Season of Surprises

While we are amidst the season of giving, I was reflecting on surprises being something I look forward to. That led me down the path of what films have been surprises, in terms of "that was better than I thought it'd be", this year (while some were released before 2008 - I watched each of these for the first time this year) :

Cloverfield



The trailers built the suspense in a masterful way. We only caught glimpses of the 'monster' and were not totally sure what the premise was. I just re-watched this one on Blu-Ray the other day and was reminded of why I was taken back by the craftiness of it. The storyline (simple-but enough to take the focus off of the fact that this was a Godzilla for the iGeneration), the pace (loved the handheld cam with non-stop comedic commentary from cinematographer), and the visual buffet (sure there was CGI - they shot the film in 3 months - check out the special features).

Redbelt
See my review "A Grown Man's Karate Kid". This one is a buy!



Jumper



Anakin Skywalker hopping from place to place - doing something every 15 year old dreamed of...yeah this took me back. The visual and audio effects in this are pretty nice - the making of on how they created the 'jump' sound is interesting too. I was completely caught off guard by this one, it does have Samuel L. in at as well.

61*



Billy Crystal brings us a terrific HBO film about Maris and Mantle's chase for the home run record. It is woven into a light intro amidst the great chase between Sosa and McGwire years later. I like baseball, but this helps you love it and appreciate the rich history behind the sport.

The Fountain



Very different, but as visually dynamic as it gets. I remembered this b/c Brad Pitt was originally slated to star in it but backed out to do Mr. and Mrs. Smith (we all know how that worked out). Nevertheless, I loved the suspense and creativity of the message being delivered. A beautiful film.

The Namesake



Not what I expected from Kumar...or is it Harold? Anyways, this trails the origins of an Indian family and how they settled in America. It was a different role for Kal Penn and was interesting for me to watch the clash of cultures and appreciate the sacrifice of his family. Solid film - kind of has a 'Kite Runner' feel to it.

Cypher



This is not another 'Cube' film for those that have seen any from that series, although it is from the same director. What you have is a low-budget (not too low b/c it is represented by ICON - Mel Gibson's production studio) merged with a great idea, it has also has some decent acting - considering...
A guy suddenly figures out that he is a spy and has been a drone for another corporation, okay I know it sounds like everything else out there but give it a whirl. It is an entertaining one!