Drama: Coming to a theater near you
Posted on Aug 21, 2012 in Features
Robert Pattinson, an actor in the modern cult films ‘Twilight,’ stars in the new lm, ‘Cosmopolis.’ http://www.filmofilia.com
This week, it’s time to take a look at the most intriguing dramas heading our way this fall to theaters. They range from the re-launch of a successful franchise with a new leading actor to adaptations of best-selling novels to new takes on previously-proven source material. This fall’s new crop has a little something for everyone…maybe even Oscar.
Spin-the-bestseller!
Many recent favorites at the book store — or at least on Amazon — get the big screen treatment this fall, but only one marks another stab at a long-popular favorite character, Detective Alex Cross, previously played by Morgan Freeman in the movies “Kiss the Girls” and “Along Came a Spider.” Taking over the character in the straight-forwardly titled “Alex Cross” is writer-director Tyler Perry, best known as the drag character Madea in a series of much loved films, here in an a typically macho role. Director Rob Cohen (“The Fast and the Furious,” “XXX”) can be hit-or-miss, but the character, now approaching nearly the 20-book mark from creator James Patterson, is exceedingly popular. Between the known character and Perry’s loyal following, plus those curious to see Perry stretch his wings, this should do just fine at the box office. (Oct. 19)
A true classic of the young adult genre, most who love the book don’t know whether to look forward to or to dread the upcoming adaptation of Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” Adding to the unpredictability factor is the fact that the writer himself is doing the honors, in his debut feature no less. Still, one could do a lot worse than casting Emma Watson — the actress formerly known as Hermione — in her first big turn as a leading lady. This will likely be more of a cult item, but count on that cult expanding considerably after the movie…if Chbosky gets it right, that is. (Sept. 14)
Cult writers of a different stripe, the Wachowskis (the “Matrix” series) and Tom Tykwer (“Run Lola Run”) team up for an adaption of the critically-acclaimed novel by David Mitchell, “Cloud Atlas.” This one has a stellar cast that includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry and Hugh Grant, appearing in multiple roles in different time periods, no less. Still stinging from the pricey flop that was 2008’s “Speed Racer,” the Wachowskis eventually had to seek independent financing for the challenging work, even with the aforementioned cast on board. It may not be the stuff of box office blockbuster status, but at least it looks interesting.
The seemingly inadaptable tale of a boy trapped on a raft with a tiger (you heard me), Yann Martel’s international best-seller “Life of Pi” gets the big screen treatment with Oscar-winning director Ang Lee (“Brokeback Mountain”) at the helm. And did I mention it was in 3D? It could be a train wreck, but it’ll be a fascinating one. (Nov. 21)
Any number of literary classics also gets another makeover this fall as well. There’s the latest take on Russian author Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina” (Nov. 16), featuring the perennially costumed Keira Knightley and Jude Law in acclaimed “Atonement” — director Joe Wright’s adaptation; an all-star musical take on Victor Hugo’s “Les Miserables”, with Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfried (Dec. 14); and the much anticipated first installment of the proposed trilogy of films by Peter Jackson of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.” (Dec. 14)
Last but not least, beat poet-era cult icon Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” finally gets adapted to film, after literally decades of failed attempts. It helps to have a cast that includes Kirsten Dunst, Amy Adams, Viggo Mortensen and tabloid staple Kristen Stewart — many of them doing some racy nude scenes — which got the film quite a bit of attention at Cannes. (Dec. 21)
“Lincoln” is the second film featuring Abraham Lincoln as its subject matter this year. I’m guessing Steven Spielberg’s version has significantly less vampires than the other film. Time will tell if this is a good thing. Either way, with Daniel Day Lewis in the lead and a cast that includes Sally Field and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, this “Lincoln” should be something to see in its own right. (Nov. 9)
