Virtue Magazine

Below, I have outlined a number of movies that are sure to make a few waves when they show up in theaters this fall.

Flightplan
Starring: Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Erika Christensen, Sean Bean
Rating: PG-13 (for violence, and some intense plot material)
Category: Action/Adventure/Drama
Release Date: September 23rd, 2005
Website: http://flightplan.movies.go.com/

If any movie promises to be the sleeper hit this fall, Flightplan has all the right ingredients: little publicity, good actors, and a unique plot. In this high flying thriller, Jody Foster (Anna and the King) plays a mother named Kyle Pratt. When her six year old daughter disappears mid-flight, a frantic search is commenced by all on the plane. Things real start to get wild when her daughter doesn’t turn up. This wild ride may be a stealth winner—if it can distinguish itself from this month’s airplane thriller Red Eye. Keep an eye on this one; it just might take off.

Oliver Twist
Starring: Ben Kingsley, Barney Clark, Jamie Foreman, Harry Eden
Rating: PG-13 (disturbing images)
Category: Drama
Release Date: September 23rd, 2005
Website: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/olivertwist/

For the first time since the musical Oliver!, Hollywood brings the Dicken’s novel, Oliver Twist, to the silverscreen. Directed by Academy award winning director, Roman Polanski (The Pianist), this film is sure to interest fans of Dicken’s work. Oliver Twist remains one of only two or three literary films going in to wide release this fall.

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Peter Sallis, Helena Bonham Carter
Rating: G
Category: Animation/Adventure/Comedy/Family
Release Date: October 7th, 2005
Website: http://www.wandg.com/

In their first full length clay-mation feature, Wallace and Gromit take their act to theaters across the nation. Following up their smash-hit, Chicken Run, Aardamen chose to bring their dynamic duo, Wallace and Gromit, as the subject of their next film. Thousands of fans here in the United States—and across the pond—have fallen in love with the Wallace and Gromit movies. Watch for this flick to make some waves when it hits theaters this October.

The Legend of Zorro
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Giovanna Zacarías, Raúl Méndez
Rating: PG
Category: Action/Adventure
Release Date: October 28th, 2005
Website: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thelegendofzorro/

Zorro is back for the first time in seven years! If the second Zorro film is anything like the first, then audiences should be in for a real treat. While Spielberg promised to throw a little more romance into the story, the movie should maintain a fairly teen-friendly standard. The Legend of Zorro promises to be yet another slam-dunk for director Steven Spielberg. Perhaps Zorro can get the girl and begin to dig Hollywood out of its theater attendance hole this fall.

Chicken Little
Starring: Brad Abrell, Greg Berg, Zach Braff, Joan Cusack
Rating: G
Category: Animation/Action/Comedy/Family
Release Date: November 4th, 2005
Website: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/chickenlittle/

Can this little chicken save Disney’s suffering animation division? As Disney closed it’s final hand-drawn animation studio this past year, executives are scrambled to regain Disney’s once iron grip in the world of animation films—now replaced by Pixar and Dreamworks. Disney’s latest animated offering, Valiant, has performed poorly at the box office, so far. While Chicken Little promises to be an improvement over recent Disney fare, this company needs a lot more than one hit to take back lost ground.

The New World
Starring: Colin Ferrall, Christian Bale, Christopher Plummer
Rating: Unknown
Category: Adventure/Drama
Release Date: November 9th, 2005
Website: http://www.thenewworldmovie.com/

While some may cringe at the thought of another politically correct Pocahontas film, The New World stands to fill a gaping hole. The few releases this year have fallen into the historical/action genre. Perhaps after monstrous failures like Alexander and Kingdom of Heaven Hollywood has had enough. Nevertheless, maybe The New World will break the mold, and provide us with a realistic interpretation of the events that took place in Virginia during the 1600s.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon
Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images)
Category: Adventure/Fantasy/Thriller
Release Date: November 18th, 2005
Website: http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/main/homepage/home.html

Love it or hate it, the fourth installment in the Harry Potter film series hits theaters this November. While the Harry Potter film franchise has certainly seen great success at the box office, it saw a notable decline in ticket sales between films two and three. Are fans getting tired of their magical hero? Or will they flock to the theaters for film four? Maybe a little less press, and a little more grassroots work would help.

Pride and Prejudice
Starring: Keira Knightley, Matthew MacFadyen, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland, Judi Danch
Rating: PG
Category: Romance/Drama
Release Date: November 18th, 2005
Website: http://www.prideandprejudicemovie.net/home.html

Movie-goers may question the validity of yet another film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, because of the high standard set by the BBC’s 2001 TV version. However, audiences should hold their criticism. This film will likely serve to remedy a troubling lack of quality literary films at the cinemaplexes. Or perhaps this movie is merely a vehicle to diversify Keira Knightley’s (Pirates of the Caribbean) portfolio which is brimming with action flicks. Regardless of its intent, Austen and Knightley fans will flock to see this film.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Starring: Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, Tilda Swinton, Rupert Everett, Brian Cox
Rating: Unknown
Category: Adventure/Family/Fantasy
Release Date: December 9th, 2005
Website: http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/narnia/index.html

The first Narnia flick finally makes it way to the silverscreen this December. Fans have waited in fear and trepidation for Hollywood to take on this series in hopes that they could better the much maligned BBC version. While Andrew Adamson (Shrek, Shrek 2) may have seemed like an odd choice as director, it appears that his adaptation will do the story justice. If any movie will relieve the pain of the suffering box office, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe appears to be the most likely suspect.

King Kong
Starring: Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody, Jack Black, Andy Serkis
Rating: Unknown
Category: Action/Adventure/Drama/Fantasy
Release Date: December 14th, 2005
Website: http://www.kingkongmovie.com/

After his remarkable film trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, one journalist remarked that contracting director to remake King Kong was like hiring Michelangelo to paint an office building. Peter Jackson breakout hobbit hit set a high bar—a standard that King Kong will have to reach. However, early indicators are showing that his version of King Kong will be yet another seminal accomplishment in film-making. Watch out for this beast as it storms into theaters this December.

Left Behind: The Village (PG-13)

“Left Behind” is a column that will feature a recent movie that I feel has been underappreciated by audiences. It will alternate with another column, “Cold Classics” which will profile classic movies which are no longer watched by a large portion of today’s audiences.

While The Village made well over $100 million at the box office last summer, it didn’t near the totals of director M. Night Shyamalan’s earlier films, The Sixth Sense and Signs. The Village maps a far different course than Shyamalan’s earlier movies. Rather than scaring us with dead people or aliens, the director relates the story of a community wrought with terror and grief after a “truce” is broken with the creatures who live the woods around their community. Fans of Hitchcock thrillers will assuredly appreciate this latest offering from M. Night Shyamalan; and perhaps they’ll appreciate the unusual ending more than their movie-going peers.