Fall film preview: Bond is back, along with vampires, war epics
By Casey Gillis on Oct. 01, 2008
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Harry Potter pulled a disappearing act from Hollywood’s fall and holiday schedule, his sixth big-screen adventure bumped from this November into next summer.
That leaves a little more room to roam at the box office for the likes of James Bond, a vampire heartthrob, the “High School Musical” kids and all those talking cartoon critters studios are about to unleash.
The season offers action (Bond’s latest, “Quantum of Solace”), family flicks (the animated sequel “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa”), fantasy romance (the best-seller adaptation “Twilight”), and serious stuff lining up for the Academy Awards, from Nicole Kidman’s epic “Australia” to Bond star Daniel Craig’s war saga “Defiance.”
Brad Pitt reunites with old pals George Clooney and Cate Blanchett in two films, Clint Eastwood does his own two-fer by directing Angelina Jolie in one drama and himself in another, and Oliver Stone takes on his latest president with a George W. Bush biopic.
Highlights of what Hollywood has in store:
The world at war
World War II is huge this season, with Cruise, Craig and director Spike Lee all offering dramas touching on little-known aspects of the conflict.
In director Bryan Singer’s “Valkyrie,” Cruise stars as German Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, who led a group of insiders in a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler with a briefcase bomb.
Key scenes were shot at actual places in Germany where events occurred, including Bendlerblock, the place where the anti-Nazi conspirators were executed.
“It was eerie, but on the other hand, when looking at it from Stauffenberg’s viewpoint and what he did and what these men did, it was powerful,” Cruise said. “As an actor, I think I can say for all of us who were there that we felt fortunate to get those locations and shoot at those places. It really changes the performances to do it there at that spot.”
Craig stars with Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell in Edward Zwick’s “Defiance,” the story of Jewish brothers who escape the Nazis and set up a community of resistance fighters in Eastern Europe.
License to avenge
When we last saw Mr. Bond, the super-spy in the making was really steamed and looking for payback over the death of the love of his life.
“Quantum of Solace” picks up where “Casino Royale” left off, pitting Bond against a phony environmentalist trying to monopolize the water supply.
The title comes from a phrase in an Ian Fleming short story, where someone describes to Bond a relationship that unraveled and what measure of devotion is required to keep love alive.
“I love the idea of it. It applied to where Bond was at the end of the last movie,” Craig said. “The one thing he didn’t have with the relationship was that quantum of solace.”
Also on the action front: Mark Wahlberg stars as a cop out to avenge the deaths of his family and partner in the video-game adaptation “Max Payne”; Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen are hired lawmen in the Western “Appaloosa,” directed by Harris and featuring Renee Zellweger; and Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe team for Ridley Scott’s “Body of Lies,” about a CIA hunt for a terrorist mastermind.
Love at first bite
“Twilight” is the good-girl, bad-boy romance based on the first book in Stephenie Meyer’s series about an awkward teen (Kristen Stewart) who falls for a dazzling, eternally young stud (Robert Pattinson).
OK, so he’s a vampire, but a nice vampire, from a family of bloodsuckers who eschew gnawing on human necks.
“He doesn’t want to be a monster, he doesn’t want to kill people,” said “Twilight” director Catherine Hardwicke. “He loves her, but if he gets too passionate, he will want her blood. He will want to kill her.”
Other odd romances include “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” director Kevin Smith’s tale of destitute best pals (Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks) who do a skin flick to raise cash.
Leo and Kate
Their epic love was giddy, passionate, unshakable - until the ship hit the iceberg and sank. The stars of “Titanic,” Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, share a far different love story in “Revolutionary Road,” playing a couple whose marriage comes undone as they seek meaning amid the stifling conformity of the 1950s.
Among other big-screen reunions: Brad Pitt rejoins “Babel” co-star Cate Blanchett for David Fincher’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald story about a man who ages backward toward infancy; and Nicole Kidman is back with “Moulin Rouge” creator Baz Luhrmann, co-starring with Hugh Jackman in “Australia,” a tale of a British aristocrat and a roughneck driving cattle across the continent amid a Japanese attack during World War II.
Double-barrelled Eastwood
One of Hollywood’s most efficient filmmakers, perpetual Academy Award contender Clint Eastwood again cranks out two movies in short order. First, he directs Angelina Jolie in “Changeling,” the story of a single mom coping with corrupt police who return the wrong child in place of her abducted son.
