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With precious few minutes left in 2008, and with 98% of all my time being devoted to playing catch-up with the cruel end of the year release date inundations of the film studios, (I've been taking in film lately like Paris Hilton ingests unfamiliar wiener) it's time to look forward to the 10 biggest film releases of 2009.
10) Ninja Assassin/TBA 2009- This is a Wachowski film in production credit only. It's being helmed by Mr. James McTiegue, the guy that brought us V for Vendetta. Sure I felt that V was hardcore persecution porn for the left-leaning politicos of our society - I'm sure Jenine Gerafalo had to wring out her granny panties when the flick concluded - but it was a very kick-ass persecution fantasy.
Ninja Assassin however looks positively delicious for those that enjoy a healthy diet of bloody Hong Kong cinema. A modern day Ninja, Raizo, hunts down and battles his own ruthless Ninjitsu clan, to save a girl, (Naomi Harris) in the streets and tenements of present day Europe.
Count me in.
9) The Descent Part II/TBA 2009- My faith is waning that this sequel will be worthy of its name. Original Director, Neil Marshall handed over the reins to freshman filmmaker Jon Harris. None of this matters too much. All I really care about is that we get a new cave-crawler horror flick, that picks up the story exactly where the last film stopped. If this sequel can make me jump out of my seat half as much as the original film did, that will be as peachy as peach brandy.
8) Where the Wild Things Are/October 16th 2009- There's no doubting Spike Jonze skill set as a filmmaker. We haven't seen anything from the guy since 2002's Adaptation. I'm guessing Jonze has spent the last six years adapting the classic children's book Where the Wild Things Are. That he's using real world locations instead of film sets, (In Lord of the Rings territory, New Zealand) as well as hiring Jim Henson's Creature Shop instead of Industrial Light and Magic, is reason enough to start drooling 10 months early for this movie.
7) Terminator Salvation/May 22nd 2009- I may not be the biggest McG fan, but I grew up on James Cameron's Terminator franchise, and there's absolutely no way I'll be missing out on this Summer action flick. I thought the trailer justified the hype for this film. That we're also getting Christian Bale in a born-to-play-this-character lead role as John Connor slathers the frosting on this cybernetic cupcake.
6) Shutter Island/October 2nd 2009- Ummmmm Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio are making another movie together? Yeah, I guess I'll go see that... Shutter Island is set in 1954 and involves escaped mental patients, manhunts, and enough intrigue and mystery for every last blessed Scorsese fan among us. There's little doubt that after 2006's Academy Award winning The Departed Leo and Marty make a lethal cocktail together.