Somewhat lost in the weeds of motion capture and CGI (unless you were a huge fan of "A Christmas Carol," or "Beowulf"), Robert Zemeckis' "Flight" is his long-awaited (at least in some circles) return to live action filmmaking. It's been twelve years since 2000, the year he had a two-fer with "What Lies Beneath" and the somewhat underrated "Castaway" (not underrated in Academy circles, undervalued by film snobs). But now his latest is set to be unveiled, and we'll soon see if he's still got that magic.
Starring Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Don Cheadle and Melissa Leo, "Flight" centers on an investigation of a pilot's emergency landing that saves everyone on board. Initially he's seen as a hero, but the investigation leads to a troubling discovery that he had alcohol in his system during the flight, which might land him in prison. Recent trailers make it appear like a man grappling with his conscience and soul, plus some action-thriller moments off the top. But presumably this is a sobering drama over all.
We'll find out soon enough if "Flight" is an Oscar player like some pundits are projecting. As of right now it's a big question mark, but the film premieres at the New York Film Festival on October 14th as the closing film. The regular take-off into theaters will be on November 2nd. Two new posters below: a domestic one and another from the U.K. [In Contention/Empire]
