MUST SEE MOVIES
BANDIDAS
When's it out? - 2006 tbc
Who's involved? - Penelope Cruz, Salma Hayek, Steve Zahn
What's it About? - In turn-of-the-century Mexico, two very different women become a bank-robbing duo in an effort to combat a ruthless enforcer terrorizing their town.
THE BIRTHDAY
When's it Out? - 2005 tbc
Who's Involved? - Corey Feldman, Jack Taylor, Erica Prior
What's it About? - Norman (Feldman), a young man very much in love with his girlfriend, attends her father's birthday party, held in a hotel where a sect happens to be preparing for the birth of the god it worships.
Trailer Rating - ***
Go to - http://www.thebirthday-themovie.com/
BRICK
When's it Out? - 24th March 2006 (US)
Who's Involved? - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Emilie De Ravin, Richard Rowntree
What's it About? - A teenage loner (Gordon-Levitt) pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.
Trailer Rating - *****
Go to - http://www.brickmovie.net/
THE BROTHERS GRIMM
When's it Out? - 4th November
Who's Involved? - Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Monica Bellucci, Peter Stormare, Lena Headey, Jonathan Pryce, Mackenzie Crook, directed by Terry Gilliam
What's it About? - Will (Damon) and Jake Grimm (Ledger) are travelling con-artists who encounter a genuine fairy-tale curse which requires genuine courage instead of their usual bogus exorcisms.
Trailer Rating - ****
Go to - http://www.miramax.com/thebrothersgrimm/
CORPSE BRIDE
When's it Out? - 30th September
Who's Involved? - (voices) Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Danny Elfman, Albert Finney, Michael Gough, Richard E. Grant, Jane Horrocks, Christopher Lee, Joanna Lumley, directed by Tim Burton
What's it About? - A man who puts a wedding ring on the finger of a woman's skeleton as a joke gets more than he bargained for when she comes back as a ghost and claims that she is now legally his bride.
Trailer Rating - ****
Go to - http://corpsebridemovie.warnerbros.com/
THE DARK
When's it out? - 14th October
Who's involved? - Maria Bello, Sean Bean
What's it About? - In mourning over the tragic drowning of their daughter Sarah, James (Bean) and Adèle (Bello) are visited by Ebrill, a young girl who claims she died 60 years ago ... and bares a startling resemblance to Sarah.
Go to - http://www.whatisannwyn.co.uk/
DOMINO
When's it Out? - 14th October
Who's Involved? - Keira Knightley, Mickey Rourke, Edgar Ramirez, Mena Suvari, Jacqueline Bisset, Macy Gray, Delroy Lindo, Lucy Liu, Christopher Walken, directed by Tony Scott
What's it About? - Keira Knightley stars in the wild action thriller Domino, the latest project from director Tony Scott (Man on Fire, Beverly Hills Cop II, True Romance). A trademark Scott film, Domino presents an entertaining mix of gritty action, biting comedy and sharp visuals. The film tells the true story of Domino Harvey, daughter of legendary actor Laurence Harvey and a former Ford model who rejected her privileged Beverly Hills life to become a bounty hunter.
Trailer Rating - ***
Go to - http://www.dominomovie.com/
EVIL ALIENS
When's it Out? - 2005 tbc
Who's Involved? - Emily Booth
What's it About? - Scalleum is a remote farming island off the north coast of Wales, only accessible at low tide via a causeway know as the "Devils Spine". The island is also home to an ancient stone circle known as the "Devils Teeth". This provides the sinister setting for the terrifying Alien abduction of local farm girl Cat Williams and her Hitchhiker boyfriend Angelo Jones. "Weird Worlde" is a cable TV program that's having trouble with its ratings. Threatened with losing her job if things don't improve, presenter Michelle Fox (Booth) needs to come up with something special. She puts a team together to investigate the 'Scalleum Incident'. It's an intriguing story with a twist,as Cat Williams's claims to not have just been abducted by aliens but also impregnated by them! Hence the cynical TV crew accompanied by actors to stage a dramatic reconstruction and UFO expert Gavin Gorman head off to the island. They arrive and experience the weirdness of this remote community, a farm powered by manure and some very twisted Welsh Farmers. The TV crew doesn't believe a word of Cat's story, but Michelle will do anything to save her job even if she has to fake a little evidence. Tensions rise and things are about to come to a head when, the real stars arrive... Aliens, and they aren't friendly. In fact they are pure Evil!
