Lots of Reasons to Go to the Theatre in 2009

I've come across a lot of blogs that are now posting "Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2009" lists, and I thought I would do something similar too. This post is going to be dedicated to the films that I am looking forward to seeing in 2009. I also think it will be fun to look back at this list come 2010 and see what was great and what was terrible. However, this post does come with a warning because I think it is going to be a very long one (edit: I have decided it is probably a better idea to do this in a series of smaller posts), so only trudge ahead if you are committed. (And I also want to hear what films I've left off of this list that you are looking forward to!)

Ponyo on the Cliff

First up, we have one of my most anticipated films of the year, Ponyo on the Cliff. This film is directed by animated-film legend Hayao Miyazaki and animated by his studio, Studio Ghibli. Do I really have to add anymore? This is the guy who brought My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind into existence (and many, many more classics... too many to list them all here). Miyazaki has also been considering retiring from directing and animating since 1997, so any more films that we get from him should be considered blessings.

And even though I generally HATE English dubs of foreign films, I must say that Walt Disney (who is in charge of releasing Studio Ghibli films in North America) usually does a fantastic job with dubbing Studio Ghibli films, and has assembled an amazing cast of actors to lend their voices to the film. The assembled cast includes (but is not limited to) Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Lily Tomlin, Betty White, and Cloris Leachman. If that is not enough to get you go to see this film in theatres, there is no hope left for you... Okay let's pretend you are living in a fantasy world where you are still not convinced to go see this film, here is my final argument to convince you. The exceptionally talented composer Joe Hisaishi is back to compose the score of Ponyo, and you can watch a clip of him conducting a piece of the score below.

Duplicity

Duplicity (opening on March 20, 2009) is a film that reunites the stars of 2004's Closer, Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. The film is written and directed by Tony Gilroy whose last directorial and writing effort resulted in the excellent film Michael Clayton. The film's supporting men include Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson (who got an Academy Award nomination for his last collaboration with Gilroy). The film is about two spies (Roberts and Owen) who infiltrate two rival corperations in order to pull off a huge con job on their respective bosses (Giamatti and Wilinson). I think it has been too long since we've seen Julia Roberts on screen as a lead actress. Don't get me wrong, I think she is a great team player and a wonderful supporting actress to a large cast, but I think she really shines when she is in the lead role. I hope these two actors still have the same amount of chemistry together that was pretty evident in Closer.

The link to the High Definition trailer is here.

The Youtube trailer is below.

-Cigarettes