Movies To Watch For This 2008

Happy New Year!

I know this may be a very late greeting but I hope you guys would bear with me. I was actually figuring out how I will start blogging in this brand new year (or to be more precise, what my first post for this year will be). But as time went by I realized I need to post something (well, at least something sensible) just to keep my thoughts coming. So, here we go!

You may have noticed how this author loves to watch movies. He even admitted in his profile that he is a movie addict. So I am sharing with you guys the two Hollywood movies I am eagerly anticipating this year.

The Man With The Whip and Hat Is Back!

Finally, after almost a decade, Indiana Jones is back for another swashbuckling adventure. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull brings back director Steven Spielberg and its star Harrison Ford, together with new cast members including Beowulf star Ray Winstone, Transformers’ Shia La Beouf and the lovely Cate Blanchett, among others.

The official website (http://www.indianajones.com) is filled with pictures and behind-the-scene footages of their shoot. But most intriguing for us is the fact that there appears to be no picture or footage (in character or otherwise) of Cate Blanchett, although she has been officially announced as part of the movie. Our guess is that she may be playing a key role in the movie (the villainess, perhaps) and the studio people (producer George Lucas, in particular) would rather keep her character on the wraps until the movie officially begins its run sometime in May. That should not be surprising since the movie has Star Wars almost written all over it (FYI, Star Wars perhaps is one of the most secretive movies ever made, with every cast and crew signing a confidentiality contract prohibiting them from squealing or leaking production information to the public until the movie shoot is through).

Well, whatever role Cate Blanchett will be playing would surely be another superb performance from the very talented actress, whose portrayal in her other movies (she played Bob Dylan in I’m Not There, the Virgin Queen in Elizabeth, Galadriel in Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, and the shooting victim in Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu’s Babel) has always been remarkable.

The movie is slated to be shown in U.S. theaters on May 22 (I hope that would be the same date this movie will be shown in the Philippines). And since this would be the sequel to Indiana Jones after 18 years, I would bet that one of the theaters in the Philippines would hold a midnight screening when the movie gets in our shores (Ayala Malls have pioneered this gimmick, beginning with Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace).

Just to add: the Collector’s Edition DVD of Indiana Jones in the Philippines is currently selling like pancakes. As of yesterday, we checked with our favorite video store and asked if they still have copies of the same. Most of them only have a single copy remaining on their stock (the four-disc boxed set includes the three original movies–Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade and a bonus disc containing features) and the same is sold for HALF its original price. My personal tip: go to the least known branches of your favorite video and music stores–they still might have some copies stored in their stock. Good luck!

It’s Joke Time!

When I first heard that director Christopher Nolan was tapped to bring back the Caped Crusader into the big screen after the very disappointing Batman and Robin, I knew the whole treatment to the franchise would drastically be changed. Of course, there is no need to introduce Batman to every one (who does not know him, anyway?) but reintroducing him is another thing. In that aspect, I believe, the producers of Batman Begins succeeded.

Batman Begins appealed to me because it made the Caped Crusader (played brilliantly by Christian Bale, who this author has first seen in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun) human again, which the previous movies (okay, the movies directed by Joel Schumacher, in particular) almost totally obliterated. After all, his being human makes Batman unique among other superheroes.

At the end of Batman Begins, we are given a glimpse as to his next nemesis. “Could it really be Joker?” I asked.

Definitely.

Of course, when The Dark Knight was first announced, there are questions as to how Heath Ledger would compare to Jack Nicholson’s Joker. The way I see it, the performance of the two wonderful actors cannot exactly be compared with each other. Jack Nicholson’s Joker will always remain as such, but Ledger’s portrayal of Batman’s nemesis is darker and more psychotic.

The movie is slated to be shown in U.S. theaters in June or July. The cast still includes Sir Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman. Visit http://thedarkknight.warnerbros.com to see the official trailer (this one's AWESOME!).

Just to add: In the Philippines, if you want to catch the first six minutes of The Dark Knight, watch I Am Legend at the IMAX Theater at the SM Mall of Asia. They will play it before the movie starts, so be on your seat before the screening time to catch it. By the way, I Am Legend is not shown in 3D in IMAX. So for those of you who may be asking “What is so IMAX-y with I Am Legend?” the preview alone is the reason. But if you ask me, I would have watched I Am Legend in THX. The movie contained quiet scenes, which makes THX perfect for such scenes. (When we watched it in IMAX, I can’t help but notice the sound of the projector at the back of the screen when such quiet scenes were being played.)

Well, there you go. I hope I was able to share with you my anticipation. See you soon in the movies!