MUST-SEE || BIG MAYBES/NO WAY

BIG MAYBES

Punisher: War Zone
Release Date: December 5
Hell, Yeah: A psycho Vietnam vet with an unshakably black and white view of the law and a serious bloodlust? What's not to like?! Despite the movies' inability to capture him, the Punisher remains the most badass Marvel hero of all. He's like Batman, only instead of training with ninjas, forging himself into an unkillable and intangible symbol of justice, and juggling his superheroics with a millionaire playboy persona, he just shoots people. A lot.
Oh, No: Like we said, this is the third attempt at a decent Punisher movie, and already things are looking dire. Rome's Ray Stevenson is a great casting choice, but rumors are swirling that Lionsgate is getting cold feet, trying to gut the originally hard-R actioner (the only way Punisher can possibly be made) into a lame PG-13 crowd-pleaser.

The Soloist
Release Date: November 21
Hell, Yeah: The Year of Downey continues as Robert Jr. stars in this based-on-a-true-story heart-tugger about a journalist who discovers a schizophrenic former Juilliard music student (Jamie Foxx) living on the streets of L.A. Life lessons ensue.
Oh, No: Life lessons ensue. After knocking us on our asses with Iron Man and Tropic Thunder, this just seems a tad…typical. A movie about a mentally ill homeless man? Isn't this exactly the kind of Oscar bait he made fun of in Thunder? Still, Foxx and Downey can act their respective asses off, so there's hope that this can rise above the mundane.


How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
Release Date: October 3
Hell, Yeah: HTLFAAP, based on the Toby Young memoir, stars Simon Pegg as a wannabe British entertainment journalist who somehow gets a job at Vanity Fair under a hardcase editor-in-chief, played by Jeff Bridges. Once there, he proceeds to embarrass himself in front of coworkers (like the cute Kirsten Dunst) and celebrities (like the eye-scorchingly hot Megan Fox). So far, score one for casting.
Oh, No: Pegg is hilarious, no question, but so far the movie has us thinking The Devil Wears Prada with testicle(s). Pegg will be able to handle the scenes of stuttering awkwardness into which his antics force him, and Bridges appears to be a great foil, but will this movie appeal to anyone outside the magazine industry?


Pride and Glory
Release Date: October 24
Hell, Yeah: Is there a single pair of second-generation-cop brothers with hard-boiled dads who aren't corrupt? Not so, say the movies. Despite being wrapped in a tortilla made entire of clichés, Pride and Glory boasts a familial three way we owe it to ourselves to watch: Edward Norton, Colin Farrell, and Jon Voight.
Oh, No: Coming so soon on the heels of We Own the Night (which was the same movie except for…nope, the same movie), Pride and Glory must have felt like a premature remake (something Ed "Bruce Banner" Norton knows a thing or two about). But director Gavin O'Connor did do Miracle, which was better than it had any right to be.



Role Models
Release Date: November 7
Hell, Yeah: It's not exactly a new idea to pair overgrown kids with actual kids for comic effect, but Role Models is not only directed by David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer), but stars always-reliable Paul Rudd and sometimes-reliable Seann William Scott. Oh, and McLovin. So there's a chance it could have more in its corner than its contemporaries.
Oh, No: Again, the movie's concept is so old, it kicked us off its lawn. We're sure Rudd will be able to squeeze laughs from us, but will that be enough? We're kind of leaning toward "no."


Soul Men
Release Date: November 14
Hell, Yeah: Samuel L. Jackson and the late Bernie Mac playing bickering former musical partners? Yeah, we think that could keep us entertained for a while. We'll just look past the fact that 33 percent of the people who appear in this trailer are now deceased. Creepy.
Oh, No: One thing, though…wasn't this, essentially, the same plot as Tapeheads? Only we're pretty sure Soul Men won't feature senatorial bondage, Swedish techno pop, or Weird Al Yankovic. To its detriment.


The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Release Date: December 25
Hell, Yeah: David Fincher is one of the most criminally underrated filmmakers out there. Why Zodiac didn't get more attention is as big a mystery as who was offing all those San Franciscans, but the guy is consistently doing some of the most intricately crafted movies you've ever seen. Here, he gets to perform all sorts of trickery on his Fight Club star Brad Pitt, who plays a man who ages backwards.
Oh, No: What Fincher is not, however, is brief. Word is that Benjamin Button may make you feel like you're aging as well, and very few directors can sustain whimsy for that long without the audiences' eyes glazing over. Also, a lot rides on Pitt being able to outact the special effects (right from the start, the accent's a bit wonky).


Valkyrie
Release Date: December 26. Maybe
Hell, Yeah: Sorry, but we can't get enough of Nazis getting blown up, so this truth-based potboiler is right up our alley: Tom Cruise stars as a Nazi officer who agrees to make an attempt on Hitler's life with a briefcase bomb. Director Bryan Singer finally rids himself of superheroes, and he's gotten Cruise a good supporting cast, which includes poncy-accented actors like Kenneth Branagh and Bill Nighy.
Oh, No: It was easier to infiltrate Hitler's lair than to get this movie done. First, German officials allegedly took issue with Cruise's "religion" and barred shooting in certain locations, then MGM pushed its release back and back and back (often a sign of no confidence). Is this Singer's comeback or more of the free fall that began with Superman Returns?


Yes Man
Release Date: December 19
Hell, Yeah: Remember that movie when Jim Carrey couldn't tell a lie? Well, now he plays a guy who can only say "yes." Kidding aside, this is exactly the kind of rickety framework Carrey can usually work to within an inch of its life until all possible chuckles are wrung out of it. Director Peyton Reed has some solid comedies under his belt, and writer Nicholas Stoller directed this year's Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
Oh, No: From what we can gather, Carrey's character challenges himself to say "yes." No hypnosis. No visits from God. It's just something he chooses to do. Will the misadventures be as funny if this asshole's just bringing it on himself?

NO WAY

Transporter 3
Release Date: November 26
Oh, No: Listen, Jason Statham—you're a cool guy. We dig your movies. But this is pushing it. What's that? Crank 2? Seriously, dude. Stop it.


The Day the Earth Stood Still
Release Date: December 12
Oh, No: The original was an old-school classic. This one looks to be a greatest hits package of every sci-fi film made in the last 20 years. Heavy emphasis on the shitty ones.


City of Ember
Release Date: October 10
Oh, No: We've been up to our tails in whimsical fantasy films, but this one seals it. A mystical city that can't afford to pay its energy bills and faces wholesale collapse? Aren't these things supposed to be escapist?

MUST-SEE || BIG MAYBES/NO WAY