As much as I dislike posts like this I’m doing one of my own, simply because there are actually a few movies I’m really pumped to see and I haven’t seen them mentioned in the various most anticipated posts I’ve run into. Without further ado:
The Skin I Live In
dir. Pedro Almodovar
rel. date: 10-14-2011
This is easily my most anticipated movie of the year. I cannot wait. Almodovar has quickly become one of my favorite directors after watching only a few of his recent works, including his stunning film Broken Embraces. I haven’t even seen the trailer for the film as I don’t want a single thing spoiled, but I’m sure Almodovar will deliver the goods.
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Melancholia
dir. Lars Von Trier
rel. date: 11-11-2011
Again, I haven’t seen the trailer (I guess it should be noted that I generally avoid all trailers if I can help it), but I’m a sucker for most anything this guy puts out. I don’t always care for them completely, but his films are always challenging and interesting. I’ve also had a crush on Kirsten Dunst for a while so having her in the starring role doesn’t hurt.
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The Rum Diary
dir. Bruce Robinson
rel. date: 10-28-11
I know next to nothing about this film, but I have read the book, so that should count for something. I love and respect the work of Hunter S. Thompson, and while I’m not the most diligent reader of his stuff, I’m always floored when I do pick something up. Just the fact that they made The Rum Diary into a movie is something worth exploring. It looks to have a great cast too, with Johnny Depp and the lovely Amber Heard leading the charge.
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Straw Dogs
dir. Rod Lurie
rel. date: 9-16-2011
This one is mostly morbid curiosity than anything else. Having read and reviewed the original novel, and then the same for Peckinpah’s massacre adaptation, I feel like I have an informed opinion of the story and the remake will be interesting to look at from that point of view. I have no real hopes for the film itself though.
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Piranha 3DD
dir. John Gulager
rel. date: 11-23-2011
This one is just going to be a whole lot of fun… I hope. I missed the first one in the theater, but after hearing some good things about it, ended up watching it on DVD. It blew me away with how fun, over-the-top and ridiculously gory it was… and it left me wanting more. I can’t wait to have all kinds of stupid bullshit popping off the screen at me when the sequel finally drops, although the change in directors could signal bad waters ahead.
EDIT: OK, last-minute 6th film addition! I just found out about RZA’s new film, The Man with the Iron Fists, due out late 2011. It is supposedly everything a kung-fu fan could want, and being a kung-fu fan, I want it! Not too sure about Russell Crowe as the lead, but Pam Grier’s in it, and RZA is such a fan of old school Shaw Brothers movies that I think it’ll be pretty awesome.
Iron fists has the Duracell Stamp of Approval [;
Thanks, good to know! It’s funny… I posted this in 2011 as my most anticipated and I still haven’t seen that Straw Dogs remake (which is probably a good thing) and Iron Fists. I’ve had Iron Fists here by the computer for months, too. I think I’m just expecting the worst so I keep pushing it back for something else. As a massive martial arts/Shaw Bros fan, I feel like I’ll either love it or pick it apart relentlessly. I’ll have to watch it when I get a chance.
Straw Dogs is meh, I walked out of it in the theater. The bad guy’s were getting on my nerves too much, I like Peckinpah a lot because of Straw Dogs and not too long ago caught and loved Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid w/Bob Dylan [music and acting]. I was working my umpteenth video retail job when Man with the Iron Fists came through, shockingly I had heard nothing about it while I was in school doing my Eli Roth presentations. So yeah he co-wrote it [you can tell by the blood], Quentin produced it [you can tell by the balls], and the Rza is it [the Man with the Iron Fists]. It’s way rad though they don’t hold back at all it’s like Duel to the Death meets Flying Guillotine plus Tsui Hark’s The Blade.
I didn’t even like the Peckinpah version, but I saw it right after reading the book it was based on (which is fantastic), and the movie changes or removes a ton of stuff that made the story great to me. I was interested in seeing how a modern version would play out, and if they sourced anything from the book, but I ended up just not caring enough to see it. I know I’m not going to like it, so why waste my time?
I saw Pat Garrett when I was a teenager, but I don’t remember much except the Bob Dylan stuff. One of these days I’ll get around to re-watching it.
“it’s like Duel to the Death meets Flying Guillotine plus Tsui Hark’s The Blade” Ah man! If Iron Fists is as good as you’re saying, I really gotta see it! That quote of yours should be on the DVD box.
Well if you read the book of Straw Dogs you’d probably like the newer one. They got good actor’s and everything, I mostly left because it was me and a row of elderly ladies behind me in the theater and I kindof remember what happens in the first one.
Yeah those are like three of my favorite filmmaker/artists I listed who worked on Man with the Iron Fists, I thought it all looked too weird from the box cover, like, Russell Crow in a kung-fu movie?? That was the weirdest part, honestly I feel it’s his best role since Gladiator. He almost steals the show from the Rza who’s just learning to be a lead.
I’m glad to hear they have a sequel already nearly finished even though hardly anyone has seen the original yet. I recommend viewing it on a large screen since it’s extremely colorful. Yeah, I wouldn’t mind writing a review for you guys if you need help sometime, not sure how it all works, I have a couple of reviewer friends on facebook and they all seem to be struggling lately. Well you know I kindof know what i’m talking about [;
I remember being excited when they were making Iron Fists because RZA was talking about how he was getting all these old HK actors and Pam Grier to be in it. Then the trailer came out and I saw a lot of CG, and just overall it looked disappointing so I lost a lot of interest. Like more modern than I expected I guess. Russell Crowe definitely didn’t help matters!
Thanks for the review offer. I’m not in need, but I’ll keep it in mind.
p.s. been scoping out Portland seems your not too far off ??
I’m in Eugene. I was just in Portland for a day to visit the MS clinic there.
MS, hope it’s nothing too bad. Hopefully they have some steady jobs here ugh. Yeah and with Iron Fists just look at it like Sin City where Rza is Frank Miller [except as an actor too] and Quentin is Robert Rodriguez. Well keep in touch man