From the pages of Electric City and Diamond City, two of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s premier arts and entertainment publications, comes Richlier founder Jeff Boam’s special column:

 

Ah, Fall—a time when a young man’s fancy turns to…celebrity? ‘Tis true. Like love and authority, celebrity is a ‘concept’ that, in reality, holds no true discernable weight which scientists – not even the ones who created Mothra and Mechagodzilla – could measure. But boy, does it lure us in like Mothras to a flame!

 

The first celebrity your reviewer remembers meeting was local TV personality Miss Judy, a nicey nice grandma-type with a perpetual smile who held court over the low-budget and geopolitically obscure land of Hatchy Milatchy, a magical kingdom that handed out giant Tootsie Roll banks like they were Red Cross relief packs.

 

It was sensational, that feeling of meeting someone so rapturously ensnared in the public eye. From the outset, there was that overwhelming gut-punch feeling that such persons of elevated sociological stature were more important than your young reviewer—the same remarkable feeling that compels people to buy a bus ticket to H’Wood and defecate on the steps of VH1’s The Flavor of Love set.

 

And it continued into young adulthood. Once, while attending a funeral for a well-known Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright for whom my cousin Mary was once the personal assistant for, your reviewer was introduced to Martin Sheen. Now, this proved to be a more important sovereign than the ruler of the Land of Hatchy Milatchy. This man ruled an entire country—these United States, in fact…so far as TV’s The West Wing was concerned. Sheen could not have been more personable or gracious with his time. Hearing that your reviewer was a filmmaker, he asked about what was in the wind. “A comedy about boxing.” And though this celebrated actor stood as captive audience for more, an embarrassing silence reigned. Your reviewer had the ear of the man who hunted Marlon Brando through Vietnam in Apocalypse Now and all he could muster was four little words. Pathetic.

 

Such is the definition of ‘star-struck,’ a malady that would continue well into a professional setting. At CNN’s Washington, D.C. bureau, your reviewer applied himself as a script editor and production assistant in a rotation internship. And when he asked to be the only P.A. allowed on the set of the 25^th Anniversary of Watergate edition of Larry King Live…well, no one else had asked and, as such, your reviewer was given permission. After watching Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, G. Gordon Liddy, and Ben Bradlee pepper the host with anecdotes and high-tail it out of the building, he got into an elevator only to hear a familiar voice boom out: “Hold it!” Larry King and his assistant strolled in. After a few floors of awkward silence, King turned to this star-struck shy P.A. and remarked, “A lot of talent in that room tonight, kid.” And all that your reviewer could muster was, “Yep”…before leaving the elevator at the first available DING, weak-kneed.

 

Then, your reviewer went from weak-kneed to knee-deep. Surely, moving to Los Angeles cured this affliction. In fact, meeting celebrities on a frequent basis made such people seem all the more accessible—Scott Caan, Lauren Conrad, Audrina Patridge, the late Jack Palance, etc. Surely, this star-struck malady had vamoosed!

 

So when it came time for your reviewer to churn out his 2009 Fall Movie Preview, he had no hang-ups about asking some local celebrities for their two cents. And based on the list of upcoming films below, this season is shaping up to be quite the corker. But you won’t just have to take your reviewer’s word for it … these celebrities piped in with some informed opinions (for whatever reason, the women were shy about sharing their thoughts). To offset the films, however, ec/dc labeled the award-baiting films with a “Statuette” and the rest with a “Popcorn Bucket” because this is the time of year when H’Wood slows down their blockbuster production and begins ramping up the quality for the long awards season that culminates in the Oscar race.

