I was just wondering what movies you guys are eager to see this year. And which ones you’ve already seen that you really recommend to others.

My list of want to sees (Keep in mind I live over an hour away from the nearest cinema, so I don’t go to the theater very often):

King Kong
Serenity
War of the Worlds
Star Wars
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Batman Begins

Uh… that’s it, I guess.

May sound silly but I saw “The Fellowship of the Ring” just last week I mean after watching “The Two Towers” and “The Return of the King”. I don�t remember what the reason was but I saw it after several years of delay.

So I’m not the one who should suggest latest movies.

I’ll bet you had a ton of questions when you first saw “The Two Towers”. 

The LoTR trilogy was one of the few movies that I actually drove all the way to the theater to watch. That and the final two Matrix films.

I’ll bet you had a ton of questions when you first saw “The Two Towers”. 

Yes. And I didn�t enjoy “The Fellowship of the Ring” at all because I new what was going to happen

That and the final two Matrix films.

Oh that thing! It was beautiful. I saw the first two twice, both at the cinema and by DVD. But the last one, don�t even talk about it, it was a waste of time.

I have too many to list them ...

The one I’m the most looking forward to see on the big screen is CASSHERN. I have the DVD but I want to see it on the big screen.

It’s a Japanese movie that’s supposed to get released by Dreamworks or Miramax somewhere this year ...

http://www.apple.com/jp/quicktime/trailers/casshern_large.html

Yeah I wrote about Casshern back in March 2004. I thought it had already come out in the theaters? If not, that’s another one I want to see.

For what it’s worth, here’s my take:

1. King Kong - I’ll go see this one, if for no other reason that curiosity. Saw a trailer rcently, and it looked good.

2. Serenity - Based on a TV sci-fi, IIRC. Was never interested in the series, so I’ll miss this one, catch it on DVD. (I understand the series it’s based on had a big following, so it’ll do well, I imagine.)
3. War of the Worlds - Saw it. It was OK. Great effects, etc. But I grew up with the ‘50s original, cheesy as it may seem now, and I still love it. I give the new one 7 out of 10, but it’s worth seeing for sure.
4. Star Wars - Saw it. Probably the best of the series. Definitely one to see. (But I still dont’ like the Anakin character, and I understand I’m not alone.) I give it 9 out of 10, with a couple of tenths shaved off for whiney Anakin.

5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - I’ll skip this one. Not my cup of coffee, so to speak.

6. Batman Begins - Saw it. Best Batman yet, not that it didn’t have flaws and excepting Jack Nicholson’s Joker. What the Batman movie franchise should have been from the beginning.

Upcoming, there are a couple of animated features I’d like to see. Chicken Little for one, and there’s another about carrier pidgeons during WWII that looks great. But that’s all I can remember right now.

OK, there’s another movie coming out in December I’d like to see. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe looks like it will be good. WETA worked on the special effects for it, so you know they’ll be good.

WETA worked on the special effects for it, so you know they�ll be good

Just to clarify, Weta was not the primary shop responsible for the special effects, etc. for the “Chronicles of Narnia” films.  Weta in this case only did some of the work for costuming, weapons, and such, I believe.  I have a friend who’s a “Senior Designer” at Weta Workshop and he had to correct my misunderstanding on this, too.  For example, the Chronicles of Narnia “WETA Featurette” trailer that’s available features quite a bit of stuff that apparently isn’t actually by Weta!  I guess the movie promoters are just trying to hitch on to the success of the LotR franchise and its extensive use of Weta Workshop and Weta Digital.

Anyway, the Chronicles of Narnia series definitely looks like another epic set of movies and I’m definitely looking forward to the first one this December.

Wow, I didn’t know that. Still anything that Weta does (whether it’s a little or a lot) is usually high quality. I’m definitely going to see it when it comes out.

That’s really cool you have a friend in Weta. Did you get any cool movie props from LoTR?

No props, I’m afraid.  I did get a copy of the LotR Weapons and Warfare book signed by a bunch of the Weta folks, including Richard Taylor.  Incidentally, the book is really far, far more than just about “weapons and warfare”; it’s basically a mini-guide to everything LotR, including character info, locations, battles, etc.  I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who loved the films but maybe (like me) didn’t read and memorize all the books.  It’s an excellent companion.

