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.