General Chat / Films to anticipate in 2004

Well, another year come and gone. 2003 brought the good with the bad. The bad? It was a down year for mainstream cinema, though not as bad as some people would have you believe. The good? It was one of the best years for independent films we have seen in a while. Being that there is still much for me to see from last year, my 2003 recap will not be finished until sometime next summer when I get to see the remainder of the stuff I missed as it is released on DVD.

But, it's a new year and after the season of misfit movies (read: January through February) it should really pick up. Through my searching, one of the greatest things I can say about this new year is that it will be alot more even with great films coming in just about ever month instead of being backloaded in December or the summer months.

So without further adou, here is a taste of things I will be anticipating that I hope you will to.

note- I'm doing this as I go along so it will show up in installments.

January

To be honest, this January is just like last January and the January before that... repeat ad naseum. Basically, January SUCKS. It's a stretch to find anything new to watch, ever. So, with that in mind, I suggest catching up on stuff you missed from the end of last year. Me? I'm going to try and see Big Fish when its release expands to more theaters next Friday. However, since it opened early December, it doesn't count. That leaves us with this...


The Butterfly Effect - 1/23/04 (click on name for trailer)



Starring Ashton Kutcher in his dramatic debut, and Amy Smart (you'd remember her as the hot naked girl from Road Trip). Honestly, there is really not much to anticipate, rather this is something more intriguing because it will answer the question "Can Ashton Kutcher actually act?"... I'm not so sure, but hey, he might suprise us.

And that's that for this month, really... it's a sad state of affairs. But thankfully it gets better.

I think the trailer for that movie left me thinking "yes, Ashton Kutcher screws up a lot of people lives and now it's a movie" which is maybe what the movie is really about. Maybe? Anyway the trailer was kind of confusing, so I'll end up seeing it just to figure it out.

February

Normally, February continues the tragic awfulness of the season of misfit movies. However, this year it seems that February is actually a worthwhile month. We have a possible suprise or two, a sure-fire sequel to a fan favorite, and the first Oscar contender of the year.

Miracle - 2/6/04 (click on name for trailer)

premise: This is the true story of coach Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell), who in 1980 had the distinction of having been the last player cut from the U.S. hockey team the last time the team won the Gold at the Olympics (in 1960). Brooks got his chance at being part of a medal-winning team, however, when he led the U.S. hockey team to victory over the Soviets (who had won the medal the last four times: 1976, 1972, 1968, and 1964 since that 1960 U.S. win) at the 1980 Winter Olympics (at Lake Placid) despite overwhelming odds. For a country still entangled in a decades-long "Cold War" with the U.S.S.R., the sports victory was seen as patriotic and symbollic of "our side" beating "their side" (you know, like Rocky IV .

This is one of the greatest moments in all of sports history, and like Disney did with another true story (The Rookie) last year, they have filmified this piece of history. By no means am I guaranteeing this is going to be a great film, but I'm very interested to see what comes of it. It's a great story, hopefully it's done well. The trailer definately makes it look good.

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Kill Bill Volume 2 - 2/20/04 (no trailer availible)



premise: Continuing the storyline that started in Kill Bill Volume I, this is the story of an assassin called The Bride (Thurman) who sets out to wreak revenge upon her former employer, Bill (Carradine) and other members of their assassin circle, for shooting her at her wedding (along with everyone else at the wedding) and leaving her for dead. When this movie begins, it's expected that the Bride will have already encountered some of her targets, as she continues up the chain of command, which will ultimately lead her to the big finale: her chance to Kill Bill. Much like how Volume 1 was an homage to Asian "grindhouse" movies of the 1970s, this finale will pay a close homage to the Italian "spaghetti western" genre.

I probably don't need to tell people to look out for this, but I guess I will anyway. Kill Bill Volume 1 was one of my favorites of 2003... Unfortunately, there is news that this is going to be possibly pushed back to April, making us wait even longer to the conclusion of what might be QT's best work (Pulp Fiction is still on top, while I feel that both Reservoir Dogs and Jackie Brown are horribly overrated).

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The Passion of the Christ - 2/25/04 (click on name to view trailer)



premise: This film tells the story of the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus (Caviezel), on the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem. This film will be in Latin and Aramaic with English subtitles

Here we go, there might not be another film that I am looking forward to more than this. Regardless of what you think of Christians, their religion, or anything else, the story of Jesus Christ is powerful stuff. This is the first film of the year to get be a serious Oscar contender, though it might be hurt by the lack of spoken english and its release date. But, February has delivered best picture winners before (Silence of the Lambs 10 years ago). Regardless of all that, I await the Passion with baited breath... and I'm agnostic for fuck's sake.

I'll continue this later tonight, or tommorow if I don't feel like doing it tonight.

Hm... off the top of my head, the only films I can think of that have me excited are Shrek 2, Spiderman 2 (it looks like a fun summer flick after all), and The Day After Tomorrow (I think that's it.. it's opens Memorial Day).

No Lord of the Rings to drool over...