Set against the dramatic backdrop of the sinister farm and the 'Devils Teeth' stone circle, which holds the key to an ancient mystery, everything is now prepared for the last word in inventive and stylish survival horror. To survive, our eclectic team of characters will have to tool up with whatever weapons they can find, ranging from hammers to machetes, chainsaws to rotary tillers and even a combine harvester! Will they survive the Alien threat? Who will be abducted, mutilated, probed, and decapitated?
Evil Aliens - Prepare yourself for a Bloody Close Encounter!
Read my review here
Go to - http://www.jakewest.com/
FLIGHTPLAN
When's it Out? - 28th October
Who's Involved? - Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Sean Bean, Erika Christensen
What's it About? - A claustrophobic, Hitchcockian thriller. A bereaved woman (Foster) and her daughter are flying home from Berlin to America. At 30,000 feet the child vanishes and nobody admits she was ever on that plane.
Trailer Rating - ****
Go to - http://touchstone.movies.go.com/index.html?dlink=flightplan
GRIND HOUSE
When's it out? - Spring 2006
Who's involved? - written & directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino
What's it About? - Tarantino and Rodriguez will each write and direct a 60-minute horror film, and the two films will be packaged together under the overall title GRIND HOUSE. Tarantino says GRIND HOUSE could be the first in a series of films. "The film, which is planned for a spring 2006 release, will also include its own trailers, bonus materials and added extras from other filmmakers that will be packaged together between the two horror flicks in a tribute to the old, big-city movie houses like those on New York's 42nd Street that earned the moniker grindhouses for programming genre pics back to back. An aficionado of grindhouse, Tarantino sampled grindhouse genres in his recent "Kill Bill" films. He said "Grind House" could be the first in a series of films. In a statement, the Weinsteins said, "We couldn't imagine anything more exciting than a film being made together by the two godfathers of our companies, Quentin and Robert."
HEADRUSH
When's it out? - 2005 tbc
Who's involved? - Wuzza Conlon, Gavin Kelty, Laura Pyper, Steven Berkoff, Huey Morgan
What's it About? - Directed by Shimmy Marcus, Headrush is a black comedy caper about two stoners who hope to solve all their problems by working for a notorious underworld criminal. The pair concoct an elaborate scam to smuggle dope from Amsterdam only for it to comically fall apart after run-ins with the law, a psychopathic gangster and a transvestite drug dealer. Layabouts Charlie (Conlon) and T-Bag (Kelty) orbit society in a haze of dope and dreams. When Charlie gets kicked off the dole and dumped by his girlfriend, Vicky (Pyper), his whole world crashes to earth. Determined to win her back, Charlie agrees with T-Bag to do the proverbial one off job for The Uncle (Berkoff) which sends them on a madcap adventure through the streets of Dublin and Amsterdam sinking them deeper and deeper into a seedy underworld with hilarious consequences. This fast paced caper is full of twist and turns, sharp cuts and a racy soundtrack featuring new songs by Fun Lovin' Criminals. Headrush is the winner of five international awards.
Read my review here
Trailer Rating - ***
Go to - http://www.headrushthemovie.com/
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
When's it out? - 30th September
Who's involved? - Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, William Hurt, directed by David Cronenberg
What's it About? - An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner.
Trailer Rating - ****
Go to - http://www.historyofviolence.com/
HOSTEL
When's it out? - Spring 2006
Who's involved? - Jay Hernandez, Jay Richardson, directed by Eli "Cabin Fever" Roth
What's it About? - HOSTEL is about two American friends who go on a backpacking trip to Europe, and they're looking for excitement, girls and drugs and all the stuff that you can't find in America,” Roth explains. “Someone tells them that if they want to meet girls, they got to go to Slovakia; he tells them about this hostel where there are tons of beautiful girls who'll have sex with anyone who's a foreigner. So these two guys and their Icelandic friend go to this place, and it turns out to be true; but then the next day [they find themselves] in a whole lot of trouble and we realize there's something really horrible, awful and sick going on there.
Go to - http://smstudios.adkdesign.co.uk/Hostel/
INGLORIOUS BASTARDS
When's it out? - 2006/2007 tbc
Who's involved? - Michael Madsen, Eddie Murphy, Tim Roth, Adam Sandler, written & directed by Quentin Tarantino
What's it About? - A group of disgraced U.S. soldiers during World War Two manage to escape the execution squad by going on a daring mission to help the Allies in the fight against the Nazis.
