Top 10 films coming to Seattle in 2009

Where the Wild Things Are : Short children’s novels expanded into feature length films have been generally terrible (Mike Myers’ The Cat in the Hat) but one can’t help but be excited over Spike Jonze’s adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. The classic story of Max, a little boy wandering a world of dreamed up wooly wonders, will be live action, using a blend of computer effects and gigantic costumes to bring the titular creatures to life. Jonze has the right imaginative touch to bring an elegantly light hearted film to fruition and the early photos are stunning.

Green Zone : Will Green Zone be the mythical one? Could the Paul Greengrass film be the first Iraq War movie to get an audience? With Greengrass reuniting with his Bourne boy Matt Damon about the first days in the war, complete with cover-ups and firefights, people may flock to the theaters for Green Zone. Greengrass has proved himself to be one of the most fascinating directors working today and joining Damon will be Jason Isaacs, Brendan Gleeson, Amy Ryan and Greg Kinnear, so expectations will be high. 

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus : Terry Gilliam’s films are almost always strange contraptions. With films like Brazil, 12 Monkeysand Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, audiences have come to expect odd tales and devices to flow from Gilliam’s worlds. Yet, sadly, one of the most unique notions of his career comes out of a tragedy, the death of Heath Ledger, who was working on Parnassus when he died last January. The film, about a dimension hopping theatre group, was ripe for experimentation. As such, Ledger’s performance was finished by a cavalcade of actors, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law. 

Inglorious Basterds : Which Tarantino are we getting? That is what always pops in your head when you look at Quentin Tarantino’s latest, a remake of the 1978 war film featuring a brigade of Jewish-American soldiers whose sole purpose is to kill as many Nazis as possible. Is this the Tarantino focused on storytelling (Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown) or the Tarantino who wants to play in the old movie toy-box (Kill Bill, Death Race). With a cast featuring everyone from Brad Pitt to Mike Myers, who knows. We will find out this summer.

The Lovely Bones : Between the blood soaked horror comedies of his early years and sweeping epics that made him a household name, Peter Jackson helmed the quiet, solemn Heavenly Creatures. Jackson steps down from the soaring budgets of late into the adaptation of Alice Sebold’s smash-hit novel, The Lovely Bones, centering on a young girl viewing the world from heaven after her grisly murder, played by Atonement’s Saoirse Ronan. She is accompanied by Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci and Michael Imperioli. Whether Jackson, accompanied by his usual writing collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, can reenter the somber world he crafted back in 1994 is one of 2009’s most intriguing questions. 

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea : Hayao Miyazaki, one of the world’s most imaginary directors, returns for what may be his last film, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, the story of a young boy who befriends a goldfish princess longing to be human. Miyazaki, the director of Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, can weave a story like no one else and many of his best films have stemmed from the lightest of tales, like My Neighbor Totoro. The English voice cast currently includes Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Lily Tomlin, Cate Blanchett and Liam Neeson. 

The Road : One of 2008’s most anticipated slides into 2009, John Hillcoat’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s hauntng Pulitzer award winner The Road. Various delays, including reshoots, pushed the movie back and a set release date is unknown. Set amidst a post-apocalyptic world ripe with cannibals, The Road stars Viggo Mortensen as The Man, desperate to protect his son (Kodi Smith McPhee). Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron and Robert Duvall round out the cast of what hopefully will not be a long term victim of development hell.

This Side of the Truth : By most accounts, Tina Fey is the funniest woman working in comedy and Rickey Gervais the funniest fella. The two unite for This Side of the Truth, a film which takes place on a world where a lie has never been told by a single person. Gervais discovers how to, exploiting his new abilities for money, fame and power. The two comic heavyweights would be worth admission alone but their ensemble is one of the finest of the decade. Christopher Guest, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Jeffrey Tambor, John Hodgman and Patrick Stewart are but a few of those also participating.

Up : They have made monsters, rats and robots lovable to all, but can  Pixar make a hit out of an old curmudgeonly man? Of course they can and this summer Up will be the proof. Pete Docter, director of Monsters Inc., and Bob Peterson lead the troops this time, introducing the world to Carl Fredricksen (Edward Asner), a 78-year-old man escaping the annoyances of everyday life by lifting his home to the sky with thousands of balloons. Carl’s plan is foiled, however, when he soon discovers a surprising addition to his front porch.