Then, Eastwood directs himself in “Gran Torino,” playing a veteran whose prejudices are challenged in encounters with his immigrant neighbors.
Awards season is crowded with other serious films featuring past Oscar winners, among them “Milk,” starring Sean Penn as slain gay political pioneer Harvey Milk; “The Soloist,” with Jamie Foxx as a schizophrenic music prodigy befriended by a journalist (Robert Downey Jr.); and “Doubt,” with Meryl Streep as a nun who suspects a priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) of abusing a boy.
Nixon/Bush
Three decades ago, Richard Nixon faced the scrutiny of David Frost in what became a television event for the ages as the British TV personality delivered a remarkably candid interview with the fallen president.
“This was two lone wolves. It’s a duel. Two complicated, fascinating, really brilliant people,” said Ron Howard, who directs “Frost/Nixon,” adapted from the play about the TV showdown. Reprising their stage roles, Frank Langella stars as Nixon opposite Michael Sheen as Frost.
“For men with their histories, their intelligence, their egos, a contest like this really did become kind of life and death,” Howard said. “They say it in the piece: There can be only one winner.”
The current president, George W. Bush, comes under the scrutiny of director Oliver Stone, who previously took on White House matters with “Nixon” and “JFK.” Stone’s “W.” - due out right before the November election - chronicles Bush’s life from his Yale days through the Iraq War.
“We’re telling it while he’s still in office, which has never been done,” said Elizabeth Banks, who plays Laura Bush. “The Bush family is a political dynasty. In America, it’s the closest thing we have to a political dynasty. Other than John Adams and John Quincy Adams, we’ve never had father-and-son presidents like this before.”
For teens
Apparently, 12th grade was too much for your puny television.
“High School Musical 3: Senior Year” takes the Disney Channel sensation to the big-screen, reuniting the unlikely singing partners, basketball jock Troy (Zac Efron) and brainiac Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens), along with stage rivals Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) and Ryan (Lucas Grabeel).
Another Disney Channel star, Miley Cyrus, lends her voice to the animated adventure “Bolt,” the story of a canine TV star (voiced by John Travolta) on a cross-country trek to get home to his human co-star (Cyrus).
And those pesky “Madagascar” penguins are back, crashing the gang’s plane in Africa then recruiting loads of grease monkeys - meaning actual monkeys - to rebuild it.
Highlights
Out now:
APPALOOSA: Hired lawman (Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris) take on a tough rancher (Jeremy Irons) in a Western directed by Harris. Renee Zellweger co-stars.
October:
BODY OF LIES: A CIA man (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes after a terrorist kingpin while a crafty colleague (Russell Crowe) runs interference. Ridley Scott directs.
THE BROTHERS BLOOM: Con artist siblings (Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo) take an heiress (Rachel Weisz) on a globe-trotting quest for valuables.
CHANGELING: Angelina Jolie stars in Clint Eastwood’s drama about a single mom fighting corrupt police trying to cover their tracks in the abduction of her son.
CITY OF EMBER: Tim Robbins and Bill Murray star in a fantasy about an underground city coping with an energy crisis.
FILTH AND WISDOM: Madonna’s directing debut centers on a Ukrainian cross-dressing punk-rocker and his roommates - a ballerina-turned-stripper and a humanitarian pharmacist.
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR: Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and the other kids sing and dance through their final school year.
HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS AND ALIENATE PEOPLE: An inept British journalist wreaks havoc among the celebrities he covers. With Simon Pegg and Kirsten Dunst.
MAX PAYNE: Mark Wahlberg takes the title role as a cop tracking the killer of his family and partner in this video-game adaptation.
NICK & NORA’S INFINITE PLAYLIST: A Manhattan all-nighter holds the promise of romance for two teens (Michael Cera and Kat Dennings).
PRIDE AND GLORY: A New York City family of cops is shaken when a son is forced to investigate his brother. With Edward Norton and Colin Farrell.
QUARANTINE: A news crew’s video holds the key to the truth about a mysterious infection that strikes an apartment building in this horror tale.
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED: An addict (Anne Hathaway) rekindles tension and tragic family memories at her sister’s wedding. Jonathan Demme directs.
RELIGULOUS: Bill Maher travels the world to talk God and religion with the faithful in this documentary from “Borat” director Larry Charles.