For his first acting gig for an outside director in almost 20 years, Clint Eastwood plays a baseball scout with failing eyesight in “The Trouble with the Curve.” Amy Adams plays his daughter, with Justin Timberlake as a rival scout in a film that sounds like a more easy-going “Moneyball.” (Sept. 21)
Also featuring the busy Adams and sure to be controversial is the latest from “There Will Be Blood,” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, “The Master.” Rumor has it the character played by Oscar
winner and frequent Anderson collaborator Phillip Seymour Hoffman was partially inspired by Scientology figurehead L. Ron Hubbard. The film also marks the return to film after a much publicized freak-out of actor Joaquin Phoenix, so whatever the case, with that cast and director, it’s sure to be interesting. (Sept. 14)
Also falling into the crazy-but-true category with Hubbard is the story behind “Argo,” in which a faux sci-fi movie is used as a front to rescue hostages in Iran in the late ‘70s. The film is actor-director Ben Affleck’s third effort after the stellar “Gone Baby Gone” and “The Town.” Will the third time be the Oscar charm for Affleck? A cast that includes Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Bryan Cranston and plenty more character actor gold where that came from sure won’t hurt matters. (Oct. 12)
Another critically acclaimed cast heads up cult director David O. Russell’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning “The Fighter” and “Silver Linings Playbook,” including nominees Jennifer Lawrence and Jacki Weaver, Bradley Cooper and Academy Award-winner Robert De Niro. This one uses football as the backdrop, making it a nice companion piece with the aforementioned “The Trouble with the Curve.” (Nov. 21)
After a prolonged series of animated features, Robert Zemeckis (“Beowulf”) returns to live action with “Flight,” about a seemingly heroic pilot that safely lands a crashing plane, only to have his skeletons in the closet exposed as a result of the media attention. Denzel Washington plays the pilot, with John Goodman, Don Cheadle, and Melissa Leo also popping up. (Nov. 2)
In her follow-up to her ground-breaking win as the first woman to get a Best Director Oscar, Kathryn Bigelow doesn’t stray too far from the war-torn territory of “The Hurt Locker.” In “Zero Dark Thirty,” she chronicles the take-down of Osama Bin Laden in what some are calling blatant pro-Obama propaganda, though the film comes out well after the impending election. Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain continues her gifted run of top-tier work over the last few years as a CIA operative, along with a cast that includes Kyle Chandler and Joel Edgerton. (Dec. 19)
Perhaps the most anticipated of them all, at least among a certain contingent of fans, is “Django Unchained.” It is the latest from iconic director Quentin Tarantino. With an even more controversial storyline than “Zero,” the film revolves around a revenge-seeking slave in the plantation-era South, played by Jamie Foxx. Like “Inglourious Basterds,” the film plays fast and loose with history, and marks the notorious QT’s first foray into spaghetti western territory. With a cast that includes Oscar winner Christoph Waltz as a bounty hunter and nominee Leonardo DiCaprio as a nasty slave-owner, this should be something to see, like “Mandingo” on crack. Merry Christmas, everyone! (Dec. 25)
Other flicks worth a mention include cult fave David Cronenberg’s latest “Cosmopolis” (August) with “Twilight” star Robert Pattinson in a quirky road movie said to be reminiscent of DC’s version of “Crash” — not to be confused with the Oscar-winning film of the same name of a few years back. Bill Murray takes another shot at Oscar gold, post-“Lost in Translation,” with an eyebrow-raising turn as president FDR in “Hyde Park on Hudson” (Dec. 7), inspired by a BBC-Radio drama. Brad Pitt plays a hitman pursuing two idiots who rob a Mob-sponsored poker game in “Killing Them Softly” (Oct. 9). “Precious” director Lee Daniels follows that film with the controversial-in-a-different-way “The Paperboy,” with Zac Efron seeking to change his image in a big way that apparently includes getting peed on by Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman. There’s got to be a better way to win that golden guy! Eep! (Oct. 5)
Mark Trammel
Staff Writer
ripmrgordo@hotmail.com