Let's see ...

http://www.impactstudio3d.com/IMAGES/film-roll.jpg

OK, what can we look forward to on the big screen in 2009?

(Films are not ordered in alphabetical or any other order known to mankind. It's haphazard.)

Twilight, of course, though it's a 2008er. I loved the book and from what I've read about and seen from the film so far tell me that I'd enjoy that, too. My main concern with films based on books is consistency and faithfulness to the style (in broad sense) of the book, not so much comprehensiveness. A whole book cannot fit into a film, no matter how long the film or how short the book, when it's a novel, I mean.

Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince has already been delayed once, so my expectations are huge-ish. The task of the filmmakers is no easier because of the fact that the sixth book is possibly my favourite, though it is hard to choose the best among equals. It is certainly the book that made the greatest impression on me. How come? It's the horcruxes. The idea of splitting your soul by the most violent act--murder--and capturing the pieces in in/animate objects got me. It may not be completely original, but it doesn't matter, I haven't heard of it before. It made sense to me. Premeditated murder is the ultimate act of evil going two ways: taking the victim's life splits the soul of the perpetrator. Multiple murders means multiple splits until the soul is so destabilized it can hardly heal. And yet, the book says that there is a way: deep and sincere remorse. By extension, any evil damages the doer's soul as much as it damages the other person (potentially even more so, because taking someone's life does not entail taking their soul). That realization, in a so-called children's book, struck me the most. I hope the film does justice to that idea.

The Changeling is a tale of a mother's quest to find her lost child starring Angelina Jolie. Based on a true story, if I remember correctly. Some comfort after A Mighty Heart failed to make an appearance in our cinemas. I'm not sure I'll like The Changeling, but I think it would be worth seeing it.

Revolutionary Road starring Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, the Titanic couple. I love them both and the trailer looks promising, so I think this would be a film of some substance and next to zero special effects.

Duplicity http://www.duplicitymovie.net/: just spotted this one, so I thow in that link for more info. Right, Tony Gilroy is the director. I like his style; he mixes up the plotlines, so it's a bit difficult to follow, but comes up with very multi-layered characters. He did Michael Clayton, which I watched a few times (always a good sign with me), so I'd look out for this one. Julia Roberts and Clive Owen starring. Out in March in the civilized world:)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button http://movies.zap2it.com/movies/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button/170920 is about aging backwards, growing younger instead of growing older. Intriguing. Goodlooking. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett directed by David Fincher.

Much talk around State of Play. Always good to know what Russel Crowe is up to, even if it's a bloody thriller. To be released in April.

I'll stop here leaving the door open for more films to come in :)