 

The Informant! (Sept. 18) - Statuette

Matt Damon, Scott Bakula

 

Ever since Steven Soderbergh broke onto the H’Wood scene with the 1989 indie classic Sex, Lies, and Videotape, this director has consistently teeter-tottered between experimental personal films (Schizopolis, The Girlfriend Experience) and popcorn entertainment (Out of Sight, Oceans Eleven). Occasionally, audiences, critics, and Oscar voters alike fall into perfect cadence (Erin Brockovich, Traffic)…occasionally not (The Good German, Che Parts One and Two). Warner Brothers is hoping for the former scenario with the release of The Informant! In this R-rated comedy based on a true story, Damon plays a bumbling but high-ranking whistleblower of a major corporation who begins to fancy himself a de facto secret agent when he begins dealing with the FBI. The Plus: The players. Soderbergh directed Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich) and Benicio Del Toro (Traffic) to Oscar wins. Bourne trilogy superstar Matt Damon, who packed on 30 pounds to the play the title role, could very well be headed in that direction himself. The Minus: The odds. Kurt Eichenwald’s book on which this film is based takes the subject matter as serious-as-a-heart-attack…will Soderbergh’s liberties make filmgoers happy?

 

The Other Line: “Bakula’s back?!? Super cool. Kind of feels like Burn After Reading, which I still can’t figure out if I like or not.  I do dig Soderbergh, though.  I’ll probably rent it.  Or catch it on TBS when they beat this to death like they did Ocean’s Eleven.” – Sam Falbo, actor, Scranton Public Theater’s production of Tally’s Folly

 

Jennifer’s Body (Sept. 18) - Popcorn Bucket

Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried

 

This may come across as the most obvious statement ever spoken by a true-blooded American male, but all eyes are sure to be on Megan Fox’s body this fall. To be more specific, filmgoers will feast their gazes upon FHM’s ‘Hottest Woman in the World’ as she plays the ghoulish title role in Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody’s follow-up to Juno. In this R-rated comedy-thriller, a cheerleader (Fox) seemingly living the perfect life literally becomes the girl from hell after she gets possessed and starts killing off high school boys in a small town. The Plus: The players. While Cody’s screenplay won an Oscar, Fox has been gracing every magazine cover imaginable in support of both Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen and just being hot. Seyfried, however, is no small potatoes after turning heads with her performance in Mamma Mia! The Minus: The rating. If this movie is supposed to appeal to the same teen audience that flocked to see Juno and helped to make it a smash success, the ‘Restricted’ rating sure puts a damper on things.

 

The Other Line: “Jennifer’s Body can go either way.  On the one hand, you have Juno’s screenwriter (good).  On the other hand, people think Megan Fox can carry a movie (bad).” – Mike Evans, Rock 107 radio personality and EC/DC columnist

The Other Line: “There are widespread rumors that Megan Fox will put that body of hers on full frontal display in this. Frankly, not even the chance to see her two best assets on the big screen could pry the $8.50 out of my wallet to see this.” – Sam Falbo, actor

The Other Line: “Megan Fox plays a sexy cheerleader? I’m in!” – Randy Shemanski, e.c. Editor

The Other Line: “I will definitely see this one. It’s Megan Fox…in a cheerleader outfit…who dates, then kills and eats her boyfriends. What more could you ask for in a movie?” – Jeff Walker, 98.5 KRZ radio personality

Fame (Sept. 25) - Popcorn Bucket

Naturi Naughton, Kay Panabaker

 

Frasier fans, get ready to fly—high! Though this remake of the Oscar-winning musical largely features a cast of unknowns, the movie also marks a reunion of sorts for Cheers and Frasier stars Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth (Frasier and Lillith Crane, respectively), who play instructors. Having original Fame star Debbie Allen on-board as principal Simms should also help to lure in some older viewers. In this PG-rated musical, students at New York City High School of Performing Arts (Naughton, Panabaker, et al) compete to live out their dreams. The Plus: When High School Musical 3: Senior Year hit theaters last October, the movie racked up over $90 million in the U.S. alone and grabbed the distinction for having the highest grossing opening weekend ever for a musical. Also, its soundtrack did not just go platinum in the States—it went platinum around the world. The Minus: The unknown. This movie is no High School Musical. And just weeks ago, non-HSM PG-rated teen musical Bandslam got, well, slammed at the box office.

