AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIA

Dir. Baz Luhrmann

Starring - Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Bryan Brown

Opens November 26, 2008

Australia is the long-awaited follow-up to Baz Luhrmann's 2001 spectacle Moulin Rouge!. At first I was a bit skeptical about this film. The original trailer bored me and really killed any excitement I had. But the new, more involved trailer kind of blew my mind. This movie may actually be a fantastic modern epic and from the looks of it, Kidman may have found the end to the long Oscar drought she has suffered since winning for The Hours nearly six years ago.

Luhrmann is a director who definitely knows how to visually dazzle, but will he succeed at carefully balancing the sentimentality of the romance with the grandness of the action, something he drew criticism for with Moulin Rouge? I'm hoping the answer is yes.

Check out the amazing new trailer...

MILK

MILK

Dir. Gus Van Sant

Screenplay - Dustin Lance Black

Starring - Sean Penn, James Franco, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna, Lucas Grabeel, Eric Stoltz

Opens November 26, 2008 (limited)

Gus Van Sant was the perfect candidate to bring Milk, the story of historical gay politician Harvey Milk, to the big screen. And from the looks of things so far, Van Sant has hit his first home run since Good Will Hunting. I predict Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor Sean Penn, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay for Black.

This is a big one to watch out for, as Milk is poised to capture the gay rights movement in a way never before done in a major motion picture. If it's good, this film will go down in history. Check out the brand new trailer...

BURN AFTER READING

BURN AFTER READING

Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen

Starring - George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins

Opens September 12, 2008

Burn After Reading is the latest film from everyone's favorite modern maverick pros The Coen Brothers. The comedic follow-up to Best Picture winner No Country For Old Men is reminiscent of the way the Coen's followed-up the critical success of Fargo with the now classic comedy The Big Lebowski. The film recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Here is what Andrew Pulver of The Guardian UK had to say after the screening:

"Clocking in at a crisp 95 minutes, Burn After Reading is a tightly wound, slickly plotted spy comedy that couldn’t be in bigger contrast to the Coens’ last film, the bloodsoaked, brooding No Country for Old Men. Burn, in comparison, is bit of a bantamweight: fast moving, lots of attitude, and uncorking a killer punch when it can."

It doesn't seem that Burn has much Oscar potential, but if nothing else, this quirky screwball comedy should be a fun ride.

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

Dir. Jonathan Demme

Starring - Anne Hathaway, Debra Winger, Bill Irwin, Rosemarie DeWitt, Anna Deavere Smith, Tunde Adebimpe

Opens October 3, 2008 (limited)

The trailer for the new Jonathan Demme film Rachel Getting Married looks very, very promising. From the looks of Anne Hathaway's performance here, she could pull through with her first Oscar nomination. The buzz is definitely under way.

I love the Dogme-style approach that Demme seems to have taken with this film. Check out the fantastic trailer to see for yourself what could become a major player come Oscar time...

BLINDNESS

BLINDNESS

Dir. Fernando Meirelles

Starring - Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Gael Garcia Bernal, Danny Glover, Alice Braga, Sandra Oh

Opens September 26, 2008

Blindness is the new film from the acclaimed director of City of God and The Constant Gardner. Based on the novel by Jose Saramago, the story of a city suddenly inflicted by "white blindness". Julianne Moore stars as a woman who becomes the only one who can see. Keeping her sight a secret, she helps the afflicted escape quarantine.

Early buzz from the premiere at Cannes last May praises Meirelles' direction, yet finds issues with the script. Critic Dave Calhoun of Time Out London said, "But it’s the script that’s lacking: as a parable for a society – both its working and its failings – Blindness works only in fits and starts and relies too much on events and too little on ideas."

At one point, it was thought that this could be the film to garner Moore her fifth Oscar nomination, though those hopes are quickly fading. Still, the concept seems fascinating and I'll see pretty much anything helmed by Meirelles.