Box office filled with promise for new year
By Saurabh Muzumdar
Recession might be the most used word of the year, but don't expect Hollywood to keep it in mind. The industry is coming up with some big-money releases this year.
Historically, audience figures rocket during a recession, indicating an insatiable appetite viewers have for an escape from reality.
So, with bated breath, these are the potential nine best films of 2009.
1. "Watchmen": This movie has been in the pipeline for a while now, and it is set to release this year. If the trailer is anything to go by, this film is going to be incredible. It is set in the mid-1980s when a team of vigilantes fights crime and conspiracy in the middle of the Cold War. Originally a graphic novel, one thing is for sure -- this one is going to be a visual spectacle.
2. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince": Fans of the books probably know what happens, but this money-spinning franchise has never disappointed on screen. Of course, it helps when you have a solid and tested story to work with.
Watch for a more mature Daniel Radcliffe portraying an emotionally raw Harry preparing to face his destiny: a final confrontation with Lord Voldemort.
3. "Public Enemies": Michael Mann tackles Bryan Burroughs' book about the first real wave of American criminals and the birth of the FBI. The tireless Christian Bale plays lead detective Melvin Purvis, and Johnny Depp plays John Dillinger, the Great Depression's famous bank robber.
More than seeing Jack Sparrow face off against Batman, this one is bound to be a good gangster flick.
4. "Fantastic Mr. Fox": Wes Anderson returns to the big screen with one change: animation. His latest offering is based on Roald Dahl's classic about a fox outwitting three farmers. George Clooney and Cate Blanchett, along with Anderson regulars such as Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston and Jason Schwartzman, provide voices for the characters. Knowing Anderson, we may also get a great soundtrack with this delightful tale.
5. "Inglourious Basterds": Quentin Tarantino is back to being Tarantino. An obscure title, great actors and another playful reinvention of a previously-popular genre of cinema. This time his barmy cast is hunting down Nazis -- instead of Bill -- with the typical splendor and ridiculousness that has come to embody everything that Tarantino has a say in. Brad Pitt, with a ridiculous moustache, and Mike Myers star, while Samuel L. Jackson provides the narration.
6. "Terminator Salvation": Christian Bale trades in the bat suit and anonymity for some serious guns in this prequel and sequel for the wildly successful Terminator franchise.
Bale dons the John Connor mask as he battles the machines that have been plotting his downfall in the last three movies.
Although Arnold Schwarzenegger is busy balancing the state budget and will not reprise his role as the Terminator, this movie has the brilliant Bale and spectacular visuals to help carry the flag.
7. "Avatar": It has been a long 12 years since James Cameron's last feature film "Titanic" hit screens. In terms of technological accomplishment and cinematic reach, Avatar will have no equal. It is a story about humans invading an alien planet, as opposed to the other way around.
8. "Sherlock Holmes": Guy Ritchie brings to life Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic. The rejuvenated Robert Downey Jr. plays the eagle-eyed detective, and Jude Law plays Watson. The product of a Ritchie-Downey collaboration seems impossible to pass up.
9. "Funny People": Written, co-produced and directed by Judd Apatow, this movie brings together Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen as comedians at different stages of their stand-up careers.
Add a little drama, some great guest performances, the usual Apatow cronies and you might have some one-liners to cherish for the rest of the year.
Contact Saurabh Muzumdar at smuzumdar@scu.edu.