Fall Film Preview

Friday, 09 October 2009 12:43

With the end of the summer movie season comes fall’s high-caliber cinematic offerings. Adaptations continue to rule the season, with everything from Cormac McCarthy novels to classic musicals receiving the silver screen treatment. The young at heart can expect this season to be a showcase for a variety of animation styles and for darker adult yarns about innocence in peril. Here are some highlights.

MISSING SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS?

The Fantastic Mr. Fox
November 13

Fuse director Wes Anderson’s indie sensibility and the stop-motion animation of The Nightmare Before Christmas, and you get The Fantastic Mr. Fox, based on the children’s story by Roald Dahl. In the film, the chicken-thieving Mr. Fox, voiced by the appropriately foxy George Clooney, leads other oppressed woodland creatures against three villainous farmers. As the voice of Mrs. Fox, Meryl Streep takes on yet another great literary work.

Also check out: the promising adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s book Where the Wild Things Are on (Nov. 16), the traditional animation of The Princess and the Frog (Nov. 25) and yet another version of A Christmas Carol (Nov. 6), starring Jim Carrey in no less than four roles.

LOOKING FOR A SING-ALONG?

Nine
November 25

Six Academy Award-winning actors? A Tony-winning musical adaptation of the classic film 8 1/2? And all under the guidance of best-director nominee Rob Marshall, whose last film happened to be the critically acclaimed Chicago? With all this in its favor, Nine seems to be destined for glory. Daniel Day-Lewis plays film director Guido Contini, who struggles not only in his artistic endeavors but in his many relationships with women. Co-starring a gaggle of scantily clad actresses, this tempting piece of Oscar bait has more babes (including Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Penelope Cruz and Fergie) than a hit summer blockbuster—and hopefully more brains too!

Also Check Out: Michael Jackson’s This Is It, a documentary and musical celebration of the late singer’s last rehearsals (Oct. 28).

BETTING ON OSCARS?

The Lovely Bones
December 11

Who better than director Peter Jackson, maestro of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, to blend blockbuster and literature? Based on Alice Sebold’s best-selling novel, the film follows murdered teenager Susie Salmon as she watches from the after-life as her family copes and her killer walks free. Oscar-nominations should come flooding in for the beautiful special effects used to create Susie’s spirit world. Also look out for 15-year-old star Saoirse Ronan, who has already garnered an Academy Award nomination for her work in Atonement.

Also Check Out: Clint Eastwood’s historical flick Invictus about Nelson Mandela (Dec.11), the high-flying biopic Amelia (Oct. 23), and Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, about an abused girl twice pregnant by her absent father (Nov. 6).

NOT ENOUGH DISASTER IN YOUR LIFE?

The Road
November 25

Another apocalyptic film, 2012, is released in November, and you can expect great monuments to be destroyed and characters to die with all the emotion and intensity of a block of wood. On the other hand, if you desire a bit more complexity in your apocalypse film, look no further than The Road. Based on the Cormac McCarthy novel, it follows a dying father who must protect his son in a world without sunlight, civilization or hope. The Road pits action movie star Viggo Mortensen against prowling gangs of cannibals, which is sure to be a potent combination at the box office.

Also Check Out: Titanic director James Cameron’s Avatar, a science fiction film about an inter-planetary battle between humans and sparkling blue humanoids (Dec. 18).

NEED TO TURN UP THE ROMANCE?

Did You Hear About the Morgans?
December 11

After a few of this fall’s dreary dramas, a light-hearted popcorn movie is all you need to give your mind and tear ducts a rest. Romantic comedy veterans Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant pair up as a successful but bickering married couple caught up in the hustle of New York City. When one of their clients is murdered, Mr. and Mrs. Morgan are put in a witness protection program that takes them to rural Wyoming, where they are forced to confront their marital issues. Women will be swooning listening to Grant’s charming British accent, while any unfortunate boyfriend dragged to this movie can find solace in the breathtaking Wild West landscape.

Also Check Out: The Sundance hit An Education, about a 1960s English schoolgirl’s romance with an older gentleman (Oct. 16), and the drama Brothers, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman as the brother and wife of a missing soldier who have an affair (Dec. 4).