So, being late on my monthly movie preview is probably not the best way to start out the new year, but, hey, I’ve been busy doing other things for the Holidays. And, I spent a week in Charleston at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology conference where I presented some of my dissertation research. Gotta get that research out there for the masses to chew over, you know.
Anyhoo, now I’m back with an update for January, which traditionally is a slow month for cinema. January often is used as a dumping ground for films that studios have had sitting around gathering dust. The good news is that the month usually has a fairly diverse group of films coming out, but the bad news is that they are generally smaller films. You probably have a bunch of movies released in December to catch up on anyway.
Week of January 6, 2012
The Devil Inside
The Plot: A woman murders three people during an exorcism. Twenty years later, her daughter tries to find out if her mother really is possessed and enlists the help of a couple of high-tech priests for another exorcism.
Who’s in it? Nobody you would recognize if they passed you on the street.
Ultimate Fate: Paramount picked up this film really cheap and wound up with a surprise hit. I’m getting really tired of the exorcism and mock documentary genres, but I must be in the minority here since this one brought in a ton of cash for the studio. I’m guessing it won’t be long before we hear news of a sequel.
Where I’ll be this weekend: Charleston, South Carolina giving a twenty-minute presentation entitled “Using fractals to describe morphology and ontogeny of lateral line canals of Xiphister (Cottiformes: Zoarcoidei: Stichaeidae) with comparisons to other stichaeids”. Yes, it’s as fun as it sounds.
Week of January 13, 2012
Contraband
The Plot: A former smuggler is drawn back into the game in order to save his brother-in-law and wife from a dangerous drug kingpin.
Who’s in it? Marky Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale
Ultimate Fate: This could be a fun action movie or a total stinker. More likely, it sits in the middle of the road as a perfectly serviceable action film with a few fun moments and lots of forgettable ones. But it does feature Wahlberg scowling, which is worth the price of admission.
Joyful Noise
The Plot: Witness the internal turmoil of a choir group torn between two divas who each think they can lead the group to glory at a national choir competition.
Who’s in it? Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton(!)
Ultimate Fate: Your mother and grandmother will want to watch this while you sneak into Contraband. I guess it could be a funny and uplifting movie for the right audience. I’m not exactly the target demographic for this movie, so I’ll never know. I do know it’s been almost twenty years since Dolly Parton was in a movie, and this was exciting enough for her that she came back. Again, the things that excite Dolly Parton are not likely the things that excite me.
Beauty and the Beast 3D
The Plot: You already know this, right?
Who’s in it? A beauty and a beast
Ultimate Fate: Disney has had a lot of success with re-releasing its classic animated films in 3D format. Lion King 3D was supposed to be a one-week release to coincide with the release of the blu-ray disc, but it stayed in theaters for quite a lot longer and brought in loads of cash for Disney. Don’t be surprised if this one actually takes Number 1 for the weekend, and expect Disney to keep mining their library for the 3D upgrade. They already have Finding Nemo 3D ready to go later this year. They’ll stop doing this when the only film left in the vault for the 3D treatment is Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
Where I’ll be this weekend: Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch will never be forgotten as long as my heart still beats and I still draw breath. Contraband for me!
Week of January 20, 2012
Underworld: Awakening
The Plot: The war between lycans and vampires continues, but this time the humans are drawn in as well. Selene (Kate Beckinsale) escapes from captivity to battle against super-werewolves and human enemies.
Who’s in it? Kate Beckinsale in leather.
Ultimate Fate: It’s an Underworld movie, so it’ll be silly and actiony, and this time it will be presented in 3D for extra excitement. I happen to like these films in a big dumb brute sort of way, although that might be because Kate’s prancing around in leather the whole time.
Haywire
The Plot: Steven Soderbergh brings us a tale of a black ops hitman (er, hitwoman?) who is almost rubbed out by her employer. Now she turns the tables to exact revenge.
Who’s in it? Gina Cerano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender
Ultimate Fate: Soderbergh is a good director, which can hopefully elevate this beyond a standard hitman film. It seems like a basic plot setup to me with the hook being that it’s a girl doing all the vengeance.