 

The Other Line: “This one I refuse to see. You don’t take an excellent and serious Alan Parker movie and turn it into High School Musical 4.” – Mike Evans, Rock 107 radio personality and EC/DC columnist

 

Surrogates (Sept. 25) - Popcorn Bucket

Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell

 

Graphic novels are one of the hottest literary properties in H’Wood these days. Such adult comic books as Sin City, V for Vendetta, 300, and Watchmen have certainly made for compelling cinema over the last 5 years. Even the screenwriters behind The Dark Knight, the highest grossing and all-around best-reviewed comic book film yet, credit graphic novel Batman: The Dark Knight Returns as one of the film’s chief source materials. Now, director Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) is bringing writer Robert Venditti and artist Brett Weldele’s The Surrogates to the big screen. In this as-yet-unrated sci-fi thriller, Willis plays a detective in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots…only he has to leave his home for the first time in years after a series of murders. The Plus: The players. Live action graphic novel Sin City fit Willis like a glove. If 2005’s 16 Blocks and 2007’s Live Free or Die Hard are any indication, he still has a knack for playing cops too. Radha Mitchell (Finding Neverland, Silent Hill), Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction, Out of Sight), and James Cromwell (LA Confidential, Spider-Man 3) are also on-board. The Minus: The odds. But not all comic properties are greeted by critics and moviegoers with open arms (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell).

 

The Other Line: “Boy, I’d be thrilled if a good-looking android would deal with the crap I have to deal with everyday.” – Marko Marcinko, professional touring performing musician; educator

 

The Other Line: “Humans interacting through surrogate robots? Don’t we already have that in today’s society? They’re called computers. In any case, I haven’t seen a Bruce Willis movie in years and I don’t see any reason why that would change come Sept. 25.” - Shemanski

 

The Other Line: “Of all the fall film releases, let me just express my jaw-dropping surprise at learning that Bruce Willis will play a detective.” – John Webster, Rock 107 radio personality

 

Capitalism: A Love Story (Oct. 2) - Statuette

Michael Moore

 

Okay, so maybe a documentary CAN save the world. Very recently, a doc called The Cove brought awareness to atrocious acts of dolphin slaughtering in the waters off Taiji, Japan. Due to all of the media attention, these atrocities were put on hold. This should come as encouraging news for humorist Michael Moore, who has taken on GM (Roger & Me) and the Bush administration (Fahrenheit 9/11) in a bid to bring truths to light. In his latest documentary, the as-yet-unrated Capitalism: A Love Story, the root causes of the global economic meltdown are examined via a comical look at the corporate and political shenanigans that Moore alleges kicked off the whole damn thing. The Plus: The player. When Moore stays on topic and chooses not to go on a vitriolic rant, his game is on—pointed and informed (Bowling for Columbine). In his last doc, he even spent less time in front of the camera, letting the issue truly take focus (Sicko). The Minus: The odds. But when he’s off, he’s off. He has publicly expressed his intention to film a follow-up to Fahrenheit 9/11, his most bitter and scattershot project yet.

 

The Other Line: “Michael Moore lost me a couple of movies back.  I used to be a fan.  Now he simply has an agenda…and his movies have become more and more one sided.” – Evans

 

The Other Line: “Moore will bring his chubby sense of humor to Wall Street. It’ll make you think and make you hungry.” - Marcinko

 

Shutter Island (Oct. 2) – Statuette

Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo

(Editor’s Note: Shortly before deadline, this release has been moved to Feb., 2010)

 

Legendary director and film scholar Martin Scorsese has brought filmgoers selections from a lot of different genres, including bio-pic (Raging Bull), comedy (The King of Comedy), crime-drama (Goodfellas), period piece (The Age of Innocence), and musical (New York, New York). With the exception of his 1991 Cape Fear remake, however, he has not dabbled much with horror…until now. In this R-rated thriller based on the novel by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone), two U.S. marshals (DiCaprio, Ruffalo) sent to capture a violent female escapee find themselves trapped in an isolated federal institution for the criminally insane. The Plus: The players. In addition to DiCaprio (The Departed, Blood Diamond) and Ruffalo (Zodiac, Blindness), this stellar cast also includes Ben Kingsley (Sexy Beast, House of Sand and Fog), Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain, Deception), Max von Sydow (Minority Report, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), Emily Mortimer (Match Point, The Pink Panther), Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children, Watchmen), and Patricia Clarkson (Good Night, And Good Luck; Vicky Cristina Barcelona). The Minus: The genre. This is not Scorsese’s bread and butter, which is crime-dramas (Casino, The Departed). Whenever he strays (pitch black comedy, Bring Out the Dead), Scorsese gets mixed results.

