With a mostly disappointing summer season (and that includes you Cannes Film Festival) its time to quit complaining and start looking forward.  There is a multitude of new directors to watch our for and some surprisingly daring studio fare.

Many of the films on the list are just being speculated to be released by the end of the year.  Its a good chance that many of them will end up opening in 2011 but I can still hope.

Here are my most anticipated films for the rest of 2010:

45) Restless

After a stellar 2008, with the release of the acclaimed Paranoid Park and Milk, Gus Van Sant filmed one of the most bizarre screenplays floating around Hollywood. Jason Lew’s incredibly strange and surreal Restless follows a terminally ill teenage girl (Mia Wasikowska) and her relationship with a teenage boy (Henry Hopper) obsessed with death and their frequent visits from the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze pilot from WWII (Chin Han). Will be fascinating to see how this one plays during awards season.

44) Due Date

It does look like a rip-off of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles but its director Todd Philips and Zach Galifinakis’ follow up to the The Hangover. And there’s Robert Downey Jr. in it too. And the trailer looks damn funny. Its gonna take a lot to screw this one up.

43) 127 Hours

The follow up to Danny Bolye’s massive Oscar-winning hit (if a bit overrated) Slumdog Millionaire is just about on every film fans’ must-see list. It tells the true story of an outdoor adventurer, Aron Ralston (James Franco), who miraculously saved himself after a falling boulder crashed on his arm and left him trapped and alone in an isolated Utah canyon with no sign of outside help. During the next five days he pulls off a miraculous escape.  Now talk about a fascinating one-man show.

42) Somewhere

While the trailer is a bit underwhelming (feels a bit like Lost in Translation only set in Hollywood), I’m still interested to see Sophia Coppola latest. With 2006’s brilliant but misunderstood Marie Antoinette she proved to be the most original directors working in the studio system today. Here we follow a hard living Hollywood actor (Stephen Dorff) and his 11 year-old daughter (Elle Fanning) who unexpectedly pays him a visit. The story is said to be based her on memories of her father (Francis Ford Coppola in case you didn’t already know) as a young girl in the late 70’s. Michelle Monaghan and Benicio Del Toro also costar. The French indie band Phoenix will be providing new music for the soundtrack.  Recent word out of the Venice film fest is a bit mixed but encouraging.

41) Four Lions

It might be the breakout comedy of the year in the UK, yet it has created hardly a peep in the US outside of its Sundance premiere. British comedian Christopher Morris’ directorial debut has been called everything from a new comedy classic to controversy lightning-rod. The terrorism satire follows four bumbling British jihadists as they plot an ill-conceived terrorist attack.

40) The Future

Performance artist Miranda July made one of my favorite movies of the decade, 2005′s Me and You and Everyone We Know.  Not much is known about her sophomore effort other than filming has completed.  It follows a 30-something couple as they slowly begin drifting apart.  I know that’s a scarce description but her films are not about story they are about atmosphere and human emotion.  Lets hope his one is able to slide onto some last minute slots at Toronto or Telluride.

39) Lovers of Hate

This dark sibling rivalry comedy by Bryan Poyser made a lot of waves this year at SXSW.  We follow two writer brothers, Paul is a successful author of fantasy novels, and Rudy is broke and reduced to living in his car.  Tensions begin to ignite when Rudy separates with his wife Diana and Paul begins making the moves on her.  Rudy begins planning an elaborate sabotaging of Paul making for some wonderfully uncomfortable comedy.

38) Night Catches Us

Tanya Hamilton’s latest opened at this years Sundance Film Festival, but it hasn’t seemed to have gotten a distribution deal yet.  The film (set in 1976) is a tender and melancholy love story between two former Black Panthers who return home to a race-torn Philadelphia where they come of age in the Black Power movement.

37) Waiting for Superman

Davis Guggenheim’s (An Inconvenient Truth) doc examines the disaster of today’s public school system.  The film follows a handful of promising students who have to navigate their way through a system that “inhibits” rather than “encourages” growth.  Hopefully this will stir up debate as much as its predecessor.

36) The Turin Horse

Bela Tarr (Werckmeister Harmonies, The Man from London) is one of the greatest, most-daring filmmakers working today, but have you heard of him? His works are challenging and experimental in nature, and this one seems no different. Turin Horse is inspired by the famous episode that marked the end of Frederick Nietzsche’s career. The IONCINEMA synopsis is fascinating:

“The film is freely inspired by an episode that marked the end of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s career. On January 3, 1889, on the piazza Alberto in Turin, a weeping Nietzsche flung his arms around an exhausted and ill-treated carriage horse, and then lost consciousness. After this event, the philosopher never wrote again and descended into madness and silence. From this starting point, The Turin Horse goes on to explore the lives of the coachman (Miroslav Krobot), his daughter (Erika Bók) and the horse in an atmosphere of poverty heralding the end of the world”

I told you this guy is a true original. On a sad note, it’s rumored to be Tarr’s final film, making it essential to see it on the big screen.

35) Inside Job

Heres a doc that you might be hearing a lot about in the coming months.  Its a detailed and highly researched account of  the 2008 financial meltdown and those who was responsible.  Wall Street, greedy CEO’s, our elected officials; no one is off the hook here.  The director Charles Ferguson’s previous film No End in Sight gave us the definitive doc about the disastrous outcome of the Iraq war.  Its obvious this one is going to be explosive upon its release and a shoo-in for the Best Documentary Oscar.

34) Heartbeats

If you are an aspiring filmmaker than you have every right to hate Xavier Dolan.  At just 21 years old he has wrote, directed and starred in two acclaimed and popular feature-length films (and in less than two years).  He is currently beginning production on a third.  After his last year’s Cannes entry I Killed My Mother a painful and confrontational coming of age film, his latest is a light and stylish romantic comedy.  It follows the lifespan of a love triangle (incidentally involving people with very pretty hair).  On the technical side the film features some of the most eye-popping cinematography I’ve seen this year.  The reasons to hate Dolan just keep adding up.

33) Miral

With a track record that includes Before Night Falls and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,director and painter Julian Schnabel has a reputation for making some of the most beautiful films of recent years. The IMDB synopsis for Miral:  ”A drama centered on an orphaned Palestinian girl growing up in the wake of the first Arab-Israeli war who finds herself drawn into the conflict.”  The international cast includes Hiam Abbass (The Visitor, The Limits of Control) as the great Hind Husseini, Willem Defoe, Vanessa Redgrave, Alexander Siddig (Syriana, Cairo Time) and Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) as Miral .

32) This Movie is Broken

For the longest time I thought the Bruce McDonald (Hard Core Logo, Pontypool) directed Broken Social Scene movie was just a rumor.  It indeed real and has been getting serious buzz from the festivals its played at. Like 2004′s 9 Songs the film fuses a romantic plot line with a concert film. Now I’m waiting for that Hard Core Logo sequel.

31) On Tour (Tournée)

One of France’s most celebrated actors Mathieu Amalric (Quantum of Solace, A Christmas Tale, Wild Grass) won the Best Director prize at Cannes for this wild road trip docudrama.  On Tour follows a troupe of unusual American Showgirls.  Each have a unique talent all their own and they mostly perform to empower women rather than tantalize men.  All the ladies in the film are the real thing, performing their real acts.    Amalric stars as the neurotic manger of their European tour.  The film features all the the usual backstage melodrama (affairs, betrayal, ect.) and the film has been taking a hit from critics who see it as unnecessary.  The main draw here is the ladies.  None of them are cookie-cutter blondes with spray tans.  They are all individuals and conformable in their own bodies.  There are too few films these days willing to portray that.

Continue

Yes, every summer movie season looks more the same as the last one. We have another Shrek, another Iron Man, another Sex and the City, another Twilight, another … well you get the point. Indie movies are the only remedy for this Summer blockbuster fatigue. Last year was quite strong (The Hurt Locker, Moon, 500 Days of Summer, The Cove), and this year we have an even more unusually fruitful indie selection. Experimental foreign films, quirky Sundance comedies, low budget shock-horror, socially conscious documentaries — you name it, it’s probably coming out this summer.

The Human Centipede (First Sequence)
Eat your heart out, Saw series! Filmmaker Tom Six has outdone everyone in the torture porn industry. In this little ditty, we follow two American girls on vacation in Germany. While on their way to a party they get lost and make the brilliant decision to look for help by walking into the middle of spooky-looking woods at night. They reach the house of a surgeon who invites them in, after which they are promptly drugged and gagged, the latest subjects in the surgeon’s experiment to create a living human/centipede hybrid to fulfill his sick twisted fantasies. This procedure is accomplished by connecting the human subjects through their gastric system (See Diagram).  This does not bode well for the captive girls who are in for some of the worst torture ever conceived by a filmmaker. The Human Centipede has only screened at a few festivals and yet it’s already become a cult hit.

The sequel is also in the works: The Human Centipede (Full Sequence). Roger Ebert’s zero star review of the film is a gem.

The Good the Bad and the Weird
Ji-woon Kim’s Korean Spaghetti Western, which has been thrilling audiences all over the world since 2008, is finally its making its way stateside! This ultraviolent movie involves three Korean outlaws in 1940s Manchuria and their rivalry to possess a treasure map. All the while they are being pursued by the Chinese army and Japanese bandits. This flick is essentially a giant chase movie, but one that is consistently clever and inventive. Plus, the reviews are stellar so far.

