Thursday, February 01, 2007

"We Can't Wait!" A 2007 Countdown

Over the next 10 days, this blog will be counting down 20 heavily anticipated movies that are arriving sometime this year. 'Anticipated by whom?', you ask. Well, rather than just blathering on in my usual style about what I want and what I need [cue Effie White soundbyte: "What about me-eee?"] I thought I'd mix it up this year. So I invited some buddies: ModFab, Joe Reid of Low Resolution, StinkyLulu, and My New Plaid Pants to add their voices to the "I can't wait" mix and we reached a top 20 compromise.

The three movies that were highest on my list that did not make the top 20 (curse those invitees!) were the following:

Savage Grace
What! How come this didn't make the list? I'm the only one who wants to see Julianne Moore in a psychologically f***ed up drama about a doomed heiress in the 70s? How can that be? Anyway. Not sure what to expect here. Tom Kalin, the man behind the camera, once made the excellent gay indie Swoon (1992). But this sophomore effort took him 15 years? He's been making only short films. The project has also gone through several cast changes (but always with Julie in the lead). What to expect, what to expect...

Julie plays Barbara Daly who 'married up'. Stephen Dillane, Nicole's hubby from The Hours is Mr. Baekaland with whom she has an unhappy relationship. She's also a little too, um, close to her only child. Her son is played by Eddie Redmayne (pictured --he should have been on my ubiquitous in 2007 list. He's co-starring in three Actress heavy efforts this year: this one, The Golden Age, and The Other Boleyn Girl). It all ends tragically. Can't wait!

Untitled Kimberly Peirce Project
For all of my issues with 'Beelzebub', which have been well documented on this blog, I love the film that made her a star: Boy's Don't Cry. It was an evocative despairing small town drama of life on the fringe. The director was a novice, but the film felt so well judged that I've anxiously awaited a second film. For 7 years now. Kimberly Peirce finally got another film made. It's a story of a soldier (Ryan Phillipe) who's come back from Iraq and refuses to return. A similar drama is playing out on television's Brothers & Sisters but I'm guessing the movie will go deeper. Ryan Phillipe and Channing Tatum (oh, Channing) are the principals I believe. Critical darling Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Brick, Mysterious Skin), Jay Hernandez (mmmm), Victor Rasuk (Raising Victor Vargas!) and Anthony Mackie (he's been in everything lately, hasn't he?) round out the rather amazing cast, a "who's who" of 20something Hollywood.


30 Days of Night
What can I say? I have a thing for vampires. You may have noticed. 30 Days... is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith and it springs from a rather ingenious concept: What the hell do you do if you're attacked by vampires and there's no sunlight coming? I get scared just thinking about the concept. Maybe this is because I'm a wuss. But it's probably more because I've lived in a town myself (in Norway) where no sunlight was seen for days on end and let me tell you: it's maximum freaky.

This story takes place in Alaska and the protagonists are a husband and wife played by Josh Hartnett and Melissa George (yet another starlet from Australia) who you may have seen being terrorized in other gruesome movies like The Amityville Horror and Turistas. This girl is always getting herself terrorized! You can see more about the production of the movie here.

The countdown proper starts tomorrow!

17 comments:

J.D. said...

Since this is you, I expect 3 to be up high. That's all I need to say.

Anonymous said...

Julianna Moore is a crap actress.

NATHANIEL R said...

j.d. -- what's 3?
and it's not "me" it's five people's "can't wait" -didn't you read?

anonymous -- tell us your name already. Anytime Julianne Moore is mentioned in a post you pop up to call her "Julianna" and tell us she's crap. As much as I disagree I almost admire your weird commitment and devotion to her. You're so dependable when her name is invoked.

J.D. said...

well you're one of five.

and 3.

It's implying it's the third of something that you might anticipate.

What could that be?

[if you haven't figured it out, look at FilmBitch 2004 - it's all over there]

J.D. said...

3

Get it yet?

Anonymous said...

Channing Tatum...

:swoons:

Ryan Phillippe...

:faints:

Julianne Morre...

:screams:

Anonymous said...

And like Meryl's daughter (Mamie Gummer) is also in the new Pierce project. Ooh lala.

Anonymous said...

Not looking forward to the new Tom Kalin. It was made on such a crap budget that I'm expecting it to look as cheap and nasty as INFAMOUS, yet another Killer Films on-the-cheap-o-rama. The new Kim Peirce? Meh. Shooting it almost convinced Chris Menges to give up shooting any movie, ever, she was so darn awful to work with. And that's the truth.

Who the heck is "Julianna" Moore, anyway?

NATHANIEL R said...

anonymous with insider dish -email me pretty please.

also: too bad to hear that about Peirce. is this why she hasn't worked in years?

Anonymous said...

All I want to see is Noah Baumbach's Margot at the Wedding and The Golden Age and I'll be happy.

Those two better be on your list Nat, lol.

Anonymous said...

My friend's aunt is one of the producers of Savage Grace, and over the summer she (my friend) went to Spain to intern with her while it was filming. I completely forgot about it until now... too bad I can't remember any of the insider gossip.

Glenn Dunks said...

But does Juli have another missing-child movie to counterbalance Savage Grace?

Anonymous said...

Random aside about Redmayne - he was Billy to Jonathan Pryce's father in the London production of The Goat. He was nodded for a Laurence Olivier (West End Tony Award), I believe.

Paxton Hernandez said...

Maybe the Iraq war film will FINALLY make your aversion to Jay Hernandez go away, and you may see how great actor he really is, Nathe.

In the other hand, I can't fcking wait for 30 Days of Night, I mean, a terrorized lynchean goddess like Melissa George + VAMPIRES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*explodes*

NATHANIEL R said...

"aversion"? If by aversion you mean "come to me now!" then yes. that.

???

Paxton Hernandez said...

hahaha, Sorry =) I thought the Mmmmm next to his name was sort of an "icky" Mmmm. My bad.

Anonymous said...

oh SAVAGE GRACE should really be in the top 10 because she is so wonderful and after her broadway success she will hopefully have her comeback with I'M NOT THERE and especeally SAVAGE GRACE - and NEXT ?