 

The Other Line: “I’m sorry, I passed out from the awesomeness. What was the question?” – Falbo

 

The Other Line: “I absolutely LOVED both Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone, so I’ve got high expectations for this one. But I’m not a fan of Mark Ruffalo, so I’m still a bit cautious. Hope he doesn’t drag Leo down.” - Shemanski

 

A Serious Man (Oct. 2) - Statuette

 Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind

 

Though they have long been a favorite of critics, writer/directors Joel and Ethan Coen solidified their star with Best Picture, Best Direction, and Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar wins for 2007’s No Country for Old Men. They have always straddled genres in their best works (neo-noir crime-drama, Blood Simple; dark tragi-comedy, Fargo; period crime-thriller, Miller’s Crossing), but these brothers always include a heavy dose of humor. In the Coens’ latest, the ‘60s-set R-rated dramedy A Simple Man, a Midwestern physics professor (Stuhlbarg) struggles to find clarity in the universe when his rather normal life starts to unravel. The Plus: The players. A no-name cast aside, the Coen Brothers have given audience some of the most compelling comedies of the last 20 years (Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou?). The decent reviews received by last year’s Burn After Reading only strengthens this record. The Minus: The odds. But they have also churned out their share of poorly received comedies as well (The Hudsucker Proxy, Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers).

 

The Other Line: “This one I’m looking forward to the most. The Coen Brothers have NEVER let me down in the past, so I don’t see why they would start now.” – Evans

 

The Other Line: “Really not sure what to expect from the Coen Brothers lately, but it’s probably a safe bet this won’t be a bomb. If it’s anything like Burn After Reading, it’ll be good times at the theater for all.” – Shemanski

 

Couples Retreat (Oct. 9) - Popcorn Bucket

Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau

 

Right off of the bat, this fall offering gets brownie points with your reviewer for re-teaming Vaughn with his old friend and costar Jon Favreau. Having carved out a lil’ niche as a modern-day Lemmon and Matthau in such hilarious fare as Swingers and Made, this duo only reunited twice—for a few scenes in the comedies The Break-Up and Four Christmases. Granted, Favreau has been busy directing a teeny ole project called Iron Man 2, but the two somehow found time to work on the script to Couples Retreat. In this as-yet-unrated comedy directed by Peter (Ralphie from A Christmas Story) Billingsley, four couples (Vaughn, Malin Akerman; Favreau, Kristin Davis; Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell; Faizon Love, Tasha Smith) embark on a journey to a tropical island resort only to find that their group-rate vacation comes at the high cost of therapy. The Plus: The players. Though Favreau has limited most of his acting roles to voice work (Open Season, G-Force), Vaughn has churned out hit comedy (Old School) after hit comedy (Wedding Crashers) after hit comedy (Fred Claus). Jason Bateman (Juno, Extract) and Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Fanboys) should bring some comic wattage of their own. The Minus: The odds. Vaughn and Favreau have kept so busy that your reviewer wonders how much time was actually spent on this material. Both The Break-Up and Four Christmases did not sit well critics, mostly because of half-baked scripts.

 

The Other Line: “This one’s going to resemble my almost, never-gonna-happen, only-if-Hell-freezes-over honeymoon…in other words, a must-see.” - Marcinko

 

The Other Line: “I hadn’t heard about this one until now, but…wow! Vaughn and Favreau together always serve as a reminder of the epic Swingers. And Kristin Davis and Kristen Bell are among my favorite Hollywood starlets, so you can officially butter my popcorn and call me excited for this one!” – Shemanski

 

The Road (Oct. 16) - Statuette

Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron

 