Please Give
Nicole Holofcener has carved out one of the most interesting careers in Indiewood. All her films (Walking and Talking, Lovely and Amazing, Friends with Money) are strictly about women, but they are never glamorous. The films can sometimes be damning portraits; her characters making mistakes but never playing for the sympathy of the audience. They are simply complex people that we are invited to have our own different feelings about.

Holofcener’s latest, Please Give, premiered at Sundance to great acclaim — which is a rarity for this frequently overlooked filmmaker. We follow a couple (Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt) who collect and sell antique furniture. Some tension arises between them and the granddaughters (Rebecca Hall and Amanda Peet) of  their 91-year-old neighbor, who is living in a goldmine of antiques. The film attempts to navigate the waters between selfishness and selflessness.

Babies
The film by Thomas Balmes has been compared to other meditative docs like Baraka. (Check out Joe Bardi’s review of Babies here.) For this doc, we have the novel concept of a near-wordless documentary capturing four newborn babies from four vastly different cultures on four different continents.

Mother and Child
This one’s almost certain to get some love at next year’s Academy Awards. This hyper-link film from Rodrigo Garcia (Nine Lives) focuses on the issue of adoption. We follow a 50-year-old woman (Annette Bening) coming to terms with the death of her disapproving mother, a cold and ambitious lawyer (Naomi Watts) with no close friends or family, and a young woman (Kerry Washington) jumping through hoops to adopt an unborn baby from a teenage girl.

Trash Humpers

Harmony Korine fans rejoice! His latest film is his most talked-about (and divisive) since his 1997 debut Gummo. Trash Humpers was shot on grainy video tape and made to look like some lost home movie found in a dumpster.  It’s quite a departure from the high-end production values of 2007′s Mister Lonely. The film follows a band of deranged misfits (one played by Korine himself, another played by his wife) who wear creepy rubber masks and literally go about their day humping trash in front of the camera.

The reviews have been split down the middle, but there’s no doubt about the film delivering on the WTF level.

The Oath
Laura Poitras’ follow-up to her Oscar-nominated 2006 film My Country, My Country centers on Abu Jandal, a former bodyguard for Osama bin Laden and currently a cab driver in Yemen. He is also the brother-in-law of Salim Hamdan, the plaintiff in the landmark supreme court case Hamdan vs. Rumsfeld.

Best Worst Movie
A documentary about the cult and the legend that surrounds what is purported to be the worst movie ever made, Troll 2. This documentary is made by Michael Stephenson (who was the young star of the film). Stephenson goes to investigate what happened to the cast and crew after shooting ended, and examines the cult phenomenon the film has become.

Daddy Longlegs

The sophomore effort by writer/director brothers Josh and Benny Safdie (The Pleasure of Being Robbed) is a surprisingly poignant story about a father who can only spend two weeks a year with his children, so he intends to make that short time together very memorable. The filmmakers describe it as “a swan song to excuses and responsibilities; to fatherhood and self-created experiences, and to what it’s like to be truly torn between being a child and being an adult.” The reviews have been stellar so far, in particular for the performance by first-time actor Ronald Bronstein (director of 2007′s Frowndland). Look out for this one on IFC on demand on May 14th.

MacGruber
As bad as the SNL skit adaptations are, there are a couple exceptions to the rule (The Blues Brothers, Wayne’s World). Could MacGruber be another diamond in the rough? With Val Kilmer as the villain and Kristin Wiig as a master of disguise, it’s hard to see how this one can go wrong. The film’s premiere at SXSW drew a surprisingly positive response, and the Red Band Trailer is funny as hell (and this is coming from someone who normally rolls his eyes at these kinds of comedies).

Holy Rollers
Hasidic Jews smuggling drugs. Interesting premise for a non-comedy staring Jesse Eisenberg. But don’t get your hopes up too much; this one was reportedly panned at Sundance.

Looking For Eric
Ken Loach (Kes, Sweet Sixteen, The Wind that Shakes the Barley) is one of the longest-working and most-respected filmmakers in Europe. His latest is a comedy about a down-and-out middle-aged man (Steve Evets) who has football (that’s soccer for all you Yankees) legend Eric Cantona (playing himself and in what many consider a breakout role) as his imaginary friend. It all sounds hokey, right? Leave it to Loach, who takes this material and makes it funny and real. The film has received great acclaim and become a sleeper hit in England, though it’s taken nearly a year for it to find its way across the Atlantic.

Micmacs
Jean-Pierre Jeunet, director of the international sensations Amelie, A Very Long Engagement and Delicatessen, is back. His latest is an apocalyptic fairy tale about a group of social outcasts living in a dump, and their attempts at turning it into a hospitable home while also plotting revenge on those who wronged them. The Jeunet visuals here are as fantastic as ever!

The Father of My Children

Mia Hansen-Love’s Cannes award-winner follows a very successful film producer (Louis de Lancquesaing) who is too immersed in his profession to spend much time with his family. But after a financial failure puts his career in in jeopardy, he falls into a depression and is forced to reexamine his life. The film is said to be inspired by the life of the late film producer Humbert Balsan, and has been celebrated for its true-to-life depiction of running a small movie studio.

Splice
Here we follow two young and rebellious scientists (Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley) who create an entirely new organism using human DNA. At first they think they have created the perfect organism, that is until it begins killing people and putting the entire human race in jeopardy. When will those silly scientists ever learn?

Ondine
From director Neil Jordan (Mona Lisa, The Crying Game) comes a gorgeously shot (courtesy of the great cinematographer Christopher Doyle) fairytale about a fisherman (Colin Farrell) who finds a woman in his fishing net that he believes is a mermaid.  This movie follows the fascinating trend of auteur-driven children’s movies (Alice In Wonderland, Where the Wild Things Are, Fantastic Mr. Fox).

Valhalla Rising

This film has been described as a gory horror movie that looks like it was directed by Terrence Malick. In actual fact, it’s director Nicolas Winding Refn (Pusher Trilogy, Bronson) who gives us this bloody tale complete with Vikings, crazy fight scenes and awe-inspiring imagery. This is my kind of action movie!! Heres the IMDB synopsis:

“1000 AD, for years, One Eye, a mute warrior of supernatural strength, has been held prisoner by the Norse chieftain Barde. Aided by Are, a boy slave, One Eye slays his captor and together he and Are escape, beginning a journey into the heart of darkness. On their flight, One Eye and Are board a Viking vessel, but the ship is soon engulfed by an endless fog that clears only as the crew sights an unknown land. As the new world reveals its secrets and the Vikings confront their terrible and bloody fate, One Eye discovers his true self.”

Now watch this one become a cult classic just from the bloody NSFW clip. Warning not for the squeamish!!

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
One of the most acclaimed docs at Sundance this year was an unfiltered look into the life of hard-working comedy legend Joan Rivers. Directed by Anne Sundberg and Ricki Stern (The End of America), the doc makes the effort to look beyond the comic’s daily life to consider how women are treated in Hollywood, and how difficult it is to survive the old boys’ club that is show biz.

Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky
This is actually the third film made in less than a year about fashion designer Coco Chanel, although this one looks like a more-interesting take on the artist than those other, more standard biopics. Coco and Igor focuses on Chanel’s relationship with another innovative artist, Igor Stravinsky, the Russian composer of the great ballet suites The Firebird, Petrushka and the revolutionary Rite of Spring. Set in Paris circa 1920, the general setup is that a newly wealthy Chanel and the penniless Stravinsky meet, and the attraction between them is electric.

Winter’s Bone
The most celebrated and popular feature at Sundance this year was from director Debra Granik (Down to the Bone). The film stars Jennifer Lawrence (in a breakout role) as a teenager who goes on a tough search for her drug-dealer father and encounters more danger than she ever anticipated.

I Am Love
Showered with praise at nearly every film festival (Venice, Toronto, Sundance, Sarasota), this Italian melodrama from director Luca Guadagnino could be the breakout foreign hit of the summer. Anchored by an extraordinary performance by Tilda Swinton (who masters the Italian language with a Russian accent), the film follows a high-society woman in Milan who has an affair with a young cook. This sets off a series of events that will change her and her family forever.

I was able to see this one in Sarasota earlier this year, and I was blown away: The film is an operatic wonder. There is nothing new here, but the actors, costumes, decor, drama and the wonderful music (courtesy of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Adams) are all great. You simply have to get lost in this movie.

The Killer Inside Me

One of the most controversial and divisive films at Sundance this year was Michael Winterbottom’s pulpy adaptation of  a Jim Thompson novel, which is sure to turn heads and raise eyebrows. We follow a crooked cop’s (Casey Affleck) descent into madness and murder, and the two women he loves (Kate Hudson and Jessica Alba) who get caught in his web. Simon Baker, Ned Beatty and Bill Pullman round out the exceptional cast. The film’s depiction of violence toward women is so unrelenting that it prompted numerous walkouts during its premiere screening. That controversy might make another appearance when the film opens in theaters on June 18th.

This is just one of two (or possible three) films Winterbottom is releasing this year (the others being the Naomi Klein doc The Shock Doctrine and the Colin Firth ghost story Genova). But this is just an average year for Winterbottom, whose name alone is enough reason to see this film.

Wild Grass

French New Wave icon Alain Resnais (Night and Fog, Hiroshima mon amour, Last Year at Marienbad) is 87 years young and still producing some of the best and most exciting work of his career. His latest is a kaleidoscopic love story that rivals the style-driven cinema of younger, “hipper” French filmmakers like Michel Gondry and Arnaud Desplechin. The film follows Marguerite, a business woman who loses her wallet. The wallet is found by Georges (Andre Dussollier) who, after seeing her photo in the wallet, becomes obsessed with her and forces his way into her life. But that’s just the beginning of this beautifully surreal tale. French stars Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Quantum of Solace), Emmanuelle Devos (A Christmas Tale) and Anne Consigny handle the supporting roles.

