06 September, 2012

DJ B-Clear's Summer/Fall Movie Preview - September

There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of interesting titles coming out in September. As summer turns into fall, more of the Oscar type films will be coming out so be advised.

There are 2 films that will be released on September 5th. Girl Model is about a teenage girl from a small town/village in an old eastern block nation who wants to be a model. She'll get more than she bargains for in the kill or be killed world of modeling. It's a documentary about how the modeling industry chews up and spits young girls out. For Ellen stars Paul Dano as a musician who learns he's got to take care of his daughter that he's had no contact with. It looks a bit like Somewhere and I'm sure it will tug at the old heart strings.

September 7th

  • Bachelorette, this rip-off of Bridesmaids stars Kirsten Dunst. What you think is going to happen happens. Things get out of hand. I never saw Bridesmaids but a lot of people liked it. 
  • Branded is about a guy stumbles across the fact that alien being controls consumerism. I'm a little intrigued by this film but it looks similar to They Live. The cast is not exactly well known and it's a directorial debut of Alexander Doulerain & Jamie Bradshaw. This could be hit or miss. I've seen the trailer a few times but who knows. Yeah, I get it, we the masses are drones told what to wear and what to buy but this film says that it's aliens that are controlling it all.
  • The Cold Light of Day stars Henry Cavill as a Jason Bourne type who is vacationing with his family in Spain, goes for a swim, returns to the boat only to find his family missing. He then has to go find them and cause chaos along the way. Sounds a bit like Taken doesn't it? Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver round out the cast. Weaver looks to be Cavill's CIA handler and Willis could be that bad guy. The trailer shows scenes that you've seen before. I will most likely pass on this.
  • The Words stars Bradley Cooper as a writer who plagiarizes an old manuscript and has to pay his comeuppance. It has another aspect where it tells a story that seems to mirror the manuscript, a story within a story if you will. It has a cast that includes Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid and Olivia Wilde but it's the directorial debut for  Brian Klugman & Lee Sternthal , whose previous work was on Tron: Legacy as screen writers. This is another hit or miss. My participation will rely heavily on my mood.
  • For a Good Time, Call stars Lauren Ann Miller (her character's name is Lauren) as an uptight, frigid 20 something who has to move in with an old enemy, the free spirited Kaite (played by Ari Graynor). Lauren at first abhors Katie's lifestyle and lack of restraint and judges her harshly for running a phone sex line. Eventually, Katie's free spirit starts to rub off on Lauren and she starts to open up a bit. She even goes to bring a little more business acumen to Katie's phone sex operation and eventually Lauren joins Katie on calls. It all seems very predictable. Justin Long starts as a friend of Lauren and Katie. Seth Rogen has a cameo as a phone sex client. I'm going to pass on this. 
There are several smaller films opening on this date but I glanced through them and didn't recognize any names so who knows how long they'll last. So I won't bother to mention them. However feel free and lay into me if you see one of those titles and it's worth watching.

September 12

The only film I found opening on this date was a film called Francine. I mention it because it stars Melissa Leo and she was superb as the mother in The Fighter. She plays a woman who's personal relationships are on the outs and she turns to animals for "friendship." It sounds like a depressing film. I can't say I will see this one but Leo is very talented and it deserves consideration.

