CT! 2008 Movie Preview

Will 2008 be a good year for film? Hard to tell at this point – but here are ten upcoming releases I’m hoping will be worth the price of admission:

Cloverfield (Jan. 18) – J.J. Abrams produced this intriguing-looking horror flick about five New Yorkers who are documenting a going-away party when a skyscraper-sized creature descends on Manhattan. The partiers tell their harrowing survival tale via video camera.

Be Kind Rewind (Jan. 25) – When Jerry (Jack Black) somehow becomes magnetized and erases all the videotapes in the store run by his friend Mike (Mos Def), the pair decide to remake the films for their only loyal renter, an aging woman. Should be worth a watch if only because director Michel Gondry’s (The Science of Sleep, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) films always are.

The Other Boleyn Girl (Feb. 29) – Rivals and sisters, Anne (Natalie Portman) and Mary (Scarlett Johansson) Boleyn fight for the affections of King Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Based on the bestselling novel by Philippa Gregory.

In Bruges (Mar. 7) – Colin Farrell plays a hitman forced to hole up in the Belgian tourist town of Bruges with a fellow assassin (Brendan Gleeson) in order to wait for a call from their boss (Ralph Fiennes, channeling Sir Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast).

Iron Man (May 2) – Robert Downey Jr. as a superhero? You know it – and from the looks of it Iron Man has the perfect mix of cutting sarcasm, delivered the way only Downey can, and cool imagery. The Iron Man story is this – billionaire inventor Tony Stark is kidnapped and forced by his captors to build a weapon. Instead he builds himself a suit of armour that helps him escape and turns him into a deadly weapon. Decent cast includes Gwyneth Paltrow and Terrence Howard.

 

Johansson and Portman in a scene from The Other Boleyn Girl

The Dark Knight (July 10) – Iron Man looks cool, to be sure, but The Dark Knight is the superhero flick I’m really looking forward to. Christopher Nolan made the Batman franchise cool again with Christian Bale in Batman Begins. In The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger is employed to play The Joker, and Maggie Gyllenhaal takes over from Katie Holmes as love interest Rachel Dawes.

Bond 22 (Nov. 7) – No title yet, but who cares? If it’s got Daniel Craig in it, I’m in. Pierce Brosnan fans, get over it. Casino Royale was the best Bond film since Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Craig the best Bond since Connery. I hope he makes a dozen more.

The Time Traveler’s Wife (No release date yet) – Loved the book by Audrey Niffenegger, hope the film will be a fraction as good. Eric Bana stars as Henry, who has a gene that causes him to involuntarily time travel, causing challenges for his relationship with the love of his life, Clare (Rachel McAdams).

Sex and the City: The Movie (May 30) – I must confess, I have some reservations about transforming a TV show to the big screen. I suppose though if anyone can do it, Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte can. If nothing else, it’ll be a chance to truly admire their fab duds.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22) – Who cares if Harrison Ford’s going on 66 – he IS Indiana Jones. This fourth installment of the massively popular action series (and the first since 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) reunites Ford and director Steven Spielberg. Karen Allen also returns as Indy’s love interest Marion Ravenwood. Adding heft to the cast, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, and Jim Broadbent.

Posted by Cate Jones

Comments

[Greg Hood-Morris]

I must admit, the new Indiana Jones movie has me excited. I remember staying at the Harbour Castle Hilton with my parents and brother, reading Cracked magazine and eating goldfish crackers when we went out to see the Canadian premiere of Temple of Doom. Fine film. I wonder if they still publish Cracked?

[Brian McKechnie]

Greg,

Cracked is no longer in print but has been turned into a fairly decent website: http://www.cracked.com/

-Brian

[Greg Hood-Morris]

Brian, thanks for the enlightenment... my, but Cracked has certainly changed from the John Severin days. Where's Sylvester P. Smythe?