Serious Films:
Summary:
The epic is about how actions of individuals impact the lives of others across
time. Filmmakers: Writer-directors Tom
Tykwer and the Wachowskis have made films that are loved among many fans
(Tykwer’s Run
Lola Run and the Wachowskis’ The
Matrix), but those films were primarily made in the late 1990s, with their
recent work being subpar. Thus, this film is sort of a comeback project for the
directors. They are working with composers Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek and Tykwer (making
up the band Pale 3, composing for most of Tykwer’s films but also outside work
like One Hour Photo),
cinematographers Frank Griebe
(Run Lola Run) and John Toll
(Braveheart)
and production designers Hugh
Bateup (art director of The Matrix Trilogy) and Uli Hanisch (worked on Tykwer’s
recent films) – making up a big crew for a massive film. Cast: The ensemble features Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant, Jim Sturgess, Susan Sarandon, Halle Berry, Ben Whishaw, Keith David, Xun Zhou, Jim Broadbent, James D’Arcy, and Doona Bae. Expectations: Cloud Atlas looks highly ambitious
and visually amazing. The thing about highly ambitious art is that it often does
not work and even more often is very polarizing. However, if it does work, it
is usually something of brilliance. Critics are mixed on whether this film
works or not after seeing it at the Toronto Film Festival – almost split on
whether it is a good or bad film. However, there is no denying the potential
this has to be one of the great films of the year (and maybe the decade). Trailer: Here. Review: Here.
Summary:
Mythic Mavericks surf break, some of the biggest and most dangerous waves on
Earth, nest a mere miles from Santa Cruz, the home of Jay Moriarty. Jay has to
go in on these waves. So, he befriends local legend Frosty Hesson with the hope
he will train him. Filmmakers: The directing
team of Michael Apted and Curtis Hanson (both talented in their own right –
Apted directing Coal Miner’s
Daughter and Hanson L.A.
Confidential) seems unlikely, but they share credit as Hanson left
production due to health reason and Apted finished the final three weeks of
shooting. They worked with composer Chad Fischer (Garden
State), cinematographers Oliver
Euclid and Bill Pope (who
is maybe the best action D.P. right now, he shot The Matrix and Spider-Man
2 for example) and production designer Ida Random (No
Strings Attached). Cast: Newcomer Jonny Weston stars with support
from co-star Gerard Butler, Elisabeth Shue, Abigail Spencer, and Leven Rambin (who you might
recognize from The
Hunger Games as Glimmer). Expectations: Sports
dramas are often very formulaic and clichéd. But, this has a pair of very good
directors behind the camera which should elevate it. I think this is probably
worth renting for fans of sports dramas. Trailer: Here.
Action/Adventure:
Summary:
Former CIA agent Bryan Mills is on vacation in Istanbul with his wife and
daughter. Four years ago, he killed a number of men rescuing his daughter from
kidnappers. Now, the father of one of those men he killed is out for revenge. Filmmakers: Writer and producer of Taken Luc Besson is back in those
roles, however this time he has chosen director Olivier Megaton from his stable
to helm the film. Megaton directed other action films for Besson: Transporter 3 and Colombiana (neither is very
good, putting it lightly). Megaton is working again with composer Nathaniel Mechaly and
cinematographer Romain Lacourbas,
as well as newcomer production designer Sebastien Inizan. Cast: Returning are stars Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen. New to the series
is Rade Serbedzija. Expectations: Taken 2 is probably an unnecessary
vehicle with the purpose of capitalizing on the success of the original. That
said, it does look really good. I like that Grace gets to be in on the action
this time (based on the trailer), and Istanbul is a beautiful city and should
make for a fabulous backdrop. Fans of Taken are going to like this one too (as
it essentially looks like the same thing). Trailer:
Here.
