Tom Butler’s Top 5: Films still to come out in 2009

Top 5: Films still to come out in 2009

The year may be nearly over, but it’s not time to sit back and reflect on the year’s cinematic winners and losers just yet. A quick glance at the UK release schedule will tell you that 2009 still has a lot to offer film junkies across the land before they overdose on the inevitable Christmas favourites on the telly, slumped on the sofa, nursing acute indigestion, whilst they debate the merits of the early Harry Potter films.

Unfortunately there is no room for any festive films on the list because, lets face it, they don’t make them like they used to. Just stick to the classics if you want to feel festive, personally I’d recommend Gremlins, Die Hard, It’s a Wonderful Life and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation to put you in the mood.

5 – Nowhere Boy

When -December 25th

Who – Turner prize-nominated artist Sam Taylor-Wood makes her feature directorial debut with Nowhere Boy, a John Lennon biopic focussing on the Beatles’ formative years growing up in Liverpool. British newcomer Aaron Johnson (soon to be seen in comic book film Kick-Ass) plays the adolescent Lennon and his unique relationship with the matriarchs in his life.

Why – Nowhere Boy recently closed the London Film Festival to glowing reviews, and anyone with the slightest bit of interest in British music should be intrigued to see the formation of the most influential British band brought to life, albeit at embryonic stage.

4 – The Box

When – December 4th

Who – Richard Kelly, once the ‘next big thing’ in Hollywood thanks to his debut with the cult-classic Donnie Darko, needs to reinvigorate his career after the god-awful apocalyptic mess that was Southland Tales. The Box is his return to smaller scale films, and is an adaptation of a short story that has previously been turned into an episode of the Twilight Zone. Cameron Diaz and James Marsden (Cyclops in the X-Men films) star as a young couple faced with an intriguing dilemma – push the red button on the box and receive $1m but… someone, somewhere will die.

Why – Whilst Southland Tales was a sprawling shambles, it did show signs of genius at work, and Donnie Darko is rightly hailed as a modern classic, so even if The Box doesn’t turn out to be great, it will still be worth seeing. Probably.

3 – Paranormal Activity

When – November 25th

Who – Billed as, “One of the scariest movies of all time.” and also one of the most profitable indie movies ever made having grossed over $100m in the USA already despite having a measly budget of just $15,000, Paranormal Activity is a success story to equal Blair Witch, a film it shares its ‘found footage’ premise with. With no stars to speak of, and an untested first time director in Oren Peli, Hollywood has sat up and taken notice, realising that you don’t need stars or mega-bucks CGI to make a hit movie.

Why – When Steven Spielberg saw the DVD screener, he inexplicably found himself locked in his screening room, and returned the DVD the next day convinced that it was cursed. If you can scare Spielberg, then you’re on the right track. He picked up the movie for his company Dreamworks to distribute, and the rest, they say, is history.

2 – Where The Wild Things Are

When – December 11th

Who – Spike Jonze, best known for his mind-bending Charlie Kaufman collaborations Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, is at the helm for this adaptation of the classic kids books by Maurice Sendak. Initially filmed in 2006, the film has had a tortured production with rumours of reshoots and studio interference, but any fears were soon laid to rest once the trailers began to surface.

Why – Just one look at the incredible trailers tell you that this will be a kids film like no other, dealing with the bewildering uncertainty of childhood unflinchingly. Oh, and Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs is on soundtrack duties too…

1 – Avatar

When – December 17th

Who – James Cameron, the man who brought you some of the best action movies of all time – Aliens and Terminators 1 & 2 to name but a few, returns to the genre after the setting new box-office records with Titanic. Starring Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver and Zoe Saldana, Avatar is set on the far-flung moon of Pandora, where humans battle with the native Na’vi people over the planets natural resources.

Why – James Cameron’s first film for twelve years should be enough to whet your appetite, but add to that the $300m budget, reportedly game-changing special effects and the fact that it’s coming out in 3D and IMAX, and you should be banging on the door of your local cinema for tickets right now to see what could turn out to be the biggest film of the decade.

Check out the trailers for all the films below:

Nowhere Boy

The Box

Paranormal Activity

Wild Things

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