The Seasons, They Are A Changin'

Guess what? I love movies. Big shock, I know.

The summer is coming to an end, and the summer blockbuster season has been...average. But, there's no need to be down, because with the end of every summer blockbuster season comes the beginning of...

*** THE 2006 FALL MOVIE SEASON ***

Usually, there's only one topic of conversation for movies that come out in the fall movie season...awards. Of course, there's more to movies than awards (not much more, but more nonetheless), so rather than evaluate the lineup of fall movies by their award potential just yet, I'd rather focus on the anticipation, excitement, and entertainment value that these upcoming movies seemingly possess. Thanks to the Entertainment Weekly Fall Movie Preview (and an endless supply of movie trailers at Apple Movie Trailers), I present to you CJ's "professional" take on the highs, lows, and everything-in-betweens of the Fall Movie Season...enjoy!

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~ 10 Fall Movies I'll See on Opening Night ~

• Al Franken: God Spoke...since I would very much like to possess the humorous wit and intellectual capacity of Al Franken, a movie which presents a year in the life of Mr. Franken during the 2004 Presidential Election is certainly something I will enjoy very, very much. (Sept 13)

• Borat...with a trailer that made me cry tears of laughter, and a claim that this is "the comedy of the year" from an insider that's already seen the movie, I will definitely be first in line for this guaranteed laugh fest. (Nov 3)

• Casino Royale...stop with the controversy already! It's not sacrilege to have a blonde James Bond (but it may be to actually care so much you start a website against it); like Batman Begins and Superman Returns, a franchise returning to its younger, fresher roots can definitely be a good thing. (Nov 17)

• Fast Food Nation...a fictional adaptation of Eric Schlosser's non-fiction, best selling, AMAZING book about the horror that is the fast food industry. (Oct 20)

• Flags of Our Fathers...perspective #1 of Clint Eastwood's two perspective journey into the Pacific campaign of WWII, and Paul Haggis (of Crash and Million Dollar Baby) rejoins Eastwood for the writing. You're looking at the Oscar war movie right here, folks. (Oct 20)

• For Your Consideration...I didn't think a Christopher Guest movie could get any better after the hilarious romp through the world of folk music that was A Mighty Wind; then again, I never though Guest would make the Academy Awards the subject of his next faux-documentary! (Nov 17)

• The Black Dahlia...the first book in author James Ellroy's gritty L.A.-based series including the Oscar-healthy L.A. Confidential. Need I say more? (Sept 15)

• The Good German...after Good Night and Good Luck, I'm going to see any movie that is deemed a "labor of love" by George Clooney and is shot in black and white. Just in case, this movie also stars Cate Blanchett and Tobey Maguire, and is set in post-WWII Berlin...very excited. (Dec 8)

• The Last Kiss...Zach Braff always promises a good movie, and yet another script written by Paul Haggis; I couldn't be more excited! (Sept 15)

• The Prestige...a dark look into a rivalry between Magicians, starring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, and writer/director Christopher Nolan (of Memento and Batman Begins), I only have one word...SOLD! (Oct 20)
  

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~ 10 Fall Movies That Could Go Either Way ~

• A Good Year...the good news: Russell Crowe, Ridley Scott, Albert Finney; the worrisome news: the movie is a comedy set in a vineyard. Tough call. (Nov 10)

• Charlotte’s Web...this truly is a great story that I think everyone remembers from their childhood, and with Dakota Fanning coupled with some powerful voice actors, I can see it being fun to watch. Unless it's anything like Babe...then I'll hate it. (Dec 20)

• Hollywoodland...a movie version based on the mysterious death of TV Superman George Reeves has been in the works forever. Plus, the cast includes Bob Hoskins, Adrien Brody, Diane Lane and...Ben Affleck as George Reeves? Really? (Sept 8)

• Idiocracy...this is written and directed by Mike Judge, the hilarious mind behind Office Space; let's hope he hasn't lost his touch over the past 7 years. (Sept 1)

• Man of the Year...you can't go wrong with politics and comedy, right? (Oct 13)

• Stranger Than Fiction...the premise sounds good, and Will Ferrell is definitely primed to replicate the success of Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but you just never know if these kinds of movies will say something that actually means something. (Nov 10)
  

• The Fountain...Darren Aronofsky is responsible for Requiem For A Dream, a genuine masterpiece. This movie, while interesting, looks like it may be a little too strange, but I'm betting it's more genius than strange. (Nov 22)

• The Good Shepherd...it's directed by Robert De Niro, stars Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie, and has a $110 million budget with a Holiday season opening, so why am I worried? Every season has its "falls short of expectations" movies, but I'll be glad to be wrong. (Dec 22)

• The History Boys...I'm glad I didn't pay over $300 to see the Broadway version of what is now adapted into a movie. I hope it's as good as everyone says, and I also hope that will be motivation enough for me to see it...I have yet to see the movie version of Rent, and no clue as to why that is. (Nov 22)

• The Last King of Scotland...think Hotel Rwanda, but instead we're dealing with Uganda. Still, I can't help but worry that Forest Whitaker won't have what it takes to play a ruthless dictator. (Sept 27)
  

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~ 5 Fall Movies I'd Sooner Gauge My Eyes Out Than See ~

• Apocalypto...well, I was planning on seeing this movie when I saw the trailer for in a couple months back, but somewhere between the egotistical tirades and the blaming of the Jews for all the worlds' wars, I think I've decided to pass on this one. (Dec 8)

• Infamous...if you want to see an amazing film about Truman Capote's life while writing In Cold Blood, see Capote; if you want to see a sketch comedy version of an overacted Truman Capote fancifully exploring the world of murder, see Infamous. (Oct 13)

• Lucky You...listen Curtis Hanson, when you make a movie that is all about a Texas Hold' Em poker player and then state that "It's not a movie about poker...it's a movie about people struggling to connect.", you lose any chance that anyone even remotely interested in poker will come to see your poker-parallels-life crapfest of a movie! (Oct 27)

• Rocky Balboa...is an explanation necessary here? Didn't think so. (Dec 22)

• The Santa Clause 3...I think it's fair to say that the addition of Martin Short as "the nefarious Jack Frost" to this movie franchise has made me just a few steps closer to questioning the decision making process in some of Hollywood's major studios. Please stop making these movies. (Nov 3)
  

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