Roll on 2008

Mark Oakley

Let's face it, 2007 has been a bit of a disappointment in the cinema stakes. Spider-Man 3 was alright. PotC: At World's End? A damp squib. Transformers? Meh. So how's next year shaping up?

Published on Aug 7, 2007

Bottom line: 2007 has, thusfar, been dreadful for any cinema-loving geek.

It started so so badly (Spider-Man 3 was, frankly, something of a mess), and has continued in much the same way. Anyone think The Simpsons wouldn't have been better as a slightly-extended TV episode? And, on reflection, does anyone really like Transformers, or was it really just another Michael 'I love explosions, me' Bay disaster from his overflowing canon?

I haven't lost my faith in cinema yet though. Oh no. The Bourne Ultimatum is still to come and my favourite film of the year, Sunshine, was a nod back to the great sci-fi films of the past. Better yet, 2008 is bringing us a sequel that will surely erase all the bad feeling I have for this cinematic year.

Batman Begins was good. From the look of the teaser trailer and images from the film (how cool does Heath Ledger look as The Joker?) The Dark Knight is going to up the ante even more. With Bale, Caine and Oldman still on board, and rumblings on a script taking its inspiration from Alan Moore's The Killing Joke book, things look pretty perfect to me.

Any worries? Well, no not really. I mean, they're even recast Rachel Dawes, ousting Katie Holmes in favour of the delectable Maggie Gyllenhaal.

I remember feeling like a kid again when I saw Batman Begins on an Imax screen up in Bradford. I'm banking on Chris Nolan to help me feel like that once again come July 2008.

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Mind you, Mr Nolan may have a fight on his hands for the film of next year, thanks to JJ Abrams.

Cloverfield. 01-18-08. Untitled JJ Abrams Project. Whatever you want to call it, if you've chanced upon the trailer you will no doubt be just as excited as I am. Monsters, in New York City, dumping the Statue of Liberty head on the sidewalk. Yeah, that'll do nicely thanks.

With a trailer suggesting an almost documentary-style look to the film, and a pretty unknown cast, this one is full of intruige from the word go.

January is the date on this one, and I for one can't wait.