4th Quarter Preview: The top 17 (or 18???)

Alas, the end of September is nearly upon us, and with it begins the final quarter of 2009, as well as the gradual acceleration of awards season. With most films having finally decided on release dates *cough*The Road*cough* or having found distributors, I've assembled my final preview list of the year. Let's hope that more of these turn out to be winners than my previous three quarter previews. I don't want to go through another an underwhelming awards season for the second year in a row. Click on the titles to view trailers, and enjoy...


18. "Tree of Life" by Terrence Malick: My anticipation for this project is much higher than its placement on the list indicates, but I've put it at the back for one reason: we have yet to get a definitive answer as to whether the carefully guarded film is coming out this year, or in 2010. Plot details are scarce, but there are all-but-confirmed reports that Malick's fifth film boasts a roughly 40 minute companion piece filled with dazzling special effects, including a fantastical creation mythology and dinosaurs. Other than that, all that's known is that the main film starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn is about two separate generations of (related) men and...that's kind of it.

17. "Pirate Radio" by Richard Curtis (Nov 13)
WHY:

• Fantastic cast led by Bill Nighy and Phillip Seymour Hoffman
• Despite the outlandish premise, the film is grounded in facts
• It's been pushed back several times, meaning that the distributors may want to give it a big awards push.
  

WHY NOT:

• Maybe all of those delays just mean the studio wants to get rid of the damn thing in the midst of all the awards chaos and hope that no one notices.

16. "New York, I Love You" by...lots of people (Oct 16)
WHY:

• America's "response" to the wonderful "Paris Je T'aime" (2007)
  
• New York should provide a different, but equally intriguing setting for the short films.
• The ensemble is packed with names including: Natalie Portman, Julie Christie, Ethan Hawke, John Hurt, and James Caan.
  

WHY NOT:

• Lightning may not strike twice, and the shorts may be more "miss" than "hit"

15. "Sherlock Holmes" by Guy Ritchie (Dec 25)
WHY:

• Great cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Eddie Marsan
• Boasts a grittier look than previous adaptations
• Solid trailer
• Rumors that Brad Pitt may make a cameo as Holmes' arch-nemesis, Moriarty
  

WHY NOT:

• Guy Ritchie isn't the greatest or most consistent director. Can he adapt to something that isn't a gangster flick?

14. "Invictus" by Clint Eastwood (Dec 11)
WHY:

• Clint Eastwood + Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon + Nelson Mandela = Oscar love fest(??)
• Not simply going to be "the Nelson Mandela story"
  

WHY NOT:

• No trailer. No early buzz. Nothing.
• The title. "The Human Factor" was a much better name.
• What if it turns into another "Gran Torino"?

13 . "The Men Who Stare At Goats" by Grant Heslov (Nov 6)
WHY:

• Hilarious trailer that promises something different.
• Stellar cast: Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges.
• Jeff "The Dude" Bridges rocking a ponytail. Worth the price of admission alone.
• Grant Heslov wrote and produced "Good Night and Good Luck".
  

WHY NOT:

• Are all of the best bits in the trailer a la "The Informant"?

12. "The Young Victoria" by Jean Marc-Valee (Dec 18)
WHY:

• Emily Blunt is bound to get an Oscar nomination one day. This could be the performance that gets her said nomination.
• Great supporting cast: Jim Broadbent, Miranda Richardson, Paul Bettany, and Rupert Friend.
• It's written by Julian Fellowes, who wrote the excellent "Gosford Park"
  

WHY NOT:

• Could be nothing more than an Oscar vehicle for Blunt.
• Some reviews have said that it feels more like a TV movie.

11. "Broken Embraces" by Pedro Almodovar (Dec 11)
WHY:

• The previous Almodovar/Penelope Cruz collaboration "Volver" earned Cruz her first Oscar nomination.
• Beautiful and intriguing trailer with an interesting noir vibe.
  

WHY NOT:

• Apparently it's "just good" and "not Almodovar's best".

10. "Precious" by Lee Daniels (Nov 6)
WHY:

• Fantastic review after fantastic review.
• Gabourey Sidibe is posed to be one of several breakout stars this year.
• Apparently stunning supporting turns from Mo'Nique and Mariah Carey.
• Best Original Song contender.
  

WHY NOT:

• Could be just another "urban drama" that just happens to be getting a push from Oprah.
• Trailer makes it seem like nothing new.

