FILMS:
“Agent Cody Banks,” “Assassination Tango,” “Barbershop 2,”
“Bulletproof Monk,” “City of Ghosts,” “Dark Blue,” “Good Boy!,”
“It Runs in the Family,” “Jeepers Creepers 2,” “Legally Blonde
2: Red, White and Blonde,” “Molly Gunn,” “Out of Time,” “Saved,”
“Together” and “Wicker Park”
MUST SEE:
“Out of Time”
Carl
Franklin’s new thriller takes him back to the down and dirty
style of his previous crime classics “Devil in a Blue Dress” and
“One False Move.” With Denzel Washington on board as a slightly
crooked small town chief of police under suspicion for murder,
“Out of Time” is a noir thriller I’m holding my breath for.
COULD BE
GOOD: “Barbershop 2”
This is
one of the few sequels I’m looking forward to in 2003. The
original was such a pleasant surprise, here’s hoping that the
rush to produce this follow up doesn’t end up ruining the joy.
CURIOUS:
“Dark Blue”
Ron
Shelton is best known for sports films like “Bull Durham” and
“Tin Cup” so his helming of a based-on-fact cautionary police
tale set during the L.A. riots should be a stretch. Can he pull
it off? I admit, I’m very curious to see.
YIKES!:
“Good Boy!”
They made
a film about cats trying to take over the world called “Cats &
Dogs” and it basically sucked. Why, pray tell, would we want to
pay and see dogs attempt to do the same?
Miramax/Dimension Films
FILMS:
“Bad Santa,” “Blue Car,” “Buffalo Soldiers,” “Cold Mountain,”
“Dirty Pretty Things,” “Duplex,” “DysFunKtional Family,” “Ella
Enchanted,” “The Great Raid,” “The Guests,” “Hero,” “The Human
Stain,” “Jersey Girl,” “J.M. Barrie’s Neverland,” “Kill Bill,”
“The Magdalene Sisters,” “My Baby’s Mama,” “Only the Strong
Survive,” “People I Know,” “Prozac Nation,” “Samsara,” “Scary
Movie 3: Episode 1, the Lord of the Broom,” “Shaolin Soccer,”
“Spy Kids 3 – Game Over,” “View From the Top” and “The Warrior”
MUST SEE:
“Cold Mountain,” “Kill Bill” and “Bad Santa”
Once
again, Miramax has the most aggressively impressive slate of
films for the year. Of them all, these are the three that have
me most excited, each for their own obvious reason; “Kill Bill”
is the return of Tarantino, “Cold Mountain” features an amazing
cast led by Nicole Kidman, Jude Law and Renée Zellweger and “Bad
Santa” is the latest from “Ghost World” director Terry Zwigoff.
Love them or hate them, Miramax once more proves to be the
studio taking the biggest chances and making the riskier films.
Numerous movies on their docket could turn out to be keepers.
YIKES!:
“Scary Movie 3”
All of
that said, does the world really need a third “Scary Movie?” I
don’t care if “Airplane” czar David Zucker is taking over in the
director’s chair or that Kevin Smith is writing the screenplay,
this one still has the distinct odor of awfulness lingering
around it.
POTENTIAL
SURPRISE: “A View From the Top
Sure, the
trailers are way to cute but director Bruno Barreto used
to know his way around a romantic comedy once upon a time so I’m
quietly hoping he pulls this off. Besides, the stewardess
outfits are way cute.
New Line Cinema
FILMS:
“The Butterfly Effect,” “Elf,” “Freddy Vs Jason,” “Highwaymen,”
“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” “A Man Apart,
“The Notebook,” “Secondhand Lions,” “The Texas Chainsaw
Massacre,” “When Harry Met Lloyd: Dumb and Dumberer” and
“Willard”
MUST SEE:
“LOTR: The Return of the King”
Like that
is any surprise? This might be the most anticipated film of
2003, and with two “Matrix” sequels coming out that’s saying
something.
CURIOUS:
“Willard”
Talk about
bizarre remakes, this re-imagining of the 1971crazy boy and his
murderous rats original looks almost too silly to pass up. With
the great Crispin Glover in the lead role, this one is just too
crazy sounding to miss.
UH-OH: “A
Man Apart”
This Vin
Diesel drug melodrama has been pushed around the schedule for
ages, and New Line is purportedly re-filming the ending once
more as I write this. Hopefully this F. Gary Gray movie will
turn out better than the buzz it’s been generating but at this
point the likelihood of that look dubious at best.
