DJ B-Clear's Fall Movie Preview - November

As we get toward the end of the year, the film industry uses this time to lay the groundwork for Oscar Nominations. The release of Cloud Atlas in the last week of October may just be the unofficial start of Oscar hype season. We'll see what happens.

November 2nd

• Flight: Directed by Robert Zemeckis, this drama stars Denzel Washington as a pilot who manages to avoid an in-air catastrophe and land a damaged plane. The thing is, Denzel's character had alcohol in his blood. The wheels of justice get set in motion where there are people who want to bring Washington down but the survivors herald him as a hero. An excellent supporting cast that includes John Goodman, Don Cheadle and Tamara Tunie this will most likely get some Oscar attention and I'm sure Denzel's name will be brandied about well. This is probably a must see.
• The Man With the Iron Fists: I've seen this trailer a few times and it looks pretty cool. To be honest, I don't know who RZA is but he is the Man with the Iron Fists. It's about groups of killers, each with various skills, after a shipment of gold. It's produced by Tarantino and it has a n all-star cast that includes Lucy Liu (she more or less plays the same character as she did in Kill Bill but with a troupe of female killers) and Russell Crow as a knife-wielding assassin. I'm not sure what kind of skill RZA has as a director but this title looks to be fun. There looks be a lot of violence (comic book style perhaps) but it might be worth seeing.
• This Must Be The Place: European director Paolo Sorrentino, puts Sean Penn in the lead role as an aging goth rocker (Penn looks a lot like Robert Smith of The Cure) who lives off his royalties in Dublin. Penn learns that his estranged father is dying and he sets out to visit him. Along the way he meets some quirky people and finds out that his father was a Holocaust survivor who was chasing down Nazi war criminals. This is art house fare but it looks very interesting. I think this will be playing at the Music Box in Chicago when it comes out so I'm going to try and see it.
• The Details: Tobey Maguire & Elizabeth Banks seem like a happily married couple with an ideal life. But appearances are deceiving. This looks like a bit of a dark comedy that quite frankly looks very interesting. It's got a supporting cast of Ray Liotta, Laura Linney & Kerry Washington. In the preview you get to see the darker side of Tobey Maguire and as his marital frustrations mount, his infidelities start to get him into trouble his life unravels. Th is could be worth a view and I will keep my out for it.
• Wreck-it Ralph: Disney/Pixar's latest effort stars the voice talents of John C. Reilly and Sara Silverman. Reilly plays Wreck-it Ralph a Donkey Kong like video game character who gets tired of being the "bad guy," so he leaves his game and traverses across the video game universe. Mainly for kids but there's always enough adult humor to go around with Pixar. Fans of 80's video games (like me) will get a kick out of seeing some of their favorite game characters.

Other titles that open this weekend include; Vamps starring Alicia Silverstone (she's still around?) and Krysten  Ritter was vampire club hoppers. I only mention it because it's directed by Amy Heckerling (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, one of my all time favorites) but I suspect it's a cross between Clueless (also directed by Heckerling) and a lighthearted Twilight. My gut tells me that this film is not aimed at my demographic so I will most likely pass. Though I am curious to see if Silverstone has anything left in the tank. Jack And Diane stars Juno Temple (Killer Joe) & Riley Keough as pair of teenage star-crossed lovers in NYC who are REALLY in love with each other. The 2 young ladies have to overcome the odds to be together. The trailer seemed a little creepy to me. This is pretty much an art house film so good luck trying to find it when it comes out. I might pass on it only because I'd be a 40ish dude seeing a film where 2 young girls spend a lot of time making out. I'd feel as if people would be pointing at me when I left the theater. Barry Levinson directs The Bay, a horror film about creatures that eats its victims from the inside. It seems a bit out of Levinson's league but the trailer looks a lot like Paranormal Activity mixed with a little Apollo 18. There's a lot scenes that are shot with handhelds in order to give the amateur feel.

November 9th

• Skyfall: 2012 is the 50th anniversary of James Bond in film and Skyfall is the 23rd installment. Suffice to say Daniel Craig is shaping up to be an awesome Bond and Javier Bardem plays the villain. The trailer is pretty sweet and I will try to take out of work early to see this one.
• Lincoln: Daniel Day-Lewis stars at the "Great Emancipator" in this historical epic directed by  Steven Spielberg. With Lewis, an amazing cast under the helm of Spielberg, this is has to be an early Oscar contender. Lewis seems to only act in epic films and Spielberg, when motivated, has few equals. I've seen the trailer a few times and EPIC is the word that comes to mind. Lewis looks amazing as Honest Abe. Another must see

There aren't a lot of other big titles opening up against these heavyweights so here are a few other smaller titles opening on this particular weekend; Nature Calls is comedy that stars Patton Oswalt and Johnny Knoxville (I thought he went away for good but alas that's not the case). Oswalt plays the doofus brother who's Boy Scout troop ditches him to hang out with Knoxville.  In Their Skin is a thriller that stars Selma Blair & Joshua Close as a couple who flee to a family house in the woods but run into a creepy couple who invade their lives. The trailer looks interesting but it looks like a combination of Funny Games (the original Dutch version is really good) and The Strangers. It might be worth a look but the premise has been done before. There are a couple of foreign films that might be worth a look (if you can find them), one is Citadel. Set in Scotland, a young man sees his pregnant wife brutally attacked. His wife dies and he's forced to take care of his daughter by himself but he's not only overprotective but is an agoraphobe. The punks that attacked his wife come back and he's forced to stand up for himself. Gritty for sure but it's got a lot of elements of Death Wish and Straw Dogs. is a Danish film about an 18th century love triangle involving a German doctor and the King & Queen of Denmark. Why do I mention this you say? The last Danish film I saw (perhaps the only one) Terribly Happy, was excellent and it stars Mads Mikkelsen (the villain from Casino Royale) who's an excellent actor. So why not.

