2008 Movies: Under the Radar

As usual, there are several Hollywood blockbusters to watch out for this year. Batman returns in The Dark Knight, James Bond returns in Quantum of Solace, Harrison Ford returns to the big screen as Indiana Jones in the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, comic book fans can look forward to Iron Man and Hell Boy and trekkers all look forward to the eleventh Star Trek movie.

I am not going to talk about blockbusters today. I mean, what is the fun of having every other blog out there covering the exact same blockbuster movies? So today, I figured I'll cover a few non-blockbuster level movies to watch out for in 2008. To kick things off, here's a musical to watch out for.


Mama Mia!
I love 80s retro music, especially from unconventional sounding bands such as Abba. I also love movie musicals such as Annie, Moulin Rouge and the more recent Enchanted. So what could be better than a musical turned movie chock full of Abba songs? Lets see... I can top that by adding well known actors such as Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth. What you end up with is Mama Mia! the movie.

I have not seen the musical, but I have only heard good things about it. Scheduled to be released in July in the United States, I anticipate this movie will be a big hit and earn another heapload of royalties for Abba.

Sex and the City - The Movie
I know right now, the guys are groaning while the girls are swooning at this piece of news. Yes, the popular HBO television series Sex and the City is coming to the big screen. Most of the female friends I know absolutely love Carrie Bradshaw and her three best friends, conservative Charlotte, sexually aggressive Samantha and the slightly neurotic working mum Miranda.

Not much is known about the movie right now, other than the fact that it takes place four years after the end of the HBO series. Oh, and apparently the producers are so confident about the success of the movie that they already have plans to make a sequel movie. I would not be at all surprised if this movie turns out to be a sleeper hit. Sex will hit the big screen in May in the United States.

Jumper
I saw an early trailer for this movie when I was in the cinema a couple of months ago and the premise intrigued me. With a production budget of $100 million, this movie is not exactly a sleeper but it isn't exactly a blockbuster level movie either. I guess I'll call it a blockbuster wannabe. From the look of the trailer, it certainly has the required amount of action and special effects. Having Samuel L. Jackson in the cast and director Doug Liman (who also directed the Bourne trilogy) certainly helps with the street cred too.

Watch out for Jumper, for it could be the start of the next movie franchise in the coming years.