By the time October rolls around the Fall movie session is in full swing as we now move to part two of my 2012 Fall Movie Preview with a look at over 20 more films coming out inside the next four months. Here we find some interesting titles mixed in with the expected Halloween, horror-inspired seasonal titles.
Each weekend in October has at least one sequel. Each weekend has at least one film that could be vying for an Oscar. And we're looking at films from directors such as Tim Burton, Andrew Dominik, Andy and Lana Wachowski, Lee Daniels, Ben Affleck and Martin McDonagh. And with these directors come actors including Jennifer Garner, Liam Neeson, Ethan Hawke, Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Brad Pitt, John Cusack, Helen Hunt, Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Sam Rockwell, Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken and many, many more.
There's plenty of horror, comedy, action, animation, drama and even another video game adaptation making something for everyone in this month. Let's take a closer look.
OCTOBER 5
Nine films will be opening on October 5, three of them are limited releases and one will have already been released On Demand. That's a lot to sort through, but fortunately I've actually seen three of the nine already, which makes it a little easier.
First off is Butter, a political comedy that uses a butter carving contest in Iowa to parody the 2008 Election. I saw the film at the Toronto Film Festival last year and absolutely loved it. No stone is left unturned and it will certainly play better to those that kept a passing interest in the now-four-years-old election and won't likely be enjoyed as much by those that didn't, but I must say I had a great time with it. This one will be available On Demand on September 7, almost a month before it hits theaters.
Delving into the limited releases we first come to Lee Daniels' The Paperboy starring Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron and David Oyelowo. I managed to catch the film at Cannes earlier this year (read my review here) and took some enjoyment out of the batshit crazy nature of it, but altogether it wasn't a perfect film. Kidman's character falls in love with a murderer (John Cusack) on death row and hires McConaughey to help get him out. Things happen.
Also getting a limited release is Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights and the horror anthology V/H/S directed by a collective of horror helmers in Adam Wingard, Glenn McQuaid, Radio Silence, David Bruckner, Joe Swanberg and Ti West. From what I've gathered about both, neither seem to be my alley. Arnold's adaptation of Bronte sounds very minimalist and esoteric and V/H/S takes the found footage genre and gives it a new spin as a group of criminals must sort through stacks of VHS tapes looking for what they're after only to find the tapes they're screening continue to get more horrifying in nature, one after the other.
One horror film I have heard good buzz about is Sinister from Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) which features Ethan Hawke as a true crime novelist who discovers a box of mysterious, disturbing home movies that plunge his family into a nightmarish experience of supernatural horror. Interestingly enough, the premise sounds slightly familiar to V/H/S, though, considering the directors involved, I expect Sinister will be slightly less depraved.
Tim Burton brings his own brand of horror to cinemas in October with Frankenweenie, a stop-motion animated feature based on his 1984 short film in which a young boy works away in his attic lab, attempting to bring his beloved dog Sparky back to life. Could be an animated contender but I can't help but be wary as it feels like Burton has been repeating himself on what now seems like a long, downhill slide as of late.
On the comedy side the 5th offers a couple of additional options beyond Butter. I can't tell what to make of Pitch Perfect, which looks like a feature version of "Glee" starring Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and John Michael Higgins, but I can tell you I enjoyed The Oranges when I saw it last year in Toronto (read my review here).
The Oranges features an ensemble cast including Hugh Laurie, Catherine Keener, Leighton Meester, Adam Brody, Alia Shawkat, Allison Janney and Oliver Platt and is an infidelity comedy in which Laurie cheats on his wife (Keener) with the neighbor's daughter (Meester). The cut I saw in Toronto has likely been edited a bit as it had only just been finished at that time with plenty of work still to be done, but hopefully director Julian Farino didn't change too much because I loved what I saw.
Finally, Liam Neeson is back kicking ass and taking names with Taken 2, the unnecessary sequel about a father with what would appear to be the worst luck in the world. Then again, once your family is mixed up with sex traffickers they're always mixed up with sex traffickers... amirite?
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I'll be seeing Argo & Killing Them Softly. I'll wait on the reviews for Seven Psychopaths before I make a decision on that one. I'll check out Taken 2 when it hits blu ray.
