What I am looking forward to seeing!

[FieryMaid]

These movies are coming out this year, and I hope they are worth my anticipation:

1. Red Eye (Cillian Murphy: great creepy guy in Batman Begins, looking forward to great creepy in Red Eye)

2. The Cave (Cole Hauser & BAD critters, hey, I liked that combo in Pitch Black)

3. The Brothers Grimm (Heath Ledger & Fantasy & Fairytale coolness)

4. The Sound of Thunder (Ben Kingsley & Sci-Fi & Dinosaurs)

5. Transporter 2 (Didn't know there was a Transporter 1 -- probably need to check that out -- but I like the plot of "guy gets annoyed and goes psycho," totally my kind of movie)

6. An Unfinished Life (single moms & Morgan Freeman -- a little scared that JLo is in it, but what can you do?)

7. Flightplan (Jodie Foster & mom trying to get her kid)

8. Oliver Twist (It's a CLASSIC & Ben Kingsley)

9. Serenity (Sci-Fi & female POWER)

10. Elizabethtown (Orlando Bloom)

11. Legend of Zorro (Zorro looks GOOD in that outfit & awesome horse & Zeta-Jones is a good actress)

12. Zathura (loved Jurmanji & this is Sci-Fi)

13. Harry Potter 4 (uh, it's Harry Potter & the 4th book is the best in my opinion, but I haven't finished reading the 6th yet....)

14. Pride & Prejudice (It's a CLASSIC!)

15. Chronicles of Narnia (It's a CLASSIC!)

Not really sure about King Kong. Granted, Jackson is doing it, so it should be good....but I'm apprehensive.....

[flipmoot]

Transporter 2?? Well don't get your hopes up. I saw Transporter (the first), and I wasn't very impressed. Especially the fact that Jason Statham turns into some kind of Rambo - Martial art specialist didn't do it for me. Granted it was fun action, but that's all I liked about it.

But almost all the others on your list I agree with. I'm also curious about Fun with Dick and Jane with Jim Carrey. Because I just like him.
Oh well, time will tell...

[Laslo Hollyfeld]

Maybe it's just indicative of the overly lame year this has been movie-wise, but there are only a couple of films I'm even remotely looking forward to on your list:

I read "A Sound Of Thunder" when I was in the 8th grade, and thought it was one of the coolest stories I'd ever read. I loved the spoof the Simpsons did on one of their Halloween specials (Homer sneezes, all the dinosaurs die... "This is gonna cost me!" BWAHAHA!). Anyway, I hope this version will be good. I'm not holding my breath, though.

As for "Zorro II," well... let's face it-- Catherine Zeta-Jones could be on screen for two hours reading the phone book and I'd enjoy it.

"Narnia." I suppose this is one of those movies that people will tell me I "have" to love because the books are classics. Well, let this be my curmudgeon moment of the day, but I was unimpressed with the books when I read them in elementary school, and I don't really have strong opinions about the film. It's like people I know who cannot believe that I have never read a single word of a Harry Potter book, nor seen any of the movies. They're flabbergasted and give me a look that is part horror, part pity. I still don't loose any sleep over it, though--not when there's reruns of "Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eigth Dimension" on late night TV...

Now then... I will say that everything in my schedule is leading up to... KONG. Christmas just doesn't seem right anymore without a great Peter Jackson film to deck my halls with boughs of groovitude. Naysayers will continue to gripe and complain about this CGI or that CGI, but I trust my man Pete...

[The Movie Mark]

All right, I haven't posted in a while, so I'll use this thread to give myself a kickstart. I'll comment on the movies I haven't seen yet...

The Sound of Thunder - I'll be seeing this one tomorrow. I haven't read the book, but I like the concept. I just hope the movie actually delivers.

Transporter 2 - I like Jason Statham, and while this looks as over-the-top as an Ashley Judd crying session, I still think it should be fun. However, they're not screening it in Memphis so it may take a while for me to check it out.

An Unfinished Life - I know very little about it.

Flightplan - Could be OK, but will it feel like a rip-off of Red Eye?

Oliver Twist - Exactly how many remakes of this movie can be done? Be careful about being excited just because Ben Kingsley is in it. After all, he's also in an upcoming Uwe Boll movie (BloodRayne).

Serenity - I never watched Firefly, and the trailers look a little less than impressive, but I'll give it a shot.