No doubt, writer Cormac McCarthy has wowed readers (Blood Meridian, his ‘Border Trilogy’). In 2007, however, his No Country for Old Men – as adapted and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen - also wowed American filmgoers—to the tune of $74 million and a Best Picture Oscar. In this R-rated adaptation of his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, director John Hillcoat (The Proposition) presents the epic tale of a father and son’s (Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee) journey across a barren post-Apocalyptic landscape that was laid waste to by an unnamed cataclysm. The Plus: The players. McCarthy is one matter, but the industry players involved are another altogether. The brilliant Australian western The Proposition was one of 2006’s most over-looked films. Hillcoat’s stark aesthetics should paint the perfect picture for this landscape. Also, Mortensen became a bone fide movie star with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but gained considerable critical plaudits with A History of Violence and Eastern Promises, which only increases this picture’s Oscar potential. The Minus: The material. McCarthy hasn’t always translated well to the screen (All the Pretty Horses). Also, the film failed to meet the original deadline its studio, Dimension, had set—November, 2008. Hillcoat publicly stated that the film simply wasn’t ready for release. Some insiders, however, have taken this delay as an indication that the studio was worried as to The Road’s bleak tone and how it will fare with audiences.

The Other Line: “Esquire has called this “the most important movie of the year” and not that I put a ton of stock in Esquire’s opinion, but that endorsement made me really curious about this movie.  The more I read and see about it, the more I can’t wait for this movie.  Look at the pedigree: John Hillcoat (The Proposition) directs Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings) in a film inspired by a Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men) novel with music by Nick Cave!  AND instead of using CGI to establish the post-apocalyptic feel needed for the movie they used actual locations, what a novel approach to filmmaking.  You know, I might have to retract some of the nasty things I’ve said about Esquire over the years.” – Falbo

Where the Wild Things Are (Oct. 16) - Statuette

Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo

 

Truly, Spike Jonze has wowed audiences with the unordinary before. This former music video director with an offbeat style (“Sabotage,” The Beastie Boys; “Buddy Holy,” Weezer) turned heads in H’Wood by tapping into an actor’s brain—literally (Being John Malkovich). For his next project, Jonze adapted Susan Orlean’s book The Orchid Thief into the story of a screenwriter struggling with writer’s block and mediocrity (Adaptation). Now, he is taking a 10-page piece of kid-lit and turning it into a full-length feature film. In Spike Jonze’s PG-rated adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s book, a rambunctious and sensitive boy (Max Records) escapes to a mysterious island full of strange creatures (voices of James Gandolfini, Forest Whitaker) where he is king. The Plus: The players. Jonze – who was the first director to bring offbeat screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) to the screen – has n eye for talent. In addition to Keener (Into the Wild), Ruffalo (Shutter Island), Gandolfini (The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3), and Whitaker (Vantage Point), he has cast Michele Williams (I’m Not There), Catherine O’Hara (Away We Go), and Paul Dano (There Will be Blood), and Chris Cooper (Breach). Best yet, he has tapped The Jim Henson Creature Shop to create Sendak’s monsters. The Minus: The unknown. Reportedly, Warner Brothers was not happy with Jonze’s first cut and ordered extensive reshoots. Though this rumor was shot down, it does raise some concerns as to the adaptation.

 

The Other Line: “Wildly imaginative—there’ll be so many things to contemplate.” - Marcinko

 

Amelia (Oct. 23) - Statuette

Hilary Swank, Richard Gere

 

It seems almost improbable that H’Wood hasn’t tapped the life of famed flyer Amelia Earhart for a bio-pic yet. Though Howard Hughes got the big screen treatment from no less than Martin Scorsese in 2004 (The Aviator with Leonardo DiCario), Charles Lindbergh’s story – as written by Billy Wilder - hit theaters way back in 1957 (The Spirit of St. Louis with James Stewart). Better late than never, they say…especially when you consider the players, dear readers. From director Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake) comes this PG-rated bio-pic of larger-than-life aviator Amelia Earhart (Swank), whose flights and loves (Gere, Ewan McGregor) made her a global phenomenon. The Plus: The players. Swank is a two-time Oscar winner (Boys Don’t Cry, Million Dollar Baby). Gere is a Golden Globe winner (Chicago). McGregor (Trainspotting, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith) is certainly due recognition from either award. As director, Nair has amassed a respectable resume as well. The Minus: The rating. But PG?! It doesn’t look like this will be much of a warts-n-all bio-pic.

