The Wrestler
“I’m an old broken down piece of meat, and I deserve to be all alone. I just don’t want you to hate me.”
Who’s Involved?:
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Writer: Robert D. Siegel
Cast: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood
What is it?: Mickey Rourke is an aging professional wrestler making his way through the independent circuit. He is a man dealing with the passage of time, the consequences of his decisions, and looking for the hope of redemption and new life.
Why I’m Interested: I seriously thought about letting this trailer stand alone this week. The buzz is sensational, and it looks like Mickey Rourke will again remind us of what could have been had his life gone differently.
Star Trek
“Buckle up.”
Who’s Involved?:
Director: J.J. Abrams
Writer: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, (based on the work of Gene Roddenberry)
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho…
What is it?: In the age of re-imagined franchises, Star Trek is the latest to get the treatment. We start from scratch for the first voyage of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
Why I’m Interested: The beginning of the trailer is pretty lame in my opinion, but J.J. Abrams is running the show in this audacious undertaking, and that’s at least worth something. I’d probably have to be given a reason not to see this one as opposed to the other way around.
For those of you, like myself, who are novices to all things Trek, you might want to check out this lovely article over at Cinematical.
Coraline
“You could stay here forever. There’s one tiny thing you need to do.”
Who’s Involved?:
Director: Henry Selick
Writer: Henry Selick, Neil Gaiman
Voice Cast: Dakota Fanning, Ian McShane, Teri Hatcher
What is it?: A young girl who dreams of finding a better world stumbles upon a doorway to an alternate version of her own life. At first, it seems this world might be exactly what she was hoping for, but (to borrow a line from True Blood), it just might be Satan in a sunday hat.
Why I’m Interested: Make an imaginative film where the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas tells a darker fairy tale, then throw in the involvement of Neil Gaiman as a bonus, and what you’ve got is me buying a ticket to see your movie.
Astro Boy
Who’s Involved?:
Director: David Bowers
Writer: Osama Tezuka, Timothy Harris
Voice Cast: Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell, Bill Nighy, Nicolas Cage
What is it?: Based on the popular Japanese manga and cartoon series which has had many manifestations from the 50′s right up until the 2000′s, Astro Boy is about a robot boy who fights bad guys… that’s about all I know.
Why I’m Interested: There is a good chance my interest will wane as time passes and I learn more, but there is a cult following that loves the old cartoons, and I’m a sucker for slick animation. So, for now, color me interested.
