2008 Movies Empy Plans to see...

[Emperor]

March 28th 2008

21

 

April 4th 2008

Leatherheads

 

May 2nd 2008

Iron Man

 

May 22nd 2008

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

 

June 13th 2008

The Happening

 

June 20th 2008

Get Smart

 

June 27th 2008

Wall-E

 

July 2nd 2008

Hancock

 

July 11th 2008

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

 

July 18th 2008

The Dark Knight

Mamma Mia!

 

July 25th 2008

The X-Files 2

 

October 3rd 2008

Valkyrie

 

November 7th 2008

Quantum of Solace (007)

 

November 21st 2008

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Emperor]

And a very early predicition at next year Oscar hopefuls...

 

1. THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

 

An adaptation of the 1922 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a very unique man: the title character Button, who is born as an 80-years old man and begins aging backwards. Brad Pitt toplines in the deglammed lead role for director David Fincher (Zodiac, Se7en).

 

Oscar Potential: All Categories (Highlight on Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay)

 

Expected Release Date: December 2008

 

We think: Cult director David Fincher is getting his first real shot at Oscar recognition with the coveted big screen adaptation of the popular short story by Fitzgerald (and for that matter, so is past Oscar nominee Brad Pitt). Written by Eric Roth (Oscar winner for Forrest Gump and recently nominated for his adaptation of Munich), the Kathleen Kennedy/Frank Marshall production is possibly the biggest awards contender of the year and also, one of the most intriguing films of 2008.

 

2. CHANGELING

 

A kidnapped child returns home safely but is he the same one who was once taken away from his unfit mother? Based on a true story, Clint Eastwood directs Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich and recent Oscar nominee Amy Ryan in this heart wrenching drama set in the 1920’s.

 

Oscar Potential: All Categories (Highlight on Best Director & Best Actress)

 

Expected Release Date: November 2008

 

We think: Although many would think Angelina Jolie playing an unfit mother is perhaps too obvious, and cruel, casting; Oscar-favorite Clint Eastwood saw beyond the tabloid frenzy surrounding the A Mighty Heart star and has trusted upon her the weight of his upcoming project (produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard).

 

3. DOUBT

 

In 1964, an old-school nun faces moral dilemma when she discovers a priest has abused of the first black student in her Bronx church. Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis star in this play adaptation by award-winning author John Patrick Shanley and produced by No Country for Old Men’s Scott Rudin.

 

Oscar Potential: All Categories (Highlight on Best Actress & Best Supporting Actress)

 

Expected Release Date: December 2008

 

We think: As one of the most controversial projects of the year, Doubt is definitely a risky bet for all the talent involved. Will writer/director Shanley add the necessary depth to efficiently move his Tony-winning play from the stage to the big screen? Either way, expect the Academy to embrace the performances, especially Streep’s and Davis’s.

 

 

4. FROST/NIXON

 

Ron Howard directs Peter Morgan’s film adaptation of his own Tony-winning play, a retelling of the interviews Richard Nixon granted british TV presenter David Frost in 1977 after the Watergate scandal. It stars (both reprising their Broadway roles) Michael Sheen as the notorious host and Frank Langella as the infamous Nixon.

 

Oscar Potential: All Categories (Highlight on Best Actor & Best Supporting Actor)

 

Expected Release Date: November 2008

 

We think: Frank Langella just won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play for his portrayal of Nixon in Morgan’s acclaimed play, is Oscar next? Langella is a stage legend who has yet to receive major recognition in motion pictures and after his “snub” for Starting Out in the Evening, he probably will get his due this upcoming awards season.

 

 

 

5. THE ARGENTINE/GUERRILLA

 

Steven Soderbergh’s two-part biopic about legendary revolutionary leader Ernesto “Che” Guevara, portrayed by Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro.

 

Oscar Potential: All Categories (Highlight on Best Actor)

 

Expected Release Date: TBA 2008

 

We think: The long-delayed production has faced from financing to casting troubles and now; to keep things in tradition, is facing a serious distribution problem. Uncertainty rules both projects out right now but the potential is still there…

 

6. MILK

 

The real-life story of gay rights activist Harvey Milk, the first openly homosexual city supervisor of San Francisco, California. Directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Sean Penn as the self-described “Mayor of Castro Street.”

