In terms of movie releases, any given year can typically be divided into three parts. The first runs from January to April, and consists primarily of movies that only get released because, hey, if you sink that much cash into something, you may as well show someone. There is also occasionally a really great independent release (Memento, Brick), but you can’t count on one of those every year. Fortunately, most of the great movies from the end of the previous year don’t make it into theaters until this time, so there’s still something to see. This year, the early period was particularly bleak for me, with only two 2008 releases that managed to interest me enough to get out to the theater (Be Kind Rewind and Leatherheads).
The Summer period, which stretches from May to August, was particularly good this year, with four very strong movies (The Dark Knight, Hellboy II, Iron Man, and Wall-E) and three solid mid-grade releases (The Incredible Hulk, Tropic Thunder, Get Smart). Unfortunately, summer movies tend to be graded on a bit of a curve. The Dark Knight is legitimately a very good movie, but if it’s the best of the year (which is so far the case), then I will be a very sad panda.
Things do, however, typically look dire at this point in the year. That’s because the studios like to hold the movies that they expect to actually be good until the end of the year, in hopes that they will be able to take home a tiny golden eunuch of their very own. So in the spirit of hope, I’d like to present five movies being released (barely, in some cases) this winter, which are all certain to be fantastic. Take it from me. Who can better evaluate the quality of a movie than a guy who hasn’t seen it? Titles link to trailers.
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
David Fincher has been up (The Game) and down (Panic Room) over the years, but I think he’s earned a whole career’s worth of good will, so anything he does is worth at least looking into. Plus, it’s based on a work of classic literature, so all of you students out there can see it instead of reading the story.
Besides the arresting title, the most interesting thing about this movie is writer/director Charlie Kaufman, the man responsible for Being John Malkovich and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, among others. This entry is technically cheating, since SNY has already been released – but I haven’t seen it yet, and I’ll bet you haven’t either.
3. Timecrimes
This has been described as a pulpier, better-thought out Spanish version of Primer. I can’t say any more, since I’m trying to go into this one as clean as possible. In fact, the trailer already told me more than I wanted to know. Which isn’t hard, since I wanted to know nothing. So why did I watch the trailer? For the sake of you, my readers. After all, if I didn’t watch it myself, how could I be sure it wasn’t secretly a link to “Two Girls, One Cup?”
2. The Wrestler
Darren Aronofsky is three for three so far, having directed Pi, Requiem for a Dream, and The Fountain. This movie looks completely different from all of those, which could be cause for both elation and fear. I’m going with the former for now. Sure, the trailer looks kind of sappy, but look who’s in it: Mickey “Angel Heart” Rourke, who was both handsomer and cooler than you in the eighties, went insane for a while, and is now both uglier and cooler than you. His co-star is Marisa Tomei, who doesn’t get nearly enough credit for being the glue that holds a movie together (watch Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s breakdown in the car in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead and try to imagine it without her reaction shots. Not a pretty sight). The fact that she happens to be the hottest 43-year-old woman on the planet is icing on the cupcake. The fact that she’s playing a stripper is the little edible BB on the icing on the cupcake.
This is, bar none, the absolute must see movie of 2008. Rian Johnson’s first movie, Brick was the best theatrical release of the past six years, and by all accounts, this is even better. I can’t even think of anything else to say about it, on account of my brain being shorted out by the awesome vibes traveling back in time from the future (fun fact: awesome vibes are made out of tachyons). Just watch the trailer.
There you have it. Five awesome movies from the future. Is there anything I missed?
2 comments:
I was only aware of 2 of those 5 movies until now.
I am still haunted by the fact that PSH had a scene with Tomei on all fours. Of all the men! Of all the positions! Of all the directors!
And now a stripper?
I'm dizzy.
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