DJ B-Clear's Winter Movie Preview - January

Typically, January is the month where studios "dump" titles that they may not have a lot of confidence in with hopes that they will get lucky. They studios would prefer that people see the films that have been nominated for awards since January is when these films get a wide release. So let's see what we've got...

January 4th

• Texas Chainsaw 3D: Suffice to say this will be the 7th installment of The Texas Chainsaw franchise. For the record, there have been 3 sequels to Tobe Hooper's 1974 original (one even had Matthew McConaughey & Renee Zellweger), 1 film that gave a backstory and this will be the 2nd remake of the original (the 1st remake came out in 2003 and starred the likes of Jessica Biel and R. Lee Emery). Now someone decided to add 3D into the mix. I've seen this trailer trailer a few times and all I can is "why?" Is it necessary for another remake of a film that really didn't need to be remade in the first place (on account it was so awesome)? No we don't is my answer. Look for a lot of gore and splatter here to take advantage of the 3D. Fans of gore and splatter might want to check this out but I will pass.

• A Dark Truth: Andy Garcia plays the title role of an ex-CIA agent turned journalist who is enlisted to help uncover facts about a South American massacre and subsequent cover-up. The trailer looks interesting, but in as much as I like Andy Garcia's work, it's tough picturing him as a Jack Ryan type after his turn as hefty casino magnate Terry Benedict. The film also stars the usually brilliant Forrest Whitaker in this political thriller. This film is also available to view on iTunes.

January 11th

• Gangster Squad: Based on true events that took place in LA after WWII, it boasts an all-star cast and a decent director (Ruben Fleischer) but it was originally scheduled for a September 2012 release but was pushed back due to the tragic shootings in Aurora, CO over the summer. Another issue is that it hasn't been reviewed yet and that's usually a sign that a film may not be that good. I will most likely see this film based on the cast (Emma Stone, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin & Ryan Gosling) and the fact that I kind of dig LA Noire films, though I DO NOT anticipate this film being as great as L.A. Confidential. Penn plays legendary LA gangster Mickey Cohen and Brolin is the cop charged with putting him away. Brolin enlists the likes of Gosling and the team goes "rogue" by more or less murdering underworld types. I wouldn't be surprised if the film plays fast & loose with the facts (from trailers I've scene, Penn appears to play Cohen like Big Boy Caprice). One of the cops Brolin recruits is African-American and from what I know about post war LA (mostly from reading James Ellroy novels) is that the predominately Caucasian police force didn't think too highly of non-Caucasians in general in that era. Could be hit or miss.

• A Haunted House: Standard parody of Paranormal Activity type films that have spread out across the celluloid landscape like a rash. I am not into spoofs anymore so I will pass on this one. It's got a lot of regulars from the spoof genre and there maybe e few funny scenes but it's not for me. Don't confuse this film for Scary Movie 5 which opens in April.

• The Baytown Outlaws: Eva Longoria hires a trio of redneck psychopaths to kidnap her godson from the clutches of her ex-hubby Billy Bob Thornton. Thornton on turn hires a group of 5 female assassins to bring the child back to him. There's also another group of thugs that enter into the fray but it's difficult to figure out who they're working for from the trailer. The boy in question is got a debilitating disease like MS or something and is confined to a wheelchair. The kicker is he's got a trust the kicks in when he turns 18 so there's a bit of money at stake. To be honest I haven't seen a group of ridiculous assassins since Smokin' Aces. Tough call on this one.

• Officer Down: According to the IMDB, Stephen Dorff is a cop investigating a series of events that led to murder (I think). The RT synopsis has Dorff as a crooked cop who gets saved by a stranger after being gunned down and the stranger comes back to ask Dorff to help him take revenge. The trailer is even more vague as its only 60 seconds long but I am sure that Dorff is a cop and he's on some sort of quest for retribution.

• Struck by Lightning: Chris Colfer plays a high school overachiever trying desperately to get into Northwestern so he can pursue his dream of becoming a columnist for The New Yorker. The idea of starting a literary magazine at the school is floated to him and he runs with it. The only problem is that no one at the school really likes him so he resorts to blackmail to get contributing writers necessary (a goth chick, a jock and popular pretty girl). This film probably isn't meant for my demographic.