The Other Line: “4 out of 5 dentists recommend this movie.  Of course, that’s because ol’ Toothy, Hilary Swank, is their best customer. And I’m sure this film will be putting dentist’s great-grandchildren through college as it will probably be saccharine-sweet enough to rot the teeth out of your head about half way through.” - Falbo

Disney’s A Christmas Carol (Nov. 6) - Popcorn Bucket

Voices of Jim Carrey, Bob Hoskins

 

Second only to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Charles Dickens’ novella A Christmas Carol is the literary work that has received the most big-screen treatments. While the 1938 version starring Reginald Owen, the 1957 version starring Alastair Sim, and the 1984 TV-movie version starring George C. Scott remain noted favorites among filmgoers, a slew of other versions in all sorts of genres to keep miser Ebenezer Scrooge firmly planted in popular culture. There are also the 1970 Albert Finney musical Scrooge, the 1988 Bill Murray comedy Scrooged, and the 1992 kid-friendly Muppet Christmas Carol—just to name a few. In this 3-D G-rated all-animated version of Charles Dickens’s perennial favorite directed by Robert Zemeckis, Carrey pulls quadruple duty, voicing Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Christopher Lloyd provides the voice of Marley’s Ghost, while Robin Wright Penn, Colin Firth, and Gary Oldman are also providing their pipes. The Plus: The players. Carrey is good at making audiences laugh (Bruce Almighty, Yes Man) and has done well-regarded family friendly work before (Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events). Also, Zemeckis is an Oscar winner (Forrest Gump) with an audience-friendly resume to beat the band (Who Famed Roger Rabbit?, Back to the Future). The Minus: The medium. For better or worse, Zemeckis has been down this computer-animated road before (The Polar Express, Beowulf) and though the SFX work has gotten better, there has come the critical backlash that the characters look far from lifelike…and Beowulf’s lackluster B.O. grosses may reflect this.

 

The Other Line: “I saw a preview for this a few weeks back and it looked pretty darn cool. I’ve seen A Christmas Carol in so many different forms that it’s become quite old to me, but this appears to have potential.” - Shemanski

 

2012 (Nov. 13) - Popcorn Bucket

John Cusack, Amanda Peet

 

Though he passed away in 1991, The Poseidon Adventure producer Irwin Allen strangely lives on…at least in spirit, thanks to the disaster movie epics put out by producer Dean Devlin and director Roland Emmerich. Just as Allen tapped into the ‘70s zeitgeist with the shake-n-bake box office sensations The Towering Inferno and Earthquake!, Devlin and Emmerich are channeling a similar disaster-driven - and usually critically derided - formula for success (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow). In their latest, not surprisingly an as-yet-unrated disaster drama, a global cataclysm predicted by the Mayan calendar brings an end to the world, beginning a heroic struggle for the survivors (Cusask, Peet, Chiwetel Ejiofor). The Plus: The players. John Cusack (Identity, 1408) and Amanda Peet (The Whole Nine Yards, Something’s Gotta Give) are only the start. Chiwetel Jjiofor (Inside Man), Woody Harrelson (No Country for Old Men), Thandie Newton (RocknRolla), Danny Glover (Dreamgirls), Oliver Platt (Frost/Nixon) and George Segel (A Touch of Class) are also down with the disaster. The Minus: The formula. Though 10,000 BC did kinda/sorta well at the U.S. box office ($94 million and change), it was a far drop below Devlin and Emmerich’s picture before, The Day After Tomorrow ($186 million and change). By the looks of the SFX involved, 2012 was not cheap to produce…and will have to open big to recoup Warner Brothers’ nut.

