Big FanNotables Involved: Patton Oswalt, Robert D. Siegel
Big Fan is last year's Dolphin nominee Robert D. Siegel's (The Wrestler) directorial debut. It seems like an unconventional story which is good and Oswalt and the film have received good reviews but I'm not sure how it will play with the Dolphin crowd (though I wasn't sure with The Wrestler either and we saw how that turned out.) I'm most curious to see it because Dolphin winner Darren Aronofsky sought out Siegel to write The Wrestler, a project he'd been wanting to make for a while, after reading Big Fan.
A Prophet Notables Involved: Jacques Audiard
This French film was awarded second place at this year's Cannes Festival (behind Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon, which appears later in the update). I heard it called one of the best prison movies ever which is quite a claim, France itself has a history of making some of the better ones too (Le Trou, Grand Illusion). I think it looks pretty good.
The Damned UnitedNotables Involved: Michael Sheen, Peter Morgan, Timothy Spall, Stephen Graham
Peter Morgan picked up a trio of PFA member noms for his Frost/Nixon screenplay last year though failed to get the coveted Dolphin nom. He's got another shot for one with The Damned United about legendary football manager Brian Clough's 44 day stint as Leeds United manager. Actual Dolphin nom Stephen Graham (This is England, Snatch.) appears in this somewhere and Michael Sheen is a pretty reliable lead. British character actor Timothy Spall (Sweeney Todd, Enchanted) is supposed to have a sizable role here too which is always a good thing.
Anvil! The Story of AnvilNotables Involved: Robb Reiner
My friend in Glasgow, Ruaraidh, was raving about this movie to me and Colleen the whole night we hung out with him. It a follows a band that never made it but they made a (futile) pact they'd keep rocking until they do. After The Wrestler was crowned Best Picture last year, might this story of tragic dedication play with the Dolphin crowd as well. It looks hilarious and as Ruaraidh kept saying in a thick Scottish accent, "it's reeeeelly tut-chin"
A Single ManNotables Involved: Julianne Moore, Colin Firth, Tom Ford
Fashion designer Tom Ford decided to make a movie, and surprisingly it might be good. Colin Firth has been getting career best reviews and Julianne Moore is supposed to be great as well (though she generally is). The trailer is definitely cool and it seems like the film could either be quite good or possibly not that good in a Gus Van Sant-y/Todd Haynes-y way. Maybe Ford will succeed where Haynes's Far From Heaven failed... which oddly enough starred Julianne Moore as well.
The Imaginarium of Dr. ParnassusNotables Involved: Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Jude Law, Tom Waits, Terry Gilliam
Gilliam (Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) had to reimagine his Imaginarium after Heath Ledger died during filming. Apparently it isn't illogical for Ledger's character to shape shift during the course of the film hence Depp, Farrell and the rotten apple of the bunch, Jude Law with the same ponytail during the trailer. Despite the heavy use of CGI, the trailer got me surprisingly excited to see the movie. Gilliam has laid out a tough task for himself but I'm very curious to see if he can make the movie work. And man oh man does Tom Waits look great in the trailer's glimpses. Enjoy seeing "Academy Award winner, Heath Ledger" for the first, last and only time in a movie trailer.
The MessengerNotables Involved: Samantha Morton, Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster
Can't say I necessarily have much faith in this project partially cause the filmmaker co-wrote the what-were-they-thinking? I'm Not There and partially cause of the leads. Harrelson can be alright, but I'm skeptical of Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma) giving a good performance especially in the lead role. Samantha Morton is a PFA favorite and two-time Dolphin nominee so I'm guessing the film will interest the members for her alone.
The White RibbonNotables Involved: Michael Haneke
Michael Haneke's (The Piano Teacher) film about strange occurrences at a rural school in 1913 Germany won grand prize at Cannes earlier in the year. The film seems pretty mysterious and the trailer doesn't do much to dispel that mystery. The vague description reminds me of 1975's Picnic at Hanging Rock which was a cool, perplexing movie so if it approaches that, it should be interesting.
Serious MoonlightNotables Involved: Cheryl Hines, Meg Ryan, Adrienne Shelly, Justin Long
Let the debate commence, will Joe-winner Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm) get a Best Director nomination at this year's Joes? Adrienne Shelly (Waitress) wrote the script, about a woman who duct tapes her cheating husband to a toilet, before she was murdered and Cheryl Hines got into the director's chair to bring it to screen. As far as I'm concerned Hines has already made a huge mistake by casting Meg Ryan, but we'll see how else she handles her directorial duties.
