New to view
Clocking in at just a little under three hours, the sci-fi epic adventure combines live action sequences with 3-D technology and looks, at times, as if the blue aliens in Daft Punk’s One More Time video had all mated with Brendan Fraser. Admittedly, it’s physically draining to wear 3-D glasses for that long a time, but Avatar is all about immersion and proves that Cameron is still a force to be reckoned with 12 years after Titanic.
With such an ambitious and sweeping end to the 2009 movie calendar, I couldn’t help but wonder how 2010 will turn out. Using a non-existent Magic 8 Ball and my infallible instincts, I have cobbled a list of 10 films you will be watching — or at least talking about — next year. Happy escapism!
Young Hollywood’s Fines: t The Runaways
World premiere: Jan. 24, 2010 (Sundance Film Festival); March 24, 2010 (US)
Helmed by photographer and music video director Floria Sigismundi (Tricky’s Makes Me Wanna Die; The Raconteurs’ Broken Boy Soldier), The Runaways recasts the story of the 1970s all-girl teen rock band for the Guitar Hero generation. Kristen Stewart plays the legendary Joan Jett while Dakota Fanning is lead vocalist Cherie Currie, whose book, Neon Angel: The Cherie Currie Story by Cherie Currie, the biopic largely draws upon. Bella Swan, Coraline and mullets? Sounds like a rager!
Waiting for Forever
World premiere: Jan. 2010 (Sundance Film Festival)
Rachel Bilson (The OC; Jumper) and Tom Sturridge (The Boat That Rocked) star in yet another alt-minded romcom, a genre with a growing fan base. Info on the flick has been weirdly scarce but based on the stills, it kinda looks interesting, don’t you think?
The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud
World premiere: June 11, 2010 (US)
Clearly trying to distance himself from the Disney franchise that made him relevant, Zac Efron wrapped his scenes for his latest flick in October 2009. Billed as a fantasy-romance, the film is about two brothers who meet a car accident and, in the afterlife, vow to never abandon each other again. One of them is resuscitated, however, and walks away with the power to communicate with ghosts. Hey, at least Zefron won’t be shooting hoops, dancing or singing in this one.
Skateland
World premiere: Jan. 2010 (Sundance Film Festival)
Set in a small-town in East Texas in the 1980s, Skateland is the coming-of-age story of Ritchie (Joaquin Phoenix-lookalike Shiloh Fernandez), a 19-year-old skating rink manager who is forced to grow up. The movie is the directorial debut of Anthony Burns and also features Twilight’s Ashley Greene. After Adventureland and Zombieland, however, producers should’ve thought of a less reductivist title.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
World premiere: Feb. 12, 2010 (US)
Studio execs are counting on this latest vehicle to fill in the teen-friendly void that will be made apparent once Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 screens in July 2011. Based on the book by Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson (newcomer Logan Lerman) finds out that he’s the son of Poseidon and, together with two other supernatural buddies, tries to prevent a war from taking place.
BUILT-IN BOX OFFICE BUCKS: Iron Man 2
World premiere: July 21, 2010 (US)
Robert Downey Jr.’s follow-up to the stylish Sherlock Holmes sees him reprising his dual role as Tony Stark/Iron Man. IM2 is packed with more characters than the 2008 blockbuster — including Whiplash (Mickey Rourke), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and War Machine (Don Cheadle) — that it’s guaranteed to make comic book geeks foam at the mouth.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
World premiere: May 28, 2010 (US)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko; Jarhead) is the eponymous prince with Alfred Molina (Spider-Man’s Dr. Octagon) as his father figure and Ben Kingsley (The Wackness) as Grand Vizier. Like movies inspired by theme park rides, those based on video games tend to have a veneer of cheese about them. The Pirates of the Caribbean series may have hauled in the cheddar, but whether that holds true for this Disney adaptation is still anyone’s guess.
Robin Hood
World premiere: May 14, 2010 (US)
The revisionist take on the classic English legend is Russell Crowe’s fifth team-up with director Ridley Scott (Black Hawk Down; Gladiator). It’s been two decades since Kevin Costner donned tights for Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves so the time is right for a return trip to Nottingham.
Sex and the City 2
World premiere: May 28, 2010 (US)
The rapidly aging New Yorkers are back and more desperate than ever to rake in whatever they can before they really turn into this decade’s Golden Girls. Save for another filming location (Morocco) and a haphazard slew of guest stars (Barbra Streisand, Penelope Cruz, Miley Cyrus), there appears to be nothing here that you haven’t seen already: overpriced shoes, old ladies whining about love and SJP’s distracting horse face.
IN THE PIPELINE: London Boulevard
World premiere: late 2010 (UK)Ray Winstone, Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley and Anna Friel provide stellar power to this gangster flick about a reclusive actress who plays host to a recently released convict. Movie-going Anglophiles will be pleased with the abundance of English accents and London locations, though this may turn into an art-house hit at best.
Speaking of Brits, Variety reports that Gemma Arterton and Ed Westwick will play Cathy and Heathcliff in Ecosse Films’ adaptation of Wuthering Heights. Chuck Bass doing Emily Brontë? Now that’s something for 2011.
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Have a great 2010! ginobambino.tumblr.com.
