First impressions of upcoming movies, based on trailer (Click on the title to watch the trailer: You may need QuickTime for most). Release dates are subject to change.

Iron Man (dir. Jon Favreau) Ok. So we all know that there have been some dumb superhero movies made over the last few years. There have also been some phenomenal ones. Judging from this wicked trailer and everything else I've heard so far, Iron Man looks very promising. Paramount sifted through many possible directors, including Quentin Tarantino and Tom Cruise (who would have also starred), before finally settling on Jon Favreau. Good movies start with a great cast: Robert Downey Jr. (apparently a huge fan of the "Iron Man" comics, and has struggled with addiction--just like his character) as Tony Stark / Iron Man, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, (in the comics, the character Fury actually named Jackson as the only actor who could portray him in a movie), Gwyneth Paltrow, Hilary Swank, Jeff Bridges--this is a heck of a cast. Favreau plans Iron Man to be the first in a trilogy, with all the actors signed on. Check out Wikipedia for more info. (May 2)







Bee Movie (dir. Steve Hickner) It's Jerry Seinfeld's big comeback as he produces and stars in this computer-animated film about a honey bee who "thinks outside of the hive." Renée Zellweger co-stars as an insect-sympathizing florist in New York. The trailer alone has some laugh-out-loud moments with its Shrek-esque humor, and DreamWorks has a proven formula with successful films like Over the Hedge and the Shrek series. Also starring Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, and Chris Rock. (Nov. 2)

The Kite Runner (dir. Marc Forster) Based on the bestselling novel by Khaled Hosseini, this movie looks like a total heart-wrencher. Amir, an immigrant haunted by his past life, returns to his home country to help his long lost friend's son who has been taken by the Taliban. His story takes place amongst the violent past and present of Afghanistan--the fall of their monarchy, the Soviet invasion, the mass exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the emergence of the Taliban regime. The cast is made up mostly of no-name and first-time actors. The Kite Runner film has been the subject of recent controversy, due to its unforgiving depiction the Taliban and Afghani ethnic tensions. Listen to this NPR article to find out more. (Nov. 2)

The Dark Knight (dir. Christopher Nolan) My first impulse after watching this trailer is to scream, "Thanks for nothing!" Watch it, and you'll see why. But here I am blogging about it with fervor, so I guess Warner Bros. has already proven their case. Personally, I'd like to forget about every Batman movie except Tim Burton's originals and Batman Begins (this new film's prequel). That's why I'm delighted to see Christian Bale return as Bruce Wayne / Batman, in what appears to be the second film in at least a trilogy. In what may be a brilliant bit of casting, Heath Ledger will play The Joker (pictured to the left)--and it's rumored that the villain will closely follow his bizarre and creepy depiction from the comic books. Katie Holmes will be replaced by an arguably better-fitted Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes (Batman's love interest). Also returning are Michael Caine as Alfred, Gary Oldman as the uncorrupted policeman, and Morgan Freeman as the CEO of Wayne Enterprises. (July 18)






Rendition (dir. Gavin Hood) Between The Kite Runner and this film, it's going to be a cheery autumn for the movies. Rendition is clearly drawing off the story of Maher Arar and the controversial practice of extraordinary rendition by the US government--and promises to raise some hot political issues regarding torture and "the war on terrorism." Reese Witherspoon plays Isabella El-Ibrahim, the desperate wife of an Egyptian-born immigrant who has been "kidnapped" by the CIA. He's been taken out of the country (and away from Constitutional protection) to be interrogated. Agent Douglas Freemann (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) is the lead liaison in the interrogation, and finds himself facing some serious moral dilemmas. Meryl Streep plays the CIA's unwavering head of anti-terrorism (she's so well suited for these roles), and Alan Arkin (fresh off his Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine) plays a Senator caught in the moral and political crossfire. (Oct. 16)

--Jordan Thompson

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