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It’s fall — time to break out the Oscar bait
From Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Departed’ to Eastwood’s ‘Flags of Our Fathers’
Warner Bros. Pictures |
When it comes to fall films, it’s hard not to be optimistic. Contemplating new efforts from great directors like Clint Eastwood, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma is actually thrilling.
Fall marks the official start of Oscar season. And yes, award shows may be silly but they challenge filmmakers, actors and everyone behind the scenes to put out their best effort. The cynicism of summer box office numbers, at least for a while, can go back on the shelf. Movie fans can buy their tickets with the hope and anticipation that they could actually see a movie people will still be watching 20 years from now. This is the time of year that filmmaking once again becomes an art.
For fans of light fare of summer, don’t worry — there’s plenty of fun, scares and animated family films coming as well.
Movie fans should embrace the fall because, no matter what kind of films we enjoy, fall is about possibility. So let's take a look at the films coming our way from Sept. 15 to Nov. 10:
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“The Black Dahlia”
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, Mia Kirshner, Hilary Swank
Director: Brian De Palma
Story: Based on the 1947 brutal murder of actress Elizabeth Short (Kirshner), who was cut in half at the waist and mutilated, this film tells the fictional story of two detectives (Hartnett and Eckhart) who become obsessed with solving her murder. Eckhart’s passion for solving the crime threatens to ruin his relationship with his girlfriend (Johansson). Meanwhile, Hartnett finds himself drawn to an enigmatic young woman (Swank) who gets off on dressing like the murdered girl.
Buzz: The combination of James Ellroy — who wrote the book on which this film is based — and Brian De Palma (“The Untouchables,” “Carlito’s Way”) is pretty impossible to resist. Ellroy told Premiere magazine that he thinks De Palma is “wittier” and “a better writer” than Alfred Hitchcock. High praise indeed. Hartnett (“Black Hawk Down,” “Sin City”) is an actor who seems full of untapped potential — he’s got the matinee looks, but it’s hard not to hope that there’s a bit more to him than that.
Web site: http://www.theblackdahliamovie.net/
“Artie Lange’s Beer League”
Starring: Artie Lange, Ralph Macchio, Anthony DeSando, Cara Buono, Jerry Minor, Laurie Metcalf, Jimmy Breuer
Director: Frank Sebastiano
Story: Howard Stern sidekick Artie Lange stars as an unemployed underachiever who still lives with his mother (Metcalf) and plays on the neighborhood softball team. His rival (DeSando) plays on another team and when yet another brawl lands the two teams in jail, they’re given an ultimatum: only one team can stay in the league. Can Artie’s team go from worst to first?
Buzz: Subtle this ain’t. Strictly for the belching and farting set who like their movies crude and their women stupid. You know who you are. Is Macchio, who had fun mocking his own image on “Entourage” due for a Neil Patrick Harris-type comeback?
Web site: http://www.beerleaguethemovie.com
“Everyone’s Hero”
Starring: Jake T. Austin, Whoopi Goldberg, William H. Macy, Rob Reiner, Brian Dennehy, Raven-Symoné, Robert Wagner, Richard Kind, Dana Reeve
Director: Christopher Reeve, Daniel St. Pierre, Colin Brady
Story: An animated adventure about a baseball-loving young boy (Austin) who, with a little help from a talking baseball (Reiner), goes in search of Babe Ruth’s missing bat (Goldberg), to help him win the World Series. Macy voices the man who’s stolen the bat in question; while Raven-Symone provides the voice for a sassy young girl who comes to the boy’s aid.
Buzz: This is the last project Reeve worked on before his death (as director and executive producer). It’s hard not to feel overwhelmed by the glut of animated films we’ve seen lately; this one looks to have yet another wholesome message to make the entire family feel good. Cynics need not apply.
Web site: http://www.everyoneshero.com
“Gridiron Gang”
Starring: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Xzibit, Kevin Dunn, Leon Rippy, Danny Martinez, Mo, Trever O'Brien, Six Reasons
Director: Phil Joanou
Story: Based on the 1993 documentary of the same name, this film tells the story of a juvenile detention probation officer (Johnson) who turns a group of hardcore felons into a football team. They must put their gang rivalries and prejudices aside in quest of a larger goal. Rapper Xzibit plays another officer who becomes the assistant coach.
Buzz: It’s hard for a fiction film to top the documentary on which it’s based (see “Dogtown and Z-Boys” vs. “Lords of Dogtown”) — there’s always a need to add unnecessary plot points and characters and who weren’t in the original film. With its sure-to-be-uplifting story, this film feels very TV movie of the week. Director Joanou is best known for U2 videos, most notably “Rattle and Hum.”
Web site: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies.gridirongang
“Haven”
Starring: Orlando Bloom, Bill Paxton, Stephen Dillane, Zoe Saldana, Razaaq Adoti, Agnes Bruckner, Victor Rasuk, Lee Ingleby, Anthony Mackie, Joy Bryant
Director: Frank E. Flowers
Story: This film has interconnected stories that all take place on the Cayman Islands. Paxton plays a crooked businessman who escapes the feds by bringing his daughter Pippa (Bruckner) to the Islands. She gets involved with some not-so-nice people. Meanwhile local fisherman Shy (Bloom) woos the lovely Saldana, who just happens to be the daughter of one of the toughest guys in town.
Buzz: This movie was made in 2004 and has sat on the shelf for two years; that’s never a good sign. When it played at the 2004 Toronto Film Festival it didn’t get a very positive response. Eric Childress of ECritic.com wrote of the film, “None of the strands are interesting enough to warrant attention and in small elliptical doses become even less so.” With the growing number of bombs under his belt (“Kingdom of Heaven,” “Elizabethtown”) it’s amazing that Bloom still gets film roles that don’t require him to play straight man to Johnny Depp.
Web site: http://www.havenmovie.com
“The Last Kiss”
Starring: Zach Braff, Jacinda Barrett, Casey Affleck, Michael Weston, Eric Christian Olsen, Rachel Bilson, Blythe Danner
Director: Tony Goldwyn
Story: This remake of the Italian film “L'Ultimo Baccio,” tells the story of a man (Braff), who’s not sure he’s ready to settle down with college girlfriend Barrett, who just happens to be pregnant with his baby. When he meets the beautiful Bilson, his doubts only grow.
Buzz: Braff is making a career out of playing that young disaffected guy who can’t seem to grow up. He did it well in “Garden State”; but can he recapture that magic here? Braff produced the soundtrack, and looking at the list (which once again contains Coldplay and the Cary Brothers) makes me want to send him some new CDs. Goldwyn is primarily known for being a character actor, but has directed TV and 2001’s “A Walk on the Moon” (well worth a rental). Bilson looks to grow beyond “The O.C.”; better she do it here than in a cheesy slasher flick. Note to “Scrubs” fans: Braff told Premiere magazine that this is his last year on the show.
Web site: http://www.lastkissmovie.com
“The U.S. vs. John Lennon”
Starring: John Lennon, Yoko Ono
Director: David Leaf, John Scheinfeld
Story: This documentary follows the life of Lennon in his post-Beatle years, when he became a political activist during the Vietnam War. The FBI compiled a file on the rocker and he had to fight to stop his deportation from the U.S.
Buzz: Back before the Dixie Chicks existed, Lennon was Dixie Chicked. It’s hard not to look at Lennon and his activism without seeing it through the prism of today’s political situation. Had he lived, how would the rocker be regarded today? Leaf and Scheinfeld specialize in musical docs — they’ve done films on everyone from Ricky Nelson to Rosemary Clooney.
Web site: http://www.theusversusjohnlennon.com
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