• The Helpers: The tagline at the end of the trailer says, "we're the helpers. We help put people out of their misery." Usually in a gruesome manner. Don't you love it when the writers cleverly put the film title into the dialogue? It's the age old premise of a group of good looking 20-somethings (usually an odd number as there's always the one social misfit who's girlfriend, that no one's met, lives in the Niagra Falls area) get sidetracked from their journey and get picked off one by one only to find out that they've been set-up all along and that their fate was sealed long ago. The trip is to Vegas and the villains use the old road block theory to get the victims off the path (according to Google Maps the best way to get from Sacramento to Vegas is to take CA99 south into Barstow, CA then pick up I-15 and head straight into Vegas. The fact that the victims took a back road route leads me to believe that they deserve their fate. Good god! Nothing good ever happens taking the backroads! That's another genre of slasher films for crying out loud!), find a way to disable the vehicle and make it so the vehicle can't be repaired so they victims have to stay the night. In this case a tire is blown on the SUV and naturally the size tires that the SUV takes won't be in until the next morning. The plot has been done before to say the least but I suspect the death scenes will take it up a notch. The difference here may line in the fact that one of the victims (most likely the dude without the girlfriend) is filming the trip so we got the "found footage" theory.

January 18th

• Mama: The usually red headed Jessica Chastain (sigh) goes for a Joan Jett/Siouxsie Sioux look in this film about 2 feral girls who are adopted by their uncle and brought to live him him and his wife (Chastain). Eventually the girls get really creepy and weird things start to happen. Directed by Andres Muschietti, it appears to be a feature length film loosely based on Muschietti's 2008 short film, Mamá. I've said it before, these films flood the market and it's difficult to tell one from the other sometimes. Buyer beware.

• The Last Stand: The latest film from Arnold Schwarzenegger where he's a small town border town sheriff who's the only law left to stop a Mexican drug kingpin from escaping back to Mexico. The fact that it stars Johnny Knoxville is enough for me to stay away. The trailer looks silly and it would bet dollars to donuts that the trailer contains the best parts of the film.

• Broken City: Directed by Allen Hughes (1/2 of the Hughes Brothers), this NYC cop drama stars Mark Wahlberg as a decorated NYPD detective who is tasked to spy on the Russell Crowe's (the Mayor of NYC) cheating wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) but Wahlberg gets a little more than he bargained for. Crowe is a bit of a conniving, sleazy corrupt dude who looks as if he will frame Wahlberg for murder if he doesn't do his bidding. Wahlberg has to maneuver his way around the web of lies and deceit in order to turn the tables on Crowe. With a good director and a solid cast this is worth a look though it will be the 12th time Wahlberg has played a NYC cop.

• LUV: Stars Common as a father to young boy growing up in Baltimore. Common, who appears to be a mid-level gangster from the trailer, takes the young lad out with him and an incident occurs where an attempt is made on Common's life in front of the lad. It's got an all-star cast that includes Danny Glover, Charles Dutton and Dennis Haysbert.

January 25th

• Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters: The kids who outsmarted the witch in the gingerbread house have grown up and gone into business as 18th century para-normal investigators and eliminators but there's no storage facility so it ends badly for their prey. Jeremy Renner & Gemma Atherton play the  mature Hansel & Gretel who look to kick ass on the evil that lurks about. Similar to The Brothers Grimm, the previews are pretty cool and the cast is solid. The film looks like it could be a lot of fun.

• Movie 43: There are more than 10 directors that include the Farrelly brothers. From what I can see from the trailer, it's kind of a modern day Kentucky Fried Movie. It's got an ensemble cast and there are a lot of inappropriate scenes that make light of race, sex and everything else. Nothing is sacred or free from being mocked. I can't remember the last time a film like this has been done so it may be worth a look.

• Parker: Taylor Hackford directs (only his 4th film since Proof of Life in 2000) Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez in this "heist gone bad" film. Statham leads a team of bandits who decide to turn to new leadership (in the form of Michael Chiklis) after a heist. The coup goes a bit awry but eventually Statham is killed...or is he? Statham comes back looking for his old gang to settle the score but on his way he enlists the aid of Lopez (there is a scene where he asks her to strip to see if she's wearing a wire, that might be worth the price of admission eventhough she's wearing her undergarments) to help get even with his old gang and steal the score from their next big heist. I'm a bit iffy on this one. Hackford is an excellent director but his best work is behind him. Lopez is breaking from her run of rom-com characters which I applaud but it's still not Karen Sisco. Statham plays this type of character so often its redundant. There's also the fact that this plot is old and seems a lot like Payback. As of now I am undecided on this so I will wait to see what the buzz is.

