As the 2010 Fall movie season marches on, the month of November gives one hope for solid entertainment at the theater. Studios will be positioning for the holiday movie crowd (Turkey time - New Years) and a few highly anticipated titles come in to close out the year with a bang. And a buck. (Click on title for the trailer)
November 5th
Megamind was one of the many highlights of Comic-Con this year (mainly due to the antics of Will Ferrell). However, Ferrell dressed up as his animated character isn't what audiences will be seeing on screen. The story seems to be a mild spoof of superhero flicks such as Superman. Megamind (Ferrell) can never best his incorruptible foe Metroman (voiced by Brad Pitt). Yet he will never stop trying until he succeeds. Since this is Dreamworks, the animation will be pristine. Only question is whether the story can stay at a high level the entire way through. My best guess using all my powers....It won't.
Due Date teams up Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis on a mismatched road trip. Downey Jr. will be the normal one, Zach will obviously be the unorthodox soul. Hopefully this will be Planes, Trains & Automobiles funny as opposed to a Paul Rudd bromance with any Judd Apatow alum. If director Todd Phillips (The Hangover) can keep it short and simple, audiences should be in for a treat.
127 hours is the latest from Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle. Based on the true story by Aron Ralston (James Franco), a climber who becomes stranded under a boulder in a cavern, Ralston resorts to unspeakable measures to stay alive. Speaking of "Alive", if this flick can build up the tense moments the 1993 flick had, then perhaps we have something here. That said, depending on when our star gets trapped in the story, the flick could have many dry spells commonly found in these features involving just one person. Once you find out when this moment happens (pray that it happens about halfway through), then decide on this guy.
Fair Game brings audiences another "Based off a true story" scenario from the Iraq war around the time of the controversial search for Weapons of Mass Destruction. When a writer (Sean Penn) reveals his CIA operative wife (Naomi Watts) as his source for an article he wrote blasting the Bush administration, her life becomes in danger. Heard and seen it before, yet the acting might make this flick standout. With Doug Liman directing (Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Jumper) perhaps he can spice up the bland story typically found when depicting this subject matter on screen.
November 12th
Unstoppable has director Tony Scott at the helm. For the second year in a row, he brings Denzel Washington with him (both worked on Pelham 1 2 3). Tony Scott knows how to entertain behind the camera even though the scripts he chooses are suspect at times. The premise here is a bunch of rail workers must work with unfavorable time constraints in trying to stop a runaway freighter carrying explosive chemicals that can wipe out a city. One has to assume the plot will open up and possibly go with a Die Hard 3 scenario as opposed to something Armageddon-like. As in complete the task or die trying. I look at this flick as being a safe bet if one can accept it is just for entertainment purposes. Don't expect introspective characters or moving dialogue.
Morning Glory has the cast (Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Jeff Goldblum). The story is about a struggling morning show in which a producer (McAdams) must find a way to keep feuding anchors (Ford and Keaton) on the same page in restoring the ratings. This has every opportunity to be a laugh riot if the script and direction allows it. Just imagine the witty lines when the on-screen camera is off and Ford rips into Keaton and vice versa. This should find success with audiences who are fans of the veteran performers coupled with the universal appeal of the script. Only lingering question is McAdams as a full blown lead.
Skyline is a science-fiction title releasing in November. Usually, not a good thing (i.e. The Fourth Kind). The trailer looks like a sequel to Independence Day. It tells the tale of a group of friends who must avoid a strange light that violently pulls people into the air and they seemingly vanish. The CGI looks amazing and the trailer suggests this isn't one of the many hand-held camera cinematography jobs. 2012's box office take showed that audiences are still enamored with end of the world scenarios. Only concern is the directing duo, The Strause Brothers. They're responsible for AVP: Requiem...Need I say more?
November 19th
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I will begin to wrap the franchise up and it will be using the 3-D gimmick to squeeze every last dollar it can out of the world. Our three favorite students set out from Hogwarts to find the remaining Horcruxes and be rid of Lord Voldemort forever. David Yates (Half-Blood Prince) is at the helm again and hopefully this book will have given Voldermort (Ralph Fiennes) more screen time. Besides the lack of magic in the last installment, many of the other characters were barely visible besides the obvious. Since I've never read the books, I cannot comment on whether the people behind the camera botched this or if they were just staying true to the source. Either way, if one invested time in the first five movies, then this is a no-brainer. Still not fully convinced David Yates is the director to have close out the mega-series though.
Stop me if you heard this one, Hollywood is remaking a foreign movie just released a couple years ago. Hence, The Next Three Days, a remake of a French film from 2008. Lionsgate is jumping on the bandwagon and is bringing along Russell Crowe who plays a husband attempting to break his wife (Elizabeth Banks) out of jail. The premise is decent and Liam Neeson is also a part of the cast. Yet, I just can't see this attracting anyone outside of fans of Crowe's work. Lionsgate usually only releases gritty material and that is a positive. Three Days has a shot to be last year's Law Abiding Citizen. So if one dug that guy, give this a chance.
November 26th (This day is mostly terrible)
Tangled. The CG animated tale of Rapunzel. Probably some decent visuals but the story and humor will be a hot mess. Stay on the couch and continue to digest.
Burlesque. Also known as Coyote Ugly 2 meets a poor man's Chicago. Cher stars as a club owner in L.A. who mentors a small-town girl (Christina Aguilera). Go to your local strip club to see a better show.
Love and Other Drugs. A rom-com that follows a medical sales rep. (Jake Gyllenhaal) as he maneuvers through modern society. The "rom" comes in the form of Anne Hathaway who is not the typical girl Jake would be seen with. Seems like Hollywood is taking this theme out of the high school realm and forcing it into the post-college market. Nice idea, but it may have been overplayed already.
Faster. Dwayne Johnson finally gets back to the action world! Too bad the script is pulled straight out of the 90s. Johnson is out for revenge after a botched heist led to his brother's death. What action star in the last twenty years hasn't played this role. If Johnson can carry this and get people behind his character, then this could please fans of the genre. The cast is ten-deep strong with Billy Bob Thornton leading the way as the antagonist. My only grievance is that action flicks today have yet to find a balance with all the movie making elements.
With that, the Fall season comes to a close. As always, I want to eat my words on the flicks that didn't receive high praise in this column. As a reviewer, I want all these movies to be entertaining and interesting. Problem is, reality is cruel and history does repeat itself. Hence why audiences still find themselves sitting through a bad movie. And why I write columns such as this gem, in an attempt to help one not waste their time and money.
Read previews for SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER
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