Film Preview: Closing Out 2007

Though there has been a lull in movie releases lately, there are still a few coming out in the near future that I am excited to see. The year has had some great releases, but will this year end on a high note? Here are my thoughts on some upcoming films that will close out 2007.

No Country for Old Men

With NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, the Coen Brothers have found a perfect match in Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy. Their adaptation of McCarthy’s praised novel is a staggering masterpiece. In this almost impossibly faithful adaptation, the film takes place in a small Texas border town in 1980. Sheriff Bell (a never-been-better Tommy Lee Jones) has ruled the land for years without the use of a gun, but a new brand of reckless lawlessness has taken over his town. Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is an innocent Everyman with a devoted wife, Carla Jean (Kelly Macdonald), but when he stumbles across a drug deal gone deadly and finds two million dollars, he’s determined to keep it for himself. There’s only one problem. He’s being pursued by one of the most amoral, evil psychopaths that the big screen has ever seen. Wearing an absurd haircut and brandishing a pressurized weapon that’s used to murder cattle, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) creeps forward on his mission to track Moss down and return the money to its rightful owners to save his own skin. As the tension mounts, the body count begins to rise, confirming Sheriff Bell’s inability to battle this new wave of modern brutality.

The reviews are overwhelmingly positive for the latest film from the Coen brothers. I have always been a fan of their work. It is so meticulously detailed, and their movies rank among some of the most creative and original I have ever seen. I do not know too much about No Country (I did not even read the above italicized text), and I aim to keep it that way. I want to go into the theater completely free of any assumptions (other than greatness). The only thing I heard is that it is extremely violent, but given the nature of the trailer I expected such.

Awake

Awake is a psychological thriller about a common occurrence called “anesthetic awareness,” a horrifying phenomenon wherein a patient’s (Hayden Christenson) failed anesthesia leaves him fully conscious but physically paralyzed during surgery. The patient’s charming new wife (Jessica Alba) is forced to struggle with her own demons as a terrifying drama unfolds around the couple.

This one is more of a possible see, because I thought the trailer was mildly intriguing. With the movie drought as of late I might be stretching a bit. Still, it does have Jessica Alba, which is never a bad thing. If nothing else I think it could be worth a solid rainy day view.

Hitman

Agent 47 (Olyphant) has been educated to become a professional assassin for hire. His most powerful weapons are his nerve and a resolute pride in his work. 47 is both the last two digits of the barcode tattooed on the nape of his neck, and his only name. The hunter becomes the hunted when 47 gets caught up in a political takeover. Both Interpol and the Russian military chase the HITMAN across Eastern Europe as he tries to find out who set him up and why they’re trying to take him out of the game. But the greatest threat to 47’s survival may be the stirrings of his conscience and the unfamiliar emotions aroused in him by a beautiful, damaged girl.

Is Hitman going to win any awards? No. Is it going to have even a slight resemblance of a cohesive plot? No. Are the characters going to be deep, well-crafted masterpieces of human emotion? No. However, are there going to be guns? Yes. I expect nothing but a shooting, exploding piece of mind-numbing action. If my expectations are met I will be satisfied.

I Am Legend

I am not posting the synopsis on purpose, because this is another movie that I want to know nothing about going into the theater. I am anticipating this film more than any other right now, because of its excellent trailer. I love Will Smith, and Legend looks like an intense, suspenseful thriller that will close out 2007 in excellent fashion. I can only hope my instincts are correct.

Are you looking forward to any of these films? Are there any others I missed? Let me know in the comments.