Comedy:
Summary:
Victor’s dog Sparky has died, but that is not going to stop him. He constructs
a machine to bring him back to life. But, as with everything, there are
unintended consequences. Filmmakers:
Remaking his own short,
director Tim Burton is behind the camera working with frequent collaborators
screenwriter John August (Dark
Shadows), composer Danny
Elfman (Batman) and
production designer Rick
Heinrichs (Sleepy Hollow),
while cinematographer Peter Sorg
makes his debut. Cast: The film features
voice-acting from Martin Landau,
Christopher Lee, Martin Short, Robert Capron, Conchata Ferrell, Catherine O’Hara, and Winona Ryder. Expectations: Tim Burton’s best venture into
stop-motion animation is The
Nightmare Before Christmas (directed by Henry Selick). His other
animated films are among his lesser work. Frankenweenie also feels sort of
disappointing because Burton is one of the more visionary directors (or at
least he was) and now he seems to be content in just rehashing the same old
stuff again (especially aesthetically). His recent work has also been subpar to
his best (and I really gave Dark Shadows a chance). Thus, this is probably a
rental at best (unless your kids really want to see it in theatres). Trailer: Here.
Summary:
Beca is a freshman at Barden University, just trying to blend in and get through
school. However, she is courted by her roommate to join the all-female singing
group The Bellas as they take on their campus rivals (an all-male group). Beca
is hesitant at first, but is eventually worn down and joins, finding that she
not only enjoys singing but also has something to add to the group. Filmmakers: Director Jason Moore makes his feature
debut, having directed televisions dramas (like Everwood and Dawson’s Creek) in the past. He
is also an acclaimed Broadway director. He is working with composers Christophe Beck (The
Muppets) and Mark Kilian
and cinematographer Julio Macat
(Wedding Crashers). Cast: Anna
Kendrick stars with Elizabeth
Banks (who is also producing), Rebel
Wilson, Christopher
Mintz-Plasse, Brittany Snow,
Alexis Knapp, Adam DeVine, Anna Camp, and John Michael Higgins in support.
Expectations: At first glance, Pitch Perfect
looks a lot like season three of Glee
(which also brings to mind the brilliant episode of Community poking fun at Glee – Regional Holiday Music). Yet,
there is something more here. Watching the trailer, I feel strangely compelled
to see it. Maybe it is the film’s sneakily great cast – actors like Anna
Kendrick (one of the great young stars right now), Rebel Wilson, Chris
Mintz-Plasse, Adam DeVine (who some will know from Workaholics), and Anna Camp.
Maybe it is my love of musicals (even when they become banal like Glee has,
which I still watch). Whatever it is, I actually am looking forward to seeing
this when I rent it, as it looks like a fun mix of comedy and music. Trailer: Here.
Summary:
In a small town in Iowa, nothing is bigger than butter carving. Laura Pickler
dominates the event at each year’s annual contest. However, this year, a young
adopted girl, Destiny, might just rival her. Filmmakers:
Jim Field Smith is back for his second feature, following up the decent comedy She’s Out of My League. He also
directed the second season of Episodes.
He is working with composer Mateo
Messina (Juno),
cinematographer Jim Denault
(worked with Smith on She’s Out of My League) and production designer Tony Fanning (Youth in Revolt). Cast: It stars Yara Shahidi and co-stars Jennifer Garner (also producing),
while boasting a great comedic supporting group with Phyllis Smith, Rob Corddry, Ty Burrell, Kristen Schaal, Alicia Silverstone, Ashley Greene, Hugh Jackman, and Olivia Wilde. Expectations: Butter does have a great cast and a
seemingly fun quirky premise, but the fact that it has been delayed multiple
times makes me think that it is probably not very good. Test audiences would
tend to agree with buzz being on the low end of mixed. Still, this might be
worth renting for fans of comedies. Trailer:
Here.
Summary:
Oddball petty criminals/grifters get wrapped up in a caper far out of
their depth after they kidnap the wrong Shih Tzu. Filmmakers:
Writer-director Martin McDonagh made one of the best films (that hardly anyone
saw) of 2008 with In Bruges.
He is back with his second feature (much to everyone’s excitement). He is
working with a fantastic group: composer Carter Burwell (who scores most
of the Coen Brothers’ films),
cinematographer Ben Davis (Kick-Ass)
and production designer David
Wasco (Inglourious Basterds).
