I haven’t been to the movie theatre in a long time, thanks to the beauty of NetFlix. However, there’s a crop of movies coming out soon that may just change that.
First up is Kiss of the Dragon, starring Jet Li. Now, we all know that Jet Li kicks some serious butt (with a name like that, what else do you expect). But you team him up with Luc Besson (The Professional, La Femme Nikita) and it leads to some pretty high hopes. I didn’t care too much for Romeo Must Die, but Kiss of the Dragon is supposed to be a return to movies like Fist of Legend (my favorite Li flick). That’s all good in my book. I think I watched the trailer about 4 times when I found it… and then I had to clean up the drool.
Inspired by the legendary line of video games, Final Fantasy is being touted as the most advanced animated film ever created. And it may just be that. Watch the trailer and keep reminding yourself that it was all done on computers. The plot is supposedly a mix between Akira and Aliens, so expect tons of action. But knowing Squaresoft’s video games, I’m sure there will also be some deep ruminations on life, love, and existence.
Stanley Kubrick. Steven Spielberg. Two of the biggest names to ever grace filmmaking. Any film with both of their names attached to it has some pretty big expectations. And that film is titled A.I. A.I. (which stands for “Artificial Intelligence”) was going to be Kubrick’s next project before his untimely death, but Spielberg has taken up the reigns for this futuristic tale of a boy robot who longs to be human. While watching the trailer, think Pinocchio, but a lot deeper.
I’ve never been a huge fan of the Planet of the Apes movies. Oh sure, I’ve seen bits and pieces, and I know the surprise ending, but I never got into the series as much as some people. However, I’m really keen to see the new movie coming out this summer. It’s directed by Tim Burton, so I’m sure it’ll be weird and ingenious. And from what I’ve heard, everything about this movie, from the costumes to the way the actors move, has been made as realistic as possible.
And there are more… The Princess and the Warrior (from Tom Twyker, who proved that movies could be a substitute for adrenaline with Run Lola Run, the labyrinthine thriller Memento, and Avalon, a dark sci-fi flick from Poland directed by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) that might just give The Matrix a run for its money in terms of style.
Now if these films will just come to Lincoln…