Everybody's FineNotables Involved: Robert De Niro, Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale, Drew Barrymore
There's been quiet buzz that this may be a return to form for De Niro. It's a remake of a 1990 Italian road movie about a man reconnecting with his kids, a genre I am personally quite sick of. The presence of Rockwell is a big plus though, hopefully he and De Niro will get a few good scenes together.
Lord Save Us From Your FollowersNotables Involved: Stephen Colbert, George W. Bush, Ann Coulter, Bono
My Dad actually saw this and told Colleen and I about it and we thought the trailer looked good. The filmmaker Dan Merchant is from the Portland area so a lot of the documentary was shot around there. It's supposed to be a funny and thought provoking look at Christianity in our current era.
Harry BrownNotables Involved: Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer
So my theory about this is Gran Torino made a crap ton of money earlier in the year so the Brits are trying to make their own revered old guy actor starts busting heads because his neighborhood is getting bad. This one looks better than Gran Torino but very slightly, that's mostly because everyone's got cockney accents and Caine looks like he's more Dirty Harry-ish than Eastwood was in GT.
That Evening SunNotables Involved: Hal Holbrook
This movie is also pulling the old guy gets pissed and take things into his own hands but, I don't know, I think this looks good. It looks like it has the gritty, hardbitten Southern feel that I like in literature and movies so I'm looking forward to seeing it and Holbrook looks pretty gnarled and haggard and awesome; I think lead actor looks pretty open this year so I'm gonna call Holbrook a contender for a Drew nom. The trailer is good too.
Me and Orson Welles
Notables Involved: Richard Linklater, Zac Efron, Claire Danes
So I'm not sure what the hell Linklater (Before Sunrise/Sunset) is thinking with this one. I mean, Zac Efron sucks whether he's on the Disney channel or in a legitimate motion picture. And if it wasn't for Christian McKay's promising performance as Welles, I'd say to ignore this picture all together. My real question is why Linklater made a movie about Zac Efron working with Orson Welles when he could have made a movie about Orson Welles. The guy was a towering personality and artist with an incredibly interesting career; perfect biopic material. Hell, a movie about him just making Citizen Kane would be fascinating.
Get Low
Notables Involved: Robert Duvall, Bill Murray
This was just picked up by Sony Pictures Classics though I think the last I heard they are planning on saving it for next year. I am putting this entry in just in case. Robert Duvall is supposed to be great in this as an old recluse who wants to throw his own funeral and Bill Murray is getting good reviews too.
No trailer yet but there is this amusing clip:
CreationNotables: Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Jones
A Charles Darwin biopic could go either way. This is being called Bettany's (Mr. Jennifer Connelly) career best, though that doesn't necessarily say that much. He's a capable actor though, though this should be pretty interesting hopefully and I know Joe and I will be happy to see Connelly back to doing material more worthy of her talents.
Mother and Child
Notables Involved: Annette Bening, Naomi Watts, Samuel L. Jackson, David Morse
I'm not sure if this is coming out this year or not but there's been talk of it. The main buzz is for Annette Bening's performance and Watts's as well. Both are very fine actresses so I expect they are both good. The movie seems a little like Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies though I imagine this will have a much different feel.
MoonNotables Involved: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey
Dolphin nominee Sam Rockwell’s performance in Moon is one of the two male lead performances I’m most excited for this year. The film has been a modest success and received good reviews so I’m looking forward to seeing it. Sci-fi is usually better to me when it’s on a lower budget, I’m curious to see what this movie has in store.
Public EnemiesNotables Involved: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Michael Mann
If it hadn’t been Michael Mann making this movie (Miami Vice, Collateral) I’d be super excited to see it. It’s got previous Dolphin nominees Depp and Bale and Dolphin winner Cotillard in a movie about legendary gangster/bank robber John Dillinger. I haven’t seen it yet, so maybe the stars aligned and it turned out great. It should at least be worth seeing for the acting and tech categories.
Cold SoulsNotables Involved:Paul Giamatti, Emily Watson, David Strathairn
When I hear that a movie is called "Kaufman-esque" I usually get bad vibes (last time I heard it was the weak and really not at all Kaufman-esque Stranger than Fiction). That Cold Souls looks "Kaufman-esque" to the point of being an almost exact mishmash between Eternal Sunshine and Synecdoche, NY makes it even less savory to me. Still, the movie has Paul Giamatti, Emily Watson and David Strathairn and they're all damn great actors.
Julie & JuliaNotables Involved: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams
Nora Ephron (You’ve Got Mail, Hanging Up) is pretty much cinematic poison in my eyes. I’ve heard the material Adams was given is pretty abhorrent but Streep’s scenes fair far better. Still, it’s reuniting last year’s Dolphin winning actresses so it’s worth seeing in that regard.