ROCKNROLLA: London crooks scramble for a piece of the action in a land scheme. With Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton and Ludacris. Guy Ritchie directs.
SAW V: If it’s Halloween season, it must be time for another torture tale about diabolical killer Jigsaw. With Tobin Bell and Costas Mandylor.
THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES: A troubled teen (Dakota Fanning) finds respite in the beekeeping world of three sisters. With Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Sophie Okonedo.
SEX DRIVE: A teen (Josh Zuckerman) sets out with two pals on a cross-country trip to lose his virginity. Featuring Seth Green and James Marsden.
SYNEDOCHE, NEW YORK: Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a theater director trying to re-create New York City. Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (“Being John Malkovich”) directs.
W.: Oliver Stone chronicles the life of party-boy-turned-president George W. Bush (Josh Brolin). Elizabeth Banks, James Cromwell and Richard Dreyfuss co-star.
ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO: Destitute roommies (Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks) try to make a skin flick to raise cash. Directed by Kevin Smith.
November:
AUSTRALIA: Nicole Kidman reunites with “Moulin Rouge” director Baz Luhrmann for the story of a noblewoman on a cattle drive in Australia during World War II. With Hugh Jackman.
FOUR CHRISTMASES: A couple (Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn) with a large extended family must endure four holiday gatherings with kin.
MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA: Zoo animals are stranded again in this animated sequel reuniting voice stars Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith.
MILK: Sean Penn stars as gay political pioneer Harvey Milk, who was slain by a fellow San Francisco city supervisor. Gus Van Sant directs.
QUANTUM OF SOLACE: James Bond (Daniel Craig), vengeful over the death of his love, takes on a phony environmentalist trying to control water supplies.
REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA: Organ-donor recipients who can’t make their payments face repossession in this horror-musical that features Paris Hilton.
THE ROAD: A man and his son trek across a desolate land after a global catastrophe has destroyed most life on Earth. With Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron.
ROLE MODELS: Two adult adolescents (Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott) are sentenced to community service as youth mentors.
THE SOLOIST: A music prodigy (Jamie Foxx) now living on the streets is befriended by a journalist (Robert Downey Jr.).
SOUL MEN: Samuel L. Jackson and the late Bernie Mac are an estranged singing duo reunited for a tribute concert. The late Isaac Hayes co-stars.
TRANSPORTER 3: Jason Statham is back on the job as the ex-Special Ops guy who’s now the world’s most-dangerous delivery man.
TWILIGHT: The publishing sensation comes to Hollywood in this tale of an eternally young vampire (Robert Pattinson) and his teen soul mate (Kristen Stewart).
December:
BEDTIME STORIES: Adam Sandler’s a hotel handyman whose drab life starts changing after the tall tales he tells his niece and nephew start to come true.
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL: Keanu Reeves stars as an alien on a portentous visit to Earth in this remake of the 1950s sci-fi classic. Jennifer Connelly co-stars.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON: Brad Pitt stars as a man aging backward from his 80s to infancy. With Cate Blanchett, directed by David Fincher.
DEFIANCE: Jewish brothers (Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell) evade the Nazis and form a community to protect others in jeopardy.
DOUBT: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams star in a drama about a nun who accuses a priest of abusing a student.
FROST/NIXON: Ron Howard directs the adaptation of the play about the soul-baring 1977 interview between Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) and David Frost (Michael Sheen).
GRAN TORINO: Clint Eastwood directs and stars as a veteran whose prejudices are challenged by his immigrant neighbors.
MARLEY & ME: A kooky dog winds up teaching valuable life lessons to his two-legged friends. With Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson.
PUNISHER: WAR ZONE: The Marvel Comics vigilante (Ray Stevenson) is himself a target for vengeance by a crime boss.
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD: “Titanic” stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet reunite as a couple struggling to break out of the boredom of 1950s suburbia.
SEVEN POUNDS: Will Smith’s an IRS agent making amends for past wrongs by helping seven strangers. With Rosario Dawson and Woody Harrelson.
THE SPIRIT: Graphic novelist Frank Miller (“300”) directs the tale of a resurrected crime-fighter (Gabriel Macht). With Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson.
VALKYRIE: Tom Cruise stars as a German colonel attempting to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Bryan Singer (“The Usual Suspects,” “X-Men”) directs.
YES MAN: A guy (Jim Carrey) whose life has stagnated turns it around with a just-say-yes policy about everything.
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