You Should Know
I'm stoked about the films that will be coming out this year. Some of my favorite filmmakers will be releasing films in '08. As always, I'm sure some of these will end up disappointing me, and I'm sure there will be some unmentioned films that come out of nowhere to wow me. Let me know what films you guys are looking forward to in the comment section. -- Capt. Obvious
Release Date: Around Halloween 2008
Director: Michael Dougherty
Cast: Brian Cox, Anna Paquin
Why?: The stills and trailer of this film look amazing. Dougherty has penned some big films in X-Men 2 and Superman Returns, but this is his directorial debut. The film interweaves multiple stories that all occur on Halloween. Looks very stylistic and creepy with some dark humor. Definitely looking forward to this one.
Release Date: Early 2008 (estimated)
Writer/Director: Charlie Kaufman
Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton
Why?: The directorial debut from the imaginative screenwriter of Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, and Eternal Sunshine Of A Spotless Mind. Yes please.
Release Date: January 23rd 2008
Writer/Director: Michel Gondry
Cast: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover
Why?: With films like Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and The Science Of Sleep under his belt, Gondry, who began his career by crafting award-winning music videos and commercials, has proven to be one of the most creative directors around.
Release Date: Summer 2008 (estimated)
Writer/Director: Clark Gregg
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston
Why?: I'm a Chuck Palahniuk fan, and while it'll be tough to match David Fincher's amazing interpretation of Palahniuk's Fight Club, any attempt to tackle a Palahniuk novel is worth watching in my opinion. This will be the directorial debut from actor Clark Gregg.
Release Date: June 13th 2008
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo
Why?: I think that Shyamalan's output has been spotty at best since his excellent debut The Sixth Sense, but there's something about his style that always has me curious, even when I fully expect to be disappointed. Rumor has it that the script for the film is really good. Let's see if he can manage to screw it up by trying to throw in some "shocking twist."
Release Date: July 11th 2008
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Cast: Ron Pearlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones
Why?: I think Del Toro really has a knack for creating visually appealing fare. I never saw the first film, so I'll have to catch up, but I thought Pan's Labyrinth was absolutely stunning, and I really enjoyed The Devil's Backbone.
Release Date: July 18th 2008
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart
Why?: I thought that Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia, Following) really did the dark super-hero justice with Batman Begins. Christian Bale is one of the best actors around and he owns this role, and from the looks of the trailer, Ledger should breathe new life into The Joker.
Release Date: August 15th 2008
Director: Tom Tykwer
Cast: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts
Why?: Tykwer's done some visually interesting films such as Run Lola Run and Perfume. With two accomplished actors involved, I'm sure it'll be worth watching.
Release Date: October 3rd 2008
Director: Spike Jonze
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini, Paul Dano
Why?: Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) tackles the classic illustrated Maurice Sendak book. This is the first Spike Jonze film not written by Charlie Kaufman.
Release Date: November 7th 2008
Director: Clint Eastwood
Cast: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich
Why?: Eastwood has really turned into a great director. When I first saw the title, I thought it'd be a remake of the old horror film.. not the case. The film is based on true events in 1920's Los Angeles, and stars Jolie as a mother who suspects that the child returned to her after a kidnapping is not hers.
Release Date: Fall 2008 (estimated)
Writer/Director: Richard Kelly
Cast: Sean William Scott, Cameron Diaz
Why?: Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko was a memorable debut. His follow-up Southland Tales looks... not so good... but I'll suspend judgement until I see it. This new film sounds dark, and I really think Kelly does that well.
Release Date: November 26th 2008
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton
Why?: The great David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en, Zodiac, The Game) tackles the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man named Benjamin Button (Pitt) who is born as an old man and ages in reverse until he becomes an infant.
Release Date: August 8th 2008
Director: David Gordon Green
Cast: Seth Rogen, James Franco
Why?: I thought Superbad was kind of dumb, but it's obvious that the Judd Apatow produced comedy is the standard nowadays, and indeed, Apatow is connected to this project. What intrigues me about the film is the fact that the young and talented David Gordon Green (George Washington, All The Real Girls, Snow Angels) tackles a stoner comedy. Should be interesting.
Release Date: Fall 2008 (estimated)
Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Gerard Butler, Jeremy Piven, Thandie Newton, Tom Wilkinson
Why?: It's about time Ritchie (Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch) got back to doing what he does best: gangster films. While he can't strike Swept Away from his resume, he can at least redeem himself. I'm looking forward to seeing the fast-talking Piven in a Ritchie film.
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore, Gael Garcia Bernal, Danny Glover
Why?: Meirelles directed the magnificent City Of God, and I thought The Constant Gardener was very underrated. Blindness is about a woman (Moore) who is the only person who can see in a town where everyone has unexplainably gone blind. The film also stars the talented Gael Garcia Bernal.
Director: Coen Brothers
Cast: George Clooney, John Malkovich, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton
Why?: No Country For Old Men was my favorite film of 2007. The brothers will follow up their critically acclaimed film with Burn After Reading, which boasts an impressive ensemble cast. The film is about two gym employees who stumble on a disk containing the secret memoirs of a CIA agent.. and, of course, they try to sell it.
Release Date: May 2nd, 2008
Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges
Why?: You may know Favreau as the guy from Swingers, but he's at the helm of this comic book adaptation. The trailer was pretty interesting, and I'm a Robert Downey Jr. fan, so my interest has been peaked.
Release Date: June 27th 2008
Director: Andrew Stanton
Cast: Fred Willard, Jeff Garlin, Ben Burtt
Why?: Set in the year 2700, this Pixar film is about a bored robot. Looks amazing and really funny. I'm there.
Release Date: 2008
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Benjamin Bratt, Franka Potente
Why?: The accomplished Soderbergh tackles controversial and revolutionary figure Ernesto 'Che' Guevara in two films scheduled to be released in '08. Del Toro seems perfect for this role.
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4 comments:
wow, that new one with brad pitt sounds awesome, pitt's a good fit for anything that requires oldness and youth in the same flick
That's a great list. You listed a lot of movies I was not aware of, but am now very excited it. Thanks!
Don't forget about Rambo, 27 Dresses, and Kung Fu Panda...
dude. i just read that dave eggers is writing 'where the wild things are.' i've had one of his books for years, and although i've never read it (a breathtaking work of staggering genius), everyone i know thinks it's hilarious. he writes op-ed's in the times now and again and those are funny too. a definite bonus for this film that i'm already turbo excited about.
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