“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”
It’s been 19 years since Harrison Ford put on his fedora and broke out
the bullwhip and, evidently, there’s still a demand from baby boomers
for the 65-year-old actor to recreate that movie magic. Teens and
twentysomethings are too young to understand the phenomenon that was
Indy, and with this fourth edition in turnaround enough times to make a
studio exec’s head spin, here’s hoping Spielberg and company can bring
some vitality to a franchise that was once cinematic gold. (May 22).
“Burn After Reading”
If anyone believed that the Coen brothers were slipping, the brilliant
“No Country for Old Men” put an abrupt end to that thinking. And how’s
this for a cast: Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, John
Malkovich and Frances McDormand — every one an Oscar nominee. The plot
centers around the memoirs of a CIA agent (Malkovich) that end up in
the hands of Pitt, a trainer at Washington, D.C., gym, and the drastic
steps taken to the get it back to Malkovich. The Coens, who co-wrote
and direct, should have great fun with this offbeat material. (date TBA).
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
There’s nary a director who’s both as meticulous and captivating as
David Fincher, and now he reunites with Pitt, with whom he teamed for
favorites “Fight Club” and “Se7en.” Fincher’s latest, “Zodiac,” had the
misfortune of being released too early in the year to garner the Oscar
buzz it rightly deserved. Pitt plays Button, who begins the film as an
older man and then starts to age backward. Based on a F. Scott
Fitzgerald short story, “Button” will be a curious endeavor, indeed.
(Nov. 26).
“Hellboy 2: The Golden Army”
I’m no comic book fan, yet find myself intrigued by this sequel of the
2004 film. Not so much because I care what happens to the red-horned
creature — although Ron Perlman seems to offer just the right attitude
in fighting off otherworldly dastardly creatures — but I’m now a
disciple in the church of Guillermo del Toro. His inspired “Pan’s
Labyrinth” was such a filmmaking revelation that I’ll be first in line
to watch anything he feels passionate enough about to direct. (July 11).
“The Dark Knight”
Of course, the tragic death of Heath Ledger will now be forever linked
with the film, and that, in turn, may draw the morbid curiosity of
audiences who otherwise wouldn’t have checked out the latest chapter in
the “Batman” anthology. Christian Bale is back and now he faces off
against Ledger’s demonic Joker, made famous back in the ’80s by Jack
Nicholson. Bale and director Christopher Nolan smartly reinvented the
Caped Crusader three years ago in “Batman Begins” and there’s little to
believe “Knight” won’t shine as well. (July)
Subject: Top 5 Most Anticipated Movies of 2008... 
Deal with it! 
