Well, yet another year in film has been left behind.
Technically, that statement is not true since there are still a few leftovers and, of course, the bulk of awards season left, but that is neither here nor there.
The new year looks to bring much of the same as I preview some of the films being released during this semester.
A good place to start is with the wide releases as they will be the ones that are almost guaranteed to be come around the area. I'll also be separating 3D and 2D as the former's trend shows no signs of fatigue.
The first new 3D release of the year is "Underworld: Awakening", the fourth installment in the "Underworld" series that sees the return of Kate Beckinsale as Selene, who was noticeably absent in the much derided prequel "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans".
This one sees humanity's effort to destroy both vampires and lycanthropes, or lycans, who are also known today more commonly as werewolves, and Selene has to help stop the impending genocide. So, it looks like there will not be any fundamental differences in this one and its three predecessors.
If gothic shoot-outs are not your fancy, then maybe the long-awaited cinematic superhero cluster, "The Avengers," is. It is sure to be a standard Marvel superhero movie, featuring heroes from the standalone films leading up to it. This one is also planned to be in 3D, albeit post-converted for a May 4 release.
Three older films are joining the foray as well. "The Beauty and the Beast", "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace", and "Titanic" will all be given 3D theatrical re-releases. "Beauty and the Beast" returned to theatres on January 13, and the other two will slated for re-release February 10 and April 6, respectively. They are certainly following the lead of the success of "The Lion King" last September.
In the land of good, old-fashioned two-dimensional films, there are not many wide releases of real note in January or February, but March 23 and April 6 contain two hotly anticipated features.
The former is the release date for the first adaptation of Suzanne Collins' popular book trilogy. Yes, "The Hunger Games", will be brought to the big screen. It will feature Academy Award nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone) as Katniss Everdeen who volunteers to take her sister's place in a fight-to-the-death that is insisted upon by the oppressive government in this look at a dystopian U.S.
The latter is the long-rumored third sequel to "American Pie" entitled "American Reunion". The original cast returns for their high school reunion. Made by the same duo that brought "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" to life, "American Reunion" is sure to be as wild as the other movies in the franchise.
While there are plenty of blockbusters to choose from as the traditional summer movie season seems to be starting earlier and earlier every year, independent and foreign art house films are still well represented.
One of the most controversial is the new Lynne Ramsay ("Ratcatcher") film "We Need to Talk About Kevin" about a mother (Tilda Swinton) whose son went on a killing spree at his high school and her emotional fallout. It receives a wide release on January 20.
Another, which has no chance of making it to Martin or anywhere close, is "The Turin Horse", the proposed final film by experimental filmmaker Béla Tarr ("The Man From London"). It gives a fictional account of the dying horse that Friedrich Nietsche encountered being beaten by its owner and will be released in New York City on February 10. It may seem odd to talk about a film that is only getting a release in New York, but Béla Tarr deserves to be mentioned.
By the looks of the release schedule for the winter and spring, one can expect more of the same. Sequels, re-releases, and 3D technology continue to dominate popular cinema. That is not to say that it is inherently bad, but Hollywood is certainly playing it safe.
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