I thought 2009 was pretty bland (though it did have a few surprises here and there), but 2010 has almost nothing. At least the summer of '09 had some really rad movies (Im going to do a write-up at the end of the year), but this summer looks terrible. All the movies that I want to see are either before or way after the summer. The 5 movies below are really the only movies I really really really want to see. Everything else I glanced at either just look cool (The Wolfman) or bland (Iron Man 2). And now the list:
1. The Expendables
Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Jason Statham. Holy. Fucking. Hell. I think you're going to have to apply to get a licence to see this movie. That's how high Stallone has set the bar with The Expendables. Now when the news first let out, I was definately on board. Stallone, Jet Li, and Jason Statham? Cool. I mean, Ill be honest, I hate Jason Statham. I dont like him one bit. He's got no personality, charisma, or intensity about him. But I do like the idea of Stallone getting him to draw in some of the more "modern" action fans. And Jet Li is just really cool. So that was announced, and then Mickey Rourke was signed. Again, really fucking cool. And then my anticipation for this film went into fucking overdrive when... Dolph Lundgren was announced. Now, I know Lundgren hasn't done anything good since the 80's, but I dont care, I fucking love Dolph Lundgren. And Im so happy he's going to be on the big screen again, instead of a $5 cheap-o straigh-to-video bin.
But then The Expendables took a slight nose-dive. And I dont mean they casted someone really embarrassing (well 50 Cent was on board for like a day, then couldnt do it). But Kurt Russell was offered a role, and unfortunately, he passed. I slapped 26 babies because of this. But of course, EVEN MORE casting news was announced, and sent The Expendables on the right track. It was announced that Arnold Schwarzenegger was going to have a cameo as a retired Lieutenant. FUCKING. A. AND THEN... Bruce Willis was confirmed. Go fuck me. Now I know everyone has compiled a list of dream festivals, movies, and such. When I go to the IMDb Expendables page, I swear it's the exact page I would have fucking made. Just the fact that John Rambo, John McClane, and The Terminator will all be in the same frame together, it's unfathomable. And yes, it's confirmed that Stallone, Willis, and Schwarzenegger will all be in the same scene.
Oh yeah, and the story? Well, Stallone is head-leader of a group who call themselves "The Expendables", and they go to South America to overthrow a brutal dictator. But then there's some double-crossing with the C.I.A. in which Eric Roberts' (I totally forgot about him!) character is head of. And that's basically it. All in all, this movie has the potential to be one of the greatest action movies to ever be captured on film. And the date push-back from April to August shows faith from Lionsgate, which is a good thing. Push-backs are usually a bad sign, but they're pushing it to a better date, so I can't complain. The Expendables opens August 20th, 2010.
2. Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps
I remember the first time I watched Wall Street, I was so intrigued, and uber-curious as to how this was all going to end. And what I noticed once it did end, was that there is absolutely no physical violence throughout the whole film, all up until the scene in the park with Bud Fox and Gekko. My point is that, before watching Wall Street, I expected maybe a couple gun shots somewhere, maybe a short little cat and mouse chase, a brawl, and maybe a murder here or there. But I didnt realize that there was none of that until hours after watching it. Which shows to me how good of a fucking film Wall Street is. I never thought Id give a shit about a movie pertaining to the doings and dealings of hedge funds and stocks, but Douglas' portrayal of Gordon Gekko is just that fucking good, that it gels it altogether so well. Stallone has his two iconic characters, well Douglas has his two as well. Gordon Gekko and D-FENS. And both make those movies that much better. Because Ill admit, Im not a huge fan of Oliver Stone or Joel Schumacher (well, no surprise there). But both of Douglas' characters, and the way that he plays them, they just really make the movies work. Anyway, onto Wall Street 2...
It's going to be great to see Douglas as Gordon Gekko again. Ive seen set photos, and he looks badass. No slicked back hair yet, but I can only hope. Yeah, the movie's got Shia LeBeouf (which I dont hate, but Im still not a fan of him), Josh Brolin, Frank Langella, and Susan Sarandon. And this movie's basis is all of the bank hijinx going on. So I can only imagine what Gekko's going to do. But Wall Street 2 basically picks up with Gekko out of jail, LeBouf is dating Gekko's daughter (which he had to have RIGHT before going to jail. I dont get how theyre going to work that in, because he had a son in the movie). Im definitely on board for this, though. Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps is due out sometime in April, I think.
3. Shutter Island
Holy shit, was that trailer fucking nuts. I love all of Scorsese's gangster pictures. Casino, Goodfellas, The Departed, and so on. Well maybe not Gangs of New York (if you want to consider it a gangster picture). But it's nice to see Scorsese do something completely different. I mean, he's done enough non-gangster films, but this looks totally different than anything he's ever done. Now what worries me is, the push-back that this movie got. It went from October or November (Oscar season) to February. And that's not a good sign at all. But if the movie is anything like the trailer (which was really well put together), than Scorsese has another gem on his hands. One of the reasons that Paramount is saying they're pushing it back is that they dont have enough money to market it right now. Which is complete bullshit. If they didn't have enough money to market Iron Man or Indiana Jones or any of their other big blockbuster films, they would come up with the money. I just think that they're not satisfied with the close-to final product. It's probably too "strange" or "weird" for them. I dont know, I just know that Paramount has the money to market the film, and that they're fucking liars.
For those of you who don't know what Shutter Island is, it's about this detective (Leonardo DiCaprio) who goes to this insane asylum on this island (I guess like an Alcatraz, but a loony bin instead of a prison), and he gets checked in as a patient or something. I dont know, I just know that from the trailer, it looks like the movie's going to fuck with your head a lot. Shutter Island comes out on February 19th, 2010.
4. The Edge of Darkness
This movie is Mel Gibson's return to acting (I think it's been 6 or 7 years). From what I've gathered, it's a smaller drama film. But the whole creative team is pretty impressive. I mean, you have Martin Campbell who directed Casino Royale (which was really good), and William Monahan who did the screenplay for The Departed (which I would have lost my mind writing). And then of course, Mel Gibson. It's actually based on a British TV series in the 80's called "The Edge of Darkness", in which Martin Campbell actually directed a few episodes. Basically Mel Gibson plays a homicide detective, his daughter gets killed, he finds out some shit about her, there's some government conspiracy, and Mel Gibson fucks people up. To me, it sounds like a cool return to acting. The Edge of Darkness comes out January 29th, 2010 (kinda' a shitty date).
5. Tron: Legacy
This movie just looks fucking cool. I wasn't an uber-fan of Tron. I mean, it's cool. But with todays technology, and the basis of Tron, I think this movie is going to blow the first one out of the water. The 3-minute teaser they released online looks like a lot of fun. The visuals look really fucking good, the sound design was really fucking good, and best of all... Jeff Bridges is fucking back. Probably drunk as hell, too. I know Im pumped. Tron: Legacy comes out December 17th, 2010.
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