The American will come out on the very first day of the month. George Clooney has made a lot of friends within the Academy, and lately seems to be nominated consecutively for roles such as this (in the past you can think of Michael Clayton and Up in the Air). The movies he's nominated for also tend to get some BP love, and with the very refreshing approach potential great filmmaker Anton Corbijn (who brilliantly shot Control, one of 2007's bests) to give the film a very "European" feel, I get the sense that critics will be kind and it will appeal to a very middlebrow sector of the Academy. The issues are that it's a bit of an early release for a film on the scale of this to be remembered throughout the next season, and spy thrillers are hardly a genre the Academy or audiences alike have taken kindly to these days.
Machete should be in theaters by September 3rd, directed by perhaps the most worthy of Tarantino's students to continue his cinematic reign and influence Robert Rodriguez, this film's trailer first appeared three years ago in the Tarantino/Rodriguez failed double feature collaboration Grindhouse. Things don't look good as another Grindhouse trailer director, Edgar Wright, burned down spectacularly with his similarly instant cult hit and vastly underappreciated Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and fellow Grindhouse trailer director was featured in the fun campy Piranha 3D (also met with disappointing box office). Little word seems to have spread of Machete, but I think with its combination of ultra-violence and cast of kick-ass comebacks (Trejo, De Niro, Lohan) it should follow a similar path as The Expendables earlier this year (though not to the same extent). Don't expect any Oscars from this one though, folks, though it might get some splendid reviews.
I'm Still Here should come to limited release September 10th after premiering in Venice, and should finally answer the question of what exactly happened to Joaquin Phoenix. The answer, likely, is that it was all a gag for the sake of this faux comedic documentary by the talented young Casey Affleck. Do be warned, though, it's probably more in line with the Borat gross-out humor than This is Spinal Tap. From the LA Times: "Several buyers said the film overflowed with Hollywood debauchery, including more male frontal nudity than you’d find in some gay porn films and a stomach-turning sequence in which someone feuding with Phoenix defecates on the actor while he’s asleep." As for me...count me in!
Easy A should come to theaters by September 17th, offering a vehicle for the talented young starlet Emma Stone, and sure to be the most appreciated teen hit since Mean Girls. Jam packed with a talented cast of comedic and veteran character actors including Amanda Bynes (yes, she's been doing this long enough to be a vet), Lisa Kudrow, Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, and even Alex DeLarge himself Malcolm McDowell. I do gotta take issue with the way closeted gays in the trailer are depicted as needing a beard (in this case, Emma Stone) but the acting looks uniformly great and the writing otherwise strong. This will find a niche audience pretty quickly and I'd expect bring in some damn good box office numbers.
Jack Goes Boating should be in limited release by September 17th, after its Toronto premiere. Phillip Seymour Hoffman's tries his hand at directing for the first time with this stage adaptation of the successful play. The trailer to me looks a bit underwhelming, but if it does well Hoffman could be a serious contender in several major categories at the Oscars this year, although I think it'll go more along the lines of his past small scale indie work (under the radar, like Synecdoche, NY).
The Town should be in theaters by the same day, the new directorial effort from Ben Affleck who showed great promise in atmosphere and suspense with 2007's Gone Baby Gone. But this time, instead of baby brother Casey, it stars Ben himself surrounded by a talented cast including last year's nominee Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Pete Postlethwaite, Chris Cooper, and the luminous Rebbecca Hall. Set in the same dark Bostonian tone that worked well for past films like Mystic River, this will probably follow the same path awards-wise as Gone Baby Gone (as in, not much attention aside from a standout performance or something) but it could help Ben Affleck with good will in furthering his chances with The Company Men this same year (or vice-versa).
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger is the latest Woody Allen effort due for a September 22nd release with a supercast that includes Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, Freida Pinto and more. Premiered to unspectacular Cannes notice, but it looks as sexy and perhaps more ridiculous a comedic piece than his last great success of Vicky Christina Barcelona in 2008. In terms of awards, Woody Allen's always a screenplay contender as long as his film is well received. This one doesn't look to be his most acclaimed movie, but it doesn't look too bad.
Enter the Void, finally finding a US release after making a splash at Cannes, Toronto and Sundance in the past, should be at least in New York's IFC center by September 24th. Gaspar Noe's ambitious mindfucking venture is kind of hard to explain, so just look at the trailer I guess. Among my most anticipated of the year.
Howl, in theaters also on September 24th, features James Franco in the baity role as gay poetic revolutionary Allen Ginsberg during the onset of the Beat Generation's 20th century rise. It was met tepidly at Sundance this past year, but if it gets any better reviews from mainstream critics this year I'd be excited to see it being the huge Beat generation-geek that I am.
It's Kind of a Funny Story also opens on this busy box office day in September, also going to be the opening night of the New York Film Festival which will premiere David Fincher's The Social Network. Tragically overlooked by the Emmys in his work on United States of Tara, Keir Gilchrist stars in this dark comedy in a psych ward by indie duo Boden and Fleck who had previously led Ryan Gosling to nomination glory in Half Nelson. Their third effort is promising, and there are some whispers (as ridiculous as you may think) that recent comedic breakthrough Zach Galifianakis to sneak through in this year's weak seeming Supporting Actor lineup.
And then, finally, Waiting for Superman could be a superstar in a super year for documentaries (alongside Sundance smashes The Oath, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work and Cannes-raved Inside Job [also screening at the New York Film Festival]) highlighting the country's dismal state of education. With a smart advertising campaign going on for about a year now, featuring trailers in high profile indie films and urging an online fanbase to "pledge" to watch the movie, it is sure to be as important and as infuriating a documentary as you'll see all year.
On another note, you can expect my first full Oscar predictions for the year come Labor Day, along with a rundown of what I plan on seeing at the New York Film Festival (eventually, you'll get a look at my confirmed list and a diary logging reviews of each film as the festival progresses).
I am really excited for The American, I'm Still Here, Howl, and Waiting for Superman. I am mildly excited for Jack Goes Boating.
ReplyDeleteAnd I do not see why everyone is so interested in The Town... looks and sounds incredibly mediocre to me.
The trailer doesn't seem like all that much, I dunno...I guess it's just that type of people on IMDb who won't find anything impressive that isn't based on a Dennis Lehane novel or by anyone who's ever done an adaptation of his. GAG. Or any youthful rugged city kind of thing...so like, Ethan Hawke and Colin Farrell movies, etc. But I wasn't expecting much out of Gone Baby Gone which I ended up liking, so that gives me some hope.
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