Hints on the movies of 2009

So since I was recently talking about the start of the summer movie season I thought I might also mention a few movies that will be out in a year or so. Luckily there are 2 that should be interesting, though I’m not sure if that means a good movie or not.

The first is news that the sequel to The Lord of the Rings (in fact it’s actually a prequel and the first book about Middle Earth), The Hobbit will be directed by Guillermo Del Toro. He’s a great director and has a very unique vision. His movies are usually quite entertaining, and he gets a lot out of his actors.

As good as he is, and the bonus that he is one of the very few Hispanic/Latino directors in Hollywood, I have reservations. The bar was set extremely high by Peter Jackson’s version of Lord of the Rings. His ability to translate the words of J.R.R. Tolkien into the visual experience was remarkable and believable. I severely doubt anyone’s ability to duplicate that, even if Jackson were still at the helm.

Yet one positive for the film is that Sir Ian McKellan will be returning in his role as Gandalf the Grey. Well at least they are talking about the pay, so excluding the studio getting cheap, he’s in. Another bit of good news is that Peter Jackson will be producing the film.

Now what other people will be involved is unknown. There are many dwarves and men in this film. And of course there is who will be Bilbo – the original Hobbit on the go. And then there is a huge amount of work for the CGI team in trying to bring to life the central character of Smaug. And a return of Gollum.

The challenges will be daunting. But we will see once the trailers start appearing in about a year and a half or so.

In other movie news there is this other item.

The Terminator is back. But it won’t be the Guvernator on the screen. This time out the story will be advancing to new territory. Or more accurately traveling further into the post-nuclear Skynet controlled future.

In this new movie expect to see Christian Bale and Moon Bloodgood (that has to be a stage name – who would name their kid that?). I have no idea who Bloodgood is, but some may recognize the name from the television series Journeyman. I never saw that so it doesn’t help me. As for Bale, well he has done exceptionally well as the Dark Knight and several other movies so that gives me hope.

And of course there is the other side of the news. It’s a big negative too. The director at this moment is McG, the same person responsible for Charlie’s Angels. That was a horrible television show to movie creation. While it may have made money because of Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore (Carmen Diaz is just not cute and way too skinny) it was a miserable film. Be honest, you know it was.

Considering the news for the upcoming films in 2009 it’s anyone’s bet on what will be worth the time. Until that time there are a few good things to keep you entertained. As I’ve already mentioned, Iron Man is definitely the movie to see. The new Hulk film with Ed Norton looks appealing and should erase any memory of Ang Lee’s version. WANTED looks to be a major hit with Angelina Jolie, and Morgan Freeman.

The Take with John Leguizamo, Tyrese Gibson, and Rosie Perez sounds like it will make it straight to DVD – a shame since I like Leguizamo and think his ability as an entertainer is severely underestimated.

War, Inc. looks to be the first anti-war movie that will do well and be entertaining. Unlike every film so far that has been a poster-child for the ultra-liberal left wing loons (all 10 of them that collectively went to those films), this film uses humor and a well rounded cast. John Cusack leads the film in a role similar to his hitman in Grosse Point Blank (a really fun film). His sister Joan is also in a similar character. There is a bunch to say about this, but I will wait til I get the trailer. Oh, Ben Kingsley has a small role, and the scary part is so does Hillary Duff.

Of course Indiana Jones is going to be a hit. So far trailers look great and I have to imagine that Harrison Ford doesn’t need the money, and his reputation doesn’t need a flop, so it should be good if not very good.

I’d avoid Speed Racer, and Hellboy might be worth the cost. And the Love Guru seems like it will redeem Mike Meyers for doing The Cat in the Hat.

More on those movies and the rest soon.

the approaching Sumer films of 2008

Ok, I need a break from the 100+ blogs I’ve set up for a client, and the house negotiations. So what am I going to do? Write more, on politics and of course entertainment.

Well one of the bigger things to focus on is the upcoming summer movie season. So far the movies of the year have been major letdowns. I mean there really has been nothing that stands out or was worthwhile. Superhero movie was a superflop. I’ve already forgotten Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Street Kings seems to not be silver screen kings or even a joker. Smart People equals a dumb movie, The Ruins was ruinous, 10,000 BC was before common sense, Never Back Down never stepped up, Jumper (as I had suspected) needed to go over a cliff, Semi-Pro was only semi-good, and Drillbit Taylor doesn’t deserve to be mentioned.

And that was most of the better films of the year to date.

Hollywood is really out of their minds. Obviously the only thing that can save this year has got to be hero movies; specifically comic book heroes or perhaps a few Kung Fu masters. So far one of the best movies of the year is the combination of Jet Li and Jackie Chan. I have yet to see this, but I will, so I will reserve my thoughts to this. No matter how good or bad the movie masses will see this film because of just those 2 international entertainment stars.

So what hope do we have left?

Iron Man. I’ve been hyping this a bit but I have no doubt it will live up to my expectations. The previews look great; the storyline is filled with drama and adventure (if they follow most of the Stane/Stark storyline). Robert Downey Jr. is a renowned actor as is Terrance Howard. It looks like there would need to be a lot of effort made to screw up the film.

The Incredible Hulk. Thank goodness they are redoing the story. Ang Lee really destroyed the story, and we can only hope this one is better. The Abomination is the central figure so lots of big destructive fights can be expected. Ed Norton is an extremely better actor. And the graphics of the CGI look superior as well. Even if it’s not a great film it should stand galaxies above the Ang Lee film.