Here's my most anticipated:
1. Argo - I like really like Affleck and this looks like it could be great!
2. Frankenweenie - I'm a huge fan of claymation and Burton's animation style.
3. Killing Them Softly - Solely Based on your review.
4. Cloud Atlas - Mainly because of the cast and the ambition of it. No idea on whether it will be good or bad.
Sounds like a solid month, definitely catching these in a theater:
Killing Them Softly
Cloud Atlas
Seven Psychopaths
Argo
Looks like it's going to be a busy October at the theater for me on top of the month-long horror marathon I've got planned for home. My most anticipated:
* Sinister - Always down for some solid horror. Have been hearing good things.
* Taken 2 - Had so much fun with the first one, how can I not check this out?
* Argo - Loved Gone Baby Gone and liked The Town. This looks rock solid.
* Killing Them Softly - Haven't seen AOJJ, but am interested based on your review.
* Paranormal Activity 4 - It's a tradition
* Cloud Atlas - I know very little about this. Didn't watch the trailer - just excited since I've heard about it a good amount on the podcast.
Maybe see:
* Here Comes The Boom - I have a soft spot in my heart for stupid movies like this.
* Seven Psychopaths - Enjoyed the trailer and seems like an interesting screenplay. Always like Christopher Walken.
* Alex Cross - Seems like it could be fun.
Interested in The Oranges, The Paperboy, The Sessions, Cloud Atlas, Killing them Softly and perhaps Sinister as the Halloween Horror choice (never been big on the PA franchise) but since most are likely limited release ones it probably won't be during the month I catch them.
Quite a few good ones coming out this month. But more than any of these I'm looking forward to the rerelease of The Shining in UK theaters around Halloween. I've yet to see a Kubrick film on the big screen and cannot wait for this. But as far as new releases are concerned:
1. Cloud Atlas - Will either be one of the best of the year or the worst, I can't see how, given how ambitious the film's scope is, it's anything in between.
2. Seven Psychopaths - In Bruges was my favorite movie of 2008, and based on the trailer Woody Harrelson and Christopher Walken knock this one out of the park.
3. Killing Them Softly - Comes out in the UK in about 3 weeks, can't wait. As you've seen this Brad, how do you think it might fair during awards season?
4. Argo - Affleck hasn't had a miss yet, and this one, if not amazing, does look like a solid picture.
5. The Sessions - More interested in this due to the awards buzz than the actual story, but I've always enjoyed John Hawkes' work, especially in Winter's Bone.
6. Taken 2 - I know I'm going to end up seeing this film, and I'm not happy about it.
I would love to see The Shining on the big screen. Quite jealous.
Universal invited me to a screening of Pitch Perfect three weeks ago. It wasn't the worst chick flick I have ever seen, but it was still pretty lousy. It was Glee, just without the story arc. Adam Devine from Workaholics, had a few good laughs, but he couldn't come close to saving this film from it's weak jokes and it's surprising amount of crude humor.
Very excited for Killing Them Softly and Seven Psychopaths. Never was a Ben Affleck fan, but after seeing the Town which I love I'm looking forward to Argo. Love the cast and directors for Killing Them Softly and Seven Psychopaths.
The Cloud Atlas trailer is quite possibly the best i've ever watched,it really does look like a work of art and if the directors have made the book accesible then they'll be looking at awards territory.
Can't wait for Seven Psychopaths. An amazing cast, combined with the writer and director of the awesome In Bruges...Heaven!
When I clicked into the article, I had no intention of doing this, but there are exactly ten movies I want to see this month. So, that's God telling me to arbitrarily rank my anticipation of each and then post it for everyone to see.
10) Taken 2 (I had a lot of fun with the first one)
9) The Oranges (Hugh Laurie is a great actor)
8)Smashed (Paul, Winstead, Spencer, Offerman make a good cast)
7)The Sessions (I've heard nothing but good about this film)
6) Wuthering Heights (Fish Tank is one of my favorites of the last ten years)
5) Butter (Cast, premise, and reviews all hint this is my kind of comedy)
4) Killing Them Softly (It's been a while since I've seen a great crime movie, I really want this to be it)
3) Cloud Atlas (Could be phenomenal or a mess, will definitely be interesting)
2) Seven Psycopaths (Loved In Bruges, love this cast, Sam Rockwell had me dying at the end of the trailer)
1) Argo (Affleck the director has yet to be anything than exceptional for me)
As a side note I'm interested in Alex Cross for Matthew Fox, but Tyler Perry and Rob Cohen will probably keep me away until DVD.
