Fables #100SleeperWolf’s Best of 2010: Recommended Reading
Seriously; just push him into the Grand Canyon already.
Due Date
starring Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx, Juliette Lewis, Danny McBride, RZA, Matt Walsh
directed by Todd Phillips
Take Robert Downey Jr., one of the most diverse talents in film today, and throw him into a car for three days with Zach Galifianakis, one of the greatest modern comedic minds; perhaps director Todd Phillips really is a genius. It certainly doesn’t hurt that Due Date looks and feels a lot like an updated Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, either. Could these two be the next Odd Couple? I really hope neither of their careers ever become that desperate.
Hey, watch where you're pointing that wand, sir!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One
starring Bill Nighy, Emma Watson, Richard Griffiths, Daniel Radcliffe, Bonnie Wright, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Tom Felton, Timothy Spall, Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, George Harris, Clemence Poesy, John Hurt, Rhys Ifans, Warwick Davis
directed by David Yates
And so, the wizarding phenomenon comes one step closer to its epic finale. Since the publication of the first book in 1997, Harry Potter has ingrained himself into our hearts and minds, easily becoming a defining part of our pop culture for the last decade. Its safe to say that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts One and Two are the two most anticipated films of the year; let’s hope the build up is worth the pay off.
Where is Will Smith when you need him?
Skyline
starring Eric Balfour, Scottie Thompson, Brittany Daniel, David Zayas, Donald Faison
directed by Colin Strause and Greg Strause
The question of what lies beyond the stars has both haunted and intrigued the minds of human beings for centuries. Not to mention, it makes great material for action/science fiction movies. From the moment I saw the preview for the Strause Brothers’ Skyline, I wanted to see it. Not only does the film evoke alien classic Independence Day, but it has the look and feel of something gloriously epic. Alien invasions, FTW!
An over-worked plot and over-used idea in 3-D. How could that go wrong?
Saw 3-D
starring Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Cary Elwes, Sean Patrick Flanery
directed by Kevin Greutert
Surprise! If its Halloween, there must be another Saw movie. Though I did expect there to be a seventh installment in the horror franchise, I didn’t expect the producers to attach the go to gimmick of 3-D to the flick. It comes across as kind of desperate, if you ask me. But to be fair, no one sees the Saw films and expects top notch film making; its about Jigsaw’s creatively deadly games.
Avengers #7 (Red Hulk joins the crew?)
Ballet dancers will cut you if you try to steal their role.
Black Swan
starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey
directed by Darren Aronofsky
When the Austin Film Festival gives you the chance to be one of the first to see the latest Darren Aronofsky film, you take it. The premiere of Black Swan, Aronofsky’s latest reality blurring movie, was presented this week at the historic Paramount Theatre in downtown Austin, TX. What makes a film about a ballerina so interesting? The moment in the preview when she starts pulling black feathers out of her skin, that’s what.
If you were a spirit, would YOU talk to Matt Damon?!
Hereafter
starring Cecile De France, Jay Mohr, Richard Kind, Matt Damon, Frankie McLaren, George McLaren, Bryce Dallas Howard
directed by Clint Eastwood
Ask the question “What happens after you die?” and you’ll get a dozen different answers, depending on who you ask. Its one of those questions that has no one definitive answer for the collective public; it really boils down to what each one of us believes. Clint Eastwood’s new film Hereafter does not attempt to answer this question, but rather explore the notion of an afterlife and the effect it has on a few souls among the living.
Helen Mirren with a sniper rifle; dreams do come true.
RED
starring Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Karl Urban, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Brian Cox, Helen Mirren, Richard Dreyfuss
directed by Robert Schwentke
I love when a graphic novel is given the chance to get a movie treatment. Sure, some of the material gets lost in the translation, but it sheds light on a writing medium that gets little attention. No, I’m not talking about super hero comic book movies; those are everywhere. I’m talking about the little six issue original series packed with intriguing stories about characters that haven’t been established for fifty years. RED, by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, is the latest graphic to get its chance on the big screen.
Ninjas?! Cowboys?! Hells Yes!
Is the bullet really faster than the sword?
The Warrior’s Way
starring Dong-gun Jang, Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush, Danny Huston, Tony Cox
directed by Sngmoo Lee
The whole East meets West, cowboys and ninjas scenario is nothing new; the most famous example of this is the TV series Kung Fu and its undying popularity. In fact, many of the popular westerns we know today are based on Chinese or Japanese movies that came before. That’s right, The Magnificent Seven is based on Akira Kurosawa’s Shichinin no Samurai, or Seven Samurai. Yet even today, you have to admit there is still something unique and alluring about a cowboy vs. ninja story. It took seeing all of five seconds of the preview for The Warrior’s Way, and I was ecstatic like a nine year old boy.
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