Speed Racer. Likely a huge letdown. This is not really the film that fans of the original cartoon are looking for. Far too stylized and tripped out, it may make the post MTV generation feel warm and fuzzy, but the rest of us will just be ill. The actors don’t seem to be impressive, even though John Goodman and Susan Sarandon are huge names in the cast. Christina Ricci may get some teen boys going but that’s about it. I think the Wachowski brothers missed the mark this time.

Indiana Jones. He may be old but expect this to pack the crowds in. Harrison Ford is an entertainer that commands the big bucks, and has no need of money or more fame. Thus his presence lends credibility to the thought that this is not just another Hollywood sequel seeking quick cheap cash based on the series name. It won’t win Oscars, but it should fulfill its purpose of making you forget the travails of daily life for a couple of hours.

Hellboy 2. I want this to be a good film. Or at least as good as the first. But the odds are 50/50. Fans will find lots to dislike, and newcomers will enjoy the action. I need to see more to be sure.

Stepbrothers. Another Will Ferrell miss. But everything he does can’t be as good as Elf. Thus we had Ricky Bobby and now this film. But this time all the NASCAR fans will be at Speed Racer so I doubt the success.

Sex and the City. Or more aptly named sluts without lives. Sure to bring in women patrons in droves, it’s still a failure as a film. Just like the television show. I’d advise guys to just give their dates/wives the cash to see it and go play their Xbox in the meantime.

Get Smart. Another remake of a classic and funny television show from the past. Hopefully this will not be the atrocity that the Honeymooners remake was. But Hollywood execs are rife with greenlighting a film without ever paying attention to what made a show classic. Expect this to either be the equivalent of remakes like Charlie’s Angels (either film) and Dukes of Hazzard, or Star Trek (the better films). Remakes of television shows only go those 2 ways.

Batman the Dark Knight. I don't like Heath Ledger as the Joker. I think he misses the mark from what I have seen. Without doubt there will be a huge sympathy rush towards this film. That does not affect my thoughts on the previews I've seen. Every film series has its failure, and this will rank among the Batman's lesser appearances, no fault of Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Christian Bale.

Any film with Aston Kushner. Complete waste of time. He has no talent, and his films to date reflect this. Even his only successful role, on the 70’s Show, highlighted his inability to have any depth.

Such is the upcoming summer fare. A dearth of entertainment value. Most will fail miserably as they should. Several will test the concept that if you give people enough sand will they drink it like water. Perhaps one of these days we will have some Hollywood execs that actually believe in entertainment quality over the absolute bottom barrel cheapness of American Idol on film. But this is not that day or year.

2007 starts with Oprah, Indiana Jones and Edward James Olmos - 1.4.2007.1

Well the new year has started with a bunch of new announcements. Things are off with a bang now with the news that there will be at least one more Indiana Jones movie. Still untitled at this point, the script is being finalized at this time. Not to worry, filming will start this year as well, with the film coming out sometime in 2008. While this is yet another sequel, the good news is that this series has been quite good. The second movie notwithstanding, I expect this will be a solid film. Both Mr. George Lucas and Mr. Steven Spielberg have been working on the final script. Mr. Harrison Ford has been quite consistent in his choice of films, and his ability to give a quality performance. So here is something to look forward to, I’m sure there will be more news as information about the film as script and location shooting begins or is leaked.

In more political news Mr. Edward James Olmos continues his fight with the government over the Vieques Island contamination and bombings. For those not familiar, this is an island 6 miles from Puerto Rico. For a long time the U.S. Navy used the island to test bombs, preventing habitation, ruining the environment and potentially endangering lives. I too disagree with the past bombings, or the renewed bombings there again. Like Mr. Olmos I feel that this is far too close to people to be allowed.

If the Navy were doing this bomb testing 6 miles of the coast of Long Island, or San Francisco, or Seattle there would be an outcry that would be deafening. The fact that Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth does not give the right to ignore the reasonable protests or the lives that this directly affects. I’m glad a public figure like Mr. Olmos and others are continuing to remind the government that this is not right and that we will not stop fighting for it to stop.

On another somewhat political note is Ms. Oprah Winfrey. Her school for South African girls has opened, with a price tag of $40 million dollars. This is a great positive for those young women and I’m glad that it has been created. I understand that it was a meeting with Mr. Nelson Mandela that inspired the drive to create this school and place it in South Africa – a region of the world where elitism and classism continue to exist in an extreme disparity rarely seen. Still I do wish that such a school, co-ed, had been created in America (of course it probably would have been 3x as expensive). But there will be another school created, co-ed and in South Africa again, in the near future. I understand and respect Ms. Winfrey’s desire to give back to the land of her ancestors. It’s commendable. Still I think there are many young African Americans that need this kind of help as well.

One thing I haven’t seen commented on that I would like to know more about involves the guests at the opening ceremonies. Mr. Mandela was among a group including, Mr. Spike Lee, Ms. Tina Turner, Ms. Mary J. Blige, Ms. Mariah Carey, Mr. Chris Tucker, and Mr. Sidney Poitier. Each of the celebrity guests were asked to bring a book that they had autographed personally. My interest is not what these entertainers wrote, but the choice of book they decided top contribute. I feel it is a defining statement of a person and their character. If anyone can let me know which book was giving by which person I’d love to know.

There of course is more to this new year, but for now…

This is what I think, what do you think?