Films to Look for in 2009

"Tree of Life" – Summit Entertainment - Dir. Terrence Malick
Synopsis: The story of a family who must come to terms with a devastating loss. In doing so, they discover life's most important lessons of unselfish love and forgiveness.
What You Need To Know: Malick is back again as writer and director with this long-gestating project of over 30 years. He has reunited with Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and legendary Production Designer Jack Fisk, the same team who brought us "The New World" in 2006. The epic traces the evolution of an eleven-year-old boy named Jack growing up in the midwest during the 1950's. Sean Penn plays the adult Jack while Brad Pitt, in a role originally intended for Heath Ledger, plays the boy's father. Jessica Chastain (pictured) plays the mother, with Fiona Shaw and Jennifer Sipes also starring. Given Malick's track record of making meditative, naturalistic, and down right stunning films, one can assume that we'll have plenty to admire with this one. The composer of 'Benjamin Button' is also writing the music.
Release Date: Fall 2009, but its rumored to make its world premiere at Cannes in May.

"The Road" – Weinstein Company - Dir. John Hillcoat
Synopsis: A father and son try to survive a post apocalyptic world full of desperate scavengers and day-of-reckoning cannibals.
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Robert Duvall, Michael K. Williams
What You Need To Know: Bumped out of 2008 Oscar season, this despondent adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's celebrated novel, got pushed out of awards season cause it was either not ready, not that good and needed further editing, a "mess," or was just too bleak. Rumors said a Q1 release in February or March, but since its Jan and those dates are a few weeks away and the Weinsteins are still having money issues, we're pretty sure its going to be saved for the awards season it was meant for. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis are handling the sure-to-be dour score.
Release Date: Rumored to be March, 2009

"Inglourious Basterds" – Weinsteins/Universal - Dir. Quentin Tarantino
Synopsis: An elite team of Jewish American soldiers in WWII take on a covert mission to kill Adolf Hitler, but unbeknownst to them, the daughter of a slain French farmer is planning her own revenge.
What You Need To Know: Tarantino's war film is epic and could be one of the most outrageous WWII films ever made, not to mention his possible masterpiece, if he doesn't fuck up his brilliant and audacious script. Brad Pitt leads an eclectic, motley crue cast that features many foreign newcomers (Melanie Laurent, Jacky Ido, Christoph Waltz), old school actors (Cloris Leachmen, Rod Taylor), American comedians (BJ Novak, Samm Levine) and bold faced names (Diane Kruger, Mike Meyers) among many, many others. Plus the great Ennio Morricone is writing the score. Whoops, not anymore.
Release Date: August 21, 2009. It could show up at Cannes if completed in time.

"Where The Wild Things Are" - Warner Bros. - Dir. Spike Jonze
The long-awaited adaptation of Maurice Sendak's beloved children's novel might be the most highly anticipated film of all of 2009 and perhaps the most discussed and poured over. Starring 9-year-old newcomer Max Records and voiced by James Gandolfini, Lauren Ambrose, Catherine O'Hara and Forest Whitaker among others, the 'Wild Things' film, co-written by author Dave Eggers, had an extremely difficult and tempestuous birth, the battles of which spilled out into the public. Taking three years to make (not counting pre-production), an early 2008 test screening was so controversial, rumors swirled the film was going to be recut and or taken away from Jonze. The gossip turned out to be semi-true, but WB and the filmmaker got over their quarrel and the melancholy children's film could potentially be destined to become a classic. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah's singer Karen O is on music duty.
Release Date: October 16, 2009

"The Informant" – Warner Bros. - Dir. Stephen Soderbergh
What You Need To Know: Finding time to make another film between the epic "Che," the intriguingly WTF 3D rock opera "Cleo," and the down and dirty "Girlfriend Experience" (see below), Soderbergh teams up again with the "Ocean's" trilogy rat-packer Matt Damon for what some are handicapping as "The Insider" set in the agriculture industry. Based on a true story, Damon stars as a bi-polar FBI informant who acted both as whistleblower and part of the problem, embezzling money from his company amidst a larger price-fixing scandal. Fans of "Erin Brockovich" can expect Soderbergh's blend of dry humor and engrossing drama, while Damon's fans can expect to barely recognize him with the extra pounds and 'stache.
Release Date: September 18, 2009