The film also features hands-down my favorite trailer of the year.

Dogtooth
Last year’s notorious Greek import from director Yorgos Lanthimos finally gets a release. The film has drawn comparisons to the disturbing early works of Michael Haneke and Lars Von Trier. We follow a seemingly wealthy family who are completely cut off from the rest of the world. They are not allowed to leave the confines of their gated property and preform incredibly bizarre rituals. But when an outsider makes an appearance, their insular world dissolves into violence and chaos.

The Kids are Alright
This is one of two breakout Sundance hits opening on the same weekend (the other one being Cyrus). Lisa Cholodenko’s honest and funny portrait of a modern family could be a real crowdpleaser and possible Oscar front-runner. Two teenage siblings (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) seek out their biological father (Mark Ruffalo) and introduce him to their two moms (Annette Bening and Julianne Moore).  Soon afterward, their entire family structure is turned inside out.

Cyrus

The first big crossover effort by Mumblecore veterans Jay and Mark Duplass. Despite the appearance of big stars (John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marissa Tomei, Catherine Keener) and a very warm reception by large audiences, the Duplass Brothers haven’t changed their filmmaking process much at all. They still rely heavily on their actors improvising (which gives the films an unusual amount of spontaneity), and they like quick-cheap productions. This one follows John (Reilly), a newly divorced sad sack, who meets and falls in love with the woman of his dreams, Molly (Tomei).  It all seems too good to be true — and it is. He soon has to deal with Molly’s borderline-psychotic son Cyrus (Hill), who follows her everywhere.

Life During Wartime
Todd Solondz was one of the most revered filmmakers of the ’90s with the uncompromising indie classics Welcome to the Dollhouse and Happiness. The ’00s weren’t as kind, with his critically panned films Storytelling and Palindromes both criticized as retreads of his earlier work.

Solondz’s latest may have put things back on the upswing for him. Life During Wartime has been described as a “kinder, gentler” Solondz. It features many of the same characters from Happiness, only this time played by an entirely new cast. And oh what a cast it is! Shirley Henderson, Michael K. Williams (The Wire), Allison Janney (The West Wing), Ciaran Hinds, Ally Sheedy, Charlotte Rampling and Paul Reubens (yes, that’s Pee-wee Herman himself).

I Love You Philip Morris

Jim Carrey has not had the best track record lately. Since 2004′s triumphant Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, he hasn’t really done anything memorable (unless you count 2007′s memorably awful Number 23). Glenn Ficarra and John Requa’s (Bad Santa) darkly comic fable seems perfectly suited for him, and Carrey has been getting some of the best notices of his career. And the IMDB synopsis is quite ridiculous:

” Steven Russell is happily married to Debbie, and a member of the local police force when a car accident provokes a dramatic reassessment of his life. Steven realizes he’s gay and decides to live life to the fullest — even if it means breaking the law. Steven’s new, extravagant lifestyle involves cons and fraud and, eventually, a stay in the State Penitentiary where he meets sensitive, soft-spoken Phillip Morris. His devotion to freeing Phillip from jail and building the perfect life together prompts Steven to attempt and often succeed at one impossible con after another.”

I Killed My Mother

One of Quebec’s most exciting new writer/directors, Xaveir Dolan is only 21 years old. He tells the semi-autobiographical story of a young homosexual with a strained relationship with his mother. The film has been celebrated as an uncompromising tale of growing up in a constant war between you and your parents. The prolific young director also has another film in the can, Les Amours Imaginaires, which is set to premiere at Cannes this year.

Get Low
Oscar season starts early this year with another career-defining performance by Robert Duvall. In 1930s Tennessee a mysterious old hermit (Duvall) throws a funeral party for himself (while he is still alive) and invites the entire town. He hopes to set the record straight about his life, after countless rumors and folktales the town has made up about him. The excellent cast also includes Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek and Lucas Black.

Soul Kitchen
Fatih Atkin’s previous films (Head On, The Edge of Heaven) have been huge international hits. His latest is a departure from those hard-hitting dramas. Soul Kitchen is a light-hearted comedy about a young man’s attempts to keep his roadside restaurant open after many setbacks. As in all of Atkin’s films, the cast is full of quirky characters of various nationalities (most from Germany and Turkey).

Happythankyoumoreplease
Winner of the Audience Award at Sundance this year and also the opening film at this year’s Gasparilla film festival. The film’s writer/director is How I Met your Mother star Josh Radnor (you know, the one who isn’t Jason Segel or Neil Patrick Harris). His romantic comedy’s official synopsis suggests an ambitious film:

“happythankyoumoreplease” captures a generational moment – young people on the cusp of truly growing up, tiring of their reflexive cynicism, each in their own ways struggling to connect and define what it means to love and be loved.”

The ensemble cast includes: Malin Akerman, Kate Mara, Zoe Kazan, Tony Hale, Richard Jenkins and Radnor himself.

- Anthony Nicholas

Decide for yourself:

Luca Guadagnino’s I Am Love has received near unanimous raves in Venice, Toronto and Sundance, so I have to admit my anticipation is high for this one. So high, that I thought disappointment was inevitable. Then I caught the UK trailer for this one and it knocked my socks off. The visuals are stunning, the score (by Pulitzer Prize winning composer John Adams) is awe-inspiring, and Tilda Swinton (nearly 50) has never looked this beautiful. The film centers around a forbidden love affair between a wealthy married woman and a young cook that causes tensions to rise in her wealthy aristocratic family. The film is set for a limited release by Magnolia Pictures on June 18.  See for yourself what all the fuss is about by clicking below …

Technically, the film is a marvel – this is Heneke’s first black and white film and it’s simply dazzling.

The White Ribbon

In the years before WWI we follow a group of townspeople. The Baron owns the land and most of the villager’s farm on it. There’s the well-respected members of the town: the doctor, and the priest. The closest thing to a protagonist in film is the teacher (who is also the film’s narrator). The fabric of this town starts to unravel as many bizarre incidents begin to occur.  The doctor is trampled on his horse while on his daily route by a wire clearly placed for him. The Barron’s barn is burned to the ground. A child is brutalized and left for dead in the forest.  The townspeople become up in arms and everyone is a suspect. But the blame always seems to trickle down to the children. Behind closed doors the priest beats his kids after he assumes they lied about the horse-trampling incident. The teacher becomes suspicious after noticing them hanging around near every crime scene. But the hypocrisy is everywhere, the priest may suspect his children of something and punish them but when the teacher suggests they could be responsible for a more heinous act, the he becomes so offended he can barely hold his composure.

So who is responsible? The children? Terrorists? I think that’s the last thing that Heneke is interested in. He wants to see what little it takes for a small village to turn into a mini fascist state.  Given all the lies and accusations centering on the children, if they aren’t monsters at the beginning of the film Heneke gives us clues that they may have become one by the end.  Many think that the film is about the origins of Nazi Germany but I think there is a much broader context. You could apply this to our “War on Terror,” but the only thing the film makes a direct allusion to is the events leading up to WWI. It ties in with the film perfectly and makes for a satisfying viewing despite the unsolved mysteries. We see the effects of accusation and fear on both the large and small scale.

- Anthony Nicholas

Despite that fact that the competition this year underwhelmed (see Shane Danielsen’s column) there were sill some pleasant surprises and curiosities that are helping 2010 become another great year in film.  Two recent releases premiered over the past couple weeks.  Martin Scosesse’s Shutter Island got a mixed response, which translated the same stateside.  While Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer premiered to great acclaim and won the controversial filmmaker the best director prize.  Polanski is still under house arrest in Switzerland and couldn’t attend the ceremonies.   But those films weren’t the only big stories.  Here are nine Berlin premiers you should be looking out for in 2010.

The Illusionist – The indisputable masterpiece of the fest was, believe it or not, rejected from entering the competition.  Sylvain Chomet’s nearly dialogue-free animated film was made from a script written in the 1950’s by French icon Jacque Tati.  For those of you who don’t know, Tati is more or less the French Charlie Chaplain.  He wrote directed and starred in only five films (Including Mr. Holut’s Holiday and the Oscar winning Mon Oncle), but all of them are considered classics around the world.  He never filmed the Illusionist because it was too personal.  It was about him and his estranged daughter.  The main character is a magician (whose name is   by chance).  Chomet, in an unusual choice, set the film Edinburgh.  But seeing the footage it’s obvious he made a wise decision.

Greenberg – Hailed as a return to form for Noah Baumbach after 2007’s Margot at the Wedding failed to find an audience.  This one stars Ben Stiller as Roger Greenberg a middle aged slacker who, after a nervous breakdown, moves to L.A. to house sit for his wealthy brother.  Almost as an act of defiance against his disappointing life he decides to spend his days doing nothing.  Sparks begin to fly when he meets his brother’s assistant (Greta Gerwig).  But like all of Baumbach’s films things are never simple.  Gerwig isn’t a romantic interest to give us and Greenberg a happy ending.  Despite some minor complaints about the unlikable character Stiller plays, his performance has been getting good marks.  But it’s Mumblecore actress Gerwig who is the breakout, with Baumbach using her unusual combination of sweetness and goofiness to great success.  Focus features is set for a limited release on March 26^th.

