Welcome back to Starkvegas, Cine-philes. Another summer is staggering through its final gasps, and another year at the movies is already halfway over for yours truly and all the other film geeks of the world. The year of 2004 hasn’t been the most eventful at the local megaplex so far, but there have been a handful of arthouse standouts (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “The Door in the Floor”), quality mainstreamers (“Spider-Man 2,” “Collateral”), and surprise smashes (“Farenheit 9/11,” “The Passion of the Christ”) that have kept this critic on his toes through all the “Van Helsing”‘s and “Village”‘s that threatened to all but break his spirit.
Now it’s almost that joyous time when the air cools, clothes get thicker and megaplexes overflow with would-be blockbusters and Oscar hopefuls. It’s a time when franchises are born, awards are bestowed, and turkeys aren’t just stuffed and carved on your momma’s dinner table. It’s the fall movie season, intrepid filmgoers, and here’s a look at some of the most notable releases coming your way in the months ahead.
Auteurs and Independents
Winter typically heralds a slew of high-profile projects from celebrated directors, and this year is no exception. First out of the gate is “Silver City,” the latest from John Sayles (“Lone Star,” “Sunshine State”). Opening September 17 (presumably in arthouses and places that show challenging, offbeat movies, a.k.a. NOT Starkville!), it’s a timely satire starring Chris Cooper as a folksy politician whose leadership qualities don’t quite match up with his ambitions. Can you say “Dubya”?
Oct. 1, David O. Russell (“Three Kings”) offers up “I Heart Huckabees”, an off-kilter comedy with “existential detectives” Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin helping Jason Schwartzman cope with, among other things, his jealousy of successful co-worker Jude Law. Later that month Alexander Payne (“Election”) returns to theaters with “Sideways,” a dark laugher starring sad sack extrordinaire Paul Giamatti as a failed writer on a wine-tasting trip.
Just in time for Thanksgiving, Pedro Almodovar (“Talk to Her”) serves up “Bad Education,” a controversial Spanish-language film that merges film noir with cross-dressing!
Mike Leigh (“Secrets and Lies”) and ultra-independent David Gordon Green (last year’s great “All the Real Girls”) turn up in October with “Vera Drake” and “Undertow,” respectively, and Wes Anderson (“The Royal Tenenbaums”) unleashes his latest oddball extravaganza with the Dec. 10 release of “The Life Aquatic.” Anderson’s latest stars Bill Murray as a second-rate Jacques Cousteau type whose high-seas misadventures are populated by the likes of Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum and kooky stop-motion sea creatures designed Henry “Nightmare Before Christmas” Selick! Laughs ahoy!
The Box Office Titans
For those of you who prefer more traditional bang for your buck, there are plenty of glossy adaptations, star-studded sequels, and special effects bonanzas to keep you satisfied. September offers the delayed arrival of “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,” a campy sci-fi romp starring Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and a legion of giant robots, and “Wimbledon,” starring Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany as tennis pros who fall in love with all the usual romantic comedy complications.
Family films reign supreme in early November with the releases of the holiday-tinged “The Polar Express” (an all-CGI adaptation of the beloved children’s book) and “The Incredibles,” the latest animated comedy from the all-powerful Pixar (you might remember their last film, a little sleeper called “Finding Nemo”?). Those in the mood for more adult fantasy might turn to either the estrogen-rife sequel “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason” (yes, all the original stars are back) or the testosterone-drenched “National Treasure,” an absolutely ludicrous-looking adventure film from the fitfully potent pairing of Jerry Bruckheimer and Nicolas Cage. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” finally gets the big screen musical treatment this December, as does Lemony Snicket’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” an expensive adaptation of the first three installments of the playfully macabre children’s book series with the same name.
And what would Christmastime be without a big-budget sequel or two? Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro square off again in “Meet the Fockers” (if nothing else, it’s got a good title), a sequel to 2000’s surprise mega-hit “Meet the Parents.” The sitcom yuks were sorta stale the first time around, but the addition of Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand as Stiller’s eccentric parents is enough to revitalize interest in this slapstick franchise-in-the-making.
But if this critic could see only one film this holiday season, it’d be “Ocean’s Twelve.” All the players (Clooney, Roberts, Damon, Pitt) signed on for another big job under the direction of Steven Soderbergh, and this time the gang gets groovy European style in a globe-trotting comic caper with bigger scores, bad blood (Andy Garcia returns as villain), and Catherine Zeta-Jones (*growl*).
Heirs to the Red Carpet
For many, however, winter is synonymous with awards season, and this year has a full roster of pedigreed pictures ready to make a splash at next year’s Oscar ceremony. “Vanity Fair,” a lush period piece with Reese Witherspoon as a scheming 19th century social climber, is the first obvious heavy hitter to throw down the gauntlet Sept. 1, but it’s followed three weeks later by “The Motorcycle Diaries,” which charts an eventful South American road trip in the early life of revolutionary Che Guevera (Y Tu Mama Tabien’s Gael Garcia Bernal).
The plays “Proof” and “Closer” make the transition from stage to screen, the former starring Gwyneth Paltrow as the troubled daughter of a brilliant mathematician, the latter sporting Julia Roberts, Jude Law and Natalie Portman in a pessimistic examination of failed relationships and sexual politics. Adaptations are always safe bets, but biopics are the trend this year, with “Kinsey” (Liam Neeson stars as the contoversial sex researcher), “Ray” (Jamie Foxx stars as late R&B sensation Ray Charles), and “Finding Neverland” (Johnny Depp enchants as Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie) all arriving in theaters in early November.
The highest profile biopics, however, are Oliver Stone’s “Alexander” (Colin Farrell fills the hefty sandals of Alexander the Great) and Martin Scorsese’s hotly anticipated “The Aviator.” Perhaps the film to beat at next year’s Oscar-cast, “Avaitor” charts the rise and fall of famed millioanire Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio). It’s big, it’s bold, it’s got an all-star cast (Cate Blanchett as Katherine Hepburn! Jude Law as Douglas Fairbanks!). It’s bona fide Oscar bait!
So whether you’re in the mood for a brainy ensemble drama, an empty-headed action behemoth, or an awards-chasing historical pageant, this winter film season has something to meet your needs. Killer robots, a singing phantom, Colin Farrell in a toga … that’s entertainment! Have a great semester at the movies, folks. See you in the ticket line!