November 16th

• The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2: The opening is listed at 15 November but that's a Thursday and films are released on a Wednesday or Friday but I'm sure there'll be some sneak preview showing. The final installment of the gut wrenching Twilight series. By gut wrenching it mean it causes me pain by knowing this is coming out. Given this will haul in $300 million domestically but the films haven't been that great. I've seen 1 in the theater and parts of another (not sure which). All the pale dude does is brood on screen (much like Luke Perry did in BH 90210), the werewolf kid can't seem to leave his shirt on (the McConaughey school of acting) and the girl just kind of sulks around. I think the pale dude & the chick have a child. The other vampires in the pale dude's clique just mope around as if immortality is a curse and the werewolf clan just walk around with ill-favored looks about them. Isn't anyone happy? 
• Barrymore: This strictly art house fare stars Christopher Plummer as the legendary John Barrymore (Grandfather of Drew Barrymore). His career pretty much over by 1942 Barrymore tries to do a revival of Richard III, the play that would eventually lead him him to stardom in the 20's and 30's. The trailer is very interesting and it looks like an enjoyable film. 
• Anna Karenina: The 11th film adaptation (not including a made for TV version) of of the Tolstoy classic. Suffice to say I do not know much about the book but this new version stars Keira Knightley in the title role and pretty boy Jude Law. I'm willing to bet that at over 2 hours, this will try to be a sweeping epic of period pieces. If you like the book then maybe you should check this out. I usually stay away from big period pieces like this but I liked Knightley in A Dangerous Method and she does a lot of period pieces and it's the 3rd collaboration between Knightley and director Joe Wright, so it should be decent.

November 21st

• Silver Linings Playbook: Bradley Cooper plays a guy who loses everything and moves back in with his parents (Bob DeNiro and Jacki Weaver) after a stint in an institution. His parents try to help him get back on his feet by getting him out to Eagles football games. He eventually meets up with Jennifer Lawrence, a quirky free spirit with a past, and a relationship ensues. The 2 people who are damaged goods get together and nice things happen (funny how hooking up with a 20 something hottie can put a spring in a 35 y/o man's step). Normally I'd stay away from a film like this but it's directed by David O. Russell, who's got a solid resume and this film could be worth viewing.
• Red Dawn: An updated version of the  1984 pseudo-cult classic that boasted an all-star cast of Brat Packers.  The commies are still invading the US but it's the North Koreans (or maybe China, they specify in the trailer. I don't think it would be China unless of course they've come to collect on all the money we owe them) doing the invading and this time around they've got a secret weapon that allows them to successfully invade the US. What made the 1984 version so inconceivable was the fact that Russia pulled off a massive invasion of the US while in the midst of a grueling war of attrition in Afghanistan and somehow managed to disguise the invasion force. Where the hell were the AWACs. As for this time, what was the deal with the satellites? Or the entire military intelligence system for that matter? I just find the whole idea of the sneak attack of that scale (whether it's present day or 1984) is not possible by any stretch. With that said, I enjoyed the 1984 version because I was a dumb kid and my sense of reality isn't like it is today.
• Rise of the Guardians: Not to be outdone by Pixar & Wreck-it Ralph, the Dreamworks entry has the voice talents of Chris Pine (Jack Frost), Isla Fisher (Tooth Fairy), Hugh JACKman (Easter Bunny) and Alec Baldwin (Santa Claus) as the forces of good and Jude Law as the bad guy. This solid production values  and the trailer looks good. The problem as always is going up against Pixar.
• Hitchcock: Anthony Hopkins stars as the legendary director and his efforts to bring Psycho to the big screen. Helen Mirren plays Hitch's wife Alma Reville and Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh. Hopkins looks the part for sure, Mirren gives her usual stellar performance and Johansson bears an uncanny resemblance to Leigh. The only issue I can see is that HBO is currently running a piece on Hitchcock (The Girl) and the making of The Birds, about Hitchcock's obsession with Tippi Headron (played by Siena Miller).

November 30th 

• Killing Them Softly: Andrew Dominik directs an ensemble cast (includes Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, Sam Rockwell, Ray Liotta and Richard Jenkins) about a heist that goes awry and the crew that's sent in to send a message and clean things up. I've seen this trailer a few times and it looks interesting. Dominik doesn't have a long career but it is a distinguished one (he's driected the critically acclaimed The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Chopper) and this looks like a solid film.
• The Collection: Brought to you by the people who gave us The Saw Franchise (7 films all together). A serial killer, who's yet to be caught, abducts his victims and brings them to a booby trapped industrial property to finish them off. There was one victim who did get away and now he's gotta go back to try and help bring the killer down. The thing about this type of film is that the killer has to be wealthy but with no sign of income (hello John Doe from Se7en) and yet nobody notices this. I once couldn't buy extra cough medicine at a Walmart in Vidallia, GA and this guy hacks people up in a deserted industrial park and no one notices. Enough already.