Honey – The film by the Turkish writer-director Semih Kaplanoglu won the feastival’s top prize the Golden Bear as well as heaps of critical praise for its mysterious story of a young boy and his beekeeper father.  The film follows the two and their treks in the forest in search of Honey, as the father looks for beehives on the tops of the tallest trees.  But one day the bees begin to disappear leaving the family to struggle financially.  The father decides to set off for work in the remote mountains for work but doesn’t return.  Not long after the young boy becomes mute while living with his mother.  Together the two frantically look for clues of the father’s whereabouts.

Puzzle – The debut feature from Argentine filmmaker Natalia Smirnoff made a big impression on Berlin audiences (not as much with critics) and was bought up by IFC films almost immediately after it premiered.  The film has real crowd-pleaser potential with its story of a middle-aged housewife (The Headless Woman’s Maria Onetto) who discovers she has a remarkable talent for assembling puzzles and begins entering tournaments.  But her family is unsupportive of her new passion to say the least.  She then will have to make the inevitable choice to either to keep living for her family or for herself.  IFC plans to screen the film in future festivals in the fall with a limited release soon to follow.  So publicity may grow with this film later in the year.

The Robber – The razor sharp German thriller by Benjamin Heisnberg has potential to find a real audience in America.  It tells the story of Johann Retteberger who is essentially a marathon runner by day and serial bank robber by night.  The man’s criminal acts have no real profit motive.  He is simply an endorphin junkie obsessed with getting away with the most efficient and clean robbery possible.  Robbing banks is a thrill-seeking extracurricular activity, like say sky diving is for law abiding citizens.  The film is an adaptation of the popular Martin Prinz novel based on an actual series of crimes committed in Austria.

Apart Together – The opening film in of the fest was by popular Chinese director Wang Quan’an.  It takes place 50 years after the proclamation of Peoples Republic of China and the Island republic of Taiwan.  For the first time a group of ex-soldiers of Taiwan’s National Peoples party are given permission to travel to China to reunite with family members in Shanghai.  But for one aging soldier the journey is to find the long lost love of his life and their unborn child, who he was obligated to leave behind in Shanghai 50 years before.  The big hearted romance won over the crowds and the critics.

Metropolis the Directors cut – A the beginning of the fest hundreds of fans waited out in the snow in Berlin’s legendary Brandenberg Gate for the world premiere of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis the way he intended it too be seen.  The cut that most everyone else has seen was botched by German studios who wanted to keep the running time low for world distribution.  But a couple years ago at an old cinema in Barcelona the only known copy of Fritz Lang’s original vision was discovered.  The film was digitally restored and wowed the crowds as the Berlin.  After the premiere Variety simply said “Throw out your Metropolis DVD.”  The new version fills up many plot holes and gives the film a great suspense that wasn’t there before.  This new and improved version will be released by Kino in April.

A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop – Last and probably least on the list is Zhang Yimou’s remake of the Coen brothers classic Blood Simple.  The film may have underwhelmed at Berlin, despite masterful visuals and committed performances.  But it still is a real curiosity with its flamboyant period garb and Three Stooges style slapstick.

- Anthony Nicholas

This may be the year the Oscars get out of their ratings slump. The expanding of the Best Picture category from five to ten was a smart move. Its big enough to include red state crowd pleasers (The Blind Side), fan boy fare (District 9), the biggest movie ever (Avatar), and at least one ballsy art house choice (A Serious Man). But even after this some of the most important films of the year (35 Shots of Rum, Still Walking, Summer Hours, Two Lovers, House of the Devil) still didn’t stand a chance. For one reason: Most academy members simply haven’t even heard of them much less seen them.

After looking at the box office returns the weekend after the nominations anyone can see they have very little effect. Crazy Heart was the only film that saw a significant increase. After millions spent in Oscar campaigning you wonder why studios would go through all the trouble for such modest returns. The films that would truly benefit are the ones who can barely afford the distribution. The Headless Woman has only little over $88,000 in Box Office Returns, a single nomination would be a miracle for that film financially.

I’m not in any way against populist films to get nominated, just as long as they take chances and are at least technically innovative. Avatar, Inglorious Basterds, Up, and District 9 fit the bill perfectly and they It wouldn’t kill them to have spots open for some deserving films (Summer Hours, Two Lovers). Look what happed to the unexpected nomination of the animated film The Secret of the Krells. It was almost completely unknown outside of Ireland and with its recent nomination tons of buzz has built on the film with movie buffs and industry insiders. It wont make 100 million dollars but its creator is a big new name in animation.

In the acting categories How can the Media not want a success story? The media would have a full batch of new success stories with unknowns (Alycia Delmore, Peter Capaldi, Tom Hardy, Maria Onetto) thrust in the spotlight. Fresh new faces keep things from being boring.

The Oscars are all about exposure. People want to see their favorite films get their due and they want to be exposed to films they have never head of. And I think just about everyone is sick and tired of Oscar bait (Invictus, Nine, Up in the Air). They simply take their mediocre scripts and spread the sheen of prestige over the production. The latest Oscars are a step in the right direction but they still reflect the tastes of the America’s over 40 demographic. They need to start reflecting other kinds of cinema movements from right here and around the world.

The blind side just doesn’t cut the mustard

Here are my picks:

Best Picture
The Hurt Locker
Inglorious Basterds
District 9
The White Ribbon
Avatar
Where the Wild Things Are
A Serious Man
Summer Hours
Up
Two Lovers

Best Director
Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Basterds)
Clare Denis (35 Shots of Rum)
James Grey (Two Lovers)
Kathryn Bigalow (The Hurt Locker)
Sam Raimi (Drag Me to Hell)

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
Colin Firth (A Single Man)
Tom Hardy (Bronson)
Sam Rockwell (Moon)
Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker)

Best Actress
Tilda Swinton (Julia)
Carey Mulligan (An Education)
Abbie Cornish (Bright Star)
Maria Onetto (The Headless Woman)
Charlotte Gainsbourg (Antichrist)

Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds)
Woody Harrelson (The Messenger)
Christian McKay (Me and Orson Wells)
Peter Capaldi (In the Loop)
Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover)

Best Supporting Actress
Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air)
Melanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterds)
Monique (Precious)
Alycia Delmore (Humpday)
Gwyneth Paltrow (Two Lovers)

Best Animated Feature
Coralline
Up
Fantastic Mr. Fox
A Town Called Panic
Ponyo

Original Screenplay
Corneliu Porumboiu (Police, Adjective)
Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker)
Roy Andersson (You the Living)
Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Basterds)
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Sugar)

Adapted Screenplay
Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach (Fantastic Mr. Fox)
Armando Iannucci; Harold P. Manning; Ian Martin; Jesse Armstrong; Simon Blackwell; Tony Roche (In the Loop)
Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers (Where the Wild Things Are)
Joel and Ethan Coen (A Serious Man)
Scott Z. Burns (The Informant!)

Best Foreign language film
Dogtooth (Greece)
A Prophet (France)
The White Ribbon (Germany)
Mother (South Korea)
The Maid (Chile)

Best Documentary
Anvil: The Story of Anvil
The Cove
The Beaches of Agnes
Burma VJ
Of Time and the City

Best Cinematography
Tetro
Revanche
The White Ribbon
Inglorious Basterds
The Girlfriend Experience

Best Editing
Duplicity
A Serious Man
Inglorious Basterds
The Hurt Locker
Revanche

Best Original Song
“Loin de Paname” Paris 36
“All is Love” Where the Wild Things Are
“The Weary Kind” Crazy Heart
“Fly Farm Blues” It Might Get Loud
“Trust Me” The Informant!

Best Score
Marvin Hamlisch (The Informant!)
Bad Rabbit (The Limits of Control)
Alexandre Desplat (Fantastic Mr. Fox)
James Newton Howard (Duplicity)
Michael Giacchino (Up)

Best Costume Design
The Brothers Bloom
Inglorious Basterds
The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus
Whip It
The Limits of Control

Best Art Direction
Moon
The Road
Avatar
Where the Wild things Are
The Brothers Bloom

Best Make Up
Il Divo
District 9
The Road
Watchmen
Whip It

Best Visual Effects
Avatar
Where the Wild Things Are
Star Trek
District 9
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Best Sound
Revanche
The Hurt Locker
Avatar
Star Trek
District 9

Best Ensemble Cast
House of the Devil
Summer Hours
Inglorious Basterds
In the Loop
A Serious Man
Adventureland
Still Walking

The Last Station feels more like a stuffy old British play than actual history

The Last Station

Directed by Michael Hoffman

The Last Station presents the fascinating last year in the life of Russian giant Leo Tolstoy, watered down by a cavalcade of coming-of-age story and biopic clichés. It’s too bad, because there is so much to explore in the great writer’s life story. Tolstoy wasn’t just the author of War and Peace and Anna Karenina; the author was so popular in Russia at the end of his career that he inspired a religious and philosophical movement. (Sorry, L. Ron, you’re not all that original.) These Tolstoyans were essentially anarchists who mixed their beliefs with some of the teachings of Christ. They were vegans interested in spreading love and harmony, stuck to abstinence as the best policy and rejected organized religion. Still, it was Tolstoy’s ideas about pacifism and non-violent resistance that would have a lasting impact and directly inspire the likes of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

The story begins at the Tolstoy estate circa 1909, as we are granted a view of the grounds and of the adjacent commune where students would farm and occasionally learn from the master himself. It’s here we meet the young Valentine (James McAvoy, looking like his character wandered in from Atonement), a young Tolstoyan idealist who applies to be the old man’s private secretary. No small feat, considering that Tolstoy is one of the most famous men in the world at this time, with Russian paparazzi waiting outside his house every morning hoping to catch a glimpse of the legend.

