And the List Goes On...

Parts four and five of Dark Horizon's list of notable films of 2009 are up, here are some of the highlights:

The Informant, Directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Matt Damon, the film follows a rising executive that suddenly turns whistle blower for the FBI. The film is a dark comedy/thriller, and is based on an interesting true story about a lysine price-fixing conspiracy. Damon plays Mark Whitacre, who at the time was the highest-level executive to turn whistle blower in U.S. history. What makes the story even more interesting is the fact that Whitacre, while informing to the FBI, also defruaded his company for millions, and acted somewhat bizarely during this time due to his struggles with bipolar disoreder. The film also stars Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap), and the always great Joel McHale (The Soup).

Kick Ass, Directed by Matthew Vaughn, this comic book adaptation follows high school dweeb named Dave Lizewski who decides to become a superhero even though he has no athletic ability or coordination. Things change when he eventually runs into real bad guys with real weapons. While I've never read the comic, this film looks like it could be pretty cool, due to the fact that Vaughn enabled himself to make the film without much studio interference, which bodes well for fans of the comic. I'll also be looking forward to seeing Christopher Mintz-Plasse in a role other than "McLovin". The film also stars Nicholas Cage, Aaron Johnson and Mark Strong.

Leaves of Grass, I don't know too much about this film, which is directed by actor Tim Blake Nelson, and stars Edward Norton as twins. The story involves a college classics professor who is lured home from the Ivy League to the backwoods of Southeastern Oklahoma by his identical twin, a hedonistic, pot- smoking career criminal. He soon finds that Plato and Marcus Aurelius have ill-prepared him for dealing with homicidal yokels. Whether or not this movie turns out to be any good, I'll at least keep my eye on it for the fact that it could be, because of Ed Norton playing the twins.

The Lovely Bones, While I never read the best selling novel, this film is sure to garner some attention with Peter Jackson directing. he story centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family – and her killer – from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal. With a big name cast including Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Michael Imperioli, and Susan Sarandon, the adaptation should be good. Saorise Ronan, who was impressive in Atonement, stars as the main character of the story.

Me and Orson Welles, As a big fan of Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise), I can't help but keep an eye on this film. Set in the heady world of New York theatre, a teenage student lucks his way into a minor role in the 1937 Mercury Theatre production of "Julius Caesar," directed by 22-year-old genius Orson Welles. Stage actor Christian McKay plays the legendary Welles, in a performance that could be exceptional no matter how good or bad the film is.

Men Who Stare At Goats, The story centers on a desperate reporter who stumbles upon the story of a lifetime when he meets a man who claims to be a former secret U.S. military psychic soldier who was re-activated post-9/11. The pair travel through Iraq and look into the secret Army unit tasked with creating paranormal powered soldiers. A strange sounding black comedy, this film could end being a favorite of critics with George Clooney starring and his producing partner Grant Heslov, who co-wrote Good Night, and Good Luck, directing the film.

Nine, I am not interested in musicals whatsoever, but one thing I am interested in is any film that stars Daniel Day-Lewis. Following up his Best Actor performance in There Will Be Blood, Lewis stars as world famous film director Guido Continias he prepares his latest picture and balances the numerous women in his life - his wife, his sultry mistress, his film star muse, his confidant and costume designer, his mother and a young American fashion journalist. The film is based on the Broadway musical and inspired by Fellini's classic film "8 1/2". Director Rob Marshall has already had success with Chicago, which bodes well for the film, as well as its all-star cast which includes the most recent Oscar winners for Best Actor and Actress (Lewis and Marion Cottilard), Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, and Penelope Cruz.

Hello 2009

Happy New Year to everyone. On Dark Horizons there is a nice list of notable films that will be released in 2009. It's just part one of the list and here are some of the movies on it that I will be looking forward to:

Adventureland, the new comedy from Superbad director Greg Mottola. The film is set in the summer of 1987 when a recent college graduate (Jesse Eisenberg) takes a job at his local amusment park. Ryan Reynolds, Kristen Stewart, and Martin Starr are also featured in the film.

Avatar, James Cameron's sci-fi epic starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana. Worthington plays an ex-marine who is thrust unwillingly into an effort to settle and exploit an exotic planet rich in bio-diversity, who eventually crosses over to lead the indigenous race in a battle for survival. Although we will have to wait all the way til December to see the movie, it looks as though it's going to be great. Cameron will finally be back in the directors chair, and from what I've seen from footage of Terminator: Salvation, Worthington has got the goods.

The Boat That Rocked, which will be released in the later half of '09 stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Kenneth Branagh. I hadn't heard much about this movie, but the premise sounds interesting. In 1966, radio stations broadcast rock and pop music to up to 25 million people in the UK from ships anchored in the North Sea, outside of any national jurisdiction. The comedy tells of one such group of DJs at the forefront of the UK pirate radio movement.

Away We Go, is a film that has alot of potential. Directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes, and starring the talented John Krasinski (The Office), and Maya Rudolph (SNL) as an expectant couple as they travel the U.S. in search of a place to put down roots and raise a family. The premise doesn't sound all that exciting, but hopefully the combination of an excellent director (Mendes), and a well rounded cast (Krasinski, Rudolph, Toni Collette, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney and Catherine O'Hara) will make for a quality movie.