Inglourious BasterdsNotables Involved: Brad Pitt, Quentin Tarantino
Tarantino hasn’t made a good movie for 15 long years and I see no real reason why this should change things. Still it’s got my main man (and three time Dolphin nominee) Brad Pitt and I’ve heard really good things about some of the unknown supporting players. Hopefully it will at least be entertaining.
Taking WoodstockNotables Involved: Ang Lee, Demetri Martin
This has gotta be the weirdest Ang Lee project possible. Comedian Demetri Martin stars as the gay organizer of Woodstock. Haven’t heard so great of things about this.
9Notables Involved: John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Elijah Wood, Tim Burton
I may need to make a Best Animated Film category this year at the Drews cause it looks like there might be some good ones. This film is a Tim Burton-produced full-length rendering of the post-apocalyptic, Oscar-nominated short film.
Trailer
Short Film
Bright StarNotables Involved: Jane Campion, Ben Whishaw, Paul Schneider
Just heard about this one. Oscar winning film maker Jane Campion (The Piano) made this and the female lead Abbie Cornish is getting good reviews. Paul Schneider (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) is in it too, which is never a bad thing. It also has one of Colleen's favorite Bob Dylans, Ben Whishaw.
The Informant!Notables Involved: Matt Damon, Steven Soderbergh, Tony Hale
The more and more I think about it, I’m really excited for Matt Damon’s performance in this movie. He’s at his best when he’s at his most eccentric, in my opinion, and this looks like the most eccentric character he’s ever played. Soderbergh has yet to really prove himself in my eyes, but he’s a competent film maker and this looks like pretty good material. This one should be solid at the very least. Plus, it’s got Buster Bluth! The trailer should dial the Ocean's 11 angle way down though.
Coco Before ChanelNotables Involved: Audrey Tatou
Tatou (Amelie) hasn’t done anything worthwhile for five years, maybe this will be her return to form and her first Best Actress Dolphin nom? Can’t say the material (bio-pic of Coco Chanel) excites me much but there’s been good buzz about Tatou’s performance.
A Serious ManNotables Involved: Coen Bros.
Probably the most mysterious Coen Bros. production I can think of. No stars and only one recognizable face (Richard Kind.) Joe liked the trailer, I’m a bit less enthusiastic about it. There could be a bit of a Fargo/Jerry Lundegaard thing going on though which I’d be on board for. I’m really curious to see what it’s all about.
The Invention of LyingNotables Involved: Ricky Gervais, Christopher Guest, Jason Bateman, Jeffery Tambor, Patrick Stewart
Not sure how this will turn out, but its got a couple favorites involved so I figured I should make a small mention.
An EducationNotables Involved: Nick Hornby, Alfred Molina, Peter Sarsgaard
Don’t know about this other than it’s “a coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London” and Nick Hornby (who wrote the novel High Fidelity) wrote this screenplay. Have heard good things about the lead, Carey Mulligan.
The RoadNotables Involved: Viggo Mortensen, Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron, John Hillcoat
I like John Hillcoat (The Proposition) and love Cormac McCarthy but in the words of Tugg Speedman “I gotta baaaaad feelin’ about this.” There some good things though, Guy Pearce and Michael K. Williams a.k.a. Omar from The Wire are in here somewhere and I am most excited that Dolphin nominees Nick Cave and Warren Ellis are doing the music.
Where the Wild Things AreNotables Involved: Spike Jonze, Catherine Keener, Catherine O’Hara, Forest Whitaker, James Gandolfini, Chris Cooper, Mark Ruffalo
I’m probably most excited to see this, the third film by Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation.), above everything else. Based on Maurice Sendlak’s excellent children’s book, the skeptical Sendlak apparently fell in love Jonze’s vision and is one of the film’s producers which is a good sign. The test footage I viewed a while back with Benicio Del Toro voicing the wild thing was excellent so I’m look forward to seeing the real film. Jonze has proven himself to be a master of just about any video medium (full-length films, music videos, commercials, whatever) with a deft comic and emotional touch and not to mention a role James Gandolfini is perfectly suited for. I think this should be good, and if so could it maybe result in Tom Hanks coming to the Dolphin ceremony? (he’s one of the film’s producers)
Trailer
Test Footage
AmeliaNotables Involved: Mira Nair, Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan MacGregor
Mira Nair’s (The Namesake) bio-pic of Amelia Earhart would seem like a slam dunk if it weren’t for one thing. Richard Gere. The thing about Gere is he’s more than a bad actor, if he’s in a film it will not be good. This is basically a natural law. Even when acclaimed directors have put Gere in their movies they have somehow ended up with terrible films. He’s way more dangerous than Costner. I may seem overly pessimistic but I have never seen the Gere = Not Good Movie rule fail in my life. Maybe Nair will break the spell. We’ll see what Hilary Swank, one of the more overrated actresses today in my opinion, does with a role seemingly tailor-made for her. Based on the trailer the thing has some nice cinematography too. All this reminds me I need to watch Amy Adams’s performance as Amelia Earhart in Night at the Museum 2, apparently she gave a luminous, Katharine Hepburn-esque performance in the middle of that piece of shit.
