Serious Films:
Plot Summary:
During the Vietnam War, Jim Grant was involved in the revolutionist group
Weather Underground, which ultimately caused the unintentional death of a man.
Forty years later, Grant is living hidden from his past (though still a wanted
man), that is until a young journalist figures out who he is – bringing the
past crashing back into the present. Filmmakers:
This is the new film from Robert Redford (who also stars). He has had an
up-an-down career behind the camera, with hits such as Ordinary People and Quiz Show and failures such as Lions for Lambs. His last film,
The Conspirator, was a
decent courtroom/period drama. He is working with a great group including
composer Cliff Martinez (Drive),
cinematographer Adriano Goldman
(Jane
Eyre), and production designer Laurence
Bennett (The
Artist). Cast: The cast is brilliant.
Redford and Shia LaBeouf star
with an amazing supporting cast featuring Julie Christie, Sam Elliot, Brendan Gleeson, Terrence Howard, Richard Jenkins, Anna Kendrick, Brit Marling, Stanley Tucci, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, and Susan Sarandon. Expectations: Surprisingly given the excellent
actors and crew involved, The Company You Keep has played to mixed reviews
during its advanced screenings. Also, the film was delayed from its initial
release last year (for reasons unknown, but generally it is not a good sign).
It looks like a reasonably good thriller, and again the cast fabulous so it is
hard to imagine that the film is bad. But, to be safe, maybe just rent this
one. Trailer: Here.
Plot Summary:
The story of Jackie Robinson, the man who crossed baseball’s color barrier. Filmmakers: This is the fourth film from
writer-director Brian Helgeland. He directed Payback, A Knight’s Tale, and The Order, but is probably
better known for his writing projects, which include: L.A.
Confidential, Mystic River,
and Man on Fire. He is
working with cinematographer Don
Burgess (Flight)
and production designer Richard
Hoover (The Newsroom). Cast: The film stars newcomer Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford (as Branch
Richkey), with Alan Tudyk, Lucas Black, Christopher Meloni, John C. McGinley, T.R. Knight, Nicole Beharie, Brett Cullen, and James Pickens Jr. in support. Expectations: I love baseball movies (as readers
probably know), and 42 covers one of baseball’s most heroic and interesting
stories. It is probably a good thing to have Robinson played by a relative
unknown actor, as it should make his performance resonate more with viewers
(not bring past performance baggage for the audience with him). If not in
theatres, this is well worth renting, especially for baseball fans. Trailer: Here.
Action/Adventure:
Plot Summary:
Jack Harper is part of a two-person crew whose job is to sweep what is left of
Earth (after a grievously devastating war) for signs of life before joining the
rest of the population in space. However, as Harper carries out his mission he
finds himself drawn to a life that no longer exists, which leads him down a
dangerous path of discovery and questioning his mission. Filmmakers: Writer-director Joseph Kosinski
returns for his second feature, following up TRON:
Legacy. This is based on his comic with Arvid Nelson. He is working with
writer Michael Arndt (Toy
Story 3), composer M83
(known for their song Midnight
City), brilliant cinematographer Claudio Miranda (Life
of Pi), and production designer Darren Gilford (who also worked
on TRON: Legacy). Cast: The film stars Tom Cruise, with supporting work
from Morgan Freeman, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Olga Kurylenko, Melissa Leo, and Andrea Riseborough. Expectations: Even though TRON: Legacy was not
particularly good, Oblivion does look like a strong sci-fi action film.
Specifically, its visuals look wonderful – which is what happens when you hire
Claudio Miranda to shoot the film. Also, Tom Cruise has turned in a series of
entertaining action films lately (Mission:
Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Jack
Reacher). This is one I look forward to seeing in theatres; I think it will
be a fun spectacle-driven film (but nothing special). Trailer:
Here.
Plot Summary:
Wanting a better life, one that he truly believes he deserves, bodybuilder
Daniel Lugo and two of his buddies kidnap and extort a wealthy Florida man for
his assets. Yeah, it does not go well for them. Filmmakers:
Pain & Gain is action director Michael Bay’s tenth film and his first non-Transformers film since 2005
(though he is currently working on Transformers 4 right now). He
is working with frequent collaborators composer Steve Jablonsky and
cinematographer Ben Seresin.
New to the team is production designer Jeffrey Beecroft (The Game). Cast: The film stars Mark Wahlberg and co-stars Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie. Rebel Wilson, Ken Jeong, Ed Harris, Tony Shalhoub, and Rob Corddry feature in support. Expectations: Upon watching the red band trailer
for Pain & Gain, I tweeted this –
because after watching one terrible/mindless Michael Bay movie after another I
was completely bewildered by the fact that not only does this look like a lot
of fun, but that I actually wanted to see it opening weekend…that I am actually
excited to see a Michael Bay movie…what is happening. It looks a lot more like
the early work of Bay – like his best film Bad Boys, just a fun action
comedy. Trailer: Here.
Horror:
Plot Summary:
A remake of The Evil Dead
sees five friends driving up to a remote cabin to spend the weekend. In the
cabin they find The Book of the Dead, and (stupidly) they read passages from it
which summons demons living in the woods to the cabin to prey on them. Now,
they must fight this evil presence for survival. Filmmakers:
Before you get all upset about there being an Evil Dead remake, this is
produced by Sam
Raimi, Robert Tapert, and
Bruce Campbell. They hired Fede Alvarez to
direct (marking his feature debut) and Diablo Cody (Young
Adult) to write the film. Alvarez is working with composer Roque Banos (The Machinist), cinematographer
Aaron Morton (Spartacus), and production
designer Robert Gillies (Legend of the Seeker). Cast: Jane
Levy stars with co-stars Shiloh
Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci,
Jessica Lucas, and Elizabeth Blackmore. Expectations: Evil Dead made its debut at SXSW to
critical and diehard fan acclaim. The poster claims that it is “the most
terrifying film you will ever experience” and based on the trailer it looks
ultra-violent (almost absurdly so). If you like hyper-violet gory horror, this
will satisfy you – if not, you probably want to skip it. Trailer: Here.
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