Silver Screen Dreams

I like movies. In fact you might say I'm total movie whore. I can completely lose myself in a film and literally forget where I am and who I'm with. This state of mind is, of course, easier to achieve when face-to-face with the Big Screen.
I don't get to go to the theater all that much, maybe once every 6 months or so. Time and money are in short supply so I end up renting most films. When I was doing hard time in the U.S.M.C. I would try and see about two movies a week if I was near a theater and not floating in the middle of the Pacific. The thing that sucked is that movies on bases overseas were about three months behind the States. So just as you were getting to see "new" movies at your local theater that served seaweed wrapped glutenous rice cakes instead of popcorn you were shipped back home and you missed a full three months of films that you would never get the chance to see on the Big Screen.
It's getting to be about time for me to choose my next 6 month film so I was checking out the trailers over at apple.com and there are fantastic films coming. I'm always surprised by the rise in quality of films coming out of Hollywood around this time of year until I remember that this is the beginning of the Oscar season. This is when the dramatic or heavy or boring films are released, depending on how you take your celluloid.I'm going to recommend some films based soley on their trailers. There have been numerous articles written about the art of a good trailer or about how trailers suck because they show all the good parts and there is nothing left to see, you all know the drill. There is a lot of truth to the argument that the best parts are in the trailer. The best trailers show you just enough to get you hooked and then leave you wanting more. I realize that the above statement is insanely obvious but certain films lay it all out and then count on the consumer wanting to see the same scenes again only not for free. Action flicks are notorious for pulling that stunt, pun intended.
So here are the films that I would spend $20 to see.

The Departed: Welcome back Mr. Scorsese. Your last several films have been technically sound back lacked the soul or dare I say (legitimate) drama of your earlier work. This one could very well earn the Oscar denied you for so long. And no one knows tough guys like you do.

Children Of Men: Science fiction seems to be the hot genre for this fall movie season and this film is right at the top of the heap when it comes to material. It has that dark future vibe that has become the hallmark of scince fiction films for the last 7-8 years now. Which makes sense if you consider that most films of this genre are political statements. The concept for this film I find extraordinarily compelling.

The Illusionist: Holy Crap! This movie came out of left field. A period film during summer is unheard of but here one is. Not to mention that it has Edward Norton.

Night at the Museum: This looks like a great kid's movie and Judo Boy is looking forward it to so much that everyone we meet gets a scene for scene run down.

Spiderman 3: Nuff said.

Honorable Mentions (or films I plan to rent)

The Science of Sleep: This is an "art film". If you're still with me after that last statement then just let me say that it is films like this one that help to reinforce why film is considered an art form. If you take the stance that the purpose of art is to help us, as in the human race, to make sense of THE BIG QUESTIONS then it's a pretty safe bet that you'll enjoy this film.

Jackass 2: What kind of idiot does the things that these idiots do? I have no idea but it sure is fun to watch.

Beerfest: I have a big soft spot in my heart for "stupid" humor. I have no idea why because most of the other content that I consume is so far from this style it's staggering.

Transformers: How could I ever claim to be a geek and not watch this one?

Half Nelson: I'm a sucker for films shot in a gritty style. You know hand-held camera work, over or under exposed film and playing with filters. This one has that and a relavant story to boot. Just one question, how am I supposed to feel bad for a white guy teaching school in the inner city? Still the real question is how many more people are going to watch this film because the main character is white instead of African-American?

Black Dahlia: Two words; film noir.

Borat: This movie looks freakin' awesome. I smirked when I saw the first trailer but after watching Trailer G I almost whizzed in my pants. Check it out then tell a friend.

The Pursuit of Happyness: There's something about a heart-warming against a all odds story. This one looks pretty good and Will Smith is maturing well as an actor. It'll be heavy handed in it's moral of never give up on your dreams, believe in yourself, and you've got only one family but it's a tried and true formula for a reason.

The Ground Truth: This one is a big fat liberal damn-the-man fest but political struggles always have many facets.

So there you have it. Some trailers that have done their job and made me want to see the complete film. Agree or disagree, give me a shout and let me know what you think of the upcoming fall movie season.