In the Times’ Blockbuster Buzz Michael Moran takes a look ahead to some of the genre movies due out in 2009 which are already generating some discussion on the web, from some I could happily live without ever seeing, such as The Pink Panther 2 (Jean Reno, no, no, no, what are you thinking? You’re going to lose your crown as coolest man on the planet) and the now seemingly inevitable (and usually pointless) remake of a good modern example of a genre movie with a reworking of the classic slasher Friday the 13th (why, why, why?) to some I’m genuinely interested in, such as the delayed Fanboys (Star Wars fans attempting to steal early print of Phantom Menace for a dying friend), the Wolf Man (an older horror remade but it draws on legendary special effects wizard Rick Baker’s skills, so I’ll be watching) and some I’m just thinking don’t work for me as a concept, like Guy Ritchie doing Sherlock Holmes (lock, stock and two smoking pipes?).
There are some I am ambivalent about – I’m a little interested but I’m also wondering if they will turn out to be worth the visit to the cinema. Terminator Salvation and James Cameron’s Avatar fall into that camp for me, they could be pleasant surprises or they could just simply be ‘meh’ throwaway entertainment for a couple of hours that I could take or leave. And then some I’m seriously looking forward to, like the Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, the new Terry Gilliam movie (always a welcome event, he’s surely one of the most visually inventive directors – auteur arguably – in modern cinema) which, as Michael notes, will also draw attention due to the fact it has the final performance of the late Heath Ledger which is bound to attract more than the usual media attention. And there’s the animated film adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s wonderfully creepy and dark children’s tale Coraline (one of those kid’s books that is far too good to leave to just children). And as for Watchmen and Star Trek, as I’ve said before, I have mixed feelings (with a strong undercurrent of wariness) but I suspect curiosity will drive me to see them. Anyway, its worth a look down the list to have a butchers at some of the films heading our way over the next year.
Tue, Nov 11, 2008
Film, TV and radio