The Passion of the Christ - 2/25/04 (click on name to view trailer)



premise: This film tells the story of the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus (Caviezel), on the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem.  This film will be in Latin and Aramaic with English subtitles

Here we go, there might not be another film that I am looking forward to more than this.  Regardless of what you think of Christians, their religion, or anything else, the story of Jesus Christ is powerful stuff.  This is the first film of the year to get be a serious Oscar contender, though it might be hurt by the lack of spoken english and its release date.  But, February has delivered best picture winners before (Silence of the Lambs 10 years ago).  Regardless of all that, I await the Passion with baited breath... and I'm agnostic for fuck's sake.

Sounds a lot like The Last Temptation of Christ

I don't look forward to much anymore, I have yet to see a "great" movie this year, but then again, I have yet to se ROTK or Big Fish.

I just hope George A. Romero decides to make another "dead" movie (aka. Dawn of the Dead) to complete the saga.

w00t! Should be a good year... no LOTR, not Star Wars, no X-Men... but Spiderman.

I'm really looking forward to the Teacher's Pet movie coming out in a few weeks.

And then their's Shek 2, the 3rd Harry Potter, Spiderman 2.......

All will be covered in due time.

Spider-Man 2 should be really good
Garfield should be ok (hopefully)
Harry Potter : Prisoner of Azkaban should be ok aswell
Scooby Doo 2 : Ghost Unleashed (should suck but i'll end up watching anyways)

I'll most likely skip Passion of Christ.. which i think cinamtically it'll be really good.

and any high tech or epic (real person story) movies i'll see this year, which comes up.

ah damn it.. screw what i just said (by month)

I can't wait for Kill Bill Volume 2. I loved the first one, with it being very close to being my favorite movie of all time, with Pulp Fiction being my favorite.

I watched the internation TV Spot and Trailer, and well, it was shit. Hopefully, the movie will be the total opposite, which it probably will.

The Passion of the Christ might be interesting. Nothing else that has been mentioned sounds very good to me. I'm looking forward to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Charlie Kaufman script directed by Michel Gondry with a cool premise. That's really the only movie I'm looking forward to. I hate sequels and Troy doesn't look very exciting to me. I guess I'll just wait and see what comes out. Maybe something will surprise me. (PS - I continue to rank QT's movies thus: Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill. Reservoir Dogs is a Shakesperian masterpiece compared to his other 3 movies. )

The movie that I am looking foward to is Van Helsing. Finally, modern updates to Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolfman!

Plus, the next IOA ride is rumored to be based off of it.

Troy.

nuff' said.

March


Hidalgo - 3/5/04 (click title for trailer)



Premise: Set in 1890, this is the story of a Pony Express courier (Viggo Mortensen) who travels to Saudi Arabia to compete with his horse, Hidalgo, in a dangerous race for a massive contest prize, in an adventure that sends the pair around the world... (Omar Sharif plays an Arabian sheik; Robinson plays the sheik's daughter who helps Hopkins during the race; Mensah plays her bodyguard, an Abyssinian slave)

Another small flick that won't be a world beater but should be entertaining. Viggo Mortensen in his first star turn since The Lord of the Rings looks decent here. Something fun and forgettable.

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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - 3/19/04 (My birthday... click title for trailer)



Premise: This is the story of a guy, Joel (Jim Carrey), who discovers that his long-time girlfriend, Clementine (Kate Winslet), has undergone a psychiatrist's (Wilkinson) experimental procedure in which all of her memory of Joel is removed, after the couple has tried for years to get their relationship working fluidly. Frustrated by the idea of still being in love with a woman who doesn't remember their time together, Joel agrees to undergo the procedure as well, to erase his memories of Clementine. The film, which takes place mostly within Joel's mind, follows his memories of Clementine backwards in time as each recent memory is replaced, and the procedure then goes on to the previous one, which is likewise seen, and then erased. Once the process starts, however, Joel realizes he doesn't really want to forget Clementine, so he starts smuggling her away into parts of his memory where she doesn't belong... which alters other things about his memories as well. (Dunst plays the psychiatrist's receptionist; Ruffalo and Wood play his lab technicians).

One of the most anticipated of the year among many people... if only for the reason that it was written by Charlie Kaufman. I'm not looking forward to it as much as most people because the the director Michael Gondry doesn't have anything under his belt just yet. Still, it should be very interesting to see what comes of it.

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The Ladykillers - 3/26/04 (click title for trailer)



Premise: Directed by the Coen Brothers. The plot of an an eccentric professor-turned-criminal-mastermind (Hanks) to committ the massive heist of a New Orleans riverboat casino appears to be thwarted by the actions of the seemingly-innocent little old landlady, Mrs. Munson, of the house that he and his three accomplices are staying in, and which is integral to their scheme (they want to dig a tunnel from it to where the casino's money is kept). So, they decide that they need to remove her from the equation, but doing so might prove to be more difficult than they expect.

Oh how I love everything the Coen Brothers make... let me count the ways... Even Intolerable Cruelty, a more mainstream film for them was a forgotten gem of the last year. Seriously, this film looks straight hilarious. One of my most anticipated of the year.