Elizabethtown - SNORE! I'm always skeptical of movies where the male lead (Bloom) is more feminine looking than the female lead (Kirsten Dunst).

Legend of Zorro - Gotta agree with Laslo on this one - CZJ is in it and that equates to instant watchability.

Zathura - I don't think this will be my style. At least Robin Williams isn't in it.

Harry Potter 4 - Count me in the minority group of people who will NEVER be excited about a Harry Potter movie. I stand proud in the fact that I've never read a Harry Potter book. I haven't seen the first two movies either. I saw the third one (because it was a free screening) and I walked away thinking, "So, what was all the hype about?"

It was OK, but there were parts where I almost fell asleep, and I was annoyed by all the kids. I can't stand Ronald. What a whiny girly boy.

Pride & Prejudice - I don't know if even Keira Knightley's presence can drag my masculine self to even a free screening of this.

Chronicles of Narnia - The trailer I saw is actually really good. It looks more entertaining than Harry Potter.

King Kong - Personally, I like the trailer and think the CGI looks fine.

[MsCali]

Allow me to comment (because it's better than working!):


1. Red Eye - I think I'm gonna end up seeing this one after JB's review. I hear "Wes Craven" and I run as far away from a movie as possible normally. But I think this will probably wait for a DVD rental, as it's rare that I feel like going to the theater these days - I save it for the movies I REALLY want to see.

2. The Cave - This is one I would probably watch if it came on TV and I had nothing else to do, but I wouldn't go to the theater for it, or even rent it. To me, it looks like a Sci-Fi special (which can be fun, but just aren't worth my time if other things are going on).

3. The Brothers Grimm (Heath Ledger & Fantasy & Fairytale coolness) - Mmmmmm...Heath Ledger. It's nice to finally see him in something good again! I should be seeing this one on Friday.

4. The Sound of Thunder - Heh...I had forgotten about that Simpson's epsiode! It would be nice if Ashton Kutcher hadn't ruined it for us by making a movie with the original title (The Butterfly Effect), but I can live with the title change. I'm definitely looking forward to this one.

5. Transporter 2 - I never saw Transporter 1, and I probably won't see this, but it looks like a fun little action flick. Actually, to me it looks like a car commercial (based on the trailer), or one of those internet movies the car companies were doing a couple years ago (but probably too bloody for that). It also looks a lot like Man on Fire, plotwise.

6. An Unfinished Life - Despite the presence of Morgan Freeman and Robert Redford, I just can't get past the fact that J. Lo is in this. It's probably going to be a good movie, but the plot just doesn't catch my interest.

7. Flightplan - Jodie Foster annoys me for some reason, but I usually end up liking her movies. Mr. Cali is really looking forward to this one, and I'm sure I will end up liking it - it's not really catching my interest right now though.

8. Oliver Twist - I haven't seen anything about this one. I have never been a big fan of Dickens, but I usually end up liking the movies based on his books.

9. Serenity - Mr. Cali bought the Firefly DVD set a few weeks ago, so we've been making our way through it in preparation. This is the perfect genre for us - a Sci-fi (for him) western (for me). I love that they are making a trilogy instead of just one movie, too.

10. Elizabethtown - This looks really good. For some reason, the trailer reminds me a little of Garden State, so I'll want to see this.

11. Legend of Zorro - I hate to disappoint you, but this was actually pretty terrible. I had fun watching it, and liked it a lot, but it was a terrible movie. If you don't mind a flimsy, see through, completely unbelievable plot with pretty bad dialog and really impossible stunts, you should like this. There are films that have all of the above that I still enjoy watching, and this was definitely one of them for me, but go into it with your eyes open. At least CZJ gets some sword fighting scenes.

12. Zathura (loved Jurmanji & this is Sci-Fi) - I liked Jumanji, but this is another one I would probably catch on HBO or could live without seeing.

13. Harry Potter 4 - Book 6 is MUCH better than 4 (4 & 5 have too much whiny Harry for my liking, even though the books were good - in 6 he is more mature and past his whiny phase). I love the HP movies and books, so I will be there opening weekend for this one if I can.

14. Pride & Prejudice - Saw it this weekend (will have a reveiw up shortly...hopefully I will have time to write it today) and it was really good.