"Public Enemies" – Universal - Dir. Michael Mann
Synopsis: Notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd, take on the Feds in the 1930s.
What You Need To Know: In a recent Entertainment Weekly piece, co-star Johnny Depp said his character, John Dillinger, was "...like Charlie Chaplin and Evel Knievel...I was fascinated with [him] at a young age." If you think Depp's childhood interest in Dillinger bodes well for "Enemies," than all that's left for you to do is forgive Mann for "Miami Vice" and find your way to the nearest theater in July. Christian Bale adds to his growing slate of post "Dark Knight" projects, playing Melvin Purvis, the federal agent in pursuit of Dillinger. Rounding out the stellar cast is Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Dorff, Lili Taylor, among a slew of others, making "Enemies" come off as a promising cross between the epic crime drama of "Heat" and the detailed reverence of "Ali." Could be a welcome change from the usual nonsense that comes at the apex of the summer season.
Release Date: July 1, 2009

"Taking Woodstock" – Focus Features - Dir. Ang Lee
Synopsis: A man working at his parents' motel in the Catskills inadvertently sets in motion the generation-defining concert in the summer of 1969.
What You Need To Know: The film is based on Elliot Tiber's autobiography, focusing on his role in pulling off the landmark, late-1960s music festival. The ensemble cast includes stand-up comic Demetri Martin as Tiber, along with Paul Dano, Emile Hirsch, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Liev Schreiber, and Imelda Staunton, among others. James Schamus scripted the movie; he also happens to be the CEO of Focus Features.
Release Date: August 14, 2009

"Micmacs à tire-larigot" - No Distributor - Jean-Pierre Jeunet
What You Need To Know: "Amelie" director JP Jeunet hasn't made a film since 2004 ("A Very Long Engagement"), but he finally returns with "Micmacs à tire-larigot," a satirical film about the gun trade starring excellent French actor Dany Boon (the French dramedy, "My Best Friend," which is being adapted into English by Wes Anderson).
Release Date: October, 2009

"All Good Things" - The Weinstein Company - Andrew Jarecki
Synopsis: A detective begins to unravel a missing-persons case that looks to spell doom -- and quite possibly death -- for the heir to a New York real estate dynasty.
What You Need To Know: There are multiple reasons to be interested: This is Jarecki's narrative, feature-length debut and you should already know his work from the amazing 2003 documentary, "Capturing The Friedmans." Any film including Ryan Gosling is one to keep an eye on as far as we're concerned, but the rest of the cast is stellar, too and includes Kirsten Dunst, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Frank Langella, Kristen Wiig, Philip Baker Hall and Diane Venora.
Release Date: TBD, hopefully TWC's ongoing money issues don't bounce it into 2010.
[ed. While we're at it, can they please start shooting the "Dallas Buyers Club" film with Gosling already?]

"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" – Lionsgate - Dir. Terry Gilliam
Synopsis: A washed-up, drunk spiritual prophet/magician's deal with the devil is catching up with him and his travelling theater troupe, but will the arrival of a charming young man change all that?
What You Need To Know: It's Heath Ledger's last screen appearance, but Gilliam's been on a horrible losing streak of late, so is he going to do Ledger's final film performance justice or is he going to shit the bed again? The confusing, messy script doesn't bode all that well, and Ledger actually died before filming was over and he his scenes were replaced by Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law, which could be loads of fun or an even bigger disaster. The pressure to finally not suck is probably on the once-towering film maverick. The film also co-stars Christopher Plummer, Andrew Garfield, Lily Cole and Tom Waits as the devil.
Release Date: TBD