The Good German

In Theatres: December 8th, 2006
Steven Soderbergh (dir.)
George Clooney
Cate Blanchett
Tobey Maguire
Trailer

People always complain that movies today are much shittier than the old timey ones. This is bullshit, but playing along gives us the reason for this movie: It's black and white, it's lit entirely low key, it's got some iconic shots that feel really familiar. Is it any good? Tough call. Spiderman, Galadriel and the crappiest Batman star.
Anticipated rating: 6/10

Pan's Labyrinth

In Theatres: December 29th, 2006
Guillermo del Toro (dir.)
Mirabel Verdu
Sergi Lopez
Ivana Baquero
Doug Jones
Trailer

Megan sent me a link to this tonight, and I'm blown away. The teaser is good, but the full blown trailer is GREAT. It's about time we started seeing movies like this again. Last year's Mirror Mask got mixed reviews, but looked great in the trailers and was a definite step back towards good children's fantasy. Growing up, I loved this type of thing: Labyrinth, Neverending Story, Return to Oz, Time Bandits, etc. I'm totally excited to see this when it hits the big screen.

Anticipated rating: 10/10
Actual rating: 10/10 This movie is perfect. There was so much to like and even though I'd expected it to be more of a kids move than it was... In fact, it's not a movie for kids at all... But despite my own expectations being dashed, the movie really blew me away. I love it.

The Queen

In Theatres: September 29th, 2006
Stephen Frears (dir.)
Helen Mirren
James Cromwell
Michael Sheen
Trailer

I found this trailer while I was randomly clicking on HD trailers to test out my new monitor. I hadn't heard anything about this movie, despite its being released for over 2 weeks now. It's about the Queen's reaction to the death of Princess Di, and it doesn't seem kind. I can't say that I'm particularly interested in the story. Definitely something I could stand to catch on TV at some point.

Anticipated rating: 7/10 (I think I'd just be bored)

The Messengers

In Theatres: February 2nd, 2007
Danny Pang, Oxide Pang (dir.)
Kristen Stewart
Dylan McDermott
Penelope Ann Miller
John Corbett
Trailer

The more Asian horror elements that creep into American horror the better, in my opinion. Sure, there's a formula: jerky fast motion from characters that aren't really seen, oozing stuff, young children, the countryside, little violence and nudity. This trailer creeped me the hell out. I got goosebumps watching it (even though my PC stutters at 1080p).

Anticipated rating: 10/10 This movie could let me down, but I think it's more likely to be the best of it's genre for a while to come.
Actual rating: 5/10 Despite the strong trailer, this movie wound up being really weak. Predictable timing, mediocre creep-factor and a really thin plot. Granted, I had goosebumps a couple of times, I think the film really failed to deliver and the plot twist was sort of weak. Good sets and production value though.

Marie Antoinette

In Theatres: October 13th, 2006
Sofia Coppola (dir.)
Kirsten Dunst
Jason Schwartzman
Judy Davis
Rip Torn
Asia Argento
Trailer

Ok, so this movie is getting a lot of buzz. A fashion shoot for Vogue, for instance, doesn't happen for just any film. Watching the trailer(s) though, I'm a little confused. The teaser trailer is a much better sell. It makes the movie seem like lots of fun and sex. The theatrical trailer is much darker though. Perhaps the thing I'm most confused about is the music. Will rock and roll be the actual score for the film, or are they just throwing that into the trailers to make them more appealing to the MTV crowd? The lack of accents for the actors suggests to me that either the actors don't have what it takes to pull accents off, or the decision was made to avoid distracting younger audiences by having the stars talk differently than them. In either case, it's probably not a big deal. I guess the real question is this: is Hot Topic going to dump the goth shit and start selling Louis XVI wigs now?

Anticipated rating: 6.5/10

Perfume

In Theatres: December 27th, 2006
Tom Tykwer (dir.)
Ben Whishaw
Francesc Albiol
Gonzalo Cunill
Roger Salvany
Andres Herrera
Trailer

This trailer blew me away. The creepy baby at the beginning, the wonderful period sets and costumes and the absurd premise. Imagine a compelling, creepy movie about perfume in old France. Really, it's a story about murder and whatnot, but it seems to be novel and I've high hopes for the finished product. I'd probably even go see it at the theatre.

Anticipated rating: 8/10

The Departed

In Theatres: October 6th, 2006
Martin Scorsese (dir.)
Leonardo DiCaprio
Matt Damon
Jack Nicholson
Mark Wahlberg
Trailer

I saw this the other night. Great movie. If such a thing as "typical" Scorcese exists, this movie wouldn't be it. It's totally different stylistically than anything he's done in the past, but it's got little shots and elements that are recognizable at the same time. Lots of violence and blood too. The trailer doesn't give anything away that the movie doesn't let you know 10 minutes into it. Really great fucking movie.

I think the film is a little hard to sell with a trailer, cause there's a huge cast and a lot going on with the plot. The preview is definitely weaker than the overall film.
Trailer 8/10 - Actual film 9.5/10

Hollywoodland

In Theatres: September 8th, 2006
Allen Coulter (dir.)
Adrien Brody
Diane Lane
Ben Affleck
Bob Hoskins
Trailer

I'm not a fan of Ben Affleck by any stretch of the imagination. He's sorta funny looking and he doesn't have any personality or affect. He's like a robot, except less of a curiosity. That said, I'm really surprised by this trailer, cause it looks really good. I'd go see this. The lighting and set design looks great. It's got a real noir feel to it.

I'd expect to give this movie a 7/10.

The Science of Sleep

Release Date: Sept 15, 2006 (Sept 29 in Vegas)
Michel Gondry (dir.)
Gael Garcia Bernal
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Alain Chabat
Trailer

One of the most anticipated films this year, in my mind, is The Science of Sleep. I was hoping, based on its release date, that it would show up at Telluride and I'd get another chance to stalk Michel Gondry and get him to take a photo with me. Alas, the film premiered at Seattle earlier in the summer.

It looks good. It looks like Gondry gets to work most of his bag of tricks into the film: giant hands, cardboard recording studios, basic animation and a little stop motion here and there. The story, setting and actors draw me in too. Gael Garcia Bernal is great to watch, and I'm happy to see him doing English language films now.

I'm planning to go see this today, actually. It's only been out since Friday, but indie stuff has a short life expectancy in Las Vegas, so it's critical to jump on things when they show up.

Anticipated Rating of film (9/10)
Actual Rating of Film (9/10) I gotta say, I love the Gondry magic.