movie buzz

I Am Legend Wil Smith is alone on Manhattan Island — and maybe the planet — after a virulent plague wipes out humanity. Scariest thing about New York after the apocalypse? He still can’t get tickets to The Lion King on Broadway. (my review) Alvin and the Chipmunks A songwriter in Los Angeles adopts three … more…

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp do Stephen Sondheim in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street [opens December 21]. This one has been screening in NYC for at least a couple of weeks, and almost to a one, every critic who’s seen the movie whom I’ve heard speak about this one has called it … more…

The Golden Compass A young girl and her companion “daemon” embark on a grand adventure across a parallel world to infuriate Christian fundamentalists in contemporary America. Well, that might as well be the story, the way some loudmouths are carrying on. (my review is here)

There are too many damn movies being released. I never thought I’d ever say that, but it’s true. I can’t keep up. I’m on track to see around 250 of 2007’s new theatrical releases, and I feel like I’ve missed tons of stuff. And no wonder: the industry-watcher site The Numbers says 965 movies will … more…

Oh my God! Christian Bale is rumored to have signed onto Terminator 4, titled Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins. (Is that a tentative title? Man, it’s a mouthful…) Bale is pretty much a god, as far as I’m concerned. I met him when he was doing press for Rescue Dawn — geez, maybe I should … more…

Man, this week keeps getting crazier… Why? Why why why why why? Was the world crying out for a movie version of Alvin and the Chipmunks [opens December 14]? Is Jason Lee really this desperate? The mysteries confound my mind. Oh well… it’ll kill some time on Saturday morning before the annual St. Lucia’s Day … more…

Woody Harrelson is a male escort for society ladies in Washington DC. Oh, and he’s gay. Oh, and he’s accused of murder. I might laugh at the premise, except The Walker [opens limited December 7] is from Paul Schrader, who made the powerful Auto Focus and Affliction, and long ago he wrote a little movie … more…

Awake Hayden Christensen finds himself paralyzed but conscious during excruciatingly painful surgery. Now he knows what the Star Wars faithful experienced during Episode III. And we didn’t have Jessica Alba there to rescue us. (not screened for critics; I’m gonna try to see it this weekend, though it may be Monday or Tuesday before I … more…

Cloverfield is back. Remember the trailer for an unnamed movie everyone was so excited about a few months back, the one before Transformers about a mysterious monster attacking New York and knocking the head off the Statue of Liberty? There’s a second trailer now: it debuted before Beowulf over the Thanksgiving weekend and immediately afterward … more…

The Golden Compass is atheistic! A tool of Satan! The downfall of humanity! And you can tell because none of the characters have a soul! Er, um, actually, the characters do have souls. They just keep them outside their actual bodies, in the forms of animal familiars that accompany them everywhere they go, comfort them … more…