TDI Movie Preview

File Under: Special Features

Well, here's a new feature TDI is going to try to stay on top of... It's a month-by-month movie preview. We preview all the movies that TDI thinks is worth mentioning, and/or thinks will be a major hit at the box office. This is not a list of what movies I'm going to go see. Rather, it is a general preview of what will be playing in movie theaters in the upcoming month. And I'm not including every single movie... Just ones with serious potential to be the top movies of the week. (IMHO)

November, 2005

Jarhead - Based on the book written by Anthony Swofford, this movie follows a young enlistee, from boot camp all the way to Operation Desert Storm. The official movie description says that "Swoff(ord) and his fellow Marines sustain themselves with sardonic humanity and wicked comedy on blazing desert fields in a country they don't understand against an enemy they can't see or fully fathom." But can the fact that it's dealing with a Iraq war in modern settings win over Americans to go see it? It's also rated R, and features a Kayne "Bush hates blacks" West song in the trailers. Looking up political buzz for this movie, liberals say it's pro-military, and conservatives say it's anti-military. Can we ever agree on something? I mean, it's only one movie! The war biopic, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, and Chris Cooper, opens November 4.


Chicken Little - In Disney's first solo computer generated (CGI) Cartoon, Chicken Little is trying to restore his repuation after his infamous "The Sky is Falling!" incident. And it goes pretty well.... until a real peice of the sky falls! Chicken Little, along with his ragtag team of buddies, try to figure out how to save the town from whatever might be next. But will Chicken Little have to alert the entire town, at the risk of potentially damaging his restored reptutation? You'll find out on November 4. This film stars the voices of Zach Braff, Steve Zahn, and John Cusack. (trailer)



Get Rich or Die Tryin' - Remember when Eminem released his movie, 8 Mile? Same deal, only this time, it's today's rap mogul, 50 Cent (known on his tax forms as Curtis Jackson). This movie is 50 Cent's "semi autobiography", with him acting out a character who went through "similar" events in his own life. In the film, an orphaned street kid "makes his mark" in the drug trade, but "finally dares" to leave the violence of his former life behind. So what do you do when you leave the drug trade? You become a rapper! And make a movie about it. This film, starring 50 Cent, Joy Bryant, and Viola Davis, opens on November 9. (movie site)


Zathura - Two brothers discover an odd box in a park, which they dismiss as "just some dumb old game." Later, they open it up, and I *guess* discover two games inside. One of them is Jumanji, and the other is a spaced-theme game called Zathura. This new game has an outer-space theme and a colored path leading to the purple planet, Zathura. Like Jumanji, this new flick features new dangers whenever the dice is rolled. And, judging by the trailer, this film also features the common annoying child actors. This flick, which stars Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, and Tim Robbins, opens November 11.


Pride & Prejudice - Oddly enough, I had to sort through search results for a "Pride and Prejudice" movie. Apparently, they made one before? Anyway, for those who aren't familiar with the plot of the Jane Austin novel, an opinionated young woman and an arrogant aristrocrat overcome their personal obstacles, and society's, to fall in love. They get married. Oh, don't get mad about spoilers! It's a Jane Austin novel. They have HAPPY endings! (so I gather) This new version stars Keira Knightly, Matthew MacFayden, Judi Dench, and Donald Sutherland. It opens in select cities on November 11. (trailer)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Now in his fourth year at Hogwarts, the young wizard Harry faces his greatest challenges yet. In the latest film, Harry is mysteriously selected to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, a very deadly - yet noble - tournament against all the other best young wizards from across Europe. As if that weren't stressful enough, it looks like Lord Voldemort just might be returning from the dead. As the pr release says, "Harry is playing not just for the Cup, but for his life." Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. It opens on November 18. (trailer)



Walk the Line - He wrote about 8,000,000,000 songs. And became a music legend in the process. His name was Johnny Cash, and he was "a voice of rebellion that changed the face of rock and roll." By becoming country? Then it's switching genres. Anyways... As he went from picking cotton, to serving in the Air Force, to becoming a music legend, his personal life was turned upside-down by one woman: June Carter. This movie chronicles the events of the man who became an American music icon. The Ray for 2005 stars Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, and Robert Patrick. Walk the Line opens November 18. (trailer)



Rent - It's a broadway musical! It's a Tony-Award winning musical! Now it's a major motion picture! The general plot is that, to quote the pr release, "a group of young East Villagers in New York City cope with such harsh urban realities as AIDS, homelessness and paying the rent." And how do they cope? By singing and dancing all around New York City, that's how! Interestingly enough, most of the original broadway cast was able to reuinite for the movie adaption. And on a personal note, I'd never heard any of the music before. So when I saw the teaser trailer , I was completely confused. I thought it was one of those public service spots! The musical, starring Taye Diggs, Rosario Dawson, and Idina Menzel, opens November 23. (trailer)

Looking into the crystal ball, you better see the movies you want to see opening weekend, because December is jammed-packed with good-looking movies. Though from the list above, I can safely say that there are two that interest me. I'd just have to find time to see them!

And, of course, TDI will track the progress of each movie, via our weekly Box Office Results feature.