9. "The Lovely Bones" by Peter Jackson (Dec 11)
WHY:

• Great cast and promising trailer.
• Stunning "heaven" scenes.
• Buzz for Stanley Tucci is off-the-charts.
• Saoirse Ronan is one of the most promising young actresses out there.
  

WHY NOT:

• Jackson's first "non-epic" in years. Can he still do something on a small scale?

8. "A Single Man" by Tom Ford (2009)
WHY:

• Beautiful and mysterious trailer.
• Colin Firth is said to be a major contender for Best Actor and Julianne Moore could find herself in the running for Best Supporting Actress.
  
• The film was snatched up by the Weinsteins after raves came out of its test screenings at the Toronto Film Festival.
  

WHY NOT:

• Have the festival screenings over-hyped it?

7. "An Education" by Lone Scherfig (Oct 16)
WHY:

• Rave after rave from festival showings.
• Roger Ebert compared star Carey Mulligan to Audrey Hepburn.
• Stellar adult cast, including Emma Thompson and Alfred Molina.
• Scherfig could be one of three women in the running for Best Director nominations (the others being Kathryn Bigelow and Jane Campion)
  

WHY NOT:

• "Too British"? If that even makes sense...

6. "A Serious Man" by Joel and Ethan Coen (Oct 2)
WHY:

• Early word is extremely positive. Could be a makeup for the underwhelming "Burn After Reading".
  
• Great trailer
• One critic called the film "as dark as No Country for Old Men, but also funny".
• Based on the Coens' life (sort of), which should provide rich material.
  

WHY NOT:

• Said to contain a lot of inside jokes about Judaism...could this be alienating?
• The Coens simply aren't for everyone.

5. "The Road" by John Hillcoat (Nov 25)
WHY:

• Hillcoat knows how to capture atmosphere via landscapes.
• Not just another postapocalyptic movie.
  
• It's based on a Cormac McCarthy novel, and a damn good novel at that.
  
• Trailer footage seems to have captured the "grayness" of McCarthy's world.
• Clips that have been released are promising.
  

WHY NOT:

• Mixed reviews.
• Divided opinion on some of the most crucial aspects: the performances.

4. "Avatar" by James Cameron (Dec 18)
WHY:

• Having seen footage on the big screen, I can confirm that yes, the motion capture effects are stunning in their detail (puts Beowulf to shame, that's for sure).
• Certainly screams EPIC.
• Cameron has technically been working on this project for 14 years.
• Cameron and crew went to great lengths to design every aspect of the planet Pandora, and even created a full language for the Na'Avi population.
  

WHY NOT:

• "Titanic" showed us that Mr. Cameron knew how to pull off a movie on a massive scale. It also showed us that he's not a master a dialogue.
• Could it simply end up being "Dances With Wolves" in space?

3. "Where the Wild Things Are" by Spike Jonze (Oct 16)
WHY:

• Seems to have done the impossible: turned a 10 sentence book into a compelling and moving feature film.
• Spike Jonze knows how to make weirdly touching films (Being John Malkovich)
• Script is by Dave Eggers, author of the hilarious and poignant "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius".
  

WHY NOT:

• It's been stuck in development hell for what feels like years. Are we getting Jonze's full vision?

2. "Up in the Air" by Jason Reitman (Nov 25)
WHY:

• Compelling trailer.
• Garnered raves at Toronto, especially for Reitman, Clooney, and supporting actresses Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga.
• Reitman seems to be growing as a director, and this appears to be proof of that.
• It was bumped to an earlier release date due to positive response from screenings.
  

WHY NOT:

• ...

1. "Nine" by Rob Marshall (Nov 25)
WHY:

• Exhilarating trailer.
• Ridiculously talented and awarded cast.
• Strong buzz for Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, and Daniel Day Lewis.
• Apparently it was good enough to get Sophia Loren out of retirement.
• Marshall knows how to direct musical numbers, and even better, knows how to give them coherence. Remember the "show in Roxie's mind concept" from Chicago? There's something similar at work here.
• Based on a Tony-winning musical based on Fellini's "8 1/2", considered one of the greatest movies about making movies ever.

WHY NOT:

• If you're a fan of the show, you may not be pleased with some of the songs that have been cut/added.
• Even after the smash success of Chicago, there will always be people who hate musicals. If you're one of those people, chances are this one won't change your mind.
• It's a drama, which, depending on execution, could lag when there aren't people singing.