KILLSHOT
When's it out? - 2006 tbc
Who's involved? - Diane Lane, Viggo Mortensen, Mickey Rourke, Justin Timberlake, produced by Quentin Tarantino
What's it About? - Based on the novel by Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty, Out of Sight, Jackie Brown). When a naive couple learns of an extortion plot, they become the target of two killers.
KING KONG
When's it out? - December 14th
Who's involved? - Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Andy Serkis, Jamie Bell, Colin Hanks, directed by Peter Jackson
What's it About? - Set in the 1930s, this is the story of a group of explorers and documentary filmmakers who travel to the mysterious Skull Island (near Sumatra) to investigate legends of a giant gorilla named Kong. Once there, they discover that King Kong is a real creature, living in a massive jungle where creatures from prehistoric times have been protected and hidden for millions of years. As the explorers search for the great ape, their quest puts them up against both Kong and his dinosaur enemies. Ultimately, it is the attention of a beautiful human woman that soothes Kong long enough for him to be subdued by the explorers and shipped back to New York, where his bleak future involves being put on display in front of humans... but how long can even the mightiest shackles of man hold back an ape 25 feet tall?
Trailer Rating - ****
Go to - http://www.kongisking.net/
KISS KISS, BANG BANG
When's it Out? - 11th November
Who's Involved? - Robert Downey Jnr, Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, Corbin Bernsen, produced by Joel Silver, written and directed by Shane Black
What's it About? - A petty thief (Downey Jnr) posing as an actor is brought to Los Angeles for an unlikely audition and finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation along with his high school dream girl (Monaghan) and a detective (Kilmer) who's been training him for his upcoming role...
LAND OF THE DEAD
When's it out? - 23rd September
Who's involved? - Simon Baker, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento, John Leguizamo, Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright & Tom Savini (zombie cameos), directed by George A. Romero
What's it About? - In the 4th installment to George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" series, the zombies have taken over the earth. The surviving humans live on a small secluded strip of land, with two sides cut off by rivers. The humans strive to survive, while outside the zombies are steadily evolving...
Trailer Rating - ****
Go to - http://www.landofthedeadmovie.net/
THE LURKERS
When's it out? - 2006 tbc
Who's involved? - Thomas Jane
What's it About? - Los Angeles detective Jack Dietz (Jane) is having one of the worst days of his life. One body is bad enough, but when another turns up with human bite marks, he knows his world has just turned inside out...
THE MATADOR
When's it out? - 25th November
Who's involved? - Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, Hope Davis, Philip Baker Hall
What's it About? - A globetrotting hitman and a crestfallen businessman meet in a hotel bar in Mexico City in an encounter that draws them together in a way neither expected.
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
When's it out? - 13th January 2006
Who's involved? - Zhang Ziyi, Ken Watanabe, Michelle Yeoh, directed by Rob Marshall
What's it About? - Nitta Sayuri (Ziyi) reveals how she transcended her fishing-village roots and became one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.
THE MOGULS
When's it out? - 11th November
Who's involved? - Jeff Bridges, Tim Blake Nelson, Joe Pantoliano, William Fichtner, Ted Danson, Patrick Fugit, John Hawkes, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Lauren Graham
What's it About? - Citizens of a small town, under the influence of a man in the midst of a mid-life crisis (Bridges), come together to make an adult film.
THE NEW WORLD
When's it out? - 18th November
Who's involved? - Colin Farrell, Christian Bale, Christopher Plummer, Wes Studi, Noah Taylor, David Thewlis, directed by Terrence Malick
What's it About? - A Terrence Malick-scripted drama about explorer John Smith (Farrell) and the clash between Native Americans and the British in the 17th century.
Trailer Rating - ***
Go to - http://www.thenewworldmovie.com/
NIGHT WATCH
When's it out? - 7th October
Who's involved? - Konstantin Khabensky, Vladimir Menshou, Valery Zolotukhin, Maria Poroshina, Galina Tunina, Victor Verzhbitsk
What's it About? - A fantasy-thriller set in present-day Moscow where the respective forces that control daytime and nighttime do battle.
Read my review here
Trailer Rating - ****
Go to - http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/nwnd/
PRETTY PERSUASION
When's it out? - 2005 tbc
Who's involved? - Evan Rachel Wood, Ron Livingston, James Woods, Jane Krakowski, Selma Blair
What's it About? - A 15-year-old girl (Wood) incites chaos among her friends and a media frenzy when she accuses her drama teacher (Livingston) of sexual harassment.
