Serious Films:
Summary:
Pilot Whip Whitaker saves a flight from crashing and is declared a hero,
but when a full investigation into the malfunctions is underway something
troubling comes to light. Filmmakers: Flight
marks the return of Robert Zemeckis to live-action filmmaking. Why should you
be excited about that? Well, he made Back to the Future, Who Framed
Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump,
and Cast Away. Excited now?
He is working with composer Alan
Silvestri (The
Avengers), frequent collaborator cinematographer Don Burgess and production
designer Nelson Coates (The Proposal). Cast: Denzel
Washington stars, with John
Goodman, Kelly Reilly
(who I always enjoy), Don Cheadle,
Bruce Greenwood, Melissa Leo, and James Badge Dale in support. Expectations: Flight looks like a good drama,
built on a strong performance by Washington and a great supporting group. Sure,
Zemeckis is a little hit or miss (What
Lies Beneath is not great), but he mostly makes good live-action films.
And, from what I have seen, this looks like it is going to be a triumphant
return for him. The advanced screenings have generated positive buzz. Trailer: Here.
Action/Adventure:
Summary:
There is a fabled treasure of gold in a small village in feudal China. A band
of warriors, assassins and a rogue British soldier descend on the village to
claim the treasure. However, a humble blacksmith stands up to defend himself
and his fellow villagers. Filmmakers: The
film marks the directorial debut for hip hop legend RZA. He is working with
producer Eli Roth (who he
co-wrote the script with), composer Howard Drossin (known for video
game music), cinematographer Chi
Ying Chan (Detective Dee and
the Mystery of the Phantom Flame), and production designer Drew Boughton (art director on
many big films, including Pirates
of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides). Cast:
The ensemble features Russell
Crowe, Jamie Chung, Lucy Liu, RZA, Dave Bautista, Rick Yune, Pam Grier, and an assortment of
lesser known (in the States) Asian actors. Expectations:
The Man with the Iron Fists has played very well in its advanced
screenings (though, I think it will not be as well received by the general
audience of moviegoers). This is a film made specifically for fans of kung-fu
movies (and has a fantastic soundtrack
for fans of Wu-Tang Clan style hip hop). If you like classic style kung-fu,
this will probably work for you – if not, maybe it is worth a look. Trailer: Here.
Summary:
Now a vampire, Bella and the Cullens gather other vampire clans in order to
protect her newborn child Renesmee from the Volturi (and other melodramatic
stuff will probably happen too). Filmmakers:
Director Bill Condon returns for the final film with his whole crew intact from
Breaking Dawn – Part 1,
including: screenwriter Melissa
Rosenberg (who has written every Twilight movie – but is more
respected for her excellent work on Dexter), composer Carter Burwell (who scores most
of the Coen Brothers’ films),
cinematographer Guillermo Navarro
(who shoots Guillermo del Toro’s
films), and production designer Richard
Sherman (Kinsey). Cast: Kristen
Stewart and Robert Pattinson
star, with Taylor Lautner co-starring.
A ton of people feature in support, notably: Maggie Grace, Billy Burke, Dakota Fanning, Ashley Greene, Michael Sheen, Jamie Campbell Bower, Peter Facinelli, Lee Pace, Elizabeth Reaser, Joe Anderson, Cameron Bright, Rami Malek, and Noel Fisher. Expectations: Well, while the franchise has been a
success financially and for its fans (and really what else can you ask for), it
has been disappointing for the average filmgoer. None of the films are
particularly good, including Breaking Dawn – Part 1, despite having some decent
people involved. Thus, I do not expect Breaking Dawn – Part 2 to be good either
(history is just not in its favor). But, that said, maybe there is enough
action in this film to have a broader appeal. Plus, now that Bella is married
and a vampire, the overly sappy love triangle stuff should be mostly non-existent
in this one (though, having not read the book, I really am just guessing).
Maybe the franchise will finally deliver a vampire film that at least
approaches equal footing to the great current works of the genre (stuff like True Blood and The Vampire Diaries). Trailer: Here.
Summary:
Pi, an Indian boy and son of a zookeeper, finds himself adrift in the company
of a hyena, zebra, orangutan, and Bengal tiger after a shipwreck in the Pacific
Ocean. Filmmakers: Director Ang Lee took on
the project after French writer-director Jean-Pierre Jeunet exited. He
seems like a good fit for the film, as his visual style (stuff like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
and Lust, Caution) lends
itself well to the story. However, Lee has mostly made melodramas. Life of Pi is
something completely different from what he is use too (last time he ventured
far outside his wheelhouse he made Hulk, which was disappointing
and probably the worst of his eleven previous films). He is working with
composer Mychael Danna (Moneyball),
cinematographer Claudio Miranda
(whose work on The Curious Case
of Benjamin Button is among the best of the last decade) and production
designer David Gropman (Doubt). Cast: Newcomer Suraj
Sharma stars with Gerard
Depardieu, Rafe Spall and
Irrfan Khan in support. Expectations: Life of Pi, while probably more of a
Best Picture long-shot, is among the films that should be in the mix come
awards season. The film looks magnificently beautiful and Miranda’s photography
is phenomenal. I am interested to see how this plays for the average moviegoer.
I suspect it will not be as well received as it is a different sort of film.
But, for fans of Lee’s work and visual epics, this should be well worth
checking out. Trailer: Here.
Comedy:
Summary:
Ralph is a video game villain who lives in an arcade. Day after day he plays
his role but grows weary of it. One day, he decides to fulfill his dream of
being a hero and leaves his game, but this brings havoc to the arcade. Filmmakers: Animation director Rich Moore has a
good background, though this is his feature debut, having worked on both The Simpsons and Futurama. He is working with
Walt Disney Animation’s head John
Lasseter who is executively producing and composer Henry Jackman (X-Men:
First Class). Cast: The film stars the
voice talents of John C. Reilly,
with Jack McBrayer, Sarah Silverman and Jane Lynch co-starring. The film
also features the voices of Adam
Carolla, Rachael Harris, Dennis Haysbert, Mindy Kaling, Ed O’Neill, and Alan Tudyk. Expectations: Conceptually, Wreck-It Ralph sounds
really cool, and I love that they are using many known video game franchises in
the film. However, the film honestly does not look that good to me. The story just
feels a bit tired. Hopefully, though, I am wrong and it is funny and
entertaining. Plus, John C. Reilly is probably going to be great as Ralph. Trailer: Here.
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