Holiday Tentpoles

That's Ewan MacGregor and Jimmy Carrey about to lock lips in the much-delayed I Love You, Phillip Morris, finally seeing it's (limited) US release this weekend. Also in limited release is Darren Aronofsky's psychological thriller set in the very competitive world of professional ballet, Black Swan, starring the always intriguing Natalie Portman and about whom much-Oscar talk has been bandied.  These are just two of the movies on my list to see this holiday film season.

Of course, I imagine Black Swan is not he movie for a gracefully aging group of friends to kick off the holiday season. Next week gives us The Chronicles of Narnia (they're still making those?): The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 3D (yawn...); Johhny Depp and Angelina Jolie in The Tourist (meh...) and in limited release, Julie Taymor's latest Shakespearean adaptation, The Tempest. The Tempest is a play I happen to know a little about. I've done it three times, first as Gonzalo, then as Prospero and last as the sound-effects designer. the play has been adapted for film by John Cassavates ( 1982's Tempest), Peter Greenaway (the lavishly produced Prospero's Books) and most notoriously by Fred Wilcox in 1956 as the iconic Sci-Fi classic, Forbidden Planet (itself scheduled for the inevitable remake in 2013). Tamor's last Shakespearean epic Titus, managed to turn in a bloody, sordid potboiler into an ironic black comedy. I can't wait to see what she does with this story of magic, monsters, spirits and forgiveness. This of course, despite my schadenfreude over the eminent demise of Tamor's latest Broadway project, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. What may the single worst idea in history for a musical is experiencing technical difficulties which prompted members of last Sunday's first preview audience to stand up and openly heckle during the second act.

Any movie opening the weekend of the weekend of the 17th has no chance against the juggernaut that is Disney's Tron: Legacy. Nerds all over the world have been drooling for this movie for almost 30 years. I saw the original in a theater (a Twin - remember those?) and it gave me a headache. Of course, I saw the trailer for Yogi Bear and that gave me a headache, too.

Christmas weekend sees Gulliver's Travels (why?); Little Fockers (really?) and True Grit (hmmm...). Of the three, True Grit is the one that appeals to me most, and mostly because its a Coen Brothers movie. The John Wayne original may have one its star an Oscar, but Wayne was actually a terrible actor and the 1969 original isn't always faithful to the novel on which it was based. Of course, with  cast like Jeff Bridges; Matt Damon and Josh Brolin, how you can you go wrong?

Enjoy the trailers of the movies I most want to see this season. I'll let you know which ones I actually get to:

Black Swan:



I Love You, Phillip Morris:



The Tempest:



Tron: Legacy:



True Grit:

So which ones (or one) do you think I'll actually get to see? I'm currently jonesing for cinematic satisfaction, so I certainly hope to get to as many of these as possible, though we all know that real-life interferes...

More, anon.

Prospero

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No Sh*t, Sherlock...

This is a shot of the always amazing Robert Downey, Jr. in his new movie Sherlock Holmes. Directed by the man formerly known as Mr. Madonna, the very yummy Guy Ritchie. Guy Ritchie's previous films include Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and RocknRolla (and the less said about Swept Away, the better). I've seen these films because they often star some of the hottest guys, including you-know-who. They are outrageous and amusing and very entertaining; Brad Pitt is particularly hot and hilarious in Snatch.

Sherlock Holmes is a heroin- addicted Victorian-Era detective with a razor sharp mind and exceptional powers of observation. Why, of course it's the perfect vehicle for a shoot-'em-up guy like Guy (every inferred ounce of sarcasm intended to its fullest).

It does have three things going for it: Downey, Jude Law and the lovely Rachel McAdams. And much has been made about the "bromantic" relationship between Holmes and Watson (Law). Still, the trailers I've seen are absolutely ludicrous. Here's a short teaser:

And here's the latest, longer version:

How does a gangly, pale heroin addict transform into a short, muscular, trouble-loving brawler while still remaining the most brilliant mind in all of England? You hear that noise? That's Conan-Doyle spinning in his grave fast enough to be heard all over the world.

My favorite Middle School teacher, Jack Fogarty, introduced me to the works of Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, Agatha Christie and Ray Bradbury. He taught me how to analyze books (and later, films and plays) for narrative structure, dramatic conflict, foreshadowing and so on. He also cast me as Holmes in the 8th grade play, the first real starring role yours truly ever had. So, as you can imagine, I hold the source material in a certain reverence.

I hope I'm wrong. Maybe it's a terrific and fun and funny movie. At least they've kept Inspector Lestrade and Holmes' long-suffering housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson. But I fear I'm not. I'm actually less-excited to see it than I am Avatar... sigh. I don't think we're in for an amazing holiday movie season, folks.

At least we have this to look forward to (even if the release date at the end is wrong):



More, anon.
Prospero

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