Trailer Rating - ****
Go to - http://www.prettypersuasionthemovie.com/
PULSE
When's it out? - Spring 2006
Who's involved? - Kristen Bell, Christina Milian, Rick Gonzalez, Samm Levine, Ian Somerhalder
What's it About? - A group of college students who discover that a computer hacker friend of theirs unwittingly pirated a strange wireless signal that opened a doorway for a terrifying evil to cross over into the world. As it spreads, everyone in its path is consumed, and the students must race to find a way to stop it.
RENT
When's it out? - 17th February 2006
Who's involved? - Rosario Dawson, Taye Diggs, Sarah Silverman, directed by Chris Columbus
What's it About? - This is the film version of the Pulitzer and Tony Award winning musical about Bohemians in the East Village of New York City struggling with life, love and AIDS, and the impacts they have on America.
Trailer Rating - **
Go to - http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/rent/
REVOLVER
When's it out? - 22nd September
Who's involved? - Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, Andre Benjamin, Vincent Pastore, produced by Luc Besson, directed by Guy Ritchie
What's it About? - Gambler Jack Green (Statham) enters into a game with potentially deadly consequences.
Trailer Rating - ****
Go to - http://www.revolverthemovie.co.uk/
ROMANCE & CIGARETTES
When's it out? - Autumn 2005
Who's involved? - James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Bobby Cannavale, Mandy Moore, Mary-Louise Parker, Aida Turturro, Christopher Walken, Eddie Izzard, directed by John Turturro
What's it About? - This big-screen musical is being described as Pennies From Heaven meets The Honeymooners, as set in Bensonhurst, N.Y. In it, a two-timing husband must choose between his mistress and his beleaguered wife.
A SCANNER DARKLY
When's it out? - 2006 tbc
Who's involved? - Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jnr, Woody Harrelson, Winona Ryder, directed by Richard Linklater
What's it About? - Set in a future world where America has lost the war on drugs, undercover cop Fred (Reeves) is one of many agents hooked on the popular drug Substance D, which causes its users to develop split personalities. Fred, for instance, is also Bob, a notorious drug dealer. Along with his superior officers, Fred sets up an elaborate scheme to catch Bob and tear down his operation.
Trailer Rating - ***
SERENITY
When's it Out? - 7th October
Who's Involved? - Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Jewel Staite, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher, Ron Glass, Chiwetel Ejiofor, David Krumholtz, directed by Joss Whedon
What's it About? - The feature-length adaptation of Joss Whedon's TV show, set five hundred years in the future, aboard Serenity, a transport ship captained by Capt. Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds. The film centers around Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire aboard his ship, "Serenity." He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family -- squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal. When Mal takes on two new passengers -- a young doctor and his unstable, telepathic sister -- he gets much more than he bargained for. The pair are fugitives from the coalition dominating the universe, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the girl. The crew that was once used to skimming the outskirts of the galaxy unnoticed find themselves caught between the unstoppable military force of the Universal Alliance and the horrific, cannibalistic fury of the Reavers, savages who roam the very edge of space. Hunted by vastly different enemies, they begin to discover that the greatest danger to them may be on board "Serenity" herself.
Read my review here
Trailer Rating - ****
Go to - http://www.serenitymovie.com/
SIN CITY 2
When's it out? - Summer 2006
Who's involved? - Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Brittany Murphy, Jessica Alba, directed by Frank Miller & Robert Rodriguez
What's it About? - More dark tales of the violent underbelly of Basin City. It's one of those hot nights, dry and windless. The kind that makes people do sweaty, secret things. Dwight's (Owen) thinking of all the ways he's screwed up and what he'd give for one clear chance to wipe the slate clean, to dig his way out of the numb gray hell that is his life. And he'd give anything. Just to cut loose. Just to feel the fire. One more time.
SKY HIGH
When's it Out? - 21st October
Who's Involved? - Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston, Bruce Campbell
What's it About? - Set in a world where superheroes are commonly known and accepted, young Will, the son of Commander Stronghold and Jetstream, tries to find a balance between being a normal teenager and an extraordinary being.
Trailer Rating - ****
Go to - http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/index.html?dlink=skyhigh
SOUTHLAND TALES
When's it Out? - Summer 2006
Who's Involved? - The Rock, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Seann William Scott, Kevin Smith, directed by Richard "Donnie Darko" Kelly
What's it About? - A musical/comedy set in 2008 where a three-day heatwave in Los Angeles culminates in a huge Fourth of July party. Writer/director Richard Kelly is describing the script as "30% comedy, 30% musical, 30% thriller, and 10% science fiction".
