by Dave Thomas
James Bond: Quantum of Solace
With the sudden departure of The Soloist, Fanboys and The Road from the roster, November just got a little less interesting, but I’m confident James Bond and Danny Boyle will help me forget.
Just Opened
ROLE MODELS
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Paul Rudd and Sean William Scott do the whole man-child learns values by mentoring actual children thing.
WILL IT SUCK?
David Wain directs and co-writes with some of his State cohorts. Love The State. Haven’t been as impressed with State alums’ film work since (though I have yet to see Wet Hot American Summer…I know, I know). I will say this, however, the red band trailer is much funnier than the, um, green band trailer.
Oh, and Elizabeth Banks is officially in every movie coming out this year.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
2nd frame of the much-higher profile Zack and Miri‘s gonna hurt and this week you’ve got Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson in Soul Men. $18mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No.
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MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
The Madagascar animals go to the plain-y part of Africa instead of the jungle-y part.
WILL IT SUCK?
Same director. Same cast with additions like Sacha Baron Cohen and the late, great Bernie Mac. Looks like they’ve got new writers this time, including a guy who worked on Tropic Thunder and Idiocracy.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
It’s not that Quantum of Solace is going after the same audience, but it will be a drag on the second frame. $194mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
They didn’t remember the first one.
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SOUL MEN
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Sam Jackson and Bernie Mac try to put their 70’s soul act back together.
WILL IT SUCK?
Director Malcom D. Lee (The Best Man, Undercover Brother) more often than not brings it (Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins notwithstanding) but a bigger concern is the writing team behind Life penning the screenplay. Seeing Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes in the same film (both passed on the same weekend) is sure to make one misty, but the chemistry between Mac and Jackson could be interesting.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Bernie Mac has to fight himself in Madagascar this week before Quantom of Solace knocks everything out of play the following week. $38mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No, but it will be sad to see Mac and Hayes in the dear departed montage.
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THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Boy becomes friends with a prisoner in his dad’s Nazi concentration camp. This can’t end well.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is strong. From writer/director Mark Herman, he of the excellent Brassed Off and Little Voice. David Thewlis plays the dad in what looks to be some real tour de force shit.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Two major indie releases next week could obscure this in the long run. $1mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Depending upon the push from Miramax, who has this film’s opposite number to promote in Happy-Go-Lucky, you could see Thewlis up for something, with a longer shot for screenplay or one of the boys.
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REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Musical taking place in a dystopian future where replacement organs are sold and, if you miss a payment, get repossessed.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good in a very cult classic sort of way. Interesting to see this as Saw II, III and IV director Darren Lynn Bousman’s first step out of that wheelhouse (check out this episode of “The Business” for the fascinating story). From the writers of the original cult musical. Interesting casting as well. Anthony Head plays the repo man in question, and I can’t think of a better first lead for him. Andrew Lloyd Webber vet Sarah Brightman is up in here, too, along with an all-growns-up former Spy Kid Alexa Vega. Oh, and Paris Hilton.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Being a cult classic almost precludes you from making a lot of money until you come out on DVD. $6mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Might even be too out there for the Indie Spirit Awards.
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HOUSE
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Kind of like a Christian Saw.
WILL IT SUCK?
As you may or may not know there is a Christian horror novel genre of which Frank Peretti is the Stephen King. This movie is based on a novel he co-wrote with Ted Dekker (the Dean Koontz?) in 2006. Peretti also co-wrote the screenplay. Robby Henson, who helmed a film version of Dekker’s Thr3e, directs. Buzz has it that Thr3e (the movie) pretty much sucked so I’m not breaking out the champaign for this one just yet.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Will build on the modest b.o. of Thr3e. $2mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Not so much.
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JCVD
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Jean-Claude Van Damme plays himself in this satirical version of his life in which he, down on his luck and out of money, gets caught up in a real-life bank robbery.
WILL IT SUCK?
This one has my vote on concept alone. Fortunately it has the good early buzz to back it up.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Travolta set the standard. If you want to revive your career, go indie. Unfortunately, this isn’t Tarantino’s follow-up to Reservoir Dogs so it’s not going to have quite the same effect. $2mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
That would be awesome. Jean-Claude Van Damme gets a nod for taking the piss out of himself. But no.
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November 14
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QUANTUM OF SOLACE
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
James Bond vs. raised expectations.
WILL IT SUCK?
Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Stranger Than Fiction) is a good director, but is he a good action director? The trailers seem to indicate yes, but there’s a big difference between a great shot and a great sequence. I have no doubt he can handle the dramatic elements. The same writing team from Royale returns. And Mathieu Amalric as the villain may be what I’m looking forward to the most.
Early buzz isn’t as impressed with it as with Royale, but it is impressed.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
With the departure of Harry Potter, this is the premiere action event of the fall. $168mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
If any action film gets Academy love this year, it’ll be The Dark Knight.
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SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Kid from the streets of Mumbai makes it big on the Indan version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is strong. Won the People’s Choice Award at Toronto. And this is Danny Boyle directing, son. One of the most underrated directors out there.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This is one of the most anticipated indies of the season, and it’s got a strong rep as a crowd-pleaser. And Fox Searchlight knows how to market crowdpleasers, which is probably why they snatched it from the jaws of Warner Independent’s demise. $15mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
It’s making a few short lists, and the variety of films jumping ship (The Soloist, The Road) means slots are opening up. Where I might have only pegged this for Screenplay before, I now think Director is a realistic possibility, too.