• John Dies at the End: This film has elements of Naked Lunch in it. A bit of a trippy film where the heroes consume "soy sauce" and get hallucinations and are taken to different realms. I really don't know how to explain it. There's a lot of weird shi*t that takes place over time and different dimensions. It's an indie film so it might be worth a look if you can find it. Be advised...it's currently available to view on iTunes.

DJ B-Clear's Winter/Holiday Movie Preview - December

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

The NHL - What a difference a week makes

Since my last post on the NHL lockout, the NHLPA & the owners got together in NYC for several days of ACTUAL negotiations. The interesting thing was that the meetings were held in a "secret location." Why it needed to be secret is beyond me because NO ONE seems to care. To further show that NO ONE cares, reporters could've easily staked out Bettman's office and followed him and no one saw that Donald Fehr or Sidney Crosby were on town in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy? People saw them I'm sure but they just didn't care (granted the hurricane caused major problems in that area but even without those problems no one cared. I just want to say that I hope the people affected by Sandy can rebuild after the tragedy).

So the owners & the players decided on a new tactic after doing nothing in October; sit down across from each other and hammer out their differences. As of now there will be no hockey until after the New Year. There seems to be an agreement on a 50/50 split on the over $3 billion in revenue but the sticking point is the "make whole" aspect. The players want the existing contracts to be honored (seems fair to me). The owners seemed ok with that but a a memo from Donald Fehr to the players may not have included that aspect according to a an article in Yahoo Sports by Harrison Mooney. The owners are accusing Fehr of not having the best interests of the players and that he does not care about hockey. Which I find intriguing because he gets paid regardless. Settlement or no settlement he still collects his paycheck and can walk away (I don't know that this is true but Fehr's the only person to be involved in work stoppages in 2 sports. That's what he does!). Owners saying that a director of a players association not having the players best interest at heart is nothing new, especially to Fehr, but if there's anything coming from the players about Fehr it's not being talked about.

After Thursday's negotiations there was some hope about a settlement but when the dust settled on Friday...nothing. Now things could get ugly.

My personal feeling is that both sides have an overstated sense of value of their product in today's culture. It's clear that outside of Canada, no one is really too worried about the fact that there's no hockey. There's nearly 4 more months of the NFL if you count the playoffs and Superbowl so American sports fans are fine.  Just when hockey was starting to gain some momentum over the last 5 years, they decide to throw it all away. More proof that both sides have little interest in "growing the game" as they do in the NBA, NFL and the MLB to a lesser degree.

Let's see what happens now. Quite frankly I have doubts about salvaging a season. Stay tuned.

The NHL fiasco

The NHLPA has been locked out by the owners for almost 2 months. The powers that be have gone so far to cancel the Winter Classic (Maple Leafs v. Red Wings at the "Big House" in Ann Arbor). Ti be honest, it doesn't look like there will be a 2012-13 season. The weird thing is that NO ONE seems to care!

When the NFL & NBA had their labor issues, there was a lot of activity. The NFLPA was going to court and getting injunctions. The owners were going to different federal courts trying to undo anything the NFLPA had done. There was also a lot of media coverage as well. You saw players & owners looking forlorn as they walked into a hotel. Hell, baseball took a backseat to the NFL lockout. There was even a story about how Dwayne Wade yelled at David Stern during a NBA Labor negotiation. The NHL & the NHLPA seem to be content with not negotiating at all. The most recent offer was a 50/50 split of the ambiguous hockey related income, which was turned down. There's also very little media coverage about the NHL lockout, which I find even more maddening than the actual lockout itself. It shows me how little everyone seems to care about the NHL. The owners (who were all too happy to let the 2004-05 season be cancelled) don't seem to care, the players are all going over to European leagues, ESPN (who never really cared about hockey even when they used to televise games years ago. On a side note I thought Gary Thorne and Bill Clement were a great pair of announcers) doesn't report anything (of course there's not a lot to report on) and the fans don't seem to care either. About the only person who cover the NHL Lockout is Nicholas J. Cotsonika of Yahoo Sports.

Another weird thing is that since the cancelled 2004-05 season, the NHL has enjoyed a solid 5 year run. The Stanley Cup champions have been Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles. That's 3 Original Six teams, the team in the 2nd largest TV market and the team with arguably the best player at the time (Sydney Crosby). The league enjoyed record revenues after the 2011-12 season and then disaster. Both sides got out their guns and started shooting themselves in the foot. I won't go into the detail about the issues (they've never really changed since the last labor stoppage), for that you can read Cotsonika's stuff or go here.

