Blog From The Bench

The Science of Sleep

You had me at "A new film by Michel Gondry". If you thought Eternal Sunshine was out of this world, check out the trailer for Gondry's new trip, which builds on the foundation of dreams and reality colliding. It's like a music video all grown up into a feature film.

The Prestige

No matter how you slice it, this one just looks fantastic. It looks like a marvelous cross between "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" by Susanna Clarke twisted up with Michael Chabon's "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" for good measure. And what a cast! Just don't confuse it with The Illusionist, which at first glance looks inferior.

The Fountain

I can't even tell you how long I've been waiting for this one.

American Hardcore

Here comes my high school straight edge hardcore ideology back to the surface. Man, I used to love this @#$%. It's about time they made a documentary about it. I can still remember what it felt like to have sixteen guys dance on your face after you trip and fall in the middle of a circle pit.

Children of Men

Like an Orwellian inverse of "A Handmaiden's Tale", this one looks nothing short of a spectacle. And at the very least, Clive Owen, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Alfonso Cuarón sounds like a winning combination to me.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Greatest movie title ever. And quite the dramatic teaser.

Renaissance

Ever wonder what would happen if Sin City had sex with Aeon Flux? Wonder no more. I don't even know what to make of this one, but I bet it's going to be a heck of a cinematic experience.

The Descent

I still think this one looks like a bad knockoff of The Cave, but everyone who has seen it swears this one's for real - a genuine horror movie in a time of pasteurized remakes and dullness. Sold.

Fearless

I've already seen it on DVD, but that doesn't mean I'm not excited to see it on the big screen. The chance of Jet Li actually retiring from action films is about zero, but it's still an amazingly visual spectacle.