BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) YOGI BEAR
Maybe I’m being a bit of a masochist. I want to see this movie despite the fact I know it’ll end up being painfully lame. I love Dan Aykroyd, old Yogi toons rocked, and Justin Timberlake is amusing… but it’s going to suck. I accept this. I watched Alvin and the Chipmunks the same way. I know it was going to suck, I watched it, and it sucked. I just had to get it out of my system.
(THREE) SOMEWHERE
This is my nerd pick. I know this is obvious Oscar bait. It’s a Sofia Coppola “daddy issue” movie, but I’m sure it’ll be good. I enjoyed “The Virgin Suicides” and “Marie Antoinette” but I was a huge fan of “Lost in Translation”. It’s one of my favorite movies of all time. That instantly makes me interested in her work. This one stars Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, and some others in a drama about a famous actor who is confronted with his estranged young daughter. It doesn’t seem like much, but I’m in.
(TWO) HOW DO YOU KNOW
It’s a James L. Brooks movie. That is enough reason to want to see this movie in the first place. But even past his reputation, the movie looks pretty good. It has Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, Jack Nicholson, and Reese Witherspoon. It’s a romcom, but so what. The cast is good, Brooks is awesome, and I’m pretty sure it’ll not suck. If so, I’ll blame Reece Witherspoon.
(ONE) BLACK SWAN
I am a fan of Darren Aronofsky. The Wrestler was easily one of the best movies to come out in the past ten years. Most credit Rourke, and rightfully so, but I tend to be more impressed with Darren’s work. He really captured that gritty hustle of professional wrestling indie shows and “worker life”. It’s a sad truth that I’ve seen myself. So I can only imagine the dark and honest perception he puts on the art of ballet. The plot revolves around a dance company with Swan Lake in production. It’s from the perfective of a dancer played by Natalie Portman who is up for the role against a younger Mila Kunis. Along with that we have the former lead in Wynona Ryder, an angry mother in Barbara Hershey, and the always awesome Vincent Cassel. This is all reason enough, but once you see the trailer you see how stunning it all looks. I have a feeling this is going to be one of those movies we’re still talking about in awe in a few years.
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