Anyway… back to the original topic:

I live within a couple of miles of two big theaters and I love movies, so I go see quite a few.  Big ones I’ve already seen this year:

Batman Begins - excellent movie.  It’s really more about Bruce Wayne than it is Batman.  It’s definitely the Batman movie we’ve all been waiting for.
Fantastic Four - I have to admit that I really wasn’t expecting much at all from this one.  It surprised me by being a lot better than I expected.  It’s certainly entertaining, but it won’t be winning awards.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith - I was looking forward to this one for a while.  Again, no awards here and don’t go in expecting anything too serious, but it’s entertaining and that’s what I want in a movie.
Saints and Soldiers - Small, independent film. WWII allied soldiers trapped behind lines with info that could save thousands.  Find this DVD at the video store and you won’t be disappointed.
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith - very good, but as usual the character acting and dialog was a bit subpar (aside from Ewan, who was excellent)
War of the Worlds - very good, I thought.  I went in expecting to just be entertained by another summer “popcorn” flick, but Spielberg really managed to make the movie more than that.  Tom Cruise was surprisingly good and there’s an excellent surprise guest star in it.
Wedding Crashers - I love Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, so it would have been hard to go wrong here.  It won’t win any awards, but if you like their other stuff you’ll certainly like this one.  Very, very funny.

Movies I’m looking forward to:

King Kong - Peter Jackson remakes a classic.  ‘nuff said.  (Except that Jackson’s also responsible for ‘Meet the Feebles’, but we’ll just ignore that.)
Pink Panther - The original’s a classic, but this certainly looks funny, too.
Serenity - I drool every time I watch the trailer.  If you didn’t watch the series, do yourself a favor and rent it on DVD or catch it on the SciFi channel.
The Island - Looks cool and it’s hard to go wrong with Ewan McGregor.

Movie’s I’ve Seen:
Batman Begins - Really liked this one.  So much better than the last two Batman movies.  I was beginning to lose hope for another good Batman until this one came out.
Revenge of the Sith - Despite it’s cringe worthy dialogue at times I still really liked it.  I think Yoda walking in on the Emperor and throwing his guards to the floor with the wave us his hand made the movie for me.
War of the Worlds - Read the book years ago and really only remember the ending.  I was pleasantly surprised that Spielberg kept it like it was in that respect.  I do remember the book being more about a bunch reporters and the military than a guy from New York.  But it worked.
Wedding Crashers - Really funny.  Liked this much more than I was expecting to. 

Movie’s I Want To See:
King Kong - Peter Jackson is involved so I’m going to have to see it.
Serenity - Like Chris I do a lot of drooling when I see the trailer for this.  Man I wish it had lasted for more than a season.
The Island - I know nothing about this one except what the trailer tells you but it looks cool.
A Scanner Darkly - Phillip K Dick stories can lead to great movies (Minority Report, Bladerunner) or crappy movies (Screamers, Total Recall) both kinds are enjoyable so I’m looking forward to this one as well.

Edit (Forgot Two):
Howl’s Moving Castle - I’m a big Miyazaki fan and this movie didn’t disappoint (except for the animation quality of the fired demon).  If you like animation you need to see this one if you can find a place still showing it.
The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe - Read these books as a kid and loved them reread them in college and enjoyed them on a whole new level.  In a similar vein to he Fellowship of the Rings I just pray they don’t butcher it.  These movies could be great or they could be mediocre depending on how faithful they are to the story line and the allegory involved.

Jamie

I’ve Seen:
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith- Even though most of my friends didn’t like it, I thought it was satisfying. Not a great movie, but should be fun for all the fans of the saga.

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy- Read the book, watch the series, then watch the movie- great mistake I think it’s real fun and is very interesting for someone who doesn’t know the original story.

War of The Worlds- Not the best way to film that movie, but not a very bad either. Watch it, you won’t regret it.

Movies I want to see:

The Island Looks like a pretty good movie. The story seems to me as a cliche, but who cares.
King Kong Not much to say about that one. I hope it doesn’t dissapoint me.

If you haven’t seen Million Dollar Baby or Closer by all means do. I’m waiting for Crash to come out on DVD so I can finally catch that.

Hustle & Flow as a very good movie, but it felt wierd rooting for the “hero”. Gotta catch wedding crashers and 40 year old virgin soon, before they go.

War of the Worlds stole two hours of my life

My wife and I will be seeing Serenity most likely, but we’ve been to our local movie theatre maybe three times in five and a half years of living here. We see movies on airliners more often than in theatres, and we don’t fly all that much.

Netflix is my best friend.    <= (imagine that’s a zombie)