Valentine is invited to live on the Tolstoy property, within the new-age commune. He’s honest, cares about everyone and is painfully nervous and shy (probably because he’s never been with a woman). Essentially, he’s the walking embodiment of someone who will come of age, Summer of ’42 style. In no time, he’s losing his virginity, proclaiming his love for a fellow commune member and eventually morphing into a stud muffin with convictions.

The commune feels like a college dorm or summer camp, which is all well and good, but I thought I was watching a movie about Leo Tolstoy. Why did the filmmakers think it would take this kind of hokey story to hook the audience? You could not have a more fascinating subject: The marriage of Tolstoy and Sofya is the stuff of legend, and Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren are more than up to the task of eking out every salacious detail. Plummer wisely underplays Tolstoy as a man tired of everyone treating him like he’s a god. Mirren is sensational as his bi-polar diva of a wife; whether she’s smashing plates, crackling like a chicken during sex, throwing tantrums while holding a handgun or staging a spectacularly dramatic suicide attempt by the pond, the actress is a joy to watch.

The main conflict in the film centers on Tolstoy’s will. Vladimir Chertkov (Paul Giamatti), the founder and organizer of the Tolstoyan movement, wants to give Tolstoy’s estate and the rights to his work to the Russian people (a crucial move for the growth of the movement), while Sofya will stop at nothing to thwart his plans. Giamatti has always had the uncanny ability to make every character he plays seem instantly unlikable and untrustworthy, and Chertkov is no exception — he comes off as a complete slimeball.

Despite the film’s shortcomings, I rather enjoyed the characters. Perhaps they would have been more at home in a British sitcom. (Anyone interested in optioning Tolstoy Knows Best?) But not for a moment did the movie convince me that I was watching actual historical figures. Roger Ebert described why he cared about these characters: “In real life, I learn, Tolstoy provided Sofya with more unpleasant sunset years, but could we stand to see Helen Mirren treated like that?” That’s the perfect summation of the film, and explains why The Last Station feels more like a stuffy old British play than actual history. Still, Mirren is able to make the film somewhat satisfying in the end, providing yet another reason why she rules the cinema.

- Anthony Nicholas

Originally posted in Creative Loafing

It’s a new year and a new decade. Here’s looking forward to a prosperous decade of cinema. Will it known for a slew of sequels and comic book adaptations and funny cat videos like the 00’s were? Or will it be known for groundbreaking and socially relevant cinema like the 70s? There’s a glimmer of hope for originality in film with the monumental success of Avatar and the unexpected success of Inglorious Basterds and District 9. Could they have turned the tide? Could this lead us into an era of blockbuster auteur driven cinema? Not likely but one can still hope. But let’s just focus on 2010 for now. The lineup this year is extremely promising.

There’s no guarantee the films on the list will be released in 2010 (some have not even begun filming yet). They consist of festival favorites, summer blockbusters, and overseas gems. So let’s hope all goes well and these films can become readily available to see this year.

And because I worked so damn hard on this you better bookmark this page for the rest of the year!

30) The First Gun – Zhang Yimou’s (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) slapstick remake of the Coen brothers’ Blood Simple set 1,000 years ago. ‘Nuff said.

29) Your Highness – After the disappointing Pineapple Express, I thought I would be done with David Gordon Green’s Danny McBride and James Franco-led stoner comedies – but this one is a stoner comedy set in medieval times, so I guess I’m interested again. There seems to be more possibilities here. The plot involves something about a prince and a warrior going on a mission and saving a kingdom. Hopefully there will be plenty of inappropriate laughs along the way. And the supporting cast looks damn good: Zooey Deschanel, Natalie Portman, Damian Lewis and Justin Theroux.

28) Hadewijch – Controversial to say the least, Bruno Dumont’s (Twentynine Palms, Flanders) latest is an examination of religious faith. He is looking for the fine line that divides religious devotion and fanaticism. The IONCINEMA synopsis reads:

“The film is about a religious novice (Julie Sokolowski) whose ecstatic, blind faith leads to her expulsion from a convent. Returning to her former life, Hadewijch reverts to being Céline, a Parisienne and daughter of a diplomat. However, her passion for God, rage and encounters with Khaled and Nassir soon lead her down a dangerous path.”

IFC Films has bought up U.S. distribution for this one and should be releasing it on Video on demand as well as select theaters.

27) Somewhere – Looks like Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette) could be pulling a Wrestler on us by attempting resurrect the career of another fallen star, Stephen Dorff. Can’t wait to see the tagline on the poster: “Come witness the resurrection of Stephen Dorff.” The films is said to primarily take place in Hollywood’s legendary Château Marmot, where a hard-living movie star drinks his days away. That is, until his 11-year-old daughter pays him an unexpected visit. Can she save him from his destructive ways? Can Coppola save Dorff from direct-to-DVD hell? You’ll have to wait and see. The film is to contain some original music by the French pop band Phoenix and there is a supposed cameo appearance by Benicio Del Toro (no word on whether he is playing himself or not). Michelle Monaghan and Elle Fanning round out the cast.

26) Socialisme – French New Wave icon Jean-Luc Godard (Breathless, Contempt) is getting political again (when has he not been?) with his latest film, to which he credits six other filmmakers. I guess his latest will be an exploration / history lesson on the theme and it takes place on a cruise liner and features Patti Smith for some reason. That’s what I gathered from the official synopsis:

“A symphony in three movements. Things such as: The Mediterranean, a cruise ship. Numerous conversations, in numerous languages, between the passengers, almost all of whom are on holiday… An old man, a war criminal (German, French, American we don?t know) accompanied by his granddaughter. A famous French philosopher (Alain Badiou). A representative of the Moscow police, detective branch. An American singer (Patti Smith). An old French policeman. A fired female United Nations officer. A former double agent. A Palestinian ambassador. It’s a matter of gold, as it was before with the Argonauts, but what is seen (the image) is very different from what is heard (the word). Our humanities. Visits to six sites of true or false myths: Egypt, Palestine, Odessa, Hellas, Naples and Barcelona. Our Europe. At night, a sister and her younger brother have summoned their parents to appear before the court of their childhood. One of the parents in fact has to appear on television to stand as a candidate in the local elections at… The children demand serious explications of the themes of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.”

25) Untitled Mike Leigh Project – As usual nothing is known about the plot of the film. Mike Leigh ‘s film productions are always shrouded in mystery. But that doesn’t matter. Anything with the master filmmaker’s name attached is certain to be great. Since the late 80s he hasn’t made a single bad (or even mediocre) film. The cast includes Leigh regulars Imelda Staunton and Jim Broadbent. Look for a possible premiere at Cannes.

24) The Green Hornet – This may be the epitome of cool, with Michel Gondry directing, Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) playing the villain and newly trendy metal band Anvil are set to make a musical appearance. Seth Rogen and Cameron Diaz star.

23) Cemetery Junction – After the critical and box-office disappointment of The Invention of Lying (although something tells me it may become a future cult classic), Ricky Gervais and his directing partner Stephen Merchant march forth. Their latest has an unexpected subject mater involving the trial of three upstart professional men working for an insurance company in the 1970’s. The cast includes Gervais, Emily Watson, Mathew Goode, and Ralph Fiennes.

22) The Rum Diary – Bruce Robinson, the famed director of Withnail and I (one of the all-time great comedies), adapts Hunter S. Thompson’s book about Paul Kemp, a freelance writer (not unlike Thompson himself) who faces a critical turning point in his life that leads him to a path of self destruction. In not so shocking casting Johnny Depp is playing the central character with Aaron Eckhart and Amber Heard costarring. It will be interesting to see how Robinson films the material, since this will be his first film in nearly twenty years.

21) Looking for Eric / Irish Route – We may find ourselves with a Ken Loach double feature this year. The first is a comedy of sorts. Looking for Eric has already opened in Europe to great acclaim for its gentile and wise portrait of an average football fan and postman whose life begins to fall apart. He seeks solace in the words famously philosophical UK football star Eric Cantona (who plays himself).

The second (still in production as far as I can tell) is a politically charged piece about dirty Irish contractors in Iraq. Loach has never been shy about his feelings on England and America’s foreign policy in recent years, but this is the first time he is addressing those issues head on. Route Irish tells the story of a private security contractor in Iraq who rejects the official examination of his friend’s death and sets out to find the truth. The film is certain to cause a stir.

20) Iron Man 2 – Certain to be the biggest movie of the year and hopefully as good as the first one. It features the Black Widow (Scarlet Johansen in a tight black suit, Nice!) and Whiplash (Mickey Rourke, not so nice.). Then there’s the feature film debut of War Machine. All awesome sounding. I just hope Jon Faverou has the good sense to keep those wonderful dialogue scenes with Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow. Their chemistry is unbelievable and it’s what made the first Iron Man installment stand out so much.

