldn't be interested, but it looks like a sufficiently entertaining action flick and I dig Timothy Olyphant's work more every time I see him. So I might check this out.
Kristopowitz: The trailer for this movie is boring. I'm hoping that the actual movie is not boring because after "War" the movie world needs a viable action movie that people can, you know, watch and like. I wonder how fast the videogame fans will take to trash it.
Jerome Cusson: I want everyone out there to make a list of five actual good video game movies. If you have trouble, then there's a darn good reason. Video games never make good movies. Even the few I enjoy are for campy fun. Plus, this is not a game that would seem to translate well to the big screen.
Webb: Well Timothy Olyphant looks bad ass, and the trailer is somewhat neat, but isn't that usually the case with video game flicks? They normally suck, and this looks to be no exception all in all.
I'm Not There
Director: Todd Haynes
Stars: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger
The Plot: A retrospective look at the life of musical icon Bob Dylan told in various stages of his career.
Furious: Bale and Ledger teaming up? Somewhat of a surprise but at least they'll get some fine tuning on chemistry ahead of the Dark Knight. Todd Haynes has a wicked sense of humour, having recreated Karen Carpenter's life with Barbie dolls before, and that might spruce up what could otherwise be quite a depressing movie. It should give Dylan's CD sales a bit of a boost. In the long run that's a noble enough reason for making a biopic. Get the word out there.
Moser: It's got a good cast, and I do like Bob Dylan. Someone needs to go ahead and tell them that we've already passed the stage where people give out statuettes for biopics and are ready to move on. I'll probably end up Netflixing this bad boy.
Brimfield: And from wrong casting to fantastic cast. Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan? Sounds absurd, but allegedly it works. This should be a quirky treat, and the soundtrack can't fail to impress.
McGee: This is either going to be brilliant, or a total train wreck. As surreal as the casting and structure seem to be, it makes a quirky sort of sense when you're talking about Dylan. Definitely something to keep your eye on.
Jason Chamberlain Yeah, isn't Blanchett, like, playing Dylan? How's that gonna work? Did he have a sex change at some point?
Kristopowitz: I don't give a flying crap about Bob Dylan or his career odyssey or whatever the heck it is. If I thought "Margot at the Wedding" looked pretentious, I can pretty much guarantee this will be pretentious.
Jerome Cusson: I want to see this movie for a lot of reasons. Apparently there are some great performances and I'll pay money just to see Cate Blanchett play Dylan. The life of the man is almost secondary to the gimmick. Hopefully, this doesn't ruin what should be one of the best movies of the year.
Webb:: I was expecting a whole bunch of Oscar worthy performances with this, but the only person that truly looks like Dylan is Cate Blanchett! I'm really not sure what to make of this yet. After Scorsese's brilliant documentary, I am all set for more Dylan stories, but watching all the different actors in the trailer rubbed me as bizarre. Director Todd Haynes is no rookie, so I have some faith in his abilities, but 6 people as Dylan? I don't know what to say.
November 30th
The Savages
Director: Tamara Jenkins
Stars: Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Bosco
The Plot: Estranged siblings Wendy (Linney) and Jon Savage (Hoffman) reunite to weigh the long-term care options for their mentally deteriorating father (Bosco).
Furious: Speaking of depressing. Unless this has a really killer script I'd have to pass on it. I just don't like being brought down with thoughts of impending death.
Moser: This looks more depressing than being a Cubs fan. I'll hang out and see what the reviews say before deciding.
Brimfield: Meh.
McGee: Well, nobody's going to be describing this one as "The Feel Good Movie of the Year." You think anybody's fishing for an Oscar with this one? Great actors, but good Lord, I'm getting depressed just writing about it.
Jason Chamberlain As awesome as this sounds, I think I'll stay home and read comics instead.
Kristopowitz: This looks like it has a good cast, but for the love of Drake it sounds depressing.
Jerome Cusson:Any movie that announces in the trailer it's a serious comedy raises my ire. I like Hoffman and Linney well enough so it could be good. I just hope this film doesn't try hard to win awards, something a lot of movies in recent years could be accused of.
Webb: This has been delayed numerous times it feels like. Philip Seymour Hoffman is certainly in his share of projects this fall, but who cares because he's terrific. The trailer was quite funny, and so it should be an enjoyable time. I have seen Director Tamara Jenkins' Slums of Beverly Hills, which was kind of dumb, so this should be an improvement.
Stay tuned for the December Roundtable where we'll look at a horde of ambitous films, as well as National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and a new Francis Ford Copolla film. Thanks for reading!
