*Note Fall Move Preview donates movies due to be released before 12/31/2007
The Green Mile. The Shawshank Redemption. The Mist? What do all three of these titles have in common? Besides all three being based on novels written by the master Stephen King, they were all directed by Frank Darabont. Adding his name on this project - in which a freak storm unleashes a pack of blood-thirsty creatures on residents of a small town, who shack up in a supermarket to fight for their lives - makes it seem like a sure thing. Not to mention the badass Thomas Jane takes on the lead role of David Drayton. And if you need any more reason, check out this quote from Edgar Wright (director: Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) who saw an unfinished version from Darabont himself: "I used to read Stephen King obsessively as a teenager, and The Mist was always one of those stories that struck a chord with me. And Frank's come up with a -- I don't know if you remember the ending of the story, it's quite open-ended conclusion -- but Frank Darabont has got an amazing ending, the final payoff is great. It's obviously unfinished; all of the effects [are] still unfinished, but the fact that it still worked in that state was great. And a great cast; Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden -- just fantastic."
2. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
The Coen brothers follow up to the dissapointing Ladykillers seems like a can't miss for the eccentric filmmakers. Based upon a Cormac McCarthy novel, story finds a hunter (played by Tommy Lee Jones) who stumbles upon two million dollars and a helping of heroin in a pile of dead bodies. One wonders why it took so long for TLJ and the Coen bros to work together, they almost seem made for each other. It gets better, as Javier Bardem plays the murderous man looking for the cash and drugs. Expect a character driven, bloody good time with this one. Reviews from Toronto have been very good and it feels as if this is the return of the Coen brothers that fans have been long anticipating. 3. SWEENEY TODD
You'd think that any studio behind a vehicle starring Johnny Depp and directed by Tim Burton would simply leave the damn movie alone. Especially when that movie is an adaptation of Sweeney Todd - the classic musical about a homicidal barber. Few can claim the genious and visual style of Burton (director of Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and Sleepy Hollow just to name a few). Well as you know in the movie business nothing is sacred. For a while it appeared as if Warner Bros. was cutting some of the blood and guts out of the core of the story, aiming to trim Burton's film from an 'R' to a 'PG-13' rating. Well good news: those rumors are indeed false as the movie is going forward with an 'R' rating just in time for holiday season. And check out this piece from the Sunday Mail, detailing information that should grow your appetite for the murderous musical: "During filming at Pinewood studios, prosthetic lookalike limbs were used and they were so gruesomely lifelike that some of the crew became nauseous and had to take fresh air breaks...those on set were further spooked because there were piles and piles of sliced-up 'corpses', plus several spare 'necks' in case Burton wanted to shoot several takes of the same throat-cutting scene." I'm there.4. I AM LEGEND
Will Smith's characters have had a pretty tough time dealing with some mega tough antagonists in the past. First it was aliens in Independence Day and Men in Black, then robots in I, Robot. Now in I Am Legend, Smith will play scientist Robert Neville who after a big outbreak of a deadly man-made virus must try to find the way to replicate his immune blood to save the human race. Oh and Big Willie has to face off against none other than vampires (known as the infected in this case). While some people may find Will tiresome, the man knows how to bring people to theaters. And after seeing the ultra-cool teaser trailer, I won't have any problem flocking to the theater to check out this flick.5. AMERICAN GANGSTER
If you can't get excited about the team of Ridley Scott directing, Steve Zallian writing, Russell Crowe as a detective trying to bag Denzel Washington as a heroin kingpin, then I don't know what to tell you. This movie has Oscar written all over it. While the story details the true story of Frank Lucas - a drug lord who smuggled heroin in the coffins of soldiers returning form the Vietnam war - it's exciting to see the story goes deeper than that. “I saw it as a story about American business and race,” said Steven Zaillian, the principal scriptwriter, who also wrote Schindler’s List and more recently wrote and directed All the King’s Men starring Sean Penn. “If you substitute any other product for heroin, it’d be clear. It wasn’t the idea of doing a dope story so much as: What happens when a black businessman takes over an industry? It becomes something that’s not going to be allowed to continue. Frank became bigger than the Mafia and took over their business in a way that made it difficult for him to stay in business.”6-10 tomorrow...
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