The Fall 2008 movie season may go down as one of the least memorable in recent history. The pickings were slim and the results, almost across the board, were disappointing. In fact, with only one four-star movie this year ("Slumdog Millionaire"), I was hard-pressed to come up with a Top 5 list (thank you, Clint Eastwood, for the late edition of "Gran Torino"). Many blame the writer's strike for the poor crop of films and the odd last-minute schedule shifts. But these things come in waves. Like in wine producing, sometimes you just have a bad year.
Below is the recap of my predictons for Fall '08. Of the eight movies on this list (two were moved to '09), only one exceeded my prediction ("Religulous") and one hit the mark ("Quantum of Solace"). The remaining six were disappointing in one way or another.
But don't despair, it wasn't all bad news. This list doesn't take into accout the fact that several gems weren't on my radar ("Slumdog", "Frost/Nixon", "The Wrestler", "Torino"). As usual, the unexpected ones are that much sweeter.
Here's how it turned out...
"
Burn After Reading"
Prediction:
How'd I do?: After last year's brilliant "
No Country For Old Men", I might have expected a bit much from the Coens here. "Burn" doesn't join the ranks of the Brothers' best work, but it's a diverting - and jarringly dark - comedy that was unfairly ignored by critics and audiences alike. Worth seeing for a lark.
"
Righteous Kill"
Prediction:
How'd I do?: And speaking of expecting too much. I was kinder than most to this critically-panned Pacino-De Niro pairing. It wasn't the complete mess that many critics made it out to be, it was just a deadeningly routine cop thriller with two old warhorses finally going toe-to-toe after all these years (no, I don't count "Heat"). That's gotta be worth something.
"
Religulous"
Prediction:
How'd I do?: Bill Maher's gloves-off indictment of all things religious was a squirm-inducing hoot. If only the comedian could see his way clear to balancing his arguments (or even including interviewees that were in on the joke). As it is, the movie's hilarious, but it proves nothing more than the existance of sour grapes.
"
W."
Prediction:
How'd I do?: On the other side of the coin, Oliver Stone proved surprisingly even-handed in his treatment of the soon-to-be ex-prez. I can't imagine the Herculean restraint it took for Mr. Stone to hold back, but there oughta be a special Oscar for making me feel sympathy for the big W.
"
Synecdoche, New York"
Prediction:
How'd I do?: At this point in the movie season, I was becoming so dismayed by the lack of quality that I didn't even venture to see the new entry from old favorite Charlie Kaufmann. Judging from the general consensus, however, I didn't miss much.
"The Road"
Prediction:
How'd I do?: Still looking forward to this one, whenever it comes out (some time in '09).
"
Quantum of Solace"
Prediction:
How'd I do?: Possibly the most devisive James Bond movie since George Lazenby's kilt-wearing turn in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". Some fans enjoyed the further Bourne-ifying of the franchise. Others found this dour "
Casino Royale" sequel a frenetic letdown. In retrospect, I'm more in the latter camp. But at the time, I just wanted some escapism.
"
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Prediction:
How'd I do?: David Fincher continues to display his gift for technical wizardry in this over-long visual stunner. Also on display: the director's difficulty finding a good story.
"
The Spirit"
Prediction:
How'd I do?: Another letdown, though this one was less surprising. Letting Frank Miller helm his first feature with this Will Eisner comic adaptation makes a lot of sense. Giving him final cut? Not so much.
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"
Prediction:
How'd I do?: It's rumored that the newest Potter was moved to '09 to make room for "Twilight". What a shame. I would've enjoyed seeing young Voldemort smite the angst off those prepubescent Goth-a-bes. Guess we'll just have to wait and see if the boy wizard's still box office magic.
