With summer movie season beginning to wind down,it's a good time to see what lies ahead for autumn film fans who will not have to share multplex seating space with a bunch of bored teenagers and oversugared tots. A picture is worth a thousand words and a movie poster must be atleast double that,so let's look at what will be featured on a billboard near you.
The Black Dahlia: This adaptation of James Ellroy's novel looks to be as stylish as L.A. Confidential was,judging from this design. The posed doll-like face is very eye catching and that touch of either blood or lipstick oozing delicately from the corner of her mouth is so lush. Makes me want to see it or atleast read the book(it's due out in paperback soon)-wonder if the tie-in book will have this as it's cover?
The Wicker Man: The tagline says"Some sacrifices must be made"-well,hopefully Nicholas Cage offered up a goat or a good script to the Movie Gods because goodness knows,he's been between hit films for awhile(too soon to tell on the WTC film yet).I don't know what's freaky,Cage's sepia toned puss as the background or the evil flower girl who looks ready to take on Chucky and Damien for the heavyweight title belt there. Wicker Man is a remake of a celebrated cult classic so it'll be a tough row to hoe there when the movie critics come a-callin'.
The Protector:Rope Wrist Fighter is back-woo hoo! For those of you who didn't see Ong Bak:The Thai Warrior,Tony Jaa is the new Big Man on the Kung Fu campus. In this flick,Tony must go to Australia to rescue a pair of elephants from the mafia. Sounds wacky(and there is quite abit of comedy mixed into Ong Bak as well)but the fight scenes should be excellant. I love the color scheme in this poster,a great blend of darks and lights-doesn't it just seem like falling leaves and cold sweather weather?
Saw III: You can't help but admire the subtley of the advertising here. This actually looks less gruesome than the Saw II poster did(with the severed fingers)and I like how they not only added an actual sawblade but made the teeth dangling from it look like something out of HGTV:"Today,folks,we'll show you how to make those forced out of your mouth with gory pain teeth into an inexpensive decoration for your tool shed!"
Apocalypto:It's almost too easy to make a Mel joke with this,especially with a tagline like"No one can outrun their destiny" or outdrive it either-*cue drum riff*!
This seems like a cheerful little film,doesn't it? All sunshine and roses,just the perfect date movie! Why,with some editing,you might even be able to bring Aunt Eva and Great Grandpa Adolf along to make this a memorable family outing at the movies.
Santa Clause 3:The Escape Clause:As Dan Ackroyd said in Twilight Zone:The Movie"Hey,you want to see something REALLY scary?" I just hope there's an escape cause for the audience members who wish to keep some of their brain cells intact after sitting thru this Santa sludge. I'll admit to liking the first SC(it was kind of cute)but come on,part three? It's no Pirates of the Carribean(imagine Johnny Depp trying to make this mess watchable)or even Jackass,which is getting a part two out soon. I would feel sorry for Martin Short but he seems to revel in doing anything that requires massive amounts of makeup,so forget that. Hey,if Andy Dick was Jack Frost,that might have been cool(he was so twisted as the Xmas villian in The Hebrew Hammer) but that would've been creative or something.
Remember folks,those autumn months are more than back to school days and the countdown to New Year's Eve-there's some serious movie going to do!
I'm really looking forward to The Black Dahlia .. L.A. Confidential should have won the best picture oscar, so hopefully this one will match it in greatness ... As for the Wicker Man, I just say be afraid, be very afraid .. that could very well be truly awful
ReplyDeleteI have hopes for The Black Dahlia,too and strong doubts about Wicker Man. Why Hollywood seems to think that remaking movies that got it right in the first place and turning them into high tech crap fest(The Haunting is a prime example)is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteI worshipped L.A. Confidential. WORSHIPPED IT. I annoyed the crap out of all my friends because I just would not shut UP about that movie. And I just found out my boyfriendal unit has never seen it (he's four), so I get to hoist it on an unsuspecting new generation soon!
ReplyDeleteI'm veru much looking forward to Dahlia, mostly because I love any movie that even remotely touches on Hollywood's Golden Age (ditto for "Hollywoodland" with little Bennie Affleck all grown up as George Reeves).
I'm mere seconds from a Nicholas Cage boycott, but I saw a preview of Wicker Man the other night (before "The Descent"), and my glimpses of Ellen Burstyn made me want to see it.
I shan't be seeing, or likely even acknowledging, any of the others you mention here.
Come on,PJS-not even Santa Clause 3? You know it's gonna be the feel good film of the year:D!
ReplyDeleteAren't there any happy movies coming out? You know, with puppies and flowers and all?
ReplyDeleteWell,Robin,let's see-Marie Antoinette with Kirsten Dunst is due out this fall(tried to get a poster pic to showcase but the internet failed me there)along with a remake of Flicka.
ReplyDeleteOh,and there's Happy Feet,which has singing and dancing animated penguins that have celebrity voices! That's pretty cheerful stuff to sit thru with a popcorn bucket:)
Ah. Flicka ought to do it. Thanks.
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