YIKES!:
“When Harry Met Lloyd”
Does the world
really need a prequel to the Jim Carrey/Jeff Daniels original? I
really hope the answer is no. I really, really do.
Paramount Pictures
FILMS:
“How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” “The Hunted,” “Against the
Ropes,” “The Core,” “The Perfect Score,” “The Italian Job,” “The
Rugrats Meet the Wild Thornberrys,” “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The
Cradle of Life,” “Timeline,” “Beyond Borders,” “Dickie Roberts:
Former Child Star,” “Marci X,” “The School of Rock” and “Suspect
Zero”
MUST SEE:
“The School of Rock”
Richard
Linklater is an iconoclastic filmmaker who makes distinctive and
original films. Throw in John Cusack, Jack Black and Mike White
and you just might have one of 2003’s best. Here’s hoping that’s
the case.
COULD BE
GOOD: “Suspect Zero,” “The Hunted” and “The Italian Job”
Paramount
usually makes its living off of thrillers, and these three
should fit the bill for them nicely. Even better, they could
just all turn out to be good little movies, too, in the bargain.
Of the three, I’m most interested – but just barely – in the
Tommy Lee Jones/Benicio Del Toro actioner “The Hunted.” If
William Friedkin can rekindle some of that “French Connection”
magic, this could be a viscerally charged winner.
CURIOUS:
“Against the Ropes”
Meg Ryan
as a tough talking boxing promoter and trainer? No romantic
comedy underpinnings anywhere to be seen? This I have to see.
UH-OH:
“The Core”
Delayed
from last November for more special effects work, one just can’t
help but wonder if recent tragedies will make this
end-of-the-world action yarn a failure before it even gets its
day in the Cineplex.
YIKES!:
“Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life”
Jolie is
still perfectly cast as the amazingly well proportioned video
game heroine, but the original was so bad there really weren’t
words to explain it. Can director Jan De Bont turn it around?
His last good film was the original “Speed,” and it is starting
to look like the success of that one was more blind luck than
anything else.
Sony Pictures
FILMS:
“Tears of the Sun,” “Identity,” “Basic,” “Anger Management,”
“Daddy Day Care,” “Hollywood Homicide,” “Charlie’s Angels: Full
Throttle,” “Lil’ Pimp,” “Bad Boys II,” “Gigli,” “S.W.A.T,”
“Radio,” “Once Upon a Time in Mexico,” “Highbinders,”
“Underworld,” “Mona Lisa Smile,” “Big Fish,” “Untitled Nancy
Meyers/Jack Nicholson/Diane Keaton Project,” “In the Cut” and
“The Breakup Handbook”
MUST SEE:
“Gigli,” “Big Fish” and “Once Upon a Time in Mexico”
Ben
Affleck and Jennifer Lopez met and fell in love making Martin
Brest’s (“Midnight Run”) latest opus. For some reason I’m very
curious to see what all the fuss is about. Tim Burton’s “Big
Fish” is a no brainer. I’d follow the imaginative director
anywhere. As for Robert Rodriguez’s final chapter in his El
Mariachi trilogy? What can I say? I’ve been a sucker for the
first two, why should the ambitious sounding third be any
exception.
COULD BE
GOOD: “Hollywood Homicide,” “Tears of the Sun,” “In The Cut,”
“Basic,” “Identity,” “Underworld,” “Mona Lisa Smile” and
“Untitled Nancy Meyers/Jack Nicholson/Diane Keaton Project”
I honestly
think Sony Pictures could have the most films I really want to
see of any other studio this year. That doesn’t mean that they
are all going to end up being good – “Identity” had a pretty
luke warm reception at Sundance – it’s just that they all look
highly interesting on paper. There isn’t anything revolutionary
sounding about them, just the potential for highly entertaining
genre pictures. That’s all a critic can ask for.
CURIOUS:
“In The Cut”
Meg Ryan
continues to drop the cute act with this bizarre sounding
psychological thriller from director Jane Campion. Will she be
able to pull off a disturbing, erotically charged picture? One
thing’s for sure, it won’t be boring to find out.
YIKES!:
“Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle”
There are
only two things going for this sequel to 2000’s surprise hit:
Bernie Mac taking over as Bosely (guaranteed for a couple of
laughs – just like Bill Murray was in the first) and the
presence of Demi Moore as the villain (it’s nice to have the
gorgeous actress back). Everything else about this movie I could
care less about. I didn’t like the first and, from the looks of
the trailer, there is no reason to guess I’m not going to feel
the same the second time around.
