Better late than never, it’s time for the 10 Fall movies I’m most looking forward to, 10 I’m not looking forward to, and 5 I’m not so sure about
Top 10 Fall Movies I’m Not Looking Forward to…
Runners-Up: Laggies…Keira Knightley has been trying to make it happen for a very long time now, combine that with a tired central premise (a messy, immature young woman—who isn’t really that young—flounders towards adulthood) and it’s not at the top of the list for must see. Also, “St. Vincent” because not all independent movies starring Bill Murray look promising.
10. John Wick…Some have been hoping for a Keanu Reeves comeback for a while now, and this isn’t it…
9. Best of Me…Nicolas Sparks adaptation starring James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan, nothing else really needs to be said…
7-8. Hot Tub Time Machine 2/Horrible Bosses 2…Two franchises that felt played out the first time (that were never quite as dangerous as they wanted to be), trying to squeeze out another dollar.
6. Night at the Museum 3…Only Ben Stiller wants more of these movies to be made.
5. Alexander and the No Good, Horrible, Terrible, Very Bad Day…Looks like an equally bad time at the theater.
4. Addicted…Another film that portrays white man/black woman couples in a horrible light, and black women as sexually out of control sluts who need church to control their urges and appreciate a good man. Tyler Perry would be proud.
3. Ouija…This could really stand in for all the bad horror movies that are going to come out in the next few months, and most of them look awful…case in point…
2. Dracula Untold…Updating the Dracula legend to fit a fantasy battle epic is beyond desperate. There’s too much of this “let’s take a stale character and force them into a different genre” already. Which reminds me to polish off my script for “Sandman: Zombie Killer.”
1. Left Behind/Meet the Mormons…Two religious propaganda films. “Meet the Mormons” is a propaganda piece trying to show that mormons aren’t what you think…even though the film is PG-rated and never shows them in anything other than a wholesome light. And Left Behind is Nicolas Cage’s latest attempt to get out of debt: starring in a Christian themed movie that he desperately hopes will be his career resurgence. Hey, it worked for Casper Van Dein and Kirk Cameron, right?
5 I’m Not Sure About (But Will Surely Watch)…
5. Dumb and Dumber To…Will it be as good as the first one? No. Will I watch it? Absolutely.
4. Exodus: Gods and Kings…Of all the Biblical themed movies that have come out this year, this may be the least-bad, but is that good enough?
3. Before I Go to Sleep/Nightcrawler…A pair of thrillers that will be largely forgettable but maybe fun in the moment.
2. Camp X-Ray…Kristen Stewart plays a guard at Guantanamo Bay. Could be unintentionally hilarious
1. Fury/The Imitation Game…These films will surely be good, but I’m just having WWII fatigue in a major way right now.
And, of course, the ten I’m looking most forward to…
Runner-Up: The Overnighters…A documentary about men trying to find work in the North Dakota oil fields that looks to burst the delusion about North Dakota’s oil “boom.”
10. The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies/The Penguins of Madagascar…Out of all the big-budget crowd pleasers, these two will most likely actually please crowds.
9. A Most Violent Year…J.C. Chandor made the excellent “All is Lost” last year, so watching him team up with Jessica Chastain shouldn’t be missed.
8. Whiplash/Horns…Two films with young male actors looking for a breakout or reinvention. “Whiplash” is supposed to make Miles Teller a major force, and “Horns” shows Daniel Radcliffe in a very different way.
7. Birdman…Michael Keaton playing a washed-up actor most well known for a superhero role. It’s art imitating life, and I’ve been waiting for Keaton to make a comeback for ages.
6. Gone Girl…I wish they had cast a real-life couple for Nick and Amy (Brad and Angelina or even Ben and his real-life wife Jennifer Garner), but of course I’ll still see this adaptation.
5. Inherent Vice…Paul Thomas Anderson movies are not to be missed, but, that being said, this film doesn’t look up to his usual pedigree.
4. Foxcatcher…I’ve been saying for years that Steve Carell is an actor itching to show his dark side, and this film is supposed to be excellent.
3. The Interview…Maybe I’ve just got a soft spot for Franco/Rogen but This is the End was last year’s absolute best comedy, and I’m hoping this one delivers too.
2. Kill the Messenger…Jeremy Renner plays a real-life journalist who exposed the CIA’s involvement in drug trafficking and nearly got killed for his trouble.
1. Interstellar…What else could I have picked? This looks like the rare sci-fi film that’s aiming higher and going for the heart. The early trailers made me well up with emotion and wonder.
I will turn this to my todo list for the winter.
Thanks,