Out of the Late Winter Slump

January and February, in my opinion, tend to be the most boring months for movies. Nothing spectacular is coming out because the Industry is gearing up for awards season. And if anything of interest does come out, it usually gets buried among the Oscar hopefuls from November and December. But February is almost over, and there are definitely some titillating trailers out there that are tickling my movie bone.

Of course, I am far too excited for summer when the fifth installment of Harry Potter and the third installment of Spider-Man come out, but let's not get too ahead of ourselves. There are plenty of interesting films coming our before those blockbusters hit the streets. There is one in particular that's coming out after them that looks very interesting too.


February 23 brings us a new Joel Schumacher thriller called The Number 23. Mr. Schumacher is definitely a hit or miss kinda guy, (I mean, he did put nipples on the Bat Suit.) but this thriller looks thoroughly creepy and engaging.

March 2, we'll find out if Samuel L. Jackson's choice of movie roles is improving, with his turn as a Blues singer who's trying to make Christina Ricci a better person in Black Snake Moan. I don't know if this is a drama or a comedy, but it looks interesting enough for me to ignore the fact that Justin Timberlake is in it too.

The Zodiac is also coming out on March 2. Even though this looks like a run-of-the-mill serial killer film, it is directed by David Fincher (the man behind Fight Club and Seven). That name alone makes me interested.

I can't wait until March 9, and it's probably due to the amazing trailer editor who made me want to rush out and see The Namesake as soon as it hits theatres. Kal Penn in a serious role?! I can't wait! This movie looks amazing, and I just hope it holds up to that really great trailer.

Speaking of serious roles, on March 23, the director behind the surprisingly good The Upside of Anger directs Adam Sandler's third "serious acting" turn in Reign Over Me. The preview talks about Sandler's character losing his family in a plane crash, what the preview glosses over is that the plane crash was on September 11. This movie could be heavier than the previews show, and I'm always in the theatre for a Don Cheadle performance, so I hope this is worth my ticket.

If you loved Shaun of the Dead, don't miss Hot Fuzz coming out April 20. If you don't know what Shaun of the Dead is, go out and rent it right now.

Now to skip ahead, past the blockbusters of May, to June, June 1 to be precise. When summer gets closer I will talk more about summer sleepers, but right now, I must mention this one--Mr. Brooks. For all I know, this film is going to get advertised to death, but right now, I've only seen this one preview, quietly sitting on Apple's Quicktime website. Kevin Costner is not my favorite actor, but when I saw Dane Cook's name in the credits, I had to watch the preview. And now I've got to see it.


I know there are movies I've skipped, but these are a few of the standouts to me. Feel free to add more to the list.

Cheers!