3:10 to Yuma
directed by James Mangold
Call it the fall of the west, but the coming season holds no less than three high-profile Westerns: This, The Assassination of Jesse James and No Country for Old Men. This remake stars Christian Bale as a poor farmer given the task of making sure that a captured outlaw makes a train taking him to prison. Russell Crowe, in an attempt to shake off A Good Year, turns his violent charm up to 11. As this is Mangold’s follow-up to Walk The Line, one can only hope that none of the characters has a drug addiction he or she has to overcome to finally make it as a musician.
The Brothers Solomon
directed by Bob Odenkirk
Anybody who has been a fan of comedy in the last 15 years knows Bob Odenkirk. Anybody who’s been a fan of comedy in the last five years knows Will Arnett, Will Forte and Jenna Fischer. Why then haven’t these hilarious people been able to translate their comedy into big-screen laughs? Odenkirk’s last directorial effort, Let’s Go To Prison, was hard to watch even for Odenkirk fanatics. Arnett was last seen in Blades of Glory, which was hardly memorable. And Forte and Fischer have had better luck with small cameos in smaller movies and TV shows. Let’s cross our fingers on this one and hope for the best.
I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With
directed by Jeff Garlin
Jeff Garlin is one of the funniest men alive. He’s got charisma, character and just about every other trait one could hope for in comedian. My only hope in life is that this movie is the funniest movie of the year, and that it brings Garlin piles and piles of work. He’s been successful so far, acting in and producing HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,†as well as popping up in tons of memorable cameos elsewhere. But, good comedians don’t always translate well to the big screen (see Bob Odenkirk). Combining that with star Sarah Silverman’s love-her-or-hate-her reputation, this movie could be amazing. Again, let’s all just go ahead and cross our fingers on this one.
Shoot ‘Em Up
directed by Michael Davis
This movie has been putting most people at a loss for words, as it’s impossible to describe unless you’ve seen the trailer. It’s, technically, a guns blazing action movie starring Clive Owen, Monica Bellucci and Paul Giamatti. What makes it really weird is that Giamatti plays a family man who happens to be a mob boss, Bellucci plays a prostitute who does breast-feeding fantasies and Owen plays a man protecting a newborn who was born in a shootout. It’s reminiscent of Smokin’ Aces, but with a dash of the ridiculousness of Crank and topped off with just the tiniest pinch of the sarcasm of Last Action Hero.
By Brian Hickey
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