I've seen five movies over the past two days, ranging from what is arguably the best I've seen this year to what may well have been the worst. I've now seen the first batch of the serious-minded films from important directors that get released in the coming few weeks. In other words, fall/winter is here. And it looks really promising, in my opinion. Hopefully it's the best batch since, oh , 2000, 2001. Here are some of the movies that I'm looking forward to. Please chime in with your own. The New World - Director Terrence Malick (Badlands, The Thin Red Line) provides his take on the Pocahontas myth. Stars Colin Farrell as John Smith and has already generated controversy with an, ahem, very physical scene with 14-year-old co-star Q'orianka Kilcher. I'm laying money on cerebral. Beyond that, who knows? The Constant Gardener - It's director Fernando Meirelles' follow-up to City of God, starring Ralph Fiennes as a British diplomat investigating the mysterious death of his activist wife, played by Rachel Weisz. I adore Weisz, and it looks like she could get the attention she deserves between this film and The Fountain. The Fountain - It isn't clear if this film is going to be ready, but it's tentatively set for release at some unspecified date late in the year. Sounds pretty definite, huh? This is Requiem for a Dream's Darren Aronosfsky's on-again, off-again dream project. It has Hugh Jackman searching for The Fountain of Youth in three different time periods. No, Meg Ryan isn't involved. Rachel Weisz plays his wife who is suffering from cancer. Info on this movie is pretty hush hush at this point, or at least I'm making sure it stays that way for me. But what there is sounds brilliant. 2046 - Wong Kar-Wai's sort of sequel to In the Mood for Love It's a tale of obsession starring Tony Leung, joined by the best-looking group of Asian actresses you could hope for - Zhang Ziyi, Maggie Cheung, Gong Li, Faye Wong. Apparently Michelle Reis was doing something that weekend. That's a strong batch of contenders, and it's just scratching the surface.
It was released a long time ago in Hong Kong. The movie is the least artistic of Wong's movies. The common audience probably liked it more than his previous works, but if you are a fan, it will depend on yourself. Some people in Hk thought Wong has run out of ideas for this movie and loses a big step. If you cannot wait for the release, head to Chinatown.... you can buy a real DVD copy.