Friday, January 16, 2009

Movies to Anticipate in January

Well, we have half the month of January left and there's still a few decent movies coming out. With Russell's "State of Play" not due until April, I thought I'd see what movies the rest of you Russell fans are looking forward to in January.

My favorite so far has, without a doubt, been "Gran Torino". I'm a long-time Clint Eastwood fan and it's great to see him have the biggest box-office opening of his career with this movie, which is classic Eastwood with a little something extra thrown in. That said, here's a few others I'm looking forward to for the rest of January.

Of Time and the City
January 21
A filmmaker looks at the history and transformation of his birthplace, Liverpool, England. (This documentary by writer and director Terence Davies is scheduled for only limited release in the US so I, like many others, will probably have to wait for the DVD. But I have a love of history and this movie looks fascinating.)

Inkheart (January 23)
"Inkheart" is a thrilling adventure that stars Brendan Fraser as Mo Folchart, a father who possesses a secret ability to bring characters from books to life when he reads them aloud. But when Mo accidentally brings a power-hungry villain from a rare children's fable to life, the villain kidnaps Mo's daughter and demands Mo bring other evil fictional characters to life. In an attempt to rescue his daughter, Mo assembles a disparate group of friends - both real and magic - and embarks on a journey to save her and set things right. (I've never been a big fan of Brendan Fraser, but the presence of Paul Bettany and Helen Mirren make this one a good possibility for me.)

Killshot (January 23)
In the thriller, based on the Elmore Leonard novel, a woman and her blue-collar husband become the targets of two killers after they stumble on an extortion plot hatched by the bad guys. Carmen (Lane) saw the scam and now she and Wayne (Jane), her ironworker husband, have to pay.

Blackbird (Rourke) kills smart and deadly. Richie kills stupid and crazy. Both are out to erase any living evidence--and when these lethal partners take up the chase, a safe place from killing is awfully hard to find. (I love thrillers, especially thrillers by Elmore Leonard. Throw in a newly rejuvenated Mickey Rourke as the killer and I'm there for this one.)

Outlander (January 23)
"Outlander" begins when a space craft crashes into the majestic fjords of ancient Norway and into the time of the Vikings. From the wreckage emerge two bitter enemies: a soldier from another world – Kainan – and a bloodthirsty creature known as the Moorwen. Man and monster both seeking revenge for violence committed against them. As the Moorwen ravages the Viking world, killing everything in its path, Kainan forms an unlikely alliance with the primitive but fierce warriors. Combining his advanced technology with ancient Iron Age weapons, the hero leads a desperate attempt to kill the monster - before it destroys them all. (Action, adventure, fantasy, sci-fi. What more could you ask for to make a movie fun? Then, they added Jim Caviezel and Ron Perlman.)


Taken (January 30)
"Taken" stars Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills, an ex-government operative who has less than four days to find his kidnapped daughter, who has been taken on her first day of vacation in Paris. (I love a good action-adventure and I love Liam Neeson. No more to say.)



So, are there any particular movies you're looking forward to for the rest of January?



1 comment:

Bridgid said...

I'm looking forward to Russell Crowe's new film but I'm looking forward to seeing Inkheart too. Thanks, Layne

Bridgid