15. Chronicles of Narnia - I am a huge fan of C.S. Lewis, so I'm really looking forward to this one. I read the series a long time ago, when I was 9 or 10, so I don't remember too many specific details, but I do remember loving it. I need to read them again before the movie comes out.

I was prepared to hate King Kong, but the trailers actually look good, and I like Naomi Watts and Adrian Brodey, so I will be seeing this. I'm not a huge Peter Jackson fan (I hated the first LOTR, and liked the last two, but only enough to see them once. I bowed out of the directors edition viewing with Mr. Cali and our friends this past weekend). I will be one of the people complaining about the CGI, but I'm just not a fan of CGI in general - I like the look of the original star wars trilogy better than the newer one. Give me models and old fashioned special effects any day.

JB, you should see/read the Harry Potter books and movies in order. I think if I hadn't done that, I wouldn't have really liked the third movie that much either. Part of the fun of the books/movies is growing with the characters and learning things along with them. Of course, I'm not saying you HAVE to read them, I'm just saying, that's probably why you didnt' get the hype when you saw the third movie.

[MsAng]

Jason Statham is AWESOME; even if the story is only so-so, like the first Transporter, the second movie should be cool becuase of the big action scenes and Jason. British accent, awesome moves, ripped muscles... 'scuse me while I wipe my drool. Go see him in Snatch. and because it's a funny movie.

I will be one of those people who look at you with horror and pity, Laslo and JB, because you have not read Harry Potter. I must say it sounds like you're only holding out because it is so popular and you want to be 'cool' by being different and not read them. You're afraid you'll like them and be like everyone else, and then you wouldn't be special anymore. Admit it.
Okay, I'll get off my psych major soap box now.

I read in a Lookout (weekly christian magazine) that the producer of the Narnia films is putting up his own money, and they are planning on making films of the whole series.
If you have never read these books, or were unimpressed the first time around, please understand that they were sort of written as allegory, at least The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was, as a lesson on the christian faith. Neverending winter in Narnia was sin, the sacrifice Aslan makes to save Edmund representing the sacrifice Jesus made in our place, etc. Fascinating when you look at it through faith colored spectacles, but still an entertaining fairy tail/children's/fantasy story in itself.

[Laslo Hollyfeld]

As much as it may sound like I am purposely holding out on NOT reading any Harry Potter books or seeing any of the films, I'm really not. I can appreciate the furor these books have caused among younger readers, and bravo to Ms. Rowling for re-igniting the flame of literacy among them. I simply have had no desire whatsoever to follow Mr. Potter's adventures. I have a feeling that these books will become this younger generations' Lord of the Rings in years to come, and that's great. It's just not for me.

Secondly, I totally get the Christian allegory behind the Narnia books, and have known about it for a long time. As an adult, I have come to appreciate Lewis' genius through other books of his such as "The Screwtape Letters." My point was that when I was in the fourth grade, everyone was forced to read those books by our teachers, and I think that's where most of my hesitation towards them stems from--y'know, the whole "I don't wanna 'cuz you say I have to" sort of thing. Were I to go back and re-read them now just for my own enjoyment, I might have a softer opinion.

[The Movie Mark]

mscali said:

4. The Sound of Thunder - Heh...I had forgotten about that Simpson's epsiode! It would be nice if Ashton Kutcher hadn't ruined it for us by making a movie with the original title (The Butterfly Effect), but I can live with the title change. I'm definitely looking forward to this one.

OK, Ms. Cali, I'm confused - are you saying the original title for the movie was The Butterfly Effect? The name of Ray Bradbury's short story is actually A Sound of Thunder, so I'm curious what title you're saying was changed.

But hey, The Butterfly Effect is really good! One of my 10 favorites from 2004.

Oh, and apparently Ray Bradbury has given his seal of approval to A Sound of Thunder after recently watching it. He claims the movie added some new material that made the story even better.

[The Movie Mark]

Regarding Harry Potter - I'm not refusing to watch it because I'm trying to be some leather jacket clad, sunglass-wearing, tooth pick-chewing cool guy. I'm already that.

The reason why I have no interest is because Harry Potter the dorky looking goofball doesn't appeal to me as the lead character or a fantasy movie. I like characters I can really rally around, and Harry Potter simply doesn't offer that.

I don't know that watching the first two would rectify that. After watching the Prisoner of Azkaban I walked away simply not caring about the characters and wondering why I should root for some kid who looks like Rachel Dratch.