08/04/10
Catfish (September 17) - Catfish is the inevitable film that attempts to be this year's Paranormal Activity or The Blair Witch Project. In the trailer's setup we're told that everything is real in this story about a guy who goes to meet his Internet girlfriend, though the word "documentary" is never used. We see Nev Schulman fall for a mysterious girl online who he then gets to know via phone and chat. We get the impression that he becomes very close with her and her family before ever meeting them - his friends recording as much as they can with cameras. One day they all set off to meet this mystery girl … and things turn creepy. This is where the trailer leaves us, ending with a quote about how the film (now called a thriller late in the trailer) will shake you for days. Hmm … kinda sounds like the Blair Witch trailer. Regardless, we're a sucker for these kinds of indie flicks. (Or is this an indie flick? How well the trailer and film's website are put together make us think it might be a studio movie disguised as a low-budget future phenom gagger.) Looks promising regardless of our suspicions. B+
Saw 3D (October 29) - Hahahahahahahahaha!!! Saw 3D!!!! Awesome! Because both Saw and 3D weren't both ridiculous enough already. What bothers us so much about the Saw movies is how well they're photographed and edited. Stupid movies that drain the talent pool. D
Holy Wars (Already Testing) - This documentary tells the story of the war between Christianity and Islam. I'm sure it's an interesting story and it looks to be somewhat well made (and maybe even exciting at times), but we at Ze Catalist can think of nothing more foolish and depressing than religious wars. Religion has been ruining the world for too long, can making a movie about tit really do or say anything new? Zzzz. We'd rather watch this than Saw 3D, but, still, no thanks. D+
La Soga (August 13) - An action film about a lawman from the Dominican Republic who gets framed and must now expose the truth. Sounds … sounds like something we've seen 20 times before. The trailer begs us to believe that the film is the next City of God, but we get the feeling that it's just a well-shot and probably predictable crime flick. Maybe we're wrong … writer Junot Diaz (The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao) calls it "flat out brilliant," so it must not be too bad. Stars no one anyone in the US knows other than former Miss Universe Denise Quinones … who, yes, is probably quite fun to look at while bullets are flying through her incredibly expensive hair extensions. B
Buried (September 24) - This modernly stylized thriller from director Rodrigo Cortes has a serious - though maybe out of touch - crush on Hitchcock. The story is simple, a guy (Ryan Reynolds) wakes up in a box six feet under the ground with no idea of who put him there or why. He has 90 minutes of air, a lighter and a cell phone. He makes calls, gets clues and tries to save his own life. Is the movie just a bunch of film of a guy in a box talking on the phone? Who knows. The Trailer tells us almost nothing about the visual style. Looks like something we MIGHT rent if the buzz is good enough come release weekend. C+
It's Kind of a Funny Story (September 24) - Yes!!! Finally!! The new film from Ryan Fleck (who adapted the screenplay from the popular book), director of the great Sugar and even greater Half Nelson. Starring a cast of A- and B-listers (including Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts, Viola Davis, Jim Gaffigan, Jeremy Davies and more), this oddball comedy looks fan-fucking-tastic. Will Fleck finally become a name director and will Galifianakis finally start making the movies he's probably always wanted to make? The chances look good for this dramedy about a 16-year-old boy who checks into a mental hospital only to find that the youth ward is close. While staying in the adult ward he meets a number of interesting patients, possibly finds love and most definitely figures something out about himself. Okay, we gotta get outta here, we need to watch this trailer again. A-
Written by G. William Locke