Romance and Rom-Coms:
Summary:
George is a former soccer star who has thrown his life away through a series of
bad decisions. However, to begin to get his life back together, he starts
coaching his son’s team. Filmmakers: Italian
director Gabriele Muccino returns to the States for his third film (he also has
seven Italian films). Interestingly, his two other Hollywood films are also his
most acclaimed: The Pursuit of
Happyness and Seven Pounds
(which I have never seen, should I?). He is working with composer Andrea Guerra (Hotel Rwanda), cinematographer Peter Menzies Jr. (Abduction) and production
designer Daniel Dorrance (Max Payne). Cast: It stars Gerard Butler (who is also
producing), co-stars Jessica Biel,
and features Catherine Zeta-Jones,
Dennis Quaid (who continues to
collect paychecks, laughing, as no one seems to care that he gave up at some
point between 2000 and 2004), Uma
Thurman, and Judy Greer
in support. Expectations: On paper Playing
for Keeps seems like it is going to be terrible. It has a director who has
really only made one good film (in nine). It stars Gerard Butler and is a
romance (never a good thing: just ask The Ugly Truth or The Bounty Hunter) Its
supporting cast is mostly washed up (though Judy Greer desperately needs to be
in more things and have bigger roles, as she is fantastic). And, it looks about
as emotionally manipulative and forced as any Hollywood film (it has a little
kid in it…). I bet it will not even be screened for critics before its release.
But hey, if you like really sappy board romance films you will probably enjoy
this on some level (and yes, there is a chance I will rent this despite the
fact I know it will be bad). Trailer: Here.
Serious Films:
Summary:
The true story of a family caught in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Filmmakers: Spanish director J.A. Bayona had a
breakthrough hit in the States with his first film The Orphanage. For his second
film (essentially a Spanish film, made for Hollywood), The Impossible, he looks
to have an Oscars dark horse. He is working with mostly the same team as The
Orphanage: writer Sergio Sanchez,
composer Fernando Velazquez
and cinematographer Oscar Faura.
Production designer Eugenio
Caballero (Pan’s Labyrinth)
is new to the team. Cast: Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts star, with Geraldine Chaplin in support. Expectations: Having been already released in
Spain, The Impossible opened to critical acclaim. It has strong leading
performances and moving drama. Disaster films always have a level of built in
emotional manipulation, but so do most stories and this looks to be very
powerful in its ability to draw the viewer in. Likely, the film should be a
factor in the upcoming awards season. Trailer:
Here.
Summary:
Based on the musical based on the Victor Hugo novel, Jean Valjean sings about
his troubles (hiding from the singing policeman Javert who hunts him) and his
love of his singing adopted daughter Cosette (whose singing factory worker
mother Fantine made a musical deal with Valjean to care for her). 19th-centure
France never had so much toil and song. Filmmakers:
British director Tom Hooper (fresh off his Oscar win for The
King’s Speech, and the acclaim of his second film The
Damned United) returns to direct his fourth film, now firmly cemented in
Hollywood – how else can you explain his directing this musical (Steven Spielberg was already
making Lincoln,
so this was the only prestige blockbuster Hollywood had available, and where
else could Hooper go from winning Best Picture – something bigger, but still
awards worthy). He is working with cinematographer Danny Cohen and production
designer Eve Stewart (both of
whom he collaborated with on The King’s Speech), and (of course) the film
incorporates the songs by Claude-Michel
Schonberg from the stage production (which Patrick Bateman has a poster of,
so you know it must be good, or at least trendy). Cast:
The film stars Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman, and Claire Danes… wait, wait… that
was the 1998 non-musical version
(which is not that good). This film
stars Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried (who thought:
hey, Mamma Mia!
went okay, why not make another musical), Hugh Jackman, and Russell Crowe, with Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, and Samantha Barks (who was in a
London production of the musical in 2010) in support. Expectations:
Les Miserables looks like a grand production (the film is thought to be a front
runner in many Oscar categories, including Best Picture) and has a strong cast
(Hathaway and Barks are among the favorites to receive Oscar nominations). I
like musicals. But, that said, lately they have not been very good (just ask Nine – not even a cast
featuring six Oscar-winning actors could make this good, Rock of Ages, Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of
Fleet Street – deep down, we all know it was terrible, some of us are just
in denial, Mamma Mia! – except for Pierce
Brosnan, he was only ironically awful, Hairspray, or Burlesque). To be fair,
however, this does have a fine director (who has been drawn into Hollywood to
make big blockbuster dramas like Steven Spielberg) and it has the potential to
be dramatically compelling unlike many of the recent musicals that were doomed
from the beginning to be throwaway fluff. I am looking forward to seeing it (if
only to see if Russell Crowe can actually sing – Hooper recorded all the songs
live on set). When done right, musicals can be very power and wonderful (like The Sound
of Music). Trailer: Here.