 

Oscar Potential: All Categories (Highlight on Best Director & Best Actor)

 

Expected Release Date: November 2008

 

We think: Gus Van Sant can be either hit or miss these days (but he is definitely a big hit with the Cannes crowd). His latest project, produced and distributed by Focus Features, is currently inclined to become the former. Expect some kudos for leading man Sean Penn and costars Josh Brolin, James Franco and Emile Hirsch.

 

7. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

 

Set in 1955, an ambitious Connecticut couple (played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) must learn the hard way that not every dream can become true. Oscar winner Sam Mendes directs for Paramount Pictures.

 

Oscar Potential: All Categories (Highlight on Best Actress & Best Actor)

 

Expected Release Date: December 2008

 

We think: DiCaprio and Winslet achieved world fame for their romantic adventure in Titanic and this year, they will pair up again for a completely different type of love story. Winslet (who is married in real life to Mendes) will play a frustrated actress and DiCaprio will play her conformist better half.

 

 

 

8. AUSTRALIA

 

During World War II in Australia, an English aristocrat and a local drover begin a love affair as they move 2,000 heads of cattle away from the imminent threat of a Japanese bombing. Stylish director Baz Luhrmann teams up again with Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge!) and Hugh Jackman.

 

Oscar Potential: All Categories (Highlight on Best Actress, Best Actor & Artistic/Tech Categories)

 

Expected Release Date: November 2008

 

We think: Imaginative director Baz Luhrmann will probably deliver a feast for the eyes but will his tendency to sacrifice substance for extra-style work against the film’s dramatic nature?

 

 

9. WALL-E

 

In 2700, a robot spends every day doing what he was made for: cleaning; until he falls in love. Directed by Andrew Stanton for Pixar and Walt Disney Studios.

 

Oscar Potential: All Categories (Highlight on Best Original Screenplay & Artistic/Tech Categories)

 

Expected Release Date: June 2008

 

We think: We have never previewed an animated film before but there’s something special about Pixar’s upcoming space opera. The feel-good story of a lonely robot that learns how to love will feature both groundbreaking visuals and a far more adult plot than previous Pixar releases, can this be the first animated film to score a Best Picture nomination since Beauty and the Beast?

 

10. BODY OF LIES

 

Ridley Scott directs William Monahan’s first film adaptation since The Departed with Leonardo DiCaprio playing a CIA officer sent to Jordan to track down an Al-Qaeda leader only to find out revealing information about his own government. Russell Crowe co-stars.

 

Oscar Potential: All Categories (Highlight on Best Actor)

 

Expected Release Date: October 2008

 

We think: With Ridley Scott behind the camera, Body of Lies is possibly going to be a very entertaining espionage thriller but will the novel’s sensitive treatment of the Arabian culture endanger the film’s mainstream success? It all depends on Monahan’s treatment.

 

 

 

11. BLINDNESS

 

An unknown epidemic causes sudden blindness in a town and only a woman remains unaffected by the disease. Fernando Meirelles directs Mark Ruffalo, Gael Garcia Bernal, Sandra Oh and Julianne Moore in the lead role.

 

Oscar Potential: All Categories (Highlight on Best Actress)

 

Expected Release Date: August 2008

 

We think: Fernando Meirelles is a daring filmmaker, a quality that makes him the perfect man to direct the big screen adaptation of Portuguese author Jose Saramago's Blindness. The novel is perhaps too literary to work as a film but we’ll have to wait and see in a few more months if Meirelles was able to bring this suspenseful story to life.

 

12. THE READER

 

Based on the acclaimed Holocaust novel of the same name, the film chronicles the life of lead character Michael Berg (played in adulthood by Ralph Fiennes) before an after the World War II in Germany. The story focuses on Berg’s obsession with an older woman (Kate Winslet) he met as a teenager and the shameful motive behind her conviction for Nazi crimes.