19) Meek’s Cutoff – With 2008’s Wendy and Lucy, Kelly Reichardt took a simple story about a girl searching for her lost dog and turned it into one of the most moving film experiences in recent memory. Here she reteams with Michelle Williams/ who co-stars with Paul Dano, Bruce Greenwood, Shirley Henderson and Zoe Kazan. Instead of filming one of her intimate present-day dramas, she has opted for a historical western centering on the famous American mountaineer Steven Meek. The IONCINEMA synopsis:

“The year is 1845, the earliest days of the Oregon Trail, and a wagon team of three families has hired the mountain man Stephen Meek to guide them over the Cascade Mountains. Claiming to know a short cut, Meek leads the group on an unmarked path across the high plain desert, only to become lost in the dry rock and sage. Over the coming days, the emigrants must face the scourges of hunger, thirst, and their own lack of faith in each other’s instincts for survival. When a Native American wanderer crosses their path, the emigrants are torn between their trust in a guide who has proven himself unreliable and a man who has always been seen as the natural enemy. “

18) Greenburg – Noah Baumbach’s (The Squid and the Whale) follow-up to his polarizing Margot at the Wedding (a film I unabashedly love) sees him working with both A-list Hollywood (Ben Stiller) and Mumblecore favorites (Greta Gerwig and Mark Duplass). The film follows Greenberg (Stiller), a middle aged slacker, as he tries to find his next step in life while he housesits for his brother. Soon sparks fly when he meets Florence, his brother’s personal assistant. The most exciting aspect of the film seems to be Gerwig, who has potential to be a major star. Oh, and 2nd most exciting aspect is that LCD Soundsystem has produced some original music for the soundtrack.

17) The Turin Horse –Bela Tarr (Werckmeister Harmonies, The Man from London) is one of the greatest most daring filmmakers working today. But have you heard of him? His works are challenging and experimental in nature and this one seems no different. The film is inspired by the famous episode that marked the end of Frederick Nietzche’s career. The IONCINEMA synopsis is fascinating:

“The film is freely inspired by an episode that marked the end of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s career. On January 3, 1889, on the piazza Alberto in Turin, a weeping Nietzsche flung his arms around an exhausted and ill-treated carriage horse, and then lost consciousness. After this event, the philosopher never wrote again and descended into madness and silence. From this starting point, The Turin Horse goes on to explore the lives of the coachman (Miroslav Krobot), his daughter (Erika Bók) and the horse in an atmosphere of poverty heralding the end of the world.”

This guy is a true original. On a sad note, it is rumored to be Tarr’s final film, making it essential to be seen on the big screen.

16) I Am Love – Magnolia Pictures snatched up the rights for this one. The classy Italian melodrama stars the magnificent Tilda Swinton as a woman who turns her affluent family upside-down when she begins forbidden love affair with a young cook. Hopefully there’s going to be buzz building on this one. It’s not only Swinton’s performance being praised. but the filmmaking and its exquisite attention to detail as well.

15) Mother – Korean master (The Host, Memories of Murder) may have another masterpiece on his hands. This darkly comic fable follows a mother on a desperate search to track down the man who framed her son for murder.

14) Cyrus – This appears to be the film where Mumblecore goes mainstream. Filmmaking brothers Jay and Mark Duplass have cast a bevy of established stars (Jonah Hill, Catherine Keener, John C. Reilly and Marisa Tomei) for a premise that sounds very Hollywood. It’s about a recently divorced man finds the woman of his dreams but he first has to deal with her obnoxious son. But don’t expect anything conventional from the Duplass Brothers whose previous works (Baghead, The Puffy Chair) were hilarious subversions of tried genres.

13) Dogtooth – I would have put this film on the 2009 list of the most overlooked films but it has been vigorously celebrated all other the world and has gotten a lot of publicity from film bloggers. It’s Greece’s official entry for the Foreign Language Oscar. So why it doesn’t have U.S. distribution yet is beyond me. It does contain some disturbing NC-17 style content, but shouldn’t that spell out cult hit? Giorgos Lanthimos’s film follows three teenage siblings in their isolated country estate. They have no connection to the real world and have their own strange language. Their father (the only person allowed to leave the home) inflicts various tortures on then to keep them obedient. That is until an outside influence begins a rebellion.

12) Black Swan – I’m so completely sold on the idea of a modern day gothic supernatural ballet thriller and with Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler) as director, aren’t you? There’s no telling how visually daring this film will be. It tells a story of a veteran ballet dancer (Natalie Portman) who is haunted by a rival dancer (Mila Kunis) who could either be real or imagined. If all that doesn’t interest you then there’s that much hyped sex scene with Portman and Kunis. So there ya go a film for everyone. Costars Winona Ryder and Vincent Cassel.

11) The Illusionist – Sylvain Chomet’s follow up to his animated 2003 masterpiece Triplets of Bellville is based off of an unproduced script by the late French master Jacques Tati. It’s definitely going to be a thrill to see Tati’s iconic Monsieur Hulot character after a nearly 40 year absence and to see him animated is just going to be fascinating. There is little else known about the production but here’s the Imdb synopsis: “Details the story of a dying breed of stage entertainer whose thunder is being stolen by emerging rock stars. Forced to accept increasingly obscure assignments in fringe theaters, garden parties and bars, he meets a young fan who changes his life forever.”

10) Wild Grass – This was on my most underrated of 2009 (as were a few others on this list) but I just want to get the name out there. 87 year old Alain Resnais’ wildly surreal portrait of love begins with a lost wallet, its owner, and its retriever. The two become curious about one another and through many bizarre circumstances begin an unlikely romance. That’s just the starting point to a series of strange and darkly comic scenarios involving various other characters. This all leads to a conclusion that Glenn Kenny considers to be “as daring as Kubrick’s 2001.” I know that’s a terrible synopsis but there’s no paragraph that could describe what any Resnais film is about. You just have to experience them. The cast features Sabine Azema (Private Fears in Public Places), Andre Dussollier, Anne Consigny, Emmanuelle Devos (A Christmas Tale), and Mathieu Amalric (Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Quantum of Solice).

9) Kick Ass – Just watching the Hit Girl redband trailer got me stoked. The Mathew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust) film is an adaptation of the famously crude Mark Miller comic book series of the same name. It follows the adventures of an unpopular high school kid and comic book nerd who decides to become a super hero himself despite having no training whatsoever. His actions then inspire a whole league of average Joes turned superheroes. Despite its expensive look, Vaughn made the film independently to keep every bit of the comic’s notorious vulgarity. The footage shown at last year’s Comic Con upstaged the first public showing of Avatar footage and early word of test screenings over the last few months as been astronomically positive.

Red Band

8 ) We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lynn Ramsey hasn’t made a film since 2002’s superb Morvern Callar. She spent much of the decade attempting to adapt The Lovely Bones – that is, until Peter Jackson got attached to the project (which is apparently a disaster). Tilda Swinton plays the adoptive mother of an adolescent boy who went on a Columbine –like killing spree. She has to then deal with the pain and guilt of her horrendous circumstances. It sounds like a standard hard hitting indie, but under Ramsey’s hands it could become something completely different.

7) Rabbit Hole - John Cameron Mitchell is one of my heroes. His 2001 glam rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch is my favorite film of the past decade and his sophomore experiment Shortbus featured real sex and was still popular enough to play at multiplexes across America. Rabbit Hole, an adaptation of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, is his first stab at the mainstream. It stars Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart as married couple grieving over the loss of their young son. Mitchell is said to be drawing from his own experiences with loss into the material and to be avoiding every Hollywood melodrama cliché in the book.

6) You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger – The title alone makes me want to see this one. Like always the case with every Woody Allen film in production the plot is kept under wraps, but internet rumours say it involves a large family and their troubled love lives and theres a high class prostitute in it too. The cast may be Allen’s best in 10 years (which is really saying something): Naomi Watts, Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Frieda Pinto (of Slumdog Millionaire fame), Lucy Punch, Anthony Hopkins, Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies), and Bollywood star Anupam Kher.

5) Miral – With a track record that includes Before Night Falls and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, director Julian Schnabel has a reputation for making some of the most beautiful films ever. The Imdb synopsis says: “A chronicle of Hind Husseini’s efforts to establish an orphanage in Jerusalem after the 1948 petition and the creation of the state of Israel. The international cast includes Hiam Abbass (The Visitor, The Limits of Control) as Husseini, William Dafoe, Frieda Pinto, and Alexander Siddig (Syriana).

4) Steven Soderbergh – The prolific filmmaker just came off his most artistically ambitious year yet with four releases (the two Che Guevara bio-pics, The Girlfriend Experience, and The Informant!). He already completed his Spalding Grey documentary And Everything is Going Fine, which it’s set to debut at the Slamdance film Festival later this month. He is then scheduled to begin filming his Point Blank meat Borne style thriller Knockout starring real life boxing champion Gina Carano. Its supporting cast is full of big names: Ewan Macgregor, Micheal Douglas, Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, and rising star Micheal Fassbender (Inglorious Basterds, Hunger, 300). If all goes well there, he should go straight to filming a Liberace biopic with Michael Douglas in the title role and Matt Damon (as one of his lovers) at round summer time. It’s expected to be finished and released by December. But wait, there’s more. It was recently reported (by the Playlist) that Soderbergh has just finished a secret movie in Sydney, Australia. It’s reported to be completely improvised and in the vein of his small works Bubble and The Girlfriend Experience. He filmed it with the cast of his Sydney play Tot Mom last fall. No word yet on story details. but if his recent output is any indication it should be at least a little groundbreaking.

3) Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – The hotly anticipated (for critics and comic book nerds alike) adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley cult comic book series could in fact be an event as big as last year’s Watchmen (hopefully not as disappointing). It follows the adventures of Scott Pilgrim a 22 year old slacker who finds the girl of his dreams but first must fight off her seven ex-boyfriends in battle to win her heart. Just about everyone involved in the film seems right. The director, Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), is capable of exhilarating cinematic style that goes hand in hand with comedy. The cast is a ridiculous with Micheal Cera (in the title role), Anna Kendrick, Jason Schwartzman, Allison Pill, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Kieran Culkin, and Marc Webber. Those who’ve read Michal Bacall’s script say it’s absolutely hilarious. The soundtrack could become a classic as well, with the likes of Beck, Metric, and Broken Social Scene. All of this could mean potential hipster nirvana. Enthusiastic early word comes from Up in the Air director Jason Reitman, who tweeted up a storm about the film:

* In London, (Wright) showed me 30 min of “Scott Pilgrim.” While sworn to secrecy (so much, surprised blood wasn’t demanded) I will say this:

* It is a game changer for Edgar and the genre. It moves the speed of light and carries more unadulterated joy than I’ve seen in recent cinema.

* SP does what everyone our age has been dreaming about: achieves the first all encompassing film of the joystick generation.

* I’m in awe of the sheer control in the filmmaking. It feels like a “Matrix” for love and how willing we are to fight for it.

* If I had a movie coming out next year, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near it. Hats off my friend. Can’t get it out of my head.

2) Inception – I don’t know what the hell this movie is about either but it looks great and Leonardo Dicaprio looks solid. There cool looking effects and a great supporting cast: Ellen Page, Marion Cottiard, Michael Cane, Tom Hardy (From last year’s Bronson), Cullen Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lucas Hass, and Ken Watanabe. But the “From the Director of The Dark Knight” title card may still be the greatest thing about it.

1) Tree of Life – Shot way back in early 2008 with reportedly 3million feet of 35 millimeter film. This is Terence Malick’s largest production yet and still only his fifth film since his 1973 debut Badlands. The project had been in the legendary filmmaker’s head for 30 years. Originally titled Q, the film was to be the follow up to 1978’s Days of Heaven, but Malick took a 20 year hiatus from film. For years since his return, the film was constantly being rumored for production and now it’s a reality. Malick also made an adjacent (Brad Pitt-narrated) documentary to the film called The Voyage of Time, which is supposed to chronicle the “birth and death of the universe” (I’m not sure if both films will be playing together). Here’s the IMDb plot synopsis:

“The film opens documenting the origins of life, through the age of reptiles and mammals and then man. Progressively, we are swept through time until the 1950s, where the birth of life suddenly comes to seemingly pointless sickness and death. Pointless, that is, to young Jack, who is unaware of all that has led to this point and time, only to arrive to the tragedy he must come to grips with. This is the philosophical thrust of older Jack’s struggle to coexist in a world that seemingly has little to no value for him. The “tree of life” is the framework of the story, how one thing leads to another, a miracle of growth and evolution, where nature is purposeful, and never random.”

Brad Pitt plays the father (a part originally intended for Heath Ledger) and Sean Penn has the role of the older Jack. It is also rumored that there will be two different versions of the film (one exclusively for IMAX theaters). We also have hot shot cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Children of Men, The New World) and composer Alexandre Desplat (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Birth) on board. Go ahead, try to top that.

You think this is a lot of movies to look out for, wait ’till Sundance in a next week. And this isn’t even counting the films I’m not anticipating like David Fincer’s Facebook saga The Social Network. or Clint Eastwood’s supernatural thriller Hereafter. as well as the long awaited (and studio-tinkered) Wolfman. Ridley Scott’s Robin Rood looks horrendous but may be enjoyable as pure camp. Toy Story 3 could be great but to me it feels like it could be the Godfather Part III of Pixar. Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island looks gorgeous but early word suggests a dopey screenplay. And what is this Alice in Wonderland movie Hot Topic cares so much about?

- Anthony Nicholas

I want to highlight some of the most criminally underseen films of 2009. Most are without any American distribution and others may just get small (and potentially unnoticeable) releases next year. It’s quite sad that many of these movies will never have the opportunity to find an audience. There is word of mouth potential for all of them. They just need the proper marketing campaigns. Here are 13 little seen films that you should be looking out for.

I Am Love – Earlier this year Oscar winner Tilda Swinton may have given the performance of her life in Julia. Yet the film played in no more than 4 theaters throughout its theatrical run and got virtually no awards consideration. When I Am Love premiered at the Venice Film Festival last fall, she may have topped herself again, mastering the Italian language with a Russian accent. Let’s hope history  doesn’t repeat itself and the film gets a release it deserves. The film revolves around the very wealthy Recchi family in Milan. When Emma Recchi (Swinton) has a passionate affair with a young cook, the family’s traditional structure begins to unravel.

The Clone Returns Home – Drawing comparisons to Tarkovsky (no easy feat), it’s a film that begs the question: if a body can be cloned, can its soul be as well? In a not so distant future we follow an astronaut who is killed in a freak accident while working on a space station. His widow is distraught to learn that he consented to have his body substituted with a clone implanted with all this childhood memories. Unfortunately, the clone is flawed and becomes obsessed with the memory of his brothers death. This meditative film has been floating about the festival circuit for over a year and still there’s no American distribution in sight.

Everyone Else – Hailed in Berlin for its startling realism. Maren Ade’s film follows a well-to-do German couple, who go on a long holiday in Sardinia. They’re both around 30 and are successful in their creative fields of work. Everything seems to be going well for them both personally and professionally, but during this trip their relationship starts to disentangle when they meet another seemingly perfect couple.

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench – Billed as the first Mumblecore musical, director Damien Chazelle tries to combine gritty Cassavetes-like realism with the magic of classic MGM musicals. The film follows the two lovers (Guy and Madeline) though their first meeting, their breakup and their inevitable reunion. Also contains a beautiful score by Jason Hurwitz.

The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle – If only this film had Michel Gondry’s name attached (even as a presenter), it would already be a classic among hipsters everywhere. Alas David Russo’s wildly imaginative debut feature is barely known outside the festival circuit. This quirky coming of age tale involves government experiments, addictive cookies and male pregnancy and it also features a wildly diverse indie soundtrack.

Life During Wartime – It’s got raves in Venice but wound up not getting much love at Toronto. North American critics may be tired of filmmaker Todd Solondz and his uncompromising style, but his latest may be his most mature work to date. Here he is willing to bestow some forgiveness on the characters from his 1998 landmark Happiness.

Love Exposure – Sion Sono’s virtually unmarketable four and a half hour epic is about the son of a catholic priest who decides to master the art of upskirt photography. Filled with home-made special effects and plenty of hilarious sex farce, it’s a passionate testament to the limitless imagination of film.

The Loved Ones – This little Australian horror film came out of nowhere at last year’s Toronto film festival. Its premise sounds a bit conventional at first – a rebellious teen’s prom plans with his girlfriend are nixed by an obsessed wallflower, who as it turns out is a psychopathic killer. The film combines torture porn with Sweet Sixteen-style laughs. It’s destined to be a horror classic in years to come.

Police, Adjective – Before talking about this film, it must be said it is part of an ongoing artistic renaissance in the Romanian film industry. Film after film (4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, 12:08 East of Bucharest) has been a scathing indictment of society of past and present. Police, Adjective is no different; it captures the mundane and time-consuming work of the Romanian police force. A young officer is pressured to arrest a teenager who offers hash to one of his classmates, but he has a crisis of conscience; he doesn’t want to ruin the life of the young man over such a minor offense. The film (considered a comedy by many) gets its laughs from the absurdity of the system.

A Room and a Half – Renowned Russian animator Andrey Khrzhanovskiy tried his hand at live action feature film and the results have been enchanting. This innovative biopic on the life of Russian poet Joseph Brodsky weaves fiction, documentary footage, stills, and animation to create a cinematic portrait unlike any other.

Trash Humpers – The infamous originator of shocking cult classics (Kids, Gummo, Julien Donkey Boy), Harmony Korine, is back with another film. This one, shot on grungy videotape, features a demented family who literally go about humping trash, among other offenses. Perhaps the most shocking thing about the film is that has received some very good reviews. Take a look at the “trailer” and decide for yourself.

A Town Called Panic – The Belgian animation duo of Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar have fashioned a new cult classic. Any fans of Robot Chicken will surely love this film. It simply involves a plastic cowboy, an Indian, and a horse. It’s based on their web show (which can be seen in its entirety on YouTube).

Wild Grass – Possibly the most promising on the list to become a classic. Eighty-seven year old film legend Alain Resnais helms this surreal love story and he’s as confident as ever. It follows a 60-ish man who may be in the beginning stages of dementia; he finds a wallet and becomes obsessed with the woman who lost it. The bizarre film sounds virtually unmarketable so kudos to Sony Pictures Classics to picking this one up for distribution next year.

Originally Posted in Creative Loafing.

With the loud, dumb and often-disappointing summer movie season behind us, I go into fall with some optimism. There’s a good amount of work by reliable writers and filmmakers, which gives the season a lot of potential. And it’s our first bombardment of Oscar Bait, with many of the titles here angling for awards come the end of the year.

SEPTEMBER

You the Living: Roy Andersson’s follow up to his 2000 cult hit Songs From the Second Floor, You The Living has been making the rounds on the festival circuit since 2007, though the film has only recently reached America. The deadpan masterpiece revolves around the lives and dreams of the sad residents of a desolate town.

Gamer: A thriller set in a future where humans can take control over other humans in “mass scale multiplayer environments.” Everything’s great until a popular player (Gerard Butler) tries to gain his independence from the game’s evil mastermind (Dexter‘s Michael C. Hall).

Extract: Mike Judge (Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill, Office Space) may finally grab the box office success he so woefully deserves. Despite the fact that the film’s Comic-Con panel was overlooked this year, Judge fans will not be disappointed. The film follows the trails and tribulations of the owner of a small-town flower-extract plant (Jason Bateman). Even more interesting is the stunt casting of Ben Affleck as Bateman’s stoner best friend.

9: A surprising amount of hype developed after 9’s trailer first premiered showcasing the film’s beautiful imagery. Director Shane Adker’s post-apocalyptic tale follows a creature simply called 9 who sets out to fight against evil machines that are trying to destroy all possible life. You may recognize this title, as 9 is based on Adker’s own Oscar-nominated short of the same name.

I Can Do Bad All By Myself: What movie season would be complete without an appearance by Tyler Perry? Myself is a star vehicle for Taraji P. Henson, who plays a struggling nightclub singer suddenly faced with the not-so-welcome task of parenting three troubled teens. Will the experience teach her some profound life lessons? You wanna bet?

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The September Issue: A glimpse into the life of Vogue editor Anna Wintour that could have been the horror film of the year. Unfortunately, early word on the doc is that it’s rather tame and focuses more on the process of producing the magazine (in this case, the frantic preparations for the 2008 Fall Fashion Issue) than the incredible personality behind it.

The Burning Plain: 21 Grams and Babel scribe Guillermo Arriaga makes his directorial debut, with Kim Basinger and Charlize Theron starring as a mother and daughter that try to bond years after their relationship became horribly strained.

Jennifer’s Body: Juno mastermind Diablo Cody takes a stab at campy horror and it should suit her well. The trailer for the film promises plenty of gore, a nude Megan Fox and the trademark snappy Diablo Cody dialogue. (“Snappy” if Juno didn’t annoy the hell out of you, that is). This should do big business on the back (and front) of Megan Fox alone.

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Splice: A Canadian horror film by Vincenzo Natali about two rebel scientists (Adrian Brody and Sarah Polly) who decide to splice human and animal DNA. What happens next is not pretty (to say the least).

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Pandorum: Some more sci-fi/horror for you. The film features two crew members of a spaceship who awake in their hypersleep chamber with no memory of who they are or how they got there. What they do know is that they are not alone and are probably in deep trouble.

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Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs: From the writers of ABC’s How I Met Your Mother comes an animated adaptation of the childrens book of the same name, about a town where food literally falls like rain from the sky. The voice talents involved (Bruce Cambell, Anna Ferris, Bill Hader) also have me interested.
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The Informant!: Steven Soderbergh wades back into the mainstream after experimental efforts Che and The Girlfriend Experience. The Informant! has all the irreverence and clever quips of the Ocean’s series, with the dark comedy following the government investigation of an agri-business giant accused of price fixing. The government’s star witness is the company’s vice president turned whistleblower Mark Whitacre, played by Matt Damon. It will be refreshing to see Matt Damon doing comedy again after a long string of more self-important roles.

Coco Before Chanel: This is actually going to be the second of three films about Coco Chanel to be released within the course of a year (including a Lifetime biopic and France’s Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky). This one seems prime for Oscar consideration with exquisite production values and a big showy role for French superstar Audrey Tautou (Amelie).

The Invention of Lying: Ricky Gervais could have a real hit on his hands here. Not only does the comedian have the best ensemble cast one could ask for (Jennifer Garner, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, Rob Lowe, Jason Bateman, Christopher Guest, Martin Starr), but he’s also crafted quite the concept: A world where no one has ever lied. Well, no one until Gervais’ character discovers the sin and uses it to make his life a success.

Astro Boy: This beloved toon gets the CGI revamp that every other beloved toon seems to be getting these days. Prepare to be disappointed.

OCTOBER

Capitalism: A Love Story: Say what you will about Michael Moore, he certainly doesn’t bore. His latest is a probe of the recent trillion dollar bank bailouts. Don’t expect the corporate fat cats or their government enablers to emerge looking like anything but the thieves they are.

A Serious Man: This has to be the most curious Coen brothers feature in years. The production and official storyline have been shrouded in mystery, and the cast consists entirely of unknowns. (Quite a departure following the star-studded Burn After Reading.) Then there is the mind-blowing trailer, which some have likened to a Radiohead video. I may be more excited about this one than I was for No Country for Old Men.

An Education: A bright 16 year old in 1960s England must choose between living an adventure-filled life with her 30-something beau or focusing on her very promising but unexciting academic future. Who can’t relate to that?

Bronson: Turning heads at this year’s Sundance film festival was Nicolas Winding Refin’s Bronson, an ultraviolent expose of the life of a young British prisoner who calls himself Charles Bronson. As a teen, Bronson was sentenced to seven years for robbing a post office, but he ended up staying 35 years in solitary confinement for unruly behavior and various escape attempts.

Where the Wild Things Are: Spike Jonze’s five-years-in-the-making adaptation of Mauice Sendak’s classic children’s book is almost here, and the anticipation is growing for kids and aging hipsters alike. The fans have good reason to be excited: A preview of the film elicited tears from most of the audience at this year’s Comic-Con.

The Road: Cormac McCarthy (No Country For Old Men) may be the coolest writer around, and his Pulitzer Prize winning post-apocalyptic novel The Road is finally making it to the screen after post-production issues pushed its release date back nearly a year. Director John Hillcot seems sure to deliver the goods, as The Road is his follow-up to his critically lauded The Proposition.

Antichrist: Director Lars Von Trier’s latest is my pick for the biggest curiosity of the year. This film caused a scandal at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and has received love-it-or-hate-it buzz ever since. The story centers on a grieving couple whose infant dies while in their care. The husband, a psychiatrist, decides he can cure his wife of her grief and takes her to a secluded cabin in the middle of the woods (never a good sign) for treatment. And what happens in that cabin is supposedly some of the most shocking cinema ever produced (or so I’m told). I’ve also heard there is a talking fox. Sweet!

Amelia: I would dismiss Amelia as the usual Oscar-bait biopic, but the director here is the enormously talented Mira Niar — the filmmaker behind masterpieces Solamm Bombay, Monsoon Wedding and The Namesake. I’m curious to see what she does with what should be more-commercial material.

The teaser trailer for Tron Legacy (formerly Tron 2.0) has launched us into fanboy heaven.  The famous racing sequence has been updated with some advanced CGI, but is still thankfully stylized in the tradition of the original 1981 cult classic.  This isn’t new to anyone who was at last year’s Comic Con, however -  it’s the same exact footage that was previously screened, which was a source of disappointment for many. Now, I haven’t seen the first film since I was around eight, so this reboot/sequel looks to be fascinating if nothing else.  There is also that original score from Daft Punk…

Here is Disney’s official synopsis of the film:

TRON is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that’s unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (GARRETT HEDLUND), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (JEFF BRIDGES), looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin’s loyal confidant (OLIVIA WILDE), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.

Have a peak at the teaser:

Now compare to 28 years ago.

Have a look see at the new Lightcycle.

James Cameron’s 12-years-in-the-making, $250 million production appeared to deliver the goods and live up to the hype after a 25-minute screening of Avatar was greeted to a standing ovation on Thursday night.  At least in terms of the visuals, most agree that the sneak peek has displayed some of the most advanced CGI ever produced.  What was also notable is the way it was filmed;  the camera movements mimic a shaky, almost documentary-like approach.  Leaving a visual experience that is not only state of the art but unique as well.  Many are saying that the CGI world that Cameron and crew have created feels almost as if they “took a camera and placed it on another planet.”  The 3D effects,  for once, doesn’t draw attention to themselves, instead serving only to only enhance the experience.  The story centers around a paraplegic veteran sent to a planet called Pandora, which is inhabited by a humanoid race called the Na’vi.  The colonizing humans find themselves at odds with the planet’s indigenous population and all out war breaks out.  One critic likened it to a “Dances with Wolves in space.”  The film stars Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi, and Star Trek‘s Zoe Saldana.

There were also some notable announcements about the film including free screenings on August 21^st at IMAX screens around the world, as well as a teaser trailer set to be released in early next month.

Avatar toys have also made their debut for anyone excited about that stuff.

Here is a video of Avatar‘s panel discussion:

Mathew Vaughn (Stardust, Layer Cake) has returned with his adaptation of the comic book series about a nerd who decides to become a super hero with no powers or training.  Many are ecstatic over Vaughn’s approach to the genre that mixes a lighthearted tone with gruesome violence and vulgar language – and apparently he’s also been able to remain faithful to the source material.  Double win.   The film stars Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (or Fogell from Superbad).  Assuming it finds a distributor, we can expect Kick Ass to hit theaters in 2010.

Here’s the imdb synopsis:

“Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan with a few friends and who lives alone with his father. His life is not very difficult and his personal trials not that overwhelming. However, one day he makes the simple decision to become a super-hero even though he has no powers or training. ”

Kick Ass Panel

Spike Jonze’s long-awaited adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s beloved children’s book has been greeted with one of the most enthusiastic responses at Comic Con (rivaling Avatar and Kick Ass).  The 10 minutes that was shown included scenes of the creatures playing and building a fort,  and apparently it left audiences stunned.  They have also released a small featurette on the films production that included interviews with Sendak and Jonze, as well as some gorgeous new footage.  Right now everyone’s anticipation has gone to the stratosphere.  Poor James Cameron has had his thunder stolen.

Featurette

Where the Wild Things Are Panel

Trailer