Cast: The ensemble stars Colin Farrell, Abbie Cornish, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken, Olga Kurylenko, Zeljko Ivanek, Tom Waits, Kevin Corrigan, and Gabourey Sidibe. Expectations: I liked In Bruges a lot and this
seems to be perfectly cast, but there is something off in the trailer that
makes me hesitant to think that this will be great. It honestly only looks
okay. I hope to be pleasantly surprised and proved wrong. Critics have been
positive, seeing the film early, but not overly so. That said, even if you miss
this in theatres, it is probably well worth adding to your rental queue (along
with In Bruges). Trailer: Here.
Summary:
The economy is bad. This causes a bankrupted school to cut all extra-curricular
activities. However, dedicated biology teacher Scott Voss has a plan to raise
the money to save these programs. He will win money as a mixed-martial arts
fighter. Filmmakers: Remember those classic Adam Sandler movies you use to
love? The director of this, Frank Coraci, directed some of those: The Wedding Singer and The Waterboy (and more recently
Click). He also directed Zookeeper (his first
collaboration with Kevin James).
He is working with composer Rupert
Gregson-Williams (scored Zookeeper as well), cinematographer Phil Meheux (shot Around the World in 80 Days for
Coraci) and production designer Perry
Andelin Blake (frequent collaborator). Cast:
In addition to co-writing and producing, Kevin James stars (because Sandler
passed) with Salma Hayek, Reggie Lee, and Henry Winkler in support. Expectations: Happy Madison Productions’ feature
films have not been good at all lately (the last five were: Just Go with It, which is
probably by far the best of the bunch, Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star,
Zookeeper, Jack and Jill,
and That’s My Boy) so I do
not have much optimism for Here Comes the Boom. Really, you would be better off
just renting Warrior or
watching it on Netflix
streaming to get your MMA fix (or the underrated Redbelt). Trailer: Here.
Summary:
Wren likes a guy. He is throwing a massive Halloween party – the perfect chance
for her to get to know him better. That is all thrown up in the air however,
when she gets stuck watching her strange little brother. What can she do? Apparently,
the answer to that is to lose him while tick-or-treating and spend the night on
an adventure to find him. Filmmakers: Josh
Schwartz is making his directorial debut with this film. However, he is a
well-known TV writer/producer having created The OC, Chuck and Gossip Girl. He is working with
cinematographer Yaron Orbach
(Our
Idiot Brother) and production designer Mark White (Winter’s Bone). Cast: Nickelodeon star Victoria Justice makes her
broader debut as the lead in this (though, it is a Nickelodeon production,
making me think there is no way it will be rated R, which is probably too bad).
Jane Levy, Thomas Mann, Johnny Knoxville, Kerri Kenney, Chelsea Handler, Riki Lindhome, and Ana Gasteyer feature in support.
Expectations: Fun Size seems like a mix of
an out-of-control party movie (like Project X from earlier in the
year) and a nostalgic 1980s style suburban adventure film (like Adventures in Babysitting or
its crappier modern update The
Sitter) – probably a 20/80 mix. As a fan of both Adventures of Babysitting
and Project X, I am looking forward to renting this as it looks like a fun and
entertaining comedy. Trailer: Here.
Horror:
Summary:
Ellison is a true-crime novelist. His latest fascination comes in his research
into finding out why the family who previously lived in his house was murdered.
The deeper he digs the more he comes to realize that he is dealing with a
supernatural entity, putting his family in danger. Filmmakers:
This is the third feature from writer-director Scott Derrickson. He had
a horror hit in 2005 with The
Exorcism of Emily Rose, but his second film was the ill-conceived remake The Day the Earth Stood Still.
But, he is back to horror now, working with composer Christopher Young (who did the
awesome score to Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell),
cinematographer Chris Norr
and production designer David
Brisbin (work on Derrickson’s past two features as well). Cast: The film stars Ethan Hawke. Vincent D’Onofrio, James Ransone and Fred Thompson are in support. Expectations: Sinister looks like it might
actually be a very scary thriller (for once). The advanced screenings have
yielded positive buzz. This might be the scary movie to see for Halloween. Trailer: Here.
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