April

Hellboy - 4/2/04 (click title for trailer)




Premise: When a Nazi mystical experiment goes awry in 1944, the target of a wizard's spell, the child of Satan, Hellboy, is wrenched from his home, and adopted by the U.S. agents who intercept his arrival. Raised as a force of good, Hellboy grows up to be a full-fledged demon in the form of a man, complete with fierce red skin, a tail, a giant armored glove, and two large circles where his horns should be (if they ever grow back, Hellboy is quick to break them off). Now, the adult Hellboy, an investigator of the paranormal, is sent on a mission that brings him back in touch with the evil genius that started it all... that Nazi wizard (and just who is *he* anyway?). Accompanying him along the way are other agents, including Liz, a pyrokinetic woman Hellboy has feelings for, and Abe Sapien, a mysterious amphibian hominid...

It might sound kind of lame from the description... but please, go watch the trailer... I thought the same until I watched it and it is officially one of my most anticipated of the year. Screw Spiderman 2 (not really... but I'm more excited for this).

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The Alamo - 4/9/04 (click title for trailer)

Premise: Compared to Braveheart, this is the story of a small force of less than 300 men who, in 1836, fortified a fort called the Alamo in San Antonio in Texas (before it joined the United States of America), determined to defend it from the daunting power of the far larger Mexican Army, led by General Santa Anna... (3/20/02) Variety reports that the script includes details not included in the John Wayne movie, like more on the Mexican point of view, William Barret Travis' "serial marital infidelities", Jim Bowie's slave trading, and Davy Crockett's "overall political incorrectness". (Brown plays the first president of the Republic of Texas). Starring Dennis Quaid, Jason Patric, Billy Bob Thornton, directed by John Lee Hancock.

I'm a sucker for war epics... This was supposed to be released on Christmas day, however because the film finished shooting so late, it was impossible to edit the film and make the release. Hence it was moved to April where it can shine on its own rather than be forgotten under the weight of all the other prestige pictures released that month. April is a good month for me.

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Walking Tall - 4/9/04 (click title for trailer)



Premise: When a former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, Chris Vaughn (The Rock), returns to his small hometown in rural Washington State to revive his family's lumber mill business, he discovers that much has changed, as the normally tranquil town is now besieged by drugs, outbreaks of violence and a general feeling of malaise and terror, with many pointing a finger at the influence of a crooked casino where his ex-girlfriend (Scott) now works as a dancer. Seeking to wreak vengeance, with a four-foot-long 2-by-4 in his hand, and righteousness in his heart, the highly-trained soldier, now the county's sheriff (with Knoxville playing his deputy), realizes it's time to bust some heads with a very hard piece of wood. (Wilson plays Chris' sister.)

Here's how MGM puts it:

"...Johnson plays Chris Vaughn, a retired soldier who returns to his hometown to make a new life for himself, only to discover his wealthy high school rival, Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough), has closed the once-prosperous lumber mill to turn the town's resources towards his own criminal gains. The place Chris grew up [sic] is now overrun with crime, drugs and violence. Enlisting the help of his old pal Ray Templeton (Knoxville), Chris gets elected sheriff and vows to shut down Hamilton's operations. His actions endanger his family and threaten his own life, but Chris refuses to back down until his hometown once again feels like home."

Maybe it's just me... but I love almost all the sclock that the Rock stars in, I loved the Rundown, hell I even enjoyed the Scorpion King for what it was. The man is the action hero for the new millenium (see The Rundown, it's great fun)... even Ahnuld said so, and I think the governer of California knows a little something about being an action hero.

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Man on Fire - 4/23/04 (click title for trailer)

Premise: A bitter and remorseful former U.S. Marine (Washington) moves to Mexico City to take a position as the bodyguard for a wealthy family who have been receiving kidnapping threats. When their 10-year-old daughter, Pinta (Fanning), whom he had so recently befriended, is indeed kidnapped and murdered, the soldier-turned-guard devotes himself fully to reaping vengeance on those responsible... (Walken plays an old friend of Washington's who tells him about the "job" in Italy; Mitchell plays Pinta's mother)

I think I'm anticipating this only because of the trailer, but then I look at director Tony Scott (brother of Ridley Scott) who has directed such excellent flicks as Top Gun (the ultimate man movie), True Romance, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, and Spy Game (another underseen gem).

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Others to possibly look out for are... The Punisher (the trailer looked awful so my hopes are low) and Hero (would be on here but I've given up hope of ever seeing this film since Miramax has been pushing it back for about 2 years now).

Michel Gondry is the director of "Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind"?
Might be worth seeing then, his music videos are great.

I watched the internation TV Spot and Trailer, and well, it was shit. Hopefully, the movie will be the total opposite, which it probably will.

Are you talking about the Teacher's Pet move?

Teacher's Pet sucks.

I'm actually looking forward to The Perfect Score coming out in a couple of weeks.. for only one reason.. Scarlett Johansson.