September 14th

  • Resident Evil: Retribution: The 5th installment of the franchise. It makes me wonder, "just how big and powerful is the umbrella corporation?" I enjoyed the 1st two installments and lost interest after seeing the 3rd. In this part, all of Alice's old pals are re-animated by Umbrella and try to do what Umbrella and all their zombie creations have failed to do...kill her. I have had a thing for Milla Jovavich since The Fifth Element (try not to judge me too harshly but I enjoyed this film) and I do enjoy watching her kill corporate zombie creations but I'm going to pass. The filmmakers appear to have colored her hair darker and have her dressed like Kate Beckinsdale from Underworld. If you're a fan of the franchise then by all means go see it but you take your chances.
  • The Master: Stars Joaquin Phoenix as a WWII vet who's having problems adjusting to life in post-war America. Along comes Phillips Seymour Hoffman who is a pot-war Dr. Phil type who starts to give Phoenix purpose. The problem is that Hoffman might just be the leader of a cult. I don't care much for Phoenix, he looks to be getting back into acting after his strange hiatus. But the film us directed by and he has an excellent body of work so I'm a bit conflicted. . It got high ratings on RottenTomatoes.com which means I will go see the film despite any issues I have with Phoenix.
  • Arbitrage: Stars Richard Gere as a Gordon Gecko-type dude who oversees a financial empire. His daughter (Brit Marling) helps him run the company and Susan Sarandon is the loyal wife. Gere gets into trouble when he leaves the scene of an car accident in which a lady, not his wife or daughter, gets killed. plays the cop who goes after him. As more and more scrutiny is heaped on Gere, his world starts to unravel and his family finds out the truth about the company and most likely what jerk Gere really is. The reviews on RottenTomatoes.com gave this film a 100%. The trailer looks good but I will wait to see the buzz after it's release to make a decision
  • Liberal Arts: This film is written, directed and stars Ted from How I Met Your Mother. Ted plays a recent college grad who misses the college life. He goes back to his alma mater to see his favorite professor () and low and behold he falls for the professor's daughter (I probably would too if it was Elizabeth Olsen). I gotta believe things get a little predictable, Ted feels alive for this first time since he left school and so on. 
  • Stolen: Nicholas Cage once again teams up ( Con Air ) with action director Simon West. This time Cage plays an ex-con who's daughter is kidnapped by Josh Lucas (who looks terrible btw) because Cage neglected to give Lucas his share of the $10 million they heisted that sent Cage to jail. Well Cage doesn't have the money and now he's gotta go steal it all over again to save his daughter. Danny Huston is miscast as the NOLA detective going after Cage and Malin Akerman plays Cage's old flame despite the fact that she's a young uber-hottie and Cage is at least 15 years older than her.
September 21st
  • Dredd 3D: Not to be confused with Stallone's 1995 version, this reboot looks a little darker and grittier than the original. It stars Karl Urban (a guy who you will recognize but you're not sure where you saw him. When you read his bio you may say to yourself, "that was him!" like I did) as the title character. The premise f the film is that Dredd goes after Mega-City's biggest drug dealer and he and other Judges get trapped in the apartment complex that the dealer controls and that have to fight their way out while dispensing justice. The dealer controlled building sounds like The Carter from New Jack City, but I'm willing to let that slide as I feel this film has a good upside. It's rated R, it looks dark, it seems to stay true to the bleakness of life & times in Mega-City (as in the comics that I read over 20 years ago). Despite a few issues, I liked Sly in the 1995 film but I think this will be better. The downside are that it's the directorial debut of Carlos Ezquerra and I don't care much for 3D but rest assured, I will be in line to see this.
  • House at the End of the Street: Sees Elisabeth Shue and Jennifer Lawrence (taking time off from The Hunger Games) as a single mom and her daughter starting fresh with a new home in a sleepy town but wouldn't you know, the house is haunted. Apparently the neighborhood has a few skeletons in the closet as the house next door was the scene of a grisly murder. Suffice to say nasty things happen to Shue and Lawrence as they try and battle their way through. This looks a lot like 2011's Silent House so I doubt there's a whole lot of originality. As it is with the wave of scary films is do your research. There are so many that flood the cineplex it's hard to pick the right one.
  • End of Watch: Stars Jake Gyllenhaal & Michael Peña as 2 LAPD stud cops who patrol the worst parts of the city and stumble upon an operation run by the cartel. The cartel is none to pleased about this and they go after the 2 cops. Long story short, this looks really good. Director has a good track record and the previews look pretty intense. If I can make the numbers work, I will see this as a double feature with Judge Dredd. 
  • Trouble with the Curve: Stars Clint Eastwood as an aging baseball scout with failing eyesight who reluctantly takes help from his estranged daughter (Amy Adams). This looks pretty predictable to say the least. Mathew Lillard (really?) shows up as the guy who thinks Eastwood no longer has it and even Justin Timberlake shows up, most likely as the love interest of Amy Adams. I'm also pretty positive that Amy Adams will have at least 1 scene where she's filmed from behind to show off her "rear attribute," if you will.






Other titles being released include The Perks of Being a Wallflower which stars Emma Watson. From the title you can probably guess what the story's about. About Cherry
features Ashley Hinshaw as an 18 y/o girl who starts down the road of porn. It's got a good cast but will most likely not be in any wide release.

September 28th

  • Looper: Directed by and boasting an all-star cast, it takes place in the not so distant future where time travel is outlawed and corrupt organizations send problems back in time to be liquidated by assassins. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as an assassin (Looper as they're called) who's target is himself (Bruce Willis) from the future. Suffice to say the Looper has to pay a high price if the target isn't eliminated. The preview for this looks really good and I will be seeing this title for sure.
  • Solomon Kane: Stars James Purefoy as a 16th Century killing machine who must fight off supernatural creatures. Admittedly it looks like a cross between Van Helsing and Season of the Witch but I liked Purefoy in the HBO series Rome (he was Marc Antony) and in Ironclad. So despite the potential ridiculousness of the plot, I will be checking this film out unless of course it gets terrible buzz then all bets are off. I thought the trailer looked cool so I will give it chance.
Other titles being released include The Hole, directed by it's about a family that moves from the city to the suburbs and their dream house hides a nasty secret (sounds familiar). The film was made in 2009 but its finally seeing the light of day. Beware. Won't Back Down is a feel good story that stars as mothers who fight to keep their save an inner city school. I'm sure this will jerk the tears and it will have an inspirational soundtrack.

That about does it for September. We shall see how it goes. Thanks for your time.

No comments: