So the fall season is beginning to heat up. The hotly anticipated films are beginning to roll out including SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE on Nov. 12, QUANTUM OF SOLACE on Nov. 14, AUSTRALIA and MILK on Nov. 26, and then December will have movie fans sleeping at theaters. Six films make the buzz list this week, read all about them.
Getting Buzzed
6) The Tale of Despereaux (Dec. 19)
A new trailer for THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX is out. Based on the Newbery Medal-winning children's book, this Universal Pictures animated feature has promise, but will it be a good adaptation from another medium like HORTON HEARS A WHO! or a bad one like DOOGAL?
5) Cadillac Records (Dec. 5)
The debut of the trailer has made this bio-pic come out of nowhere. This is the story of Chess Records where artists such as Etta James, Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry got their start. Entertainment Weekly made room for Beyonce as James on its Oscar watch list and from the bits in the trailer Jeffrey Wright as Waters looks like he's at top form as usual. File this one under curious to see.
4) Che (Dec. 12 in L.A.)
Steven Soderbergh's four-hour plus epic on the life of Che Guevara will get a December run for Oscar qualifying and then get a January run as a two-part release. The latest international trailer highlights Benicio Del Toro's Cannes award winning performance. He's still on many lists for Oscar consideration, but at four hours will anyone see this his great performance as the iconic communist rebel?
3) The Class (Dec. 25 in L.A.)
The 2008 Palme d'Or winner at the Cannes Film Festival and France's entry for the Academy Award this year is sneaking into theaters in Los Angeles on Christmas Day and will roll out in art houses at the end of January. The Cannes winner is usually worth checking out and the word on this one is that it's inspirational. Check out the trailer and see if this teacher tale seems like something more than the cliché.
2) Wendy & Lucy (Dec. 10)
Michelle Williams is making various Oscar watch lists for her turn as a down-on-her luck woman who is traveling to Alaska to get a job. Then her car breaks down and that's what starts her spiral downward. The newly released trailer hints at the power of Williams' performance, which has me very interested. But with bigger stars in more high profile films, an Oscar nod seems really far out of reach.
1) The Reader (Dec. 12)
Kate Winslet has never won an Academy Award. It's hard to believe that, but here she is again this fall with two films, this film and REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, that the anticipation is great for. The first trailer for THE READER has many fans and critics wondering which performance will take her to Oscar's final five. But more importantly for movie fans, this film, based on Bernhard Schlink's novel, seems fascinating as a story of secrets uncovered changing the way you look at someone you love. Everyone is all hoping for two fine Winslet performances.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
