Most people agree that 2006 was a good year for movies. From the looks of it, 2007 just might follow suit. With a good mix of entertaining popcorn flicks, new films from acclaimed actors and directors and buzzed about indies, this young year is shaping up to be another high-point for creativity and adept filmmaking. As with every year, there are the obvious blockbuster sequels (Spiderman 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: The End of the World, Shrek 3, The Bourne Ultimatum, Ocean’s 13, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), intended crowd pleasers (Hairspray: The Musical) and ever-present Oscar-bait biopics (Becoming Jane on the early life of Jane Austen). Here are films that should make this a great year at the movies.
In no particular order, here are 10 movie events to look forward to this year:
1) Knocked Up-Written and directed by Judd Apatow, the mastermind behind 2005’s smash hit The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up re-teams the director with two stars of his last success, Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd, in a movie about a one-night-stand between a schlep, played by Rogen, and a television entertainment reporter played by Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy) that results in a pregnancy. Paul Rudd plays the friend of the main character, much as he did so memorably in Virgin. The movie is sure to be full of more crass humor and an underlying affection for the characters that made Apatow’s last film such a hilarious success.
2) The Golden Age-The follow-up to the 1998 Academy Award nominee for best picture, Elizabeth, starring Cate Blanchett, The Golden Age continues to explore the life of Queen Elizabeth I. This sequel, depicting the romance between the queen and adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh, played by Clive Owen (Inside Man, Closer), is again directed by Shekhar Kapur and written by Micheal Hirst and features Samantha Morton (In America, Minority Report) as Mary Queen of Scots and the returning Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean). One of the three movies Blanchett (Babel, The Aviator) will complete before taking a reported three-year break from acting, the film is highly anticipated by both fans of the original and fans of acting at its best.
3) The Brave One-Director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Interview with A Vampire) has never been one to tackle conventional or light-hearted faire, but any movie he makes is guaranteed to be worth a look. Such is the case with The Brave One, his new film starring Jodie Foster (The Silence of the Lambs, Inside Man) in all her Flightplan glory, getting revenge on those who done her wrong. After being brutally attacked, Foster’s character sets out to find her assailants on the streets of New York City, catching the attention of NYPD agent Terrence Howard (Hustle and Flow, Crash). Also starring Naveen Andrews (Lost), the collected success of all involved in The Brave One promise an interesting, inventive thrill ride.
4) Across the Universe-Director Julie Taymor (Frida) has worked in films before, but the highlight of her career is her direction of the Tony Award winning Broadway Musical The Lion King. It was inevitable that she would combine her two worlds and direct a movie-musical. Across the Universe, starring Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen, Running With Scissors) is a musical set in the tumultuous 1960s using the songs of The Beatles to tell the story of a group of 20-somethings growing up and dealing with the ever-changing world around them. The movie mixes three-dimensional animation with live action and attempts to capture the spirit of the era.
5) Sunshine-Now that he’s tackled the life of addicts in Edinburgh (Trainspotting), a murderous rage-causing virus sweeping through Great Britain (28 Days Later) and a boy who believes he can speak with saints (Millions), there’s only one place for director Danny Boyle to go: outer space. Sunshine, a movie written by Boyle’s 28 Days Later collaborator Alex Garland, tells of a space crew sent to revitalize the dying Sun 50 years from now. Starring Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later, Red Eye) and Rose Byrne (Marie Antoinette, Troy) among others, the film promises a feast for the eyes and plenty of philosophical commentary for those who like a little depth to their eye candy.
6) My Blueberry Nights-With My Blueberry Nights, acclaimed Chinese director Wong Kar Wai (2046, In the Mood for Love) or, as he often goes only by his monogram, WKW, makes his first feature-length English film directing singer Norah Jones in her acting debut. Also starring Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener), Jude Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley) and Natalie Portman (Closer), the movie tells the story of a disillusioned woman, played by Jones, who makes her way across America, encountering various characters along the way. If the plot sounds a bit vague, that is because Wong Kar Wai is notorious for not using scripts and re-editing films into completely different directions. However this film turns out, though, it is bound to be worth a look.
7) Synecdoche, New York-Charlie Kauffman has quickly become the most interesting screenwriter working today. In films like Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, his ideas have gone where no other scripts have dared dream of before. With Synecdoche, Kauffman will direct the film version of his screenplay, his first time in the director’s chair. Originally slated for Being John Malkovich director Spike Jonze, the film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) as a theater director who struggles with the women in his life played by Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton and Michelle Williams, while prepping for his new play. The lines between the reality of his life and the reality of the play blur in what is sure to be one of next year’s most interesting movies.
8) Waitress, Grace Is Gone and The Savages-The unprecedented success of last year’s Sundance film festival favorite Little Miss Sunshine, nominee this year for Best Picture, has made studios pay even more attention to the power of the little indie film that could. These three, picked up at this year’s festival, have just the kind of feel-good, emotional stories and high caliber casts that the studios are betting will both draw in the crowds and bring in the awards. They may be smaller movies, telling personal stories of grief, joy and redemption, but, chances are, they all are big on heart.
9) There Will Be Blood-Loosely based on Upton Sinclair’s politically charged novel Oil! and written and directed by off-beat filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood starts Oscar-winning actor Daniel Day Lewis (My Left Foot, Gangs of New York) as a turn-of-the-century oil prospector in the early days of the business in Texas. Little is known about the script except that it departs, in no small way, from the novel. The film also stars Paul Dano, who is continuing to do good work after his turn as Dwayne in last year’s Little Miss Sunshine. The movie is already highly anticipated and has been touted as a possible 2007 Academy Award contender.
10) Grindhouse-In a complete switching of gears, directors Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) and Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction) have joined forces to make a movie about zombies, beautiful stunt women being hunted by Kurt Russell and Rose McGowan with a machine gun for a leg. Yes, that’s right, she has a machine gun for a leg. The film is modeled after ’70s era “grindhouse” cinema, emphasizing grainy prints and over-the-top action. Both directors have made homages to this brand of B-movie thriller that will be joined together by a series of fake movie trailers designed in the same vein. The segments, titled “Planet Terror” and “Death Proof,” sound ridiculous, of course, but that’s the point. If anyone can make them work, these two directors can.