 

The Other Line: “The first 25 minutes of 2012 will be awesome (when everything is going to shit). The rest will be melodramatic gobbledy-gook.” –Evans

The Other Line: “Could someone please find John Cusack a role he really deserves? PLEASE! And who was behind the ridiculous ad campaign where they do a fake commercial about the end of the world?  It’s not funny, not interesting, not scar.  It’s just plain lame. Who am I kidding?  It’s a disaster movie, I’ll see it.” – Falbo

The Other Line: “Another movie about a global disaster? Yawn.” - Shemanski

The Other Line: “I like Amanda Peet and I want to like 2012 but I get the impression it’s going to be a bigger disaster than the one it’s about.” –Webster

 

The Fantastic Mr. Fox (Nov. 13) - Statuette

Voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep

 

Through critically hailed gems such as Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, writer/director Wes Anderson’s unique vision has transcended to filmgoers the world over. Now, he is using stop motion-animation and a screenplay by Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) to adapt a classic children’s book by Roald Dahl (Harold and the Purple Crayon, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). In this PG-rated family film, director Anderson (Rushmore, The Darjeeling Limited) brings his unique vision to the story of husband and wife foxes (Clooney, Streep) who dig their way out of trouble after some local farmers set out to get rid of them. The Plus: The players. Beyond George Clooney (Michael Clayton) and Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia), Anderson has lined up Bill Murray (Lost in Translation), Jason Schwartzman (Funny People), Owen Wilson (Marley & Me), Adrien Brody (The Pianist), and Michael Gambon (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man). Best yet, Anderson has used the team behind Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride to do the stop animation. The Minus: The medium. Animation is not Anderson’s field and he has used mostly American voices to bring a Britain-set story with British characters to life. Hmmm.

 

The Other Line: “Seems to me that we’re returning to animated features that appeal to adults and kids lately and from what I’ve seen this is going to be fun for everyone. Wes Anderson + Bill Murray has yielded gold before. Add George Clooney as a talking fox? How can it go wrong?” – Kyle Brannon, writer/director, Still (www.richlier.com); associate professor, American University

The Other Line: “Kind of genius, isn’t it?  I mean, when you think of George Clooney as a cartoon animal, isn’t it a fox?  And I’m interested to see how Wes Anderson’s style translates to an actual animated movie as opposed to infusing animation qualities into live-action films.  But as far as I’m concerned, Clooney and Streep lending their pipes to kiddie fodder just seems out of place, like Sarah Palin at a NARAL rally.”  – Falbo

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Nov. 20) - Popcorn Bucket

Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson

 

If you have been to a shopping mall or bookstore over the last year, dear readers, you have probably seen movie stills from Twilight plastered on anything that had remained still long enough to be plastered upon—notebooks, lunch boxes, dolls, calendars. Four vampire-themed young adult books by Stephanie Meyer have not just spun a movie series, they have spawned a marketing juggernaut once the first movie unexpectedly did booming business (in the U.S., nearly $200 million on a budget of $37 million). This November, young ‘uns will be eager to see the PG-13-rated sequel, in which a young woman (Stewart) devastated by the departure of her vampire love (Pattinson) finds solace in the arms of a friend from a tribe of werewolves (Taylor Lautner). The Plus: The franchise. Now under the eye of director Chris Weitz (American Pie, About a Boy), who has experience in the realm of slick, H’Wood, SFX fantasy (The Golden Compass), the franchise should garner even more converts. The direction of Catherine Hardwicke was a sticking point for your director (“The action…plays off more like West Side Story than Bram Stoker’s Dracula, proving about as scary as a trip to a Red Cross blood drive.”). The Minus: The scuttle. Immediately after directing the mega-hit Twilight, Hardwicke leaves what seems like a winning lottery ticket. Then, actress Bryce Dallas Howard replaces Rachelle Lefevre as the character ‘Victoria’ in the next movie, New Moon. This could spell trouble for Summit’s franchise.

 

The Other Line: “New moon…full moon…half moon…quarter moon…it’s all the same to me.” - Marcinko

 

The Other Line: “Ugh, not more vampires.” - Shemanski

 

The Other Line: “And if I’m right about 2012, I’ll be so saddened that I’ll intend to seek solace in the arms of a friend from a tribe of werewolves.” - Webster

 

Please also keep an eye out for: Love Happens (Sept. 18), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Sept. 18), The Invention of Lying (Sept. 25), Whip It (Oct. 9), Zombieland (Oct. 9), New York, I Love You (Oct. 16), The Stepfather (Oct. 16), Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant (Oct. 25), The Box (Nov. 6), and The Men Who Stare at Goats (Nov. 6).