Go to - http://www.southlandtales.com/
SUPERMAN RETURNS
When's it Out? - 14th July
Who's Involved? - Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, Frank Langella, Eva Marie Saint, Parker Posey, Marlon Brando, directed by Bryan Singer
What's it About? - Following a mysterious absence of several years, the Man of Steel (Routh) comes back to Earth in the epic action-adventure Superman Returns, a soaring new chapter in the saga of one of the world's most beloved superheroes. While an old enemy plots to render him powerless once and for all, Superman faces the heartbreaking realization that the woman he loves, Lois Lane (Bosworth), has moved on with her life. Or has she? Superman's bittersweet return challenges him to bridge the distance between them while finding a place in a society that has learned to survive without him. In an attempt to protect the world he loves from cataclysmic destruction, Superman embarks on an epic journey of redemption that takes him from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of outer space.
Go to - http://www.bluetights.net/
SYRIANA
When's it Out? - 2005 tbc
Who's Involved? - George Clooney, Matt Damon, Amanda Peet, Michelle Monaghan, Chris Cooper, Gina Gershon, William Hurt, Ali Larter, Christopher McDonald, Tim Blake Nelson, Greta Scaachi, Jeffrey Wright
What's it About? - Robert Baer (Clooney), a 21-year veteran of the CIA, spent his entire career investigating terrorists around the globe. As the dangers of terrorism increased, Baer watched as the CIA's funding was cut, politics overtook judgment, and warning signs were ignored. But the struggle becomes personal when and oil executive (Damon) and his wife (Peet) are faced with a family tragedy...
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
When's it out? - tbc
Who's involved? - Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, Adam Brody, Sam Elliott, Katie Holmes, William H. Macy, J.K. Simmons, Robert Duvall, Rob Lowe
What's it About? - Satirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor (Eckhart), who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his twelve-year-old son.
THUMBSUCKER
When's it out? - 28th October
Who's involved? - Lou Pucci, Tilda Swinton, Vincent D'Onofrio, Keanu Reeves, Benjamin Bratt, Kelli Garner, Vince Vaughn
What's it About? - Justin (Pucci) throws himself and everyone around him into chaos when he attempts to break free from his addiction to his thumb.
Trailer Rating - ***
Go to - http://www.sonyclassics.com/thumbsucker/
V FOR VENDETTA
When's it out? - March 2006
Who's involved? - Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Fry, Rupert Graves, John Hurt, Stephen Rea, produced by Joel Silver, written & produced by the Wachowski Brothers
What's it About? - In an alternate timeline where Germany won World War II and Great Britain is now a fascist state, a masked vigilante known only as "V" conducts guerrilla warfare against the government. When he rescues a normal young woman (Portman), she joins his struggle against the forces of oppression...
Trailer Rating - ****
Go to - http://vforvendetta.warnerbros.com/
WALK THE LINE
When's it out? - 27th January 2006
Who's involved? - Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Patrick, Shelby Lynne
What's it About? - A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's (Phoenix) life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.
Trailer Rating - ****
Go to - http://www.walkthelinethemovie.com/
WATCHMEN
When's it out? - 2006 tbc
Who's involved? - directed by Paul Greengrass
What's it About? - A crime/conspiracy story based on the influential comic by Alan Moore. Watchmen focuses on the every day life of out of work superheroes. Costumed superheroism has been outlawed, and most groups have been abandoned. But as a new threat presents itself, the paranoid masked detective/vigilante Rorschach uncovers a conspiracy to destroy all masked heroes.
Go to - http://www.watchmenmovie.com/
WOLF CREEK
When's it out? - 16th September
What's it About? - A chilling, factually-based, story of three road-trippers in remote Australia who are plunged into danger when they accept help from a friendly local.
Trailer Rating - ****
Go to - http://www.wolfcreekmovie.com/
THE WOODS
When's it out? - 2005 tbc
Who's involved? - Patricia Clarkson, Bruce Campbell
What's it About? - Based in 1965, an all-girls private school deals with the mysterous going-ons in the woods surrounding the school.
Go to - http://www.mgm.com/ua/thewoods/
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ZATHURA
When's it out? - 3rd February 2006
Who's involved? - Tim Robbins, directed by Jon Favreau
What's it About? - "Zathura" is the story of two young brothers who are drawn into an intergalactic adventure when their house is magically hurtled through space. The story is based on the book Zathura by children's author Chris Van Allsburg.
Trailer Rating - ****
Go to - http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/zathura/index.html