Donald Fehr is the head of the NHLPA. If you don't remember him, he was the head of the MLBPA during the 1994 mid-season strike that led to the cancellation of the World Series. Fehr is as hardline as they come and there's a reason why the MLBPA got rid of him. Now he's seeking to ruin hockey the way he nearly ruined baseball. On the other side we have Gary Bettman, a disciple of soon to be retired NBA Commissioner David Stern. Who in his nearly 20 year reign as NHL Commissioner (Bettman came in after the 1992 NHL Strike) has had 1994–95 lockout  the which had the season trimmed to 48 games & no inter-conference play. Then there was 2004–05 lockout the which lead to the entire season being cancelled! Now he's in jeopardy of losing another season! He just might be the worst commissioner in the history of professional sports. Make no mistake, there's plenty of blame to go around. The owners always seem to cry poverty and can't control their own spending (this is a key aspect of pro sports where the owners want to control costs but give out ridiculous contracts). The players take the guaranteed money and sometimes have spells of play where their effort may not always be there. Then of course there's 20 years of animosity between the players and the owners (it's true in all professional sports).

The big losers as usual, are the fans. The fans pay high prices for tickets to games (that sometime net uninspired play), they pay high prices for merchandise (yes, I have a Buffalo Sabres pillow cover) and the fans watch the games on tv. But it's the fans that suffer. The owners see the fans as cash registers. The players could probably care less about the fans. Let's not forget Jeremy Roenick's statement from the 2004-05 lockout when said that fans could "kiss his ass" in regards to hockey players being spoiled (with the exception of NFL players, most players of the NHL, NBA and MLB are).

Prior to the lockout there were a lot of things wrong with the NHL; the regular season is too long, there are too many teams (teams in markets that they have no business being in and with too many teams that leads to watered down talent) and they don't have a great television deal (I like Versus which is now the NBCSports Channel but not every cable provider offers it). Plus hockey doesn't seem to have a franchise that can polarize people the way the Yankees do in baseball or the Heat does in basketball (the closest franchise would be the Red Wings but it's not the same thing).

Anyway, the lockout doesn't look like it will end soon and both sides seem content with letting it happen. The powers that be do not seem to understand the the NHL is not the NFL. At best hockey is the 4th sport in the totem pole behind the NHL, MLB and the NBA (NFL football is far and away the best pro team sport. NBA maybe 2nd because it skews to a younger demographic than baseball). I think it's more like 5th if you throw MMA into the mix but for team sports it's 4th and it's indisputable.  The NHL is in danger of becoming extinct and both sides are letting it happen. If they do come to an agreement, do they think the fans will just welcome them back with open arms (in Canada they probably will and a few markets in the US)? Doubtful. Both sides overestimated the popularity of the sport unfortunately. It took a few years for the fans to come back after the 2004-05 season was cancelled but I suspect it will take even longer this time. Quite frankly, what's to stop this from happening again when the CBA  expires? There have been 2 new CBA's following the 1994-95 lockout between the owners & players and after each one expired, we've had prolonged work stoppages.

If all I have this winter is the NBA (I'm disenfranchised with big time college atheltics and can't get into NCAA hoops until March Madness) then it will be a long, dull and cold winter indeed. I guess I can always read more.  Thanks for your time.

Star Wars: The Saga...goes to Disney?

George Lucas sold Lucasfilm, LTD to Disney for a whopping $4.05 BILLION!This is pretty staggering news in Hollywood. When Lucas came out with Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope in 1977 it changed Hollywood forever (some may say for the better some say for worse). The short story is the Lucas shopped the idea of the film to all the studios and they all told him to get lost. Alan Ladd, Jr took a chance on the young director and 20th Century Fox would release the film. Suffice to say that after Star Wars became a big hit, all the studio execs who told Lucas to get lost soon found themselves in the unemployment line. Lucas also got the merchandising rights (at the time there wasn't a lot of movie merchandise other than shirts and posters) and it's this that would go on to fund Lucas' film empire and also got Alan Ladd, Jr fired eventually as well because the studio got ZERO dollars from the sale of all the Star Wars merchandise (believe me you when I say there was a lot of it. Since I was kid during those days I had may share of stuff for sure). Now every film that comes out has merchandising opportunities. Even a bloodthirsty killing machine like Alien for crying out loud!

Lucas stopped directing after Star Wars and would go on to become a top notch producer and innovator in film technology. In 1999 Lucas wrote and directed Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. I won't go into a review of the film but let's just say that his 22 year hiatus from directing showed. Say what you want about the prequels, they were not as good as the first 3 films but they were entertaining and they made a pile of money.

So now Disney owns Star Wars. That means more sequels. I have mixed feelings about this. Sure I'm intrigued by the idea of how the "New Republic" does after the destruction of the Empire but without Lucas' vision, I have my doubts. On a side note there have been several post Episode VI stories in print form that are very good (I read Timothy Zahn's "Dark Force Rising" trilogy and thought it was excellent) and you can't do anything Star Wars without the blessing of Lucas. Will Disney cheapen the franchise? It can be argued that Lucas has cheapened Star Wars with the digital enhancement mid-90's re-releases and the different DVD sets but Lucas has always reinvested in his company that has brought new filming technology and better sound quality in movie theaters.

That answer that question is...it's very possible. It's Hollywood dogma to turn a successful film into a franchise and milk it for every cent it's got in it. Did we really need a Pirates of the Caribbean 4? Absolutely not, but Disney thought it could wring another few hundred million out of it. Episode Seven is scheduled for a 2015 release. Lucas will also be turning over the producer reigns to Kathleen Kennedy. Ms. Kennedy is charged with keeping Lucas' vision as the franchise heads into the future. Allegedly, Lucas has up to 12 chapters of the franchise that's he's worked on. Lucas himself said, "It's now time for me to pass 'Star Wars' on to a new generation of filmmakers. I've always believed that 'Star Wars' could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime."

I'm curious to say the least about life in the galaxy after the demise of the Galactic Empire. Does Leia get into politics? What will Luke do as the last Jedi? Does Han Solo's life get boring? Though I worry that Lucas won't be hands on. It's his vision. It didn't work out so well when Spielberg finished Kubrick's vision in AI after Kubrick died during filming. Rest assured I will give anything Star Wars a chance. 

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.

DJ B-Clear's Fall Movie Preview: October

Let's jump right in...

October 5th

• Taken 2: Taken came out in January (usually a dead month for the film industry) of 2009 and quite frankly was a solid action film. This time Liam Neeson meets his wife, Famke Janssen (are they back together?) and daughter, Maggie Grace, in Istanbul for a family get together. What should be a nice family gathering in an exotic foreign country quickly turns ugly when Boris 'The Bullet Dodger' Yurinov turns up and wants revenge on Neeson for  killing his son in the 1st picture. Neeson and Janssen get "taken" but not before Neeson calls Grace to inform her that he & her mother are going to be taken (don't ya just love it when they work the title of the film into the dialogue). Of course, Grace tries to elude her captors by going out on a ledge in her underwear. As you might expect, Neeson frees himself and sets about Istanbul killing the minions of the man who has his wife. I suspect that this film is very predictable and will most likely take the violence up a notch from the first one. Rest assured, I will see this film. I may regret it but I know what I'm getting into.
• V/H/S: I've seen this trailer a few times and here's the premise, a bunch of dudes break into a facility to steal a VHS tape. I'm not sure how far they had to travel to find out who still has a VHS in this day & age but it's a movie so let's just go with it.  The group has to soft through stacks of weird tapes to find the correct one and suffice to say weird sh*t starts to happen. This film looks likes it taking different themes from different horror films and putting them together in an "orignal" package. As I've said before with these types of films, BE CAREFUL. They are all hit or miss. Co-Directors, Adam Wingard & Glenn McQuaid , have been involved with some other films of this genre (none that I've heard of) and the cast is relatively unknown to me. V/H/S got a 75% on RottenTomatoes.com but I will probably pass on this film unless the buzz after it's release is something I can't ignore.
• The Paperboy: Stars McConaughey, pretty boy Zac Ephron, John Cusak and Nicole Kidman (in a To Die For type role) in a steamy drama about an alleged innocent man on Florida's death row. I've seen this preview a few times and the Kidman exudes sexuality. Cusak plays the husband who's on death row. The trailer gives away the fact that Cusak gets out. Hard to say about this one. It looks a lot like Just Cause so the premise has been done before. The trailer piques my interest but I'm not sold on Ephron's acting ability. I'm going to take a wait and see (or not see) approach.
• Pitch Perfect: This film actually had a limited release on September 28th but it's nationwide release is set for this weekend. I suspect that 16-24 boys/men will go see Taken 2 while their girlfriends will see this one. Pitch Perfect looks as if it's trying to cash in on the Glee crowd. You've got a diverse group of young ladies (insecure Caucasian hotties, an Asian girl who can belt it out, a confident & funny plus size lady and an Afro-American lady) putting aside their differences and stereotypes to come together to show off their singing talents at some televised show. You can pretty much figure this one out but watch the 90 second trailer. There's some crude humor and I'm sure there's a pretty boy love interest thrown into the mix. Think Sisterhood except instead of nuns it's young girls. I'm not the demographic they're shooting for with this.

Some other titles that open up on October 5th are Butter, which stars Jennifer Garner, Olivia Wilde and Hugh Jackman in a film about butter carving. Dr. House stars in The Oranges, where he has an affair with the nubile hottie daughter of his best friend and neighbor in a seemingly all-american suburban town. Frankenweenie is Tim Burton's latest animated directorial effort where a kid brings his beloved dog back to life Frankenstein style. Burton's last few live action films haven't done so well but his work with animation has always been interesting but this is more for the kids. #Holdyourbreath has a group of good looking twenty somethings putting the test of holding your breath while driving past a cemetery to the test and the results are not good.

October 12th

• Argo: Has Ben Affleck at the helm of his latest directorial feature, a spy type thriller that takes place during the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979. Six Americans escape from the embassy and are hidden by the Canadian ambassador. Affleck plays the CIA agent charged with getting the out before they are found and executed. Affleck's plan is to go in disguised as a Canadian film crew scouting locations for a sci-fi film. It's based on a true story and sports an all-star cast. I remember this happening when I was in grade school, those were tough days in the US. I liked The Town so I'm probably going to see this one. If it's as good as The Town then it will make me wonder why Affleck wasted 10 years of his post Good Will Hunting Life on mostly garbage.
• Here Comes the Boom: Kevin James stars as a loveable teacher who wants to save the arts programs at his high school. His solution...become an MMA fighter. The 90 second preview tells you all you need to know about this film. You get to see him start off in low level fights and working his way up to the big time in a comic way. Henry Winkler is there to help him out and Selma Hayek is another teacher that he has the hots for and who also fixes his dislocated shoulder. This looks a lot like an updated version of Nacho Libre, which wasn't very good. Unless you're a Kevin James devotee then stay away.
• Sinister: Yet another film about a family that moves into a creepy house and bad things happen (this plot line is a never ending cycle that should go away for awhile). Ehtan Hawke plays the patriarch that discovers some old 8mm films in the attic and finds some weird stuff so he takes it to the cops. Eventually weird things begin to happen involving his kids and a spooky demon.  Scott Derrickson directs and he's had some experience in this genre but nothing all that fantastic. It got high marks on Rottentomatoes.com but I am going to pass on this unless someone I trust tells me it's worth it.
• Seven Psychopaths: Martin McDonagh directs an ensemble cast of quirky criminals that involve dog-napping and other hi-jinx. McDonagh directed Colin Farrell in In Bruges which was a really good film. I've seen the trailer for this a few times and I'm lukewarm at best. Sometimes when you get an ensemble cast in a comedic type caper film and it works (Get Shorty), then again sometimes it doesn't (Big Trouble). Again this title got high marks but I'm wary of it.
• Smiley:Yet another urban legend comes to life. "Smiley" is a serial killer that can be summoned via the internet. Well apparently a group of nubile 20 something hotties try to break the monotony of their lives by doing just that. The kicker here is that all this may just be in the head of Ashley. No one believes her until the bodies start piling up. I guess someone came up with this premise because 2012 is the 30th or so anniversary of the emotcon. There's nothing new here and this should probably go direct to DVD.

Other titles that open on this date include a film called Smashed, about a hard drinking couple that take it too far. Special Forces stars Diane Kruger as a war correspondent who faces execution from the Taliban and a special forces unit is dispatched to rescue her. Hotel Noir stars Carla Gugino and Rufus Sewell (who are talented) but it also has Mandy Moore in a 1950's LA film noir about a guy who crossed the mob. There not much on Rotten Tomatoes about this film. I mention it because I like Gugino and Sewell but who knows how many screens this will open on.

October 19th

• Paranormal Activity 4: The 4th installment of the franchise. I have a feeling that we may see more of these because they're relatively inexpensive to make so whatever they get at the box office is gravy. It's pretty much like the 1st 3 which at least told a story of the cursed sisters. Judging by the preview one of the sisters (not sure which one) comes back to haunt the family living in her old house. Let's put it to rest already. They had a nice run with the first two, the 3rd was so-so but enough already.
• Alex Cross: Suffice to say I dig a good crime thriller and I like the character of Alex Cross (originally portrayed by Morgan Freeman in 1997's Kiss the Girls). Tyler Perry will be taking up the role of Alex Cross  in what I think is pretty good casting. Mathew Fox plays the killer he's after. The preview looks pretty interesting but it's directed by Marc Moss, who's got a long if not underwhelming resume so who knows. I will probably check it out but wait til after the opening weekend to see what the buzz is like.

That's about it for big releases on this date but there is bunch of smaller films opening as well. Yogawoman is a documentary about how women are leading the way of a new era of Yoga instructors. It's narrated by Annette Bening. Nobody Walks stars Jim from The Office and Olivia Thirlby (recently of Dredd). Thirlby plays a free spirited filmmaker who moves in with Jim and his family in LA and the two get "close" while working on Thirlby's character's film. That's What She Said is about a woman who's cynical about dating/romance (Marcia DeBonis) and needs some encouragement from her pal (Anne Heche). As luck would have it, there are two films about the elusive Sasquatch, Bigfoot which is more of a horror film that takes place in Ohio of all places (funny how Sasquatch made from the Pacific Northwest to Ohio without being noticed at a rest area of truck stop) and The Lost Coast Tapes, which has more of a Heart of Darkness type plot to it.

October 26th

Cloud Atlas: Directed by Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) and Lana Wachowski (The Matrix Trilogy, the same Wachoswki Brother that had a sex change), it's a sweeping epic that spans several centuries and boasts a 5-Star all-star cast. The trailer can be confusing as it takes place in different locations and different centuries but the cinematography and SFX look amazing. The premise is that people's actions affect the lives of others across time. Tom Hanks and Halle Berry are just a few of the stars in this one. Other than Argo, October doesn't have a lot of big films but this one looks to be it. Be advised...it is nearly 3 hours long so it may not be for everyone but rest assured I will check it out. My only Hope is that it doesn't turn out to live up to the hype like Tree of Life or The Fountain, not that those were bad films but a bit hard to grasp.
Pusher: Set in England its about a mid-level drug dealer living the good life who hits a snag during a deal. h Due to the snag, he owes his European mobster boss $50k and if he doesn't pay, you can probably guess the rest. This plot seems at bit used but it's British so it should have a little more grit to it based on the trailer. Who knows what kind of release this will get but it might be worth checking out.
Chasing Mavericks:Directed by Curtis Hanson, this based on a true story film is about Jay Moriarty. Moriarity was a famous surfer who died while free diving in the Indian Ocean in 2001. At 16 he made the cover of Surfer Magazine because of a wipeout at Mavericks. Not being a surfing aficionado I've never heard of this guy but it stars Gerard Butler (who's talented but for some reason pops up in rom-coms) and Hanson is a solid director. This could be a good change of pace.
Silent Hill: Revelation 3D: This is another installment of the franchise. It has much of the original cast (in varying degrees of onscreen time) and it deals with Heather Mason's 18th birthday and her "revelation" that she may not be who she seems. Through her nightmares she's able to enter the alternate dimension of Silent Hill (???) and face off against the evil forces that run the town. I vaguely remember seeing the 1st one and know almost nothing about the video game. I guess if you like the video game and the franchise you should check it out. Films based on video games are hot or miss. Occasionally you get an interesting one like Resident Evil but then they keep churning out installments until the horse dies and it's summarily beaten into the ground (much like Resident Evil).

That about does it for October. There seems to be a lot of smaller films and  documentaries out there as well that I didn't mention. As we get closer to the Holidays the films that are looking to get Oscar buzz will start to come out. There might be a few keepers this month but who knows. Argo & Cloud Atlas looked to be the epics of the month and may get some early Oscar buzz. Thank you for your time.

State of the Boston Red Sox, Part 3

I've been wanted to do a 3 part series, if you will, about the Red Sox. Things have kind of calmed down a bit after the big trade of August 26th. So I'm a bit of a "Johnny come lately" on this but I want to discuss it anyway.

In late August the Red Sox were floundering. From August 1st to the 25th, they went 7-16 and that included a pair 4 game losing streaks (they also dropped 3 of 4 to the hideous Twins and were swept by the mediocre Angels). Beckett and Crawford had cleared waivers and no one wanted them. Somehow the Sox managed to put together those two with their most productive player of the season (Gonzales) in a trade with the Dodgers. There's been a lot of speculation about the trade but I buy into the fact that the Sox had to throw in Gonzales in order to get it done. According to sources in the know, Valentine liked Gonzales and didn't have a problem with him. Gonzales was also the Sox best offensive player who was the person to be in the line-up everyday. The Dodgers are allegedly hoping that a return to the National League will help Beckett and that Crawford will be out of the spotlight in Boston, take a bit of a backseat to Matt Kemp and flourish in LA next season after he recovers from elbow surgery.

It was a coup for the Sox  in the fact that they not only got rid of Beckett (who's been mediocre at best since going 17-6 in 2009, lousy since September 2011 and has been plagued with minor injuries), Crawford (who has not lived up to the huge contract he signed before the 2011 season) but they dumped their salaries on the Dodgers as well. I agree with those that say the Dodgers had to make a big move to get rid of the taste of previous owner Frank McCord. The prize though was Gonzales. The Sox couldn't make the deal unless they included him. A small price to pay for the future. The Sox were going nowhere this season with him so why not let him go in order to get rid of Beckett and Crawford. Beckett by the way is 1-2 in 4 starts with the Dodgers, his ERA is 3.38 (that's nearly 2 runs lower than it was on Boston) but he's hardly l mowing them down.

The high water mark for the Red Sox was July 1st when they were 42-37 and still  had hopes of a surge to get into the playoffs. Since that time they've gone 24-43, have thrown in the towel (probably the day of the trade) and have been mathematically eliminated from any playoff contention. I've watched some of their games sine the trade and I do not recognize a lot of the names. David Ortiz has been on the DL for awhile, Lester has yet to snap out of his funk and Pedroia seems to be back to old form.

With Ortiz out and Gonzales traded, the power has come from journeyman Cody Ross, who has 21 HR and 74 RBI so far.  They've gotten some nice play from some young stars, Will Middlebrooks was playing so well that it made Youkilis expendable but then he got hurt and has been sidelined for most of the Summer. Pedro Ciriaco has been a bright spot and continues to play well and has potential to be a very exciting player. Pitching continues to be the problem. Other than Felix Doubront there hasn't been a young pitcher that shows a lot of promise, though with a record of 10-9 and an ERA 5.11 the jury is still out on Doubront (be advised...it's his 1st full season as a starting pitcher, so we shall see). The "anchor" of the staff has been Clay Buchholz but at 11-6 with an ERA 4.33, he's not exactly stirring up memories of Pedro Martinez. The bullpen is terrible, that's all that needs to be said.

There's been a lot of speculation about Bobby Valentine. Fans seem to either hate him or are indifferent. Red Sox fans need to realize that 2004 & 2007 are in the past and they can no longer bask in that fading glow. The talking heads say that it's not all his fault (it isn't) and he should get to manage again in 2013. There have also been reports that he's been lethargic and no longer cares. To be fair, he was snakebit before the season started. Injuries have crippled the team and the pitching has been poor all season. To be fair, the Yankees have been hit pretty hard by injuries (A-Rod, Sabathia, Pettitte and Teixiera have all had stints on the DL and Mariano Rivera blew his knee out before the season started) and they are 82-63 and lead the AL East (though the Orioles are pounding on the door).

The problems with the Red Sox start with the ownership and trickle down from there. John Henry and Larry Lucchino have been at odds at times with where the team is going and the GM Ben Cherrington has been left out of key decisions. It kind of reminds me of the Yankees when Steinbrenner was making decisions prior to their run from 1996-2003 (after losing the World Series in 2003, he started to become more hands on again until his health started failing him). If the ownership can get on the same page then maybe the ship can be righted. I would like to see them re-sign Ellsbury and go after a power hitting first basemen (admittedly, I don't know who's coming into the free agent market) but they need to be smart about it (good luck). The pitching situation can't get much worse. Dice-K is probably done but if Lester can bounce back and the bullpen can get some stability then things can pick up pitching wise.

2013 could be a make or break year. The Sox can rise up or continue to fall into the depths of mediocrity much like they did it the early 80's ('79-'85). The future is definitely cloudy but the forecast is not clear so the sun can easily shine through. Thanks for your time.

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 Paul Thomas Anderson 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. Tim Roth 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 (Richard Jenkins) 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 David Ayer 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 Rian Johnson 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 Joe Dante 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.