Looking Ahead at 2009: The Year Ahead in Film

Now that my lovefest for the year 2008 is over (no more best of lists left to do) I look forward. Here is a sampling of some things in the near future that I am highly anticipating in the world of film and music. This segment .

Obviously most of the best dramas won't be realized until the third quarter of the year, we will have to take a look at 2009's blockbuster landscape and some of the early dramatic releases. The year seems to be lacking more so than last year, especially in the Blockbuster category. Nevertheless, I am excited to see a movie like X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Three huge reasons why: Danny Huston taking over the role of William Stryker (no offense, Brian Cox), Liev Schrieber stepping in to play Victor Creed and Sabbertooth and Gavin Hood directing (he directed the fantastic Tsotsi a few years back and I am intrigued to see him do a big budget action flick.) Needless to say, this will be a popcorn flick, but with some great support, can be better than any of the previous films in the franchise. It will definitely be better than the Brett Ratner Abortion known as X-3. Although McG sounds like a shitty urban meal at McDonalds, it's actually a rather shitty director taking over the Terminator series. HOWEVER, something tells me that this might just be the project that will be McG's only achievment. Terminator: Salvation might just be decent. Obviously the Christian Bale factor is enough to persuade me to see it, but the post apocalyptic vision that McG has created from the trailer seems very awesome. To be honest, the Terminator series is nothing but glorified popcorn so if this is even mildly enjoyable, and should be at least somewhat better than T3: Rise of the Machines. Maybe not, but I will be there. The crappy blockbuster of the summer, no not Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, but G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra will be worth seeing if not only for the Quaid hilarity factor, but with support from awesome character actor Christopher Eccleston and rising star Joseph Gordon Levitt (as COBRA COMMANDER?!?!) If anything, this will be the drunken movie going experience of the year. The most anticipated blockbuster of the year, you ask? That obviously goes to J.J. Abrams revamp and overhaul of Star Trek. James Bond got it's Oughts update and lord knows that Casino Royale was fantastic. Trek may be even more necessary of a revamp. I am not trekker or trekkie, nor do I know much about the story, but if there was ever a time to get excited for it, it's now. Abrams helming this project is perfect and him bringing his eye for great young actors to portray a young Enterprise crew is noble. The trailer looks awesome. And as much as I probably should look forward to it, I'm not creaming over Watchmen as much as everyone else is. It looks good and all and I am definitely going to see it, but we'll see. I was not impressed with 300 so I'm not really going into a Zakk Snyder movie with much anticipation.

Beyond straight up big budget flicks, the likes of other movie titans are on the horizon. Quentin Tarantino's long awaited Inglorious Basterds finally has a trailer. A strange cast for QT, but I like seeing him do something different. Guarunteed to be ultra violent in the least. He hasn't failed me yet. QT is one director who has yet to make a complete stinker so it should be good. After a few years of basking in the glory of Lord of the Rings and hiding from the suckfest that was King Kong, Peter Jackson will try something different with his adaptation of The Lovely Bones. Peter Jackson doing anything outside of an action flick should be interesting. Daniel Day-Lewis follows up his There Will Be Blood role with the movie Nine, a musical adaptation of Federico Fellini's 8 1/2. This should be interesting. The supporting cast alone is breathtaking with Marion Cotillard, Dame Judi Dench and Sophia Loren among others. A crime drama starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale entitled Public Enemies also stands a chance of being an amazing movie going event. The story of Dillinger gets proper due by Michael Mann. Obviously the #1 anticipated movie of the year is John Hillcoat's delayed adaptation of The Road. I've been fawning over the same production stills for the past six months. Not even a teaser trailer?! Not even 30 seconds of footage? Come on, Weinsteins! You are really breaking my balls. Hillcoat will bring the same grit he did to The Proposition. Lord knows that this gritty style will do justice to the harrowing depiction in the book. It's long-awaited, but should pose to be one of the best films of the year.

Coming soon: 2009 in Music