movies to see, movies to avoid

I regularly haunt Apple.com/trailers. It gives me an idea of what movies I'd like to see, and which ones I'd want to avoid. Right now, there are a few films that might be worth my while. Here are their titles, along with links to the QuickTime vids at the Apple site. For the QuickTime-challenged, I'd recommend doing a title search on YouTube for the films in question.

Films to see:

1. "Connected" (opening September 16, 2011)

An introspective exploration of the modern and primitive ways in which people are interconnected.

2. "Finding Joe" (opening September 30, 2011)

In praise of the monomythic insights of Joseph Campbell, and how the maxim "Follow Your Bliss" can be applied to your life.

3. "Warrior" (opening today, September 9, 2011)

A tale of two estranged brothers, each wounded in his own way, who train to fight each other in a mixed martial arts championship. The film's probably horrible, but I'm a sucker for this sort of story.

4. "The Skin I Live In" (opening October 14, 2011)

Director Pedro Almodóvar still obsesses over women, but I've heard this is his most fucked-up film ever: a vengeful scientist finds the perfect victim on which to experiment.

5. "A Dangerous Method" (opening November 23, 2011)

Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung are drawn into a web of madness spun by a patient played by Keira Knightley. The big draw here: "Method" is directed by David Cronenberg!

6. "The Woman" (opening October 2011; no specific date given)

Imagine finding a feral woman-- who may be demonically possessed-- in the woods. Wouldn't your first thought be "Can we keep her?" This film explores what happens when the answer is "Yes."

7. "A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas" (opening November 4, 2011)

Enough said.

8. "Tucker and Dale Versus Evil" (opening September 30, 2011, but now available on iTunes)

A hilarious reversal of the sinister-hillbilly horror subgenre: here, the hillbillies are the innocent parties, and the vacationing college students have exactly the wrong ideas about them.

9. "Red Tails" (opening January 20, 2012)

The preview, at least, is a rousing tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen. Looks awesome.

10. "The Way" (opening October 7, 2011)

A stodgy father walks the path of Santiago de Compostela in honor of his free-spirited son, whose ashes the father carries along the way.

11. "50/50" (opening September 30, 2011)

I'll see this for personal reasons. It's a film about cancer.

Films to avoid (no links or dates provided):

1. "The Three Musketeers"

Jesus, do we really need another, even sillier remake?

2. "The Amazing Spider-Man"

Jesus, do we really need another, even sillier remake?

3. "The Man Nobody Knew"

A son's hatchet piece about his father, CIA "spymaster" William Colby. No, thanks.

4. "Abduction"

Starring Taylor Lautner as a warmed-over Matt Damon/Jason Bourne. The preview certainly looks like a Bourne clone, which makes me ask:

Jesus, do we really need another, even sillier remake?

5. "Essential Killing"

A drama in which American Taliban come off looking sympathetic. Fuck that.

6. "Chasing Madoff"

More self-righteous portrayals of corporate scum. I have no sympathy for Madoff, but I also haven't missed the irony that the filmmakers, despite their anti-corporate sanctimony, are out to make a buck.

7. "Immortals"

Good God, this film looks horrible. Are we done with "300" ripoffs yet? I mean, Jesus, do we really need another, even sillier remake?

8. "Our Idiot Brother"

Looks about as appealing as the title sounds. Life lessons from a non-achiever, right? I'll pass.

9. "Saving Private Perez"

I watched the preview and couldn't figure out what the hell the film was about.

10. "The Big Year"

Why, oh, why doesn't Jack Black hook up with some hard-hitting comedy writers and do the sort of comedy he was genetically engineered to do? How could pairing him with Steve Martin be a smart idea?


Films I want to rent or buy from iTunes:

1. "Machete"

2. "Doubt"


_