Coriolanus
The Plot: Shakespeare wrote it, and Ralph Fiennes updated it for the modern day. Coriolanus (Fiennes) is a soldier who comes home from war a hero and soon finds himself branded a traitor. He then sides with his former enemies to exact vengeance against those who betrayed him.
Who’s in it? Fiennes, Gerard Butler
Ultimate Fate: A modern day telling of Shakespeare’s can either turn out great or mediocre. The story itself will be good, but directing is a new gig for Fiennes, so it remains to be seen if he can pull off the movie. I have high hopes for this one; it has some good elements going for it.
Red Tails
The Plot: Ever seen HBO film The Tuskegee Airmen? It’s that film redone in a big screen format. African American airmen in World War II must prove their worth by defending bombers in some of the most dangerous killing fields over Europe.
Who’s in it? Cuba Gooding Jr., Brian Cranston, Terrence Howard, Method Man
Ultimate Fate: The story of the Tuskegee airmen is a good one with plenty of social, race, and military conflict to provide drama. It’s also set up well as an action story. Aerial dogfights involving P-51 Mustangs will always be fun to watch on the big screen. I’m not sure what they’ll do different to set it apart from the great HBO film though.
The Flowers of War
The Plot: Set during the rape of Nanking in 1937, a western priest shelters a group of women during the siege on the city.
Who’s in it? Christian Bale, Xinyi Zhang, Ni Ni
Ultimate Fate: This film is notable as it served as Batman’s vacation. Christian Bale signed on to star in Yimou Zhang’s period epic mostly because it was an opportunity work in China for a few months. He stars as the western priest in one of the few English-speaking roles in this film by the great Chinese director who brought us Hero, House of Flying Daggers and Curse of the Golden Flower. Who know’s if it’s any good, but Zhang knows how to shoot an epic period piece. I’ll be interested to see Bale’s performance, for sure.
Where I’ll be this weekend: I can’t pass up Kate Beckinsale in skin-tight leathers fighting her way through a horde of werewolves. Red Tails might also be worth a look.
Week of January 27
The Grey
The Plot: An oil drilling team is lost in the wilds of Alaska with only their wits and Liam Neeson to protect them against a pack of wolves.
Who’s in it? Liam Neeson
Ultimate Fate: This Joe Carnahan directed movie promises to be a pretty fun thriller. The trailer shows Neeson’s character strapping shards of broken glass onto his gloves and fighting a wolf in hand-to-hand (hand-to-snout?) combat. That can’t be so bad, right? I like Carnahan as a director, and I like Neeson in these types of roles.
Man on a Ledge
The Plot: A man accused of stealing a diamond escapes from prison and tries to prove his innocence by… stealing the diamond he was initially accused of stealing. He creates a major distraction for the heist by threatening suicide from the upper floors of a skyscraper.
Who’s in it? Sam Worthington
Ultimate Fate: I happen to like Sam Worthington, so I’m happy anytime he’s on screen. I’m not sure if the rest of the world feels the same way though. Let’s hope that the crazy premise doesn’t collapse into itself in some sort of weird cinematic black hole of suckiness.
One for the Money
The Plot: This is the first novel from the Stephanie Plum series of novels by Janet Evanovich, which I’m sure my mother has read but which I certainly have not. In this first outing, Stephanie decides she should become a bounty hunter after she loses her job. I know a few bail bondsmen (they’re just friendly acquaintances, I swear!), but none of them look like Katherine Heigl.
Who’s in it? Katherine Heigl, Joe Leguizamo
Ultimate Fate: I’m sure this will be a movie that’s popular with the female and date crowd. If it has any success, then Evanovich has about thirty of these books that could be mined into a film franchise.
Where I’ll be this weekend: The Grey. I’ll pay money to watch Liam beat up a wolf with his bare hands. Plus, a good plane crash survival film should keep me on the edge of my seat.
Movie of the Month: As I said, January is one of the duller months at the movie theater, but The Grey seems like it could be the best bang for your buck.
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