 

Oscar Potential: Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay

 

Expected Release Date: December 2008

 

We think: Oscar nominees Stephen Daldry and writer David Hare join efforts again in The Reader, an interpretative drama set in the post-Holocaust Germany starring Ralph Fiennes and Kate Winslet. The film, if truthful to the novel’s spirit, will probably stay away from the grim, overused Holocaust setting and focus on the deep relationship of the main characters instead. Expect Kate Winslet to garner Oscar attention in the Supporting Actress category for her portrayal of a woman with a bigger secret than her Nazi past.

 

13. THE SOLOIST

 

Joe Wright directs Jamie Foxx in DreamWorks’ upcoming biopic of musical prodigy Nathaniel Ayers, a Juilliard student who developed schizophrenia and ended up playing on the streets. Catherine Keener and Robert Downey Jr. co-star.

 

Oscar Potential: All Categories (Highlight on Best Actor)

 

Expected Release Date: TBA 2008 (2009)

 

We think: Joe Wright directed last year’s Atonement to a Best Picture nomination and this year, he’s looking to repeat his past success with Susannah Grant’s musical drama The Soloist. If the film, currently in production, is ready on time for a late 2008 release; expect Jamie Foxx to come back to the Oscar race.

 

 

 

Tom Cruise looks as baity as it gets in the upcoming Nazi thriller Valkyrie

 

14. VALKYRIE

 

Tom Cruise stars as German colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, a high-command officer for Adolf Hitler who would later attempt to assassinate him. Bryan Singer directs.

 

Oscar Potential: Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay & Artistic/Tech Categories

 

Expected Release Date: October 2008

 

We think: Tom Cruise is not as popular as he was 10 years ago but the three-time Oscar nominee has consistently shown incredible commitment to each of his performances. While bad reputation could cost him a fourth nod, the Academy could acknowledge his work again if critics like his performance (although that didn’t stop AMPAS from snubbing Angelina Jolie this year).

 

15. MAMMA MIA!

 

The West End’s musical film adaptation about a young bride-to-be trying to find her real father (told using hit songs by pop group ABBA).

 

Oscar Potential: Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay & Artistic/Tech Categories

 

Expected Release Date: July 2008

 

We think: Is there anything Meryl Streep can’t do? This year alone, the Oscar-winning legend will play a no-nonsense nun in Doubt and a free-spirited tavern owner/retired singer in the film adaptation of the hit musical Mamma Mia!. Will this role bring even more critical acclaim to Streep? Yes, Will it bring Golden Globe buzz? Likely, Will it bring Oscar buzz? We can’t tell just yet…

 

 

 

16. BURN AFTER READING

 

Joel and Ethan Coen write and direct the upcoming dark comedy about a CIA veteran who loses his job for being an alcoholic and whose revenge is frustrated by a series of unfortunate events. Starring John Malkovich, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand and George Clooney.

 

Oscar Potential: Best Original Screenplay

 

Expected Release Date: September 2008

 

We think: Just because Joel and Ethan Coen won 3 Oscars this year for No Country for Old Men, it doesn’t mean their next project will automatically become a top awards contender. Still, the Coens don’t have anything to lose anymore and neither do we by predicting them in the Original Adapted Screenplay category.

 

 

 

17. THE DARK KNIGHT

 

The buzzed sequel to Christopher Nolan’s successful reinvention of the Batman series with Christian Bale reprising the title role and the late Heath Ledger as the iconic villain, The Joker.

 

Oscar Potential: Best Supporting Actor & Artistic/Tech Categories

 

Expected Release Date: October 2008

 

We think: I’m not jumping on this bandwagon as I’m sure the massive hype will disappear as soon as the sequel debuts later this summer. I do expect it to be an entertaining film but I don’t think the Academy will open up to Batman in any major category. Still, this is not about what I think and early buzz (mainly generated by the film's cast and the fans) has made Heath Ledger a viable Best Supporting Actor contender. I guess everything depends on how much Ledger is put on screen now and of course; on how much depth the Brokeback Mountain star added to his portrayal of the psychotic villain. (just a year after a villain won Javier Bardem the Supporting Actor Oscar).

 

18. THE ROAD

 

Upcoming film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer-winning, post-apocalyptic thriller about a father and son’s journey to safety on a nightmare society. Stars Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron and Guy Pearce.

