Looking forward

I am really trying to get excited about movies this year. Nothing has happened yet. There was not that movie watching experience that blew my mind. As much as I loved both ‘Wall-E’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ I cannot say they rocked my world, although both films had aspects that shook me to the core (TDK – Heath Ledgers performance, and Wall-E’s sound design and cinematography), they both left me feeling that something more could have happened.
There are films I am very curious about seeing, even slightly excited to be, but I have to say there has been no ‘Atonement’ like excitement for me this year, except of course for ‘Australia’.
This is a trailer that got the goose bumps bumping, and the heart-a-racing. Baz is a master at filming beauty, and the trailer just was glorious. So far this is the only film that I am filled with an-tici------PAT-ion for. Nicole and that whip….Hugh….the war…Hugh….the Cinematography…Hugh.

That is it really. There are some films I am looking forward to but mainly to see the acting. ‘Milk’, ‘Frost/Nixon’, ‘Revolutionary Road’, ‘Doubt’ and ‘The Soloist’, but none of these are really getting the blood pumping. Perhaps this has a lot to do with the way they are being marketed with their trailers.

It is no coincidence that, for me, the years best trailers were ‘Wall-E’. ‘Cloverfield’, ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Australia’. The first three were very clever and savy with how the film was marketed. The trailers were exciting, but gave nothing away, allowing the audience to have their pallets wetted, wanting more.
‘Australia’ is just grand. You know it is going to be beautiful and epic. It pushes your emotional buttons, it makes your hair stand on end.

‘Milk’ just came across as Bio Pic bait, but faired much better than the lacklustre ‘Frost/Nixon’ trailer which did nothing to highlight either tension or performance.
‘The Soloist’ looks affecting, but is also screaming for awards attention.
More sombre in tone is ‘Revolutionary Road’ which is effective but does bring to mind ‘Little Children’ and boy oh boy does it look like a downer.
As much as I was interested in ‘Doubt’ the trailer confused me as to the tone of the film. Is this a dark comedy? A comedy drama? A plain drama? As amazing as Meryl is in it, it seems she is edited for comedy, perhaps to attract viewers who may otherwise be turned off by a film about priests molesting black boys. Stick in a funny nun! NUNS ARE FUNNY!

So what films are you most looking forward to this year? My top ten thus far:

Curious about, but more for performance:

10 – ‘Milk’
9 – ‘I’ve Loved You So Long’
8 – ‘The Road’
7 – ‘Revolutionary Road’
6 – ‘Doubt’

Festival buzz has made me a little excited:

5 – ‘Slumdog Millionaire’
4 – ‘The Wrestler’

Kind of really excited:

3 – ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’
2 - ‘Rachel Getting Married’

Oh please make the wait stop!!

1 - ‘Australia’