October film release dates

First, I'd like to state how happy I am that Kelly Macdonald won best supporting actress in a television movie for "Girl in the Cafe" and that the film itself won the best television movie award at the Emmys (The film features songs by the band Sigur ros which I now love). Sadly, I am probably the only one who cares about this Emmy win or any Emmy win for that matter.

Anyway, on to more of my film picks for the fall. I will eventually update the last post with more a brief one- sentence synopsis for each film and add their respective trailers, if any.

October 6

-The Departed, directed by Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull). Although I have doubts about this American remake of the Hong Kong crime drama "Infernal Affairs," the film could be a potential surprise. The cast features Leonardo Dicaprio, Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, among others. The film revolves around two moles within the Boston State Police department and the Irish mafia, respectively, who are both assigned to discover the identity of the mole which has infiltrated their side.

-The Queen, directed by Stephen Frears (Dirty Pretty Things)- The film stars Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II and, if played well, her role may garner her an academy nomination. Coincidently, Helen Mirren has also played Queen Elizabeth I in the television miniseries Elizabeth I. Hopefully, she will avoid the dismal fate of being typecast as royalty for the rest of her life. This specific film depicts Queen Elizabeth's reaction to the death of Princess Diana as well as the following conflict with Prime Minister Tony Blair over the impact of the tragedy in the public and private sphere.

October 13

-Sunshine, directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting). A science fiction film starring Cillian Murphy about a crew of astronauts sent to regenerate a part of a dying sun years after the mysterious disappearance of the last expedition. Why I am interested in this film? It's Danny Boyle and Cillian Murphy is an interesting new actor.

-Shortbus- directed by John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch). From this point on, this film will probably be reductively known as the "kinky sex" movie which is quite sad since it is mean to be genuinely good. In fact, it was supposedly one of the few bright spots at the disappointing Cannes film festival. I can't wait to see it, but I doubt it will evern come to any theatre near here.

-Little Children, directed by Todd Field (In the Bedroom). This film is possibly another contender (which is never always a good thing) for next year's Oscars which stars both Kate Winslet and Jennifer Connelly. The film's plot revolves around the intersecting lives of two newlywed couples within a community and the trouble which arises from this unstable relationship. The film is an adaptation of a Tom Perrotta novel.

October 20th

Flags of our Fathers, directed by Clint Eastwood(Unforgiven, Mystic River). Having already covered this film, I see no need for a new synopsis. Suffice it to say, this is the first film of Eastwood's twin project involving the battle of Iwo Jima from the American perspective. The other film is Red Sun, Black Sand which depicts the Japanese perspective of the war with an entire Japanese cast who speak Japanese (Rob Marshall could learn some lessons from this project).

Marie Antoinette, directed by Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation). I'll need to explain this choice. Despite the tepid reception at the Cannes film festival, my dislike of Kirsten Dunst, and the historical innacuracies which are bound to plague the film, this film may not be as bad as claimed. First, at Cannes, there was also enough critics who actually enjoyed the film and it was reported that the initial boos after its showing were rather small in number and grossly exagerrated. Although the film has been criticized as superficial by some, the cinematography as well as set and costume design (the costumes will probably garner it an Academy award nomination) seen in the trailer could redeem the film of a few flaws. In other words, the film looks beautiful and could satisfy me on a purely superficial level ("wow, look at all the pretty colours" superficial). I still doubt the film will be good and I am not a personal fan of Sofia Coppola's last works, but, given my low expectations, it could surprise me.

The Prestige, directed by Christopher Nolan (Following, Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins).
Christopher Nolan's next film starring the always interesting Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman (who is considerably less interesting). The film revolves around the intense rivalry between two magicians. A rivalry which will have grave consequences for both involved.


Running with Scissors - directed by Ryan Murphy. This is another of those comedy/drama films with a quirky and disfunctional family somewhat akin to Little Miss Sunshine. In the film, Augusten Burroughs (Joseph Cross) is handed over by his emotionally distraught mother and alcoholic father to his mother's therapist, Dr. Finch, played by Brian Cox. One of the main draws for this film is its cast. The film features Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Brian Cox, Annette Bening, Evan Rachel Wood, Joseph Cross, and Alec Baldwin. What made me choose this film as one of my fall picks was its interesting trailer. If you look at my past and earliest posts, you can find a link to the trailer.

October 27

Babel- directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Amorres Perros, 21 Grams). For this film, Inarritu won the best director award at the Cannes film festival. Although some reactions were mixed, the majority was very positive. This is actually one of the films I am most anticipating this fall. The film's cast is composed of Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Kôji Yakusho. I love both the past work of the director and writer Guillermo Arriaga who have collaborated to produce Amores Perros and 21 Grams. Arriaga recently wrote the screenplay for the film "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" which is also a good film (although not great).