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A CHRISTMAS TALE
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
One of them there family reunion Christmas flicks, but, you know, in French.
WILL IT SUCK?
Reunites Matheiu Amalric and Anne Consigny from Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Catherine Deneuve and Jean-Paul Roussilson from Kings and Queen, one of writer/director Arnaud Desplechin’s previous efforts. This is, in fact, his highest rated film on IMDB. Early buzz elsewhere is outstanding. And, personally, I can’t wait to see Amalric play the drunk sheep of the family.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Kind of a crowded time for something like this to get noticed. $500,000.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
With the French submission for Best Foreign going to The Class, it’s unlikely.
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November 21
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BOLT
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Animated tale in which a celebrity dog, convinced he has the superpowers of the character he plays, must fend for himself in NYC.
WILL IT SUCK?
First time directors but the writers (one of whom directs) have worked on stuff like Cars and The Emporer’s New Groove, so there’s hope. Oh and the voice cast includes James Lipton and Randy “Macho Man” Savage, and all I can say is, it’s about freakin’ time we got those two together.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Let’s see, Miley Cyrus is one of the voices and there’s a talking dog. Twilight may have a fight on its hands. $125mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Maybe if we go to five again on the number of nominees.
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TWILIGHT
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
The CW Presents True Blood
WILL IT SUCK?
Director Catherine Hardwicke’s work gets increasingly bland as you go from Thirteen to Lords of Dogtown to The Nativity Story, so I’m not as psyched to see her at the helm as I would have been in 2004. Melissa Rosenberg, who adapts the best-selling tween sensation, has scripted her fair share of Dexter eps, but she’s also written a few Birds of Prey as well, and this is much more in the latter category. But, hey, it’s got Peter Facinelli (from the Best. Show. Ever.), so what am I worried about?
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This and Quantum will own November. $128mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Biggest Beneficiary of Harry Potter Switching Release Dates
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SPECIAL
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
A man in a pharmaceutical trial (Michael Rappaport) believes he’s developing superpowers.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is great. A festival fave. Rappaport is supposed to be outstanding.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Buzz should carry it through a fairly light weekend. $2mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Probably won’t make it onto the radar. But if it did, I’d look at Rappaport.
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November 26
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TRANSPORTER 3
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
T-Bag hires Transporter to do some shit.
WILL IT SUCK?
Luc Besson reteams with his frequent writing partner (including the previous two Transporters) Robert Mark Kamen (The Karate Kid) on this installment. Seems they’ve added an element (if Transporter leaves a 75 foot radius of his car, he gets blowed up) that will ensure the action stays around the car, which is probably a good idea.
I’m one of the few folks who actually liked Transporter 2 better, so I don’t really know what to expect. Although the trailer pretty much tells you the whole movie from beginning to end. What I’m actually psyched for, though, is the addition of Robert Knepper (the aforementioned T-Bag from Prison Break) to the cast. He’s how villainy is done.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
I think it’s actually a very smart move to open a mid-level action franchise installment over a major holiday weekend. It’s counterprogramming to all the romcom/family-friendly/dramatic shit that’s around. Although I feel this was as much a strategy to keep this film as far away as possible from Quantum of Solace. Nothing really to fear from the Punisher reboot the following week. $59mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No. But who else wants to see a Driving Miss Daisy remake with Statham at the wheel?
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FOUR CHRISTMASES
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Meet the Parents Individually
WILL IT SUCK?
I would have never guessed in a million years that this would be the follow-up project for King of Kong director Seth Gordon, but now that I know, I’m a little more interested. Of the four writers, little is known except that two wrote Rebound. That cancels out Kong, I think.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Australia causes a bit of friction but I think this has the bigger stars and the better genre. Between Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughan you’ll pack ’em in. $72mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No. But who else wants Vince to host the Oscars drunk?
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AUSTRALIA
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Sprawling romantic epic set in the title with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.
WILL IT SUCK?
I’ve been pretty happy with writer/director Baz Luhrman’s work so far (Moulin Rouge, Strictly Ballroom), and his co-writers have done stuff like The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Pirates of the Caribbean. That having been said, the only thing I like about the trailer is the old school Casablanca font on the titles.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Bloom is off the rose for Kidman and Four Christmases will get the vote of more of the guys in couples looking to see something romantic. $44mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Nobody thought Moulin Rouge had a shot when it burst on the scene, and that garnered eight nods and two wins, and this flick is even more in the Academy’s wheelhouse.
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MILK
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Bio-pic about the legendary gay activist and politician Harvey Milk.
WILL IT SUCK?
Sean Penn plays Milk, and the rest of the cast ain’t too shabby either, with Diego Luna, Emile Hirsch, James Franco and Josh Brolin as Milk’s assassin, Dan White. Writer did a bunch of Big Love‘s and the director is noneother than Gus Van Sant.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Frost/Nixon is a pretty serious contender the following week, but it’s got this week all to itself. $8mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
With the quickly thinning field, chances are even better for this to be up for most awards, including Picture, Director, Screenplay, Penn for Actor and any of a host of actors for Supporting, including Brolin, who could see himself up for Supporting and Lead in the same year (depending upon W.‘s fortunes).
Next Month: Valkyrie finally comes out. Yeah, right. I’ll believe that when I decide not to see it.
