Upcoming Movies That Matter

Saw IV (10.26.07)
Be Kind Rewind (12.21.07)
"Cloverfield" (1.18.08)
Iron Man (5.2.08)
Speed Racer (5.9.08)
Star Trek XI (12.25.08)

Well, I thought that this would be a fitting first blog entry as a way to let you all know what kind of person I am. These are the movies that I am eagerly anticipating for the next year and a half.

Saw IV
I am a HUGE fan of the Saw series; which is surprising even to me. It's funny, because I am not a fan of horror or gore whatsoever (athough, I did enjoy both Kill Bill films). I think that I like the Saw series because of the engaging storyline and the magnificent acting of Tobin Bell (that alone is a reason to see the movies). I must admit that I was extremely skeptical of the series at first, which resulted in me waiting until the first one came out on DVD to see it. But after seeing the film...with my brother...in broad daylight...with all the blinds open (hey, I was scared), I discovered that these are actually amazing movies that don't belong in the "horror" category at all. It's my personal belief that these are thriller films...not horror films. After seeing the first the films (I saw the third movie twice in theaters...it was that damn good), I am greatly anticipating the fourth installment. I was a little worried about the thought of a fourth film (I mean, how long can a movie series go before it gets stale); but after gaining some knowledge on the fourth movie from online resources such as Wikipedia (God bless that site), I am more excitied than ever for this movie.

Be Kind Rewind
I only recently found out about this movie, but it is looking to be the funniest movie of the year for me; even funnier than Knocked Up (which I loved) and Superbad (which I haven't seen yet). I seriously think that this has a chance to be one of Jack Black's greatest films. It's about a guy named Jerry (Jack Black) who ends up (through events less than fortunate) erasing every video in a local video store where his best friend Mike (Mos Def) works. Fearing that this will cost Mike his job, the two team up to recreate all of the movies that the store's only loyal customer (played by Mia Farrow) decides to rent. They make hilarious, low-budget recreations of films such as Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, RoboCop, Rush Hour 2, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Boyz in the Hood, and the Lion King. Eventually they become local celebrities and yadda yadda yadda so on and so forth. Needless to say, this is gonna be a very funny movie that I absolutely cannot wait for.

"Cloverfield"
Nobody actually knows what this movie is called (except, of course, director J.J. Abrams), but it is generating a lot of buzz online through trailers, viral marketing, etc. I have seen the teaser trailer for this film no fewer than 50 times and it gets me more excited the more I look at it. While very little is known about this film, what we do know is that it will center around group of people struggling to survive a giant monster attack on New York City. J.J. Abrams has been quoted as saying something to the effect of he wants America to have "our own Godzilla". He wants us to love our own monster/creature thing the way the Japanese love Godzilla. I am really hoping that he can pull this off. That's not the only J.J Abrams production I'm looking forward too...but more on that later.

Iron Man
I'm gonna be honest, I was never a big fan of the Iron Man character...at all. Especially after the Marvel Civil War series, Iron Man earned my eternal hatred and wrath. But I can't help but think that this will be a fantastic movie. I have heard much about the "amazing" trailer for the movie that was shown at Comic-Con 07 (I have yet to see this trailer), and I just can't help but feel excitment for this movie. I'm sure the special effects will be absolutely brilliant, and this may just finally make Tony Stark (Iron Man) a likable character for me.

Speed Racer
I love the cartoon (the original, not the half-assed remake made for Nickelodeon a few years back). As much as Speed Racer, is parodied in just about every modern cartoon, nobody can deny that it is engaging had had an impact on the way cartoons are done today. I mean, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? I am definitely looking forward to this movie. Although, I was a little worried when that rumor was going around about Shia LeBeouf playing Speed (is anybody else tired of seeing that guy in films?). I know that the fact that the Wachowski Brothers are doing the movie worries some people, but it excites me. I loved all three Matrix films (I don't care what anybody says...), and I believe that the Wachowski Bros. will actually do a good job at staying faithful to the source material. As long as they don't make Rex Racer and Racer X two different characters then we're cool.

Star Trek XI
Ah...Star Trek. I love Star Trek and I am definitely looking forward to the new Star Trek film. This is the other project by J.J. Abrams that I am stoked for and I really hope that he pulls this off. He needs to, so he can make up for Stuart Baird's mistake. For those of you who don't know, Stuart Baird was te director of the abysmal failure that was Star Trek Nemesis. I had some worries about this movie with rumors of actors such as Matt Damon and Tom Cruise taking part in the film. They are both good actors, but...I don't know about you, but I don't think that either of them belongs in ANYTHING Star Trek related. The Matt Damon rumors were shot down (thank God), now I'm just waiting to learn that Tom Cruise will in fact NOT be taking part in the film. Although, there have been some good cast announcements as well. Like, Zachary Quinto (of Heroes fame) and Leonard Nimoy will both be playing Spock. I love Heroes and I love Zachary Quinto's character in that show. I'm sure he'll do an awesome job as Spock. This new Star Trek film is the movie that I am most looking forward too from my list...which is why it kills me that I have to wait until NEXT Christmas to see it. Oh well, I'm sure it will be worth it, and you can bet that I will be at the local theater at midnight on Christmas Eve (next year).

Well, that's my list of my most anticipated films for the next year and a half. Check back frequently to view more of my oppinions, praises and gripes on the latest comic books, movies, music and video games.

-Feenucks