I saw Wuthering Heights at SFIFF this year and dug it a lot. Like Brad said it had a minimalist approach and had tons of cutaways to the environment (think Malick). Overall it was a very experiential film.
I was able to catch Smashed at Sundance, and Mary Elisabeth Winstead and Aaron Paul were stunning onscreen together as a loving but intensely dysfuntional couple. Wish Paul's role was larger because he is so watchable, but understand the film really was about Winstead's character realizing hard truths about herself. I think Winstead could pull off an Oscar nomination.
I didn't know Aaron Paul from anything and after I watched this movie I Netflixed his show Breaking Bad. WOW is he good.
I'm most excited about "Argo" and "The Oranges," having seen the previews for both. I'll walk across hot coals for any movie with Catherine Keener and/or Allison Janney. Ben Affleck has really come into his own during the past few years, which is a real pleasure to see.
What a great field of films to look forward to as the leaves begin to change this year:
The Sessions
Argo
Seven Psychopaths
Killing Them Softly
Butter
I'll be very busy tracking down and downloading on On-Demand these films. As I've recently moved to Mexico City, it may prove difficult, but I'm up to the challenge.
Thems the facts
Looking forward to:
1) Argo- Affleck has yet to disappoint in the director's chair.
2) Killing Them Softly- I'm a sucker for gangster movies, especially the GOOD ones.
3) Seven Psychopaths- I just hate it when a film goes all "meta" and puts a screenwriter in the middle of a movie. I LOVED In Bruges though so to say I'm excited for this film is an understatement. I trust in Martin and Colin to give us something special.
4) The Sessions- Looks fantastic. It's good to see Hawkes in a different environment for a change.
5) Butter- Not much of a Garner fan, but the consistent praise has me interested.
6) Frankenweenie- I love Tim Burton's animated films even if his live-action films aren't that good.
7) The Oranges- Seems pretty good. Let's see if Laurie transitions well to the big screen.
8) Taken 2- I enjoyed the first one. I'm certain I'll enjoy this one too, even if it isn't as good as the first one.
9) Smashed- I literally know nothing about this film, but Aaron Paul is in it so I'm practically sold on it. Can't wait to see his transition to the big screen as well.
10) Cloud Atlas- Looks like a huge mess. It's on my list due to intrigue, but it's almost guaranteed to suck with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry in it who haven't done a good movie in years (Toy Story 3 aside). Let's hope I'm wrong and it turns out to be fantastic.
Brad, I'm not sure if this has been addressed or not, but the homepage still has the "A new experience with RopeofSilicon.com will be launching inside the next 24 hours" message.
Damn, October's packed with great films:
1) Killing Them Softly - Your review really peaked my interest in this one, seems like it's going to be a great one.
2) Seven Psychopaths - A friend of mine in LA got to watch it and said it is truly great, fun film, and from his description, the trailer is leaving a large chunk of the storyline out.
3) Argo - Really interested in seeing if Ben Affleck can pull off his third film (the one that usually makes or breaks directors), he's got a hell of a cast and a hell of a premises
4) Taken 2 - Even if it's pants, the first one was enough of a ruthless ride that this already has my ass planted in a seat at the cinema.
5) Cloud Atlas - Could be really great or a complete mess, there's very little in-between unless it's just a completely uninvolved piece of noise.
The rest:
Frankenweenie - I don't quite trust Tim Burton enough to solidify a viewing, but it's nice to see a Disney animated film take a risk and be completely in black and white, although I don't see why it really needed remaking.
Sinister - Heard the same good stuff as everyone else, but there just seems to be far more interesting films out this month, it by far looks to be the best horror of the season however.
Alex Cross - Doesn't look too painful, Matthew Fox seems to be pulling out a more than necessary performance, but it'll probably be a load of old tosh.
Killing Them Softly and Seven Psychopaths are the only ones I'll definitely be seeing. Everything else is a maybe.