 

Oscar Potential: Best Adapted Screenplay & Best Actor

 

Expected Release Date: TBA 2008 (2009)

 

We think: The Academy isn’t fond of science fiction and the project, just like the novel, sounds too similar to last year’s box-office hit I Am Legend. Cormac McCarthy is the name carrying this film’s buzz but director John Hillcoat and writer Joe Penhall are certainly not Joel and Ethan Coen.

 

 

 

 

19. VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

 

A steamy love triangle between a Spanish painter and two American tourists goes too far when the painter‘s ex-girlfriend intervenes. Woody Allen writes and directs the Barcelona-set story starring Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz and Oscar winner Javier Bardem.

 

Oscar Potential: Best Original Screenplay

 

Expected Release Date: TBA 2008 (2009)

 

We think: Early buzz is mixed and definitely; reports about on-screen lesbian sex, a campy plot and a hard-to-market concept are not helping the latest project by Academy Award winner Woody Allen.

 

20. CROSSING OVER

 

An ensemble drama about the many struggles for immigrants from different countries in Los Angeles, CA. Starring Harrison Ford, Sean Penn, Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd and Alice Braga; and directed by Wayne Kramer.

 

Oscar Potential: Best Original Screenplay

 

Expected Release Date: June 2008

 

We think: The Weinstein Company is set to distribute the star-studded drama that echoes 2005’s Crash. Will the similar summer release date/strong winter campaign be used for this film? Well, it first needs to score mostly positive reviews…

 

 

 

Philip Seymour Hoffman stars in Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut Synecdoche, NY

 

21. SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK

 

Oscar-winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut about a theater director struggling to find balance in his personal and professional life, as he tries to build a life-size replica of New York city at the same time. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Emily Watson and Dianne Wiest star.

 

Oscar Potential: Best Original Screenplay

 

Expected Release Date: TBA 2008 (2009)

 

We think: Kelly Doucette already reviewed Synecdoche’s shooting draft, the response was favorable but not as enthusiastic as you may think. Will Kaufman shine as director?

 

 

 

Daniel Craig plays a jewish refugee fighting the Nazis in Defiance

 

22. DEFIANCE

 

Directed by Edward Zwick, the film chronicles three Jewish brothers’ escape from the Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II and their subsequent addition to the Russian Resistance. Starring Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell.

 

Oscar Potential: All Categories (Highlight on Acting, if accents are believable)

 

Expected Release Date: TBA 2008 (2009)

 

We think: Edward Zwick has proven himself as a successful Oscar-winning producer (Shakespeare in Love, Traffic) and he has done well in the directing category with popular films as Blood Diamond and The Last Samurai under his belt. Defiance, to be distributed by Paramount Vantage, could continue to increase his profile behind the camera.

 

23. BROTHERS

 

When a man goes missing in Afghanistan, his brother comforts his wife and children. Directed by Jim Sheridan and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman and Tobey Maguire; this is a remake of the award-winning film by Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier.

 

Oscar Potential: All Categories

 

Expected Release Date: December 2008

 

We think: Three years ago, a film starring Gyllenhaal, Portman and Maguire would have undoubtedly made our early top five but unfortunately; the post-Brokeback Mountain/Closer/Spider-Man careers of these young stars have somehow stalled. Can Oscar-nominated writer/director Jim Sheridan improve an already terrific European film or at least, try to make a film of his own?

 

 

 

Another queen? Emily Blunt plays the title role in The Young Victoria

 

24/25. THE DUCHESS/THE YOUNG VICTORIA

 

The Duchess is the scandalous biopic of 18th century English aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire starring Keira Knightley and directed by Saul Dibb. The Young Victoria is the turbulent biopic of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, set on the early years of her reign, starring Emily Blunt and written by Julian Fellowes.

 

Oscar Potential: Best Actress & Artistic/Technical Categories

 

Expected Release Date: TBA 2008 (2009)

 

We think: British babes are on the hunt for the Oscar but isn't AMPAS, and the audience, already tired of the English royalty and all things related?

 

[Guest Far Dareis Mai]

Oooh, you'll have to let me know how you like Leatherheads. I want to see it, but I never go to the movies...