PreciousNotables Involved: Mo’Nique, Mariah Carey
This thing has been getting absolute raves. People have been saying comedian/UPN star Mo’Nique will win Best Supporting Actress. I'm not really digging the Tyler Perry meets Todd Solondz vibe. And I don’t know, I might be wrong but I’m getting the Juno/Half Nelson "acclaimed indie movie" vibe from this. We’ll see I guess.
The Men Who Stare at GoatsNotables Involved: George Clooney, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Ewan MacGregor
I just heard about this but it could be good. A bizarre comedy with Clooney, Bridges and Spacey and helmed by Good Night, and Good Luck. co-writer and producer Grant Heslov? It’s gotta be worth a shot. Not sure about the title though.
Pirate Radio (UK title: The Boat that Rocked)Notables Involved: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Nick Frost, Bill Nighy, Rhys Darby
Richard Curtis is a pretty bad filmmaker (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually) but this comedy about pirate radio in the 60s has such a great cast that this can’t be all bad. I’d be excited to see one my fave contemporary Brit actors Bill Nighy, Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), Rhys Darby (“Murray” on Flight of the Conchords) and the man who needs no introduction: Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Up in the AirNotables Involved: George Clooney, Jason Bateman, Danny McBride, Anna Kendrick
I like Clooney, Bateman, McBride and I remember Anna Kendrick being quite good in Rocket Science though the downer of the whole affair is that Jason Reitman (Juno) is directing which pretty much spoils anything it had going for it. It just premiered at the Toronto Film Fest and it's apparently making some big waves. The trailer makes the movie seem like an odd combination of Lost in Translation, Punch-Drunk Love and Michael Clayton.
Fantastic Mr. FoxNotables Involved: Wes Anderson, Meryl Streep, Owen Wilson, George Clooney, Bill Murray, Noah Baumbach
I think Wes Anderson’s latest left turn should pan out better than his last (The Darjeeling Limited) We’ll see how well his dialogue plays out in the animated world since it usually requires specific, subtle delivery from the actors (both voices and faces). Based on the trailer it looks like Streep and Wilson have done a fine job.
Broken EmbracesNotables Involved: Pedro Almodovar, Penelope Cruz
The only time I like Penelope Cruz is when Almodovar directs her so I’m glad I have this to help get the Vicki Cristina Barcelona taste out of my mouth. This is supposed to be Almodovar’s most expensive production so I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of extravagance he’s cooking up.
Nine
Notables Involved: Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson
So Daniel Day, what the hell? You follow up the best performance of your career by replacing Javier Bardem in a musical by Rob Marshall (Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha). That this is based on Fellini’s 8½ is kind of annoying too, I think the only way to make that story even more indulgent is to make it a musical. Day-Lewis will get support from 5 Oscar winning actresses and then Kate Hudson. Perhaps I’m being too hard on DDL but if he’s only gonna give us 3 or 4 performances a decade, he better make them count.
BrothersNotables Involved: Jim Sheridan, Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman
Upon viewing the trailer of the latest by Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In America) it looks a tad bit better than I expected. Maguire looks suitably psycho but as with In America, the young girls in Brothers look like they’re gonna wipe the floor, acting-wise, with their older cast mates.
InvictusNotables Involved: Morgan Freeman, Clint Eastwood, Matt Damon
Am I looking forward to seeing Morgan Freeman play Nelson Mandela? Yep. Am I glad Eastwood is directing? Nope. I sure hope this is an absolutely staggering improvement over Gran Torino. Although, maybe with Freeman in the driver’s seat Eastwood will finally direct a good movie for once in his life. By the way, does Freeman almost seem like a surefire bet for the Best Actor Oscar next year?
Sherlock HolmesNotables Involved: Guy Ritchie, Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law
Ritchie’s movies generally make a decent showing at the Colleens so I figured I’d put this on here. We’ll see what he does now he’s entirely unshackled from Madonna. Furthermore, Downey is usually at his best when he’s doing an accent, maybe that will hold true for this?
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