There seems to be a bit of a remake mania in 2009. Not only is Hitchcock’s The Birds being redone, but Ridley Scott is revisiting the Robin Hood classic, this time with Russell Crowe leading the band of merry men, and Tony Scott leads an all-star cast with Denzel Washington and John Travolta in redoing Taking of Pelham 123.

If it is not a remake, it is almost certainly a sequel, prequel or some number-el: the twelfth Friday the 13th, the third Underworld, the fifth Harry Potter, the second Night at the Museum, the fourth Fast and Furious, the second Transformers and another X Men, oh, and another Terminator are all released. Sequel shenanigans indeed.

A lot of book adaptations are also released this year, including Sherlock Holmes, The Lovely Bone and a second Dan Brown – this time called Angels and Demons with Ewan McGregor rather than Tom Hanks running round churches, to name a few but there is some new stuff as well. A few to look out for include: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. Led by Brad Pitt this charts the story of a man born in his seventies who ages in reverse. Co-film editor Itchy Parkin has been talking about it, ever since I met him. Looks set to be a winner.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. As a Terry Gilliam film and containing the final performance of Heath Ledger, this is sure to be one of the most talked about films of 2009.Avatar All is being kept very much under wraps but more than ten years in the making, and using the latest CGI technologies, it is tipped to revolutionise film making with special effects as we know it.

Ice Age 3. Worth it I hear, even if just to see whether Scrat (the squirrely, ratty thing) ever actually ever does get the nut. Though I’m always sceptical about three-quel, harmless fun nonetheless I’d imagine.

The Wrestler can be summed up as follows; Mickey Rourke. Mickey Rourke. Mickey Rourke. Mickey Rourke. Mickey Rourke. Rourke. Mickey Rourke. Mickey Rourke. Mickey Rourke. Mickey Rourke. It just won two Golden Globes. No more needs to be said. And Inglorious Bastards. Though moving away from the usual underground America setting this film set in World War II,about American forces operating behind the German lines is sure to keep Tarantino fans happy…

(NB. To the utter disgust of the Arts Editor this 09 preview is lacking one huge new up-and-coming film. The Boat that Rocked is the newest film to be written and directed by Richard Curtis (of Richard Curtis films fame). So for those of us with as much sexual activity as a frozen Dairy Milk, this is another chance to live vicariously through charming, quaint-people. And, who knows maybe I will watch this film with a lovely sweetheart. It could happen.

Categories: Theatre

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