[HighWiredSith]

After a couple of dry years, this summer promises to be jam packed.  But IMHO there's really only one MUST SEE and that's Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

 

The X-Files film is a close second, possibly tied with The Dark Knight.

[Segurant]

I plan to see most of what Empy listed but I'll also watch the Star Wars movie in Nov.

[Emperor]

Yeah I saw that Seggie... what is that? 

[SinisterDeath]

I would have to say in nor particular order (well order would probably which arives in theaters first)

1. Ironman

2. Dark Knight

3. Indiana Jones

4. Leather Heads

5. The X-Files 2

[Haxorsist]

The only movie I'm really excited about is The Dark Knight.

[Justen Diablos]

Get Smart, it was a great TV show and there's no reason with that cast it shouldn't be funny as all heck.  Yeah I said heck, stop me from doing it again, I dare ya.

 

*dares ya*

 

Most of the movies I go to in theatre's are romantic comedies, because I go to movies on dates and such.  The only exception last year was American Gangster, which I went to by myself so no one could ruin it for me.

 

JD,

CoL

[Majsju]

 

Most of the movies I go to in theatre's are romantic comedies, because I go to movies on dates and such.  The only exception last year was American Gangster, which I went to by myself so no one could ruin it for me.

 

JD,

CoL

 

That is something I do not quite understand, going to the theatre for a date. I mean, a date should be about getting to know eachother, right? So picking a place where talking is a big no-no seems like a way foolish thing to do.

Unless you have dated long enough to be ready to attempt copying a line from an Alanis Morissette song of course... ;D

[Justen Diablos]

You're supposed to actually get to know women on dates?

 

huh.

 

*scratches head*

 

I mean I do try to get to "know" them but I don't get what talking has to do with it.

 

Anyway movies are the perfect place to take a date because there is no reason that just because you're grown up you can't make out in a movie theatre.  Plus I very rarely find a woman with something interesting to say and when I do I usually roll up on them with a second date where we can actually talk.  I'm not shallow, I just haven't found the right woman to wife yet.

 

JD,

Rockin' the movie date since erm... well it was a while.

 

Also technically I've lived in SD most of my life, maybe now that I'm a Texas boy there will be other places to go on dates but in South Dakota it's the movies.  I'm original like you wouldn't believe but even I can only work with what the good Lord has given me, and in SD that wasn't all that much.

[Majsju]

I suppose I am too much of a movie geek to want to risk missing out a potentially good movie by making out, since that part is something that could just as well be done at my or her place...

 

Granted, being from Swedish, I still have not quite figured out what the hell the US concept of dating actually means. To me it seems logical that dating = cheching out the potential for an evetual relationship, ie get to know eachother. Otherwise you are just looking for a one night stand, or possibly a FB, and I do not see the need to waste money on a theatre for that.

[SinisterDeath]

FB? This is why I hate shorthand/abbreviations/slag...

 

Anyways, I thought the dating system in america was based upon the one night stand, that develops into a marriage when you find out the gal is pregnant?!

 

I mean, that IS how like, 90% of people get married! ;)

[Majsju]

FB? This is why I hate shorthand/abbreviations/slag...

 

Anyways, I thought the dating system in america was based upon the one night stand, that develops into a marriage when you find out the gal is pregnant?!

 

I mean, that IS how like, 90% of people get married! ;)

 

Of my married frineds, the only ones who got married after discovering a pregnancy had planned the pregnancy in the first place.

 

But then, Swedish ;D

[ironcross]

see you go to the movie first, then go to dinner and talk about the movie, and if she has inteligent things to say about the movie then you know that she might have things to say that might intrest you about other things.  ok bad run on sentence.

 

im looking forward to dark knight, indiana jones, valkiri (i want to see if they get the story at all right), and i know it might seem dumb but prince caspian.

[Emperor]

Did I have Forbidden Kingdom on April 18th.  I just saw the trailer and anything with Jet Li is a winner in my book.

[ironcross]

yeah that looks good. just hope it dosent have the corny flying sceanse like in crouching tiger hidden dragon.  that ruind that movie for me.

[Emperor]

*smacks Iron across the face*

 

Sorry man... you needed that.  CTHD was an excellent movie.