The Rocchi Files -- Fall Family Film Preview, Part 1

As August winds down and we head toward Labor Day, it seems like a good time to pick and choose from the next few months of movies to figure out what's really worth your time and money on the big screen, or at the very least talk about the buzz and the business decisions behind the fall films of 2009. We'll look at the upcoming slate of end-of-year blockbusters and possible prestige picks at a future date, but this time around? Let's begin a two-part look at the family films coming to a theater near you this fall and see what looks like it may pop and what looks like it may flop. ...

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs -- Sept. 18

Based on a well-loved kid's book about a town where food falls from the sky, I can't say if kids are looking forward to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs or not-- but I can say that I am, thanks to a voice cast that reads like an all-star comedy dream team. Bill Hader, of Saturday Night Live, is the glad scientist who begins the deluge of dinner; Anna Faris of The House Bunny is playing opposite Hader trying to help him stop the flood of food that's plummeting from the sky in 3D. Other cast members include Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead II), Andy Samberg (Hot Rod) and Bobb'e J. Thompson (Role Models) -- plus James Caan (The Godfather) and Mr. T (Who, let's be honest, needs no clarifying credit to spark your memory because he's freaking Mr. T.) Add in direction from Phil Lord and Chris Miller -- who gave us the too-good-to-survive freaky 'toon Clone High -- and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs looks interesting, with a (high) chance of good.

Fame -- Sept. 25

With the rampant success of the High School Musical franchise, plus the popularity of dance flicks in recent years, filming a re-make of this '80s classic about New York's Academy for the Performing Arts, where the musical youth also dance, must have seemed like a no-brainer. The flashy trailers are getting kid audiences enthused, although the casting of the faculty -- including Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth, plus Charles S. Dutton, Megan Mullally and, yes, Debbie Allen returning to the fold as the school's principal -- has a weird, accident-waiting-to-happen, can't-look-away quality to it. Add in the intoxicating fumes of '80s nostalgia, and this re-make might pull in the grown-ups who were kids when Coco and his crew first shut down Manhattan's streets with impromptu dance numbers as well as their offspring. ...

Where the Wild Things Are -- Oct. 16

I know, I know -- between my reaction to the footage shown at Comic Con and Erika's thoughts about the trailer, we've been talking a lot about Spike Jonze's film version of the beloved Maurice Sendak kid's book a lot. At the same time, if I had to name the films -- not kid's films, but films period -- I'm most excited about seeing in the latter half of 2009, this would be near the top of the list. After rumors of a troubled production, Warner Brothers seems to be pulling out all the stops with a very crafty promotional campaign (including an excerpt of screenwriter Dave Eggers' novelization of the classic running in the latest edition of The New Yorker and promotional footage of Jonez and Sendak talking about the film in a mutual appreciation society) to sell Where the Wild Things Are without killing the mystery, and so far it seems to be working.

Astro Boy -- Oct. 23

I have nothing against nuclear-powered boy robots who defend the planet with their rocket-powered super-abilities, but even with the great-looking trailer and the sterling voice cast (including Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell and Nicolas Cage) for this re-launch of the '60s cartoon character, I have to wonder who, exactly was clamoring for Astro Boy (voiced by Highmore) to make his way to the big screen? The original Astro Boy series ran here in the States between 1963 and 1965 and then for five more years in syndication; that means anyone who was, say, 8 when Astro Boy hit the airwaves is 44 now; that's a pretty long time lapse between original and re-vamp. Still, with Highmore and Bell and Cage (as well as Samuel L. Jackson and the sneering, reptilian Bill NIghy, who seems to be having a career renaissance playing in kid's movies between this, G-Force and his being cast in the two-part final installment in the Harry Potter series), it remains to be seen if that kind of big-name cast can translate into good sci-fi adventure storytelling to a degree that makes up for Astro Boy's long absence from the pop-culture landscape.

We'll run with Part Two of our Fall Family Film Preview next week, including looks at Planet 51, A Christmas Carol and more -- but what are your thoughts on the four films above? Do they look like they'd catch you and your family's attention, or will they get lost in the shuffle in Hollywood's busiest time of year?

Comments

[Matthew S.]

I remember reading both Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Where the Wild Things Are as a kid, I even have a shirt I got at Target for the latter for $7. Now take Jumanji, which I'm sure I'll get flak for this from some my other movie geek buddies who detest it, but I think it did well, because the book lended itself to that kind of imagination and open story for the stuff to happen that did. Yeah, the whole "the Hunter looks like your father and let's have a parallel to standing up to him" bit was contrived, Robin Williams and the rest of the cast, like David Allen Greer (pardon my spelling if it's wrong, it's early for me), made the film go well.

Now take Cloudy...they're certainly taking liberties, but they have to in order to take this children's book and explode it into an hour and a half spectacle for kids to watch and studios to make money, I get it.

Reading articles like http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2008/07/is-spike-jonze.html
made me scratch my head and wonder what's all been going on. Add in rumors that the production studio wanted him to reshoot most of the film...yeah, hearing that kids were scared and leaving the theater is not a good sign for the revamp of one of my favorite children's books.

For my and other movie goer's sake, I truly hope that the film is spectacular and amazing...but in the age where books turn to film atrocities (Battlefield Earth) still linger among treasures (Lord of the Rings Trilogy) you can't help but be a little skeptical, and maybe even afraid...

[Daniel Jones]

As for the four above I'm really not looking forward to any of them with the exception of "Where the Wild Things Are". That is simply because from the trailers it appears that this movie may capture a sense of wonder, magic, and innocence that is missing from many children's films. We'll see though.

[joules]

Hey, James -- Coco was a "she" - not a "he". She was Irene Cara's character (later played on TV by Erica Gimpel). Maybe you meant Bruno -- the guy with the Italian 'fro and the keyboard?

[Paul]

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs has Mr. T in it? now that's what I'm talking about!!! Mr. T is a legend. I just got him on my GPS. lol, "Turn left, fool." Love it. It came from a site called Navtones, or nav-tones. Whatever it is, if you love 'T' you gotta check it out.

I've gotta check out cloudy with a chance of meatballs now. I hope this brings Mr. T back somehow.

Thanks for the read.

[Livia]

I haven't seen any movies up above. I would see Where the Wild Things are, anyway I will try to find it and rent it sometime and see it when I have a chance. Great article to read, keep this series going.