The 2010 Fall movie preview continues with examining the month of October. Which is always horror-genre heavy. At quick glance, this may be the worst month of releases one has seen in a long time. Aside from two flicks that should be excellent, the rest of this dumping ground is very uninspiring. Let's hope I'm wrong about this. (Click on title for the trailer)
October 1st
The Social Network (movie about Facebook) kicks off the month and tells the story about how the uber-popular social networking site came to be. Jesse Eisenberg plays Harvard graduate Michael Zuckerberg, who set this fad into motion, and aside from him, the rest of the cast should be deleted. Unless the acting is a must see, does anyone really care about this story? Now Aaron Sorkin is a talented writer but I'm curious how much he had to create to make this a feature length film. What's next? A YouTube movie? Released only on YouTube?
Let Me In is a remake of the Swedish film released in 2008. The remake will tell the same story as the original surrounding the relationship between two 12-year-old kids in school. One who gets bullied (Kodi Smith-McPhee) and the other who is a vampire (Chloe Mortez). I will never understand why Hollywood has to copy foreign films that are successful and try to make them their own. Another example of our lazy nature in this sector. That said, this flick should be interesting for audiences and the casting is impeccable. As long as they can keep the tone of the original, this flick is worth a look.
Here's is all one needs to know about Case 39. This flick has a decent cast and has been ready for theaters since 2006. Yet, not a single studio wanted to pull the trigger on distribution in the states. Until now. So what's wrong with this guy? This thriller will dance with the whole "Dark forces" approach involving a young girl. Your typical modern haunting, psychological story, complete with a lackluster ending. This sub-genre of horror may have run its course.
Hatchet II. Uh, when did Hatchet I come out? The end. Skip it!
October 8th
Life as We Know It is a comedy about a divorced couple (Katherine Heigl & Josh Duhamel) who must care for the daughter of their best friends who tragically died in a car accident. Yes, this is a comedy. Naturally one has to expect some serious emotional moments will blend in with the laughs. That said, the two leads just aren't doing it for me in this arena. Heigl will end up playing the same character she always does. Duhamel will nail the comedic moments but I foresee him struggling with the dramatic material. As always, I hope I'm wrong and this is enjoyable but I have serious doubts about the balancing act of emotions required to make this mesh well with audiences.
Walt Disney Pictures will finally end the streak of duds and bring the magic back with Secretariat. The most famous racing horse in history finally has a movie fit for the legend. Randall Wallace (Braveheart) is behind the camera and casting is near perfection. This true story about Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) and her Triple Crown Winner should delight audiences and possibly the award voters. A must see my friends.
Now back to the horror and the master unleashes his latest creation on this day. Wes Craven brings My Soul to Take, which tells about a slasher returning to his old stomping grounds to kill people who share a common bond. In this case a birthday. The trailer has this fluctuating between psychological and good old fashion masked killer. Which could be a match made in horror heaven or a complete massacre on the screen. And the box office. Wait for the reviews, for this one is too dicey at the moment and Craven has been very quiet about this flick. Meaning, he's not that excited.
Edward Norton, Robert De Niro, and Milla Jovovich make up the cast in Stone. The plot really sells here. Norton is incarcerated and De Niro plays his parole officer. Jovovich is Norton's wife and at his request, wants her to seduce De Niro into letting him walk. De Niro plays a man with values but starts to believe that he and Jovovich have something real between them. Norton also begins to wonder if his wife is still on his side. Now I'm not saying the attractive premise and the stellar cast will lead to pure entertainment, but in trying to formulate an argument not to see this is a fool's journey.
October 15th
Jackass 3-D. Aside from a few bigger props, one should know what they're getting here. The whole crew returns and the fans will be pleased to see morons put their bodies through torture once again. In the end, this crew always gets one to laugh. Why the 3-D usage is necessary is still unknown. Chances are the effect will be worthless and could actually hamper the flick. If all they did was try to find ways to use 3-D in every shot/stunt, the true Jackass experience will not be found in this installment.
Conviction tells the tale of the trial and tribulations of a brother (Sam Rockwell) and sister (Hillary Swank). Rockwell is convicted of murder due to an apparent error in the justice system. Swank decides to put herself through law school in order to overturn her brother's sentence and set him free. Problem is, it takes her twenty years to do this for she has to balance being a single mother and working. I like the cast and the premise, but the ending will become fairly clear after the opening act. There is some enjoyment in seeing how things play out but this could be a drag.
Red will be fun, but also forgettