Moviegoers Get a Break From Last Year's Trends

Despite some truly fantastic films, 2007 was largely a year of repetition and unoriginality. Of the 10 top-grossing films of the year, nine were remakes, sequels or adaptations ("Ratatouille" being the sole exception). 2008 has the potential to break that trend, as the spring offers a variety of films that could get the year off to a refreshing start.

One promising contender is the Colin Farrell crime drama, "In Bruges." Farrell plays a hitman who, after botching an assignment, is instructed to hide out in the quaint but boring city of Bruges, Belgium, with a fellow assassin (Brendan Gleeson). It's the first feature film by playwright Martin McDonagh, who has received much acclaim for his dark style of comedy writing and is the first playwright since Shakespeare (!) to have four films running simultaneously in London's West End. The dependable Ralph Fiennes rounds out the cast as Farrell's boss. With three talented actors and an Academy Award-winning director at the helm, "In Bruges" could be one of the better crime films of the last few years.

Speaking of crime, there's also "Righteous Kill," a.k.a. "that new movie with Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro." The two star as a pair of New York City detectives called to investigate one last case before retiring. Sounds like one of the most hackneyed plot setups imaginable, right? Well, yeah. It is. It's also coming from the director of "Fried Green Tomatoes," which doesn't exactly inspire confidence, considering "Righteous Kill" is a gritty crime drama. But it pairs two of the most iconic and respected actors of the last 30-odd years together for the first time (except for one scene they share in 1995's "Heat"). In addition, the film is written by Russell Gewirtz, who penned the excellent script to 2006's "Inside Man." It's a toss-up, but hopefully the superb cast and talented writer will overshadow the film's potential shortcomings.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have "Semi-Pro," Will Ferrell's latest reminder to audiences that he likes playing outrageous athletes. Here, he's Jackie Moone, owner of and player for the Flint Michigan Tropics, a blissfully atrocious basketball team in the 1970s. When the Tropics are faced with termination due to their losing streak, they've got to pull it together and actually play competently. It's got a nice supporting cast (Rob Corddry, Woody Harrelson and Will Arnett), and with the co-screenwriter of "Old School" behind the script, "Semi-Pro" could be this year's "Blades of Glory." Unfortunately, "Blades of Glory" wasn't very good.

For the fantasy fans out there, the pickings are slim, but there is "Inkheart," based on the popular book by Cornelia Funke. Brendan Fraser plays the head of a family blessed with a peculiar ability: Every time they read a story out loud, it comes to life. From the looks of the trailer, "Inkheart" seems to be taking a somewhat comedic approach to the fantasy genre, which worked spectacularly in last year's "Stardust." The concept has a lot of potential, too, but that isn't always necessarily a good thing. A clever premise alone doesn't guarantee a good movie; effort and thought are still required, and a lot of films seem to forget that ("Stranger Than Fiction," don't try to sneak out of the room-I see you).

If "Inkheart" doesn't fulfill your "this is odd" fix, there's M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening," wherein plants around the world release an airborn neurotoxin that causes people to kill themselves. Mark Wahlberg plays the head of a family struggling to survive the crisis. Yeah, it sounds wacky, but at least it's not something we've seen before. Besides, Shyamalan has pulled off wacky before; "Lady in the Water," while silly on paper, was a superb film. Shyamalan has a gift for knowing when to reveal information to the audience and when to withhold it, and the survival-horror genre could benefit greatly from this skill. Then again, he's got a pretty inconsistent track record, and the idea of killer plants forcing people to commit suicide could come off as pretty goofy if not handled delicately.

Lastly, there's "The Dark Knight," the much-anticipated follow up to 2005's "Batman Begins." Here, Batman must face off against the Joker, who is wreaking havoc upon Gotham City. Most of the cast from the last film returns, with newcomers Aaron Eckhart and Heath Ledger joining the fun as Harvey Dent and the Joker, respectively. Director Christopher Nolan seems to be steering things toward a different direction from the last film, utilizing a dark blue palette and coaxing a rather maniacal performance from Ledger. The results could be quite chilling.

This does look to be a refreshing year for film, but it's not a sure thing. Despite its new take on the franchise, "The Dark Knight" is still just a continuation of characters we've known for years, and "Inkheart" could end up being nothing more than a poor man's version of the book upon which it's based. Still, things look to be getting off to a good start, and once the Writers Guild strike takes effect, causing studios to start looking for scripts from more obscure sources, things should really start to get interesting.

Tags: