Dan Owen reviews

DAN'S   MOVIE   DIGEST

2 0 0 6   R e t r o s p e c t i v e

P a r t   F o u r

Cover What goodies await us in 2007? Well, my personal picks of stuff to look out for are as follows:
Transformers -� the 80s cartoon and toy franchise about robots able to transform into various vehicles gets a Michael Bay facelift. Expect plenty of very loud explosions and eye-popping visuals.
Spider-Man 3 -- the most successful comic-book movie adaptation returns with a full plate: a new love interest and three new villains. Audiences will be clamouring to see Green Goblin #2, the Sandman and, of course, the anti-Spidey himself... Venom.
Shrek The Third -� perhaps the only CGI animation held in the same regard as Toy Story, the phenomenally successful Shrek canon gets a third member. The visuals don't seem to have improved that much since Part 2, but the laughs seem to be intact judging from the trailer.

Cover Pirates Of The Caribbean: The World's End -� okay, so the first sequel divided discerning audiences, but it still did massive box-office and the DVD flew off the shelves. Part 3 will continue the story, with more sumptuous scenery, gorgeous actors, amazing effects and Johnny Depp hamming it up for all he's worth.
300 �- it's another adaptation of a comic-book utilizing the same greenscreen techniques seen in Sin City. Zack Snyder takes the helm on this historical actioner based on a true story about 300 Spartans defeating an enemy of 1 million soldiers. The visuals look magnificent: a potent blend of Sin City, Lord Of The Rings and Gladiator. Early US screenings in 2006 met with near fanatical joy.
Fantastic Four 2: Rise Of The Silver Surfer �- the first movie proved to be a big disappointment for comic-book nerds, but Joe Public got behind it and so the inevitable sequel arrives. FF2 will see WETA handle the visuals of The Silver Surfer (imagine an air-surfing T-1000), while director Tim Story will hopefully deliver something with more substance than before.
Hot Fuzz �- the Shaun Of The Dead crew are back, and this time they set their comedy sights on the action genre. Imagine Bad Boys being mixed with your typical episode of Miss Marple. Sit back and watch the fireworks and jokes fly.

Cover Rocky Balboa � already released in the States to amazing success and some remarkably positive reviews, Part 6 of Sly Stallone's boxing franchise seems to hit the spot. Fans are calling it the true sequel to Part 2 in spirit and, despite some flaws, it does exactly what you want and expect. The best Part 6 ever?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles �- another piece of 80s nostalgia alongside Transformers. Those heroes in a half-shell return in CGI form, but with an aesthetic that's closer to the dark comic-books they came from and not the primary-coloured cartoon series. The trailer looks like a lot of fun, but are modern audiences bothered about the TMNT?
Grind House �- Quentin Tarantino doesn't make movies very quickly, so it's amazing his next film is coming out just 3 years since Kill Bill 2. Grind House is the most "out there" movie-going concept of 2007 � as it's essentially TWO movies for the price of one. Robert Rodriguez directs Planet Terror (an zombie actioner featuring a stripper with a gun for leg) while Tarantino directs Bullet Proof (a slasher film about a stunt driver with a freaky car). Add to that some fake trailers from directors such as Eli Roth (Hostel) and Edgar Wright (Shaun Of The Dead) and you have the most bizarre release of the year. But, hey, check out the trailer and your jaw will be on the ground too.
Evan Almighty �- yes, with Jim Carrey back in drama territory, it's left to his Bruce Almighty co-star Steve Carrell (The 40 Year Old Virgin) to take the lead in the sequel. This time God, Morgan Freeman again, instructs Evan (Carrell) to build an Ark before another flood hits the planet. Cue lots of animal jokes and slapstick, but it looks to have retained that good-natured "what if?" energy of the original. Check out the funnier-than-you-expect trailer for the beard shaving gag.

Cover The Simpsons Movie �- true fans will know that The Simpsons TV show hasn't been very good for about 7 or 8 years now. The sheer number of repeats clouds the quality downturn, but everyone is hopeful the Simpson family's move to a feature film will hit big. Promising signs? Some early sketch animations released on the web were funnier than most entire episodes these days, and the show's "Golden Age" writers have all hammered out the script. Fingers crossed...
Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix �- it's the weakest book in the series, so will the film improve on things? Apparently the screenplay has been able to hack away a lot of dead wood and should deliver another fine slice of magic and peril. Even if it doesn't match the giddy highs of Azkaban or Goblet, can you seriously see this one flopping? Me neither.
Live Free Or Die Hard �- it's not just Sylvester Stallone who's polishing off his '80s characters... Bruce Willis is back as indestructible and unfortunate cop John McClane. It looks like the filmmakers have ignored the restrictive nature of Part 1 and 2 and have expanded the danger to incorporate all of America. Director Len Wiseman cut his teeth on the Underworld movies and the trailer certainly seems to have a lion's share of some stunning stunt sequences. Should be the guilty pleasure of the summer.
Number 23 �- Jim Carrey continues to move away from comedy with this psychological drama with an intriguing concept. Basically, Carrey plays a man who begins to realize the number 23 is all around him, woven into his life... and then stuff really gets weird...