Summary:
Steve Butler works for a big natural gas corporation. His job is to buy the
rights to drill on their land from average farmers, promising dreams of wealth.
However, on his latest assignment in a small town, he has a crisis of faith in
regards to his job, causing him to reevaluate his life. Filmmakers: Director Gus Van Sant has a strong filmography
(things like: Good Will Hunting,
Milk, Drugstore Cowboy, Finding Forrester, and Elephant), but his last (Restless) was kind of
disappointing (but still had good performances). Though, Promised Land feels like
a perfect project for Van Sant (politically seeming similar to Milk –
advocating against perceived wrongs by those in power). He is working with
composer Danny Elfman (who
has scored a few Van Sant films), cinematographer Linus Sandgren (Shelter) and production
designer Daniel Clancy (Boss – which Van Sant worked
on). Cast: The film features a great acting
group: Matt
Damon (continuing the list of his fruitful collaborations with Van Sant), Rosemarie DeWitt, Frances McDormand, John Krasinski (who co-wrote the
film with Damon), Hal Holbrook,
Scoot McNairy, Lucas Black, and Titus Welliver. Expectations: Promised Land looks like a good
drama that could factor into awards season. I am a little bit of two minds
about it, though. Part of me thinks it will be a strong drama built on great performances
(and I think this is probably the case), but part of me also thinks that this
feels like one of those Hollywoodized self-indulgent congratulatory films in
which seemingly liberal rich people pat themselves on the back from making
broad statements like ‘corporations are bad’ (while profiting off them – this
is distributed by Focus Features, which is owned by NBC Universal). And,
natural resource companies are easy targets. This just has a whiff of that
(based on the trailer). Hopefully, this is not just a political ad (we have
already had enough propaganda for one year, left or right minded), and rather a
well-made thoughtful drama (politically motivated or not, as this is certainly
trying to appeal to being conscious of things like global warming and so on).
Political films can be fantastic (see Z, Pan Labyrinth, Hotel Rwanda, Dr.
Strangelove, The Great
Dictator, and The
Battle of Algiers, among others – I just read volume one of Brian K. Vaughn’s Saga;
it is fantastic, and a great example of how to make something politically
motivated that is not smug or douchey). Trailer:
Here.
Action/Adventure:
Summary:
Jack Reacher is a military policeman, working on a new case. A military sniper
shot five random victims. Reacher, however, does not think the man suspected
did it, and digs deeper getting himself into danger. Filmmakers:
Writer-director Christopher McQuarrie is Tom Cruise’s go-to guy these
days. McQuarrie has worked with Cruise on Valkyrie and the upcoming
projects All You Need Is Kill,
Top Gun 2 and Mission: Impossible 5. He also
wrote The Usual Suspects (and
Bryan Singer’s upcoming Jack the Giant Slayer), and his
directorial debut was The Way of
the Gun (this is his second feature). He is working with composer Joe Kraemer (also scored
McQuarrie’s first film), cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter)
and production designer Jim
Bissell (Mission:
Impossible – Ghost Protocol). Cast: Tom
Cruise stars (and is producing), with a supporting cast featuring Robert Duvall, Rosamund Pike (who needs to be
in more good things), Richard
Jenkins, David Oyelowo, Michael Raymond-James, and Werner Herzog (playing the
villain – which is amazing). Expectations:
Tom Cruise action films are generally entertaining, especially those with good
people involved (like what J.J.
Abrams did with Mission: Impossible, or Cruise’s collaborations with Steven Spielberg). Jack Reacher
looks like a good one (with a quietly great cast). With all the prestige films
and epics, this might be the best pure entertainment film of the holiday
season. Trailer: Here.
Comedy:
Summary:
Andy Brewster hits the road to sell his latest invention, also his mom tags
along. Filmmakers: Director Anne Fletcher
makes romances. Her first three films were Step Up, 27 Dresses and The Proposal (I guess you can
argue her films are getting better). The Guilt Trip is her fourth, tackling the
tried and true odd couple buddy comedy/road trip comedy. She is working with past collaborators
cinematographer Oliver Stapleton
and production designer Nelson
Coates. New to the team is comedy composer Christophe Beck (Pitch Perfect). Cast: Seth
Rogen (who is also producing) and Barbra Streisand star, with Yvonne Strahovski, Colin Hanks, Brett Cullen, Adam Scott, Danny Pudi, and Casey Wilson in support. Expectations: My first instinct when thinking
about The Guilt Trip (and having watched its trailer) is to dismiss it as a
boring throwaway broad comedy aimed at everyone (ooh, it has got Seth Rogen so
the kids will want to see it, and it also has Barbra so adults will want to see
it, and it is PG-13 so it will not offend anyone – it is a demographics win!)
that Hollywood is famous for making (and they all usually stink). But, it does
have a lot of funny people involved, so maybe it is worth renting. Yawn. Trailer: Here.
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