THE AUTUMN OSCAR RACE IS NOW ON!! HERE IS A SNEAK PEEK AT THE SEASON’S BEST.
OSCAR BAIT
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Who’s in it: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton
Why you’ll see it: Director David Fincher’s last film, “Zodiac,” was one of the most criminally overlooked masterpieces in recent years. The presence of Brad Pitt should guarantee more eyeballs for his latest project. Based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Benjamin Button” is about a man who ages backwards. And through the magic of motion-capture (the same technology used in “Beowulf”), Pitt will play Button at every age, from a stooped senior citizen to a fresh-faced boy. We’re curious already. (Dec. 19)
Revolutionary Road
Director Sam Mendes is joined by his wife, Kate Winslet, as well as “Titanic” boatmate Leonardo DiCaprio for the story of a suburban Connecticut couple in the 1950s whose marriage is dissolving. (Dec. 26)
The Road
If you’ve read Cormac McCarthy’s brilliant but dispiriting novel about a father and son trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world, you don’t need much cajoling to see this one. Viggo Mortensen plays the dad, Kodi Smit-McPhee the son. (Nov. 26)
The Changeling
This period drama from director Clint Eastwood picked up major buzz after screening at Cannes earlier this year. A mother (Angelina Jolie) has her kidnapped son returned to her and begins to suspect that the boy is not hers. (Oct. 24)
Milk
Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch and James Franco headline this drama from director Gus Van Sant about the life of Harvey Milk, California’s first openly gay elected official who ultimately got assassinated. (Nov. 26)
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Australia
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman star is this outback epic from director Baz Luhrmann. (Nov. 14)
The Duchess
Another year, another costume drama for Keira Knightley. She plays the fashionable Duchess of Devonshire. (Sept. 19)
ACTION
Quantum of Solace
Who’s in it: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Ukrainian model-actress Olga Kurylenko
Why you’ll see it: Sorry, Sean Connery. 2006’s “Casino Royale” was the best James Bond yet. And this 22nd installment in the franchise promises to continue with the gritty, realistic tone the last one established. Picking up one hour after “Casino Royale” left off, the film sends the British secret agent around the globe to stop a shadowy organization from taking control of South America’s water supply. What’s not to like? Well, except that title, which comes from an unrelated Bond story by creator Ian Fleming. Craig has said the title has grown on him and that it’s a reference to Bond’s search for a bit of peace – and closure – after his girlfriend Vesper was murdered in “Casino Royale.” (Nov. 7)
Eagle Eye
From an idea by Steven Spielberg. Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan discover a mysterious woman has framed them as terrorists. D.J. Caruso, of “Disturbia,” directs. (Sept. 26)
RocknRolla
Marital troubles or not, Guy Ritchie proves he can still craft a stylish British crime drama. Gerard Butler and Tom Wilkinson star. (Oct. 31)
Body of Lies
The film’s pedigree alone – it was written by “The Departed” scribe William Monahan and directed by Ridley Scott – has us salivating. Leonardo DiCaprio is a covert Middle East operative and Russell Crowe is his handler. (Oct. 10)
Righteous Kill
The anticipation of seeing Robert De Niro and Al Pacino onscreen together for the first time since “Heat” is tempered somewhat by the knowledge that the director of this serial-killer thriller is the same who did Pacino’s disastrous “88 Minutes.” (Sept. 12)
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Valkyrie
Tom Cruise’s oft-delayed turn as a Nazi colonel who attempts to assassinate Hitler. (Dec. 26)
COMEDY
Burn After Reading
Who’s in it: Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, J.K. Simmons, Richard Jenkins
Why you’ll see it: Following multiple Oscar wins for the bleak “No Country for Old Men,” the Coen brothers regain their twisted sense of humor (see “Raising Arizona,” “Fargo,” “O Brother Where Art Thou” and, kind of, “Intolerable Cruelty”) with this smaller-scale movie about a couple of dim-bulb gym employees (Pitt, McDormand) trying to make money off the found memoirs of a CIA agent (Malkovich). There are enough auspicious pairings here to make several quality films, actually: Clooney and Pitt (“Ocean’s Eleven”); Clooney and the Coens (“O Brother”); McDormand and the Coens (“Raising Arizona,” “Fargo”); Clooney and Swinton (“Michael Clayton”). Plus: Malkovich plays a scary bad guy! (Sept. 12)
The Women
A group of gossipy gals (Annette Bening, Jada Pinkett Smith and Debra Messing) bond when they discover the husband of their friend (Meg Ryan) is having an affair. “Sex and the City” lite. (Sept. 12)
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Kevin Smith has unfortunately confirmed you will once again see Seth Rogen’s bare backside in this raunchy tale of two friends (Rogen and Elizabeth Banks) who decide to earn some cash by making an amateur porno. (Oct. 31)
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Michael Cera brings some of his patented awkward goodness to the story of a loser who ends up spending the night with a girl (Kat Dennings) who poses as his girlfriend. (Oct. 3)
Role Models
Of all the Judd Apatow regulars, Paul Rudd could be the most underrated. The gifted comedian gets top billing (along with Seann William Scott) as an energy drink rep who’s forced to mentor a kid in a charity program. (Nov. 14)
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Four Christmases
Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon struggle to visit all four of their divorced parents over the holidays. (Nov. 26)
Marley & Me
Based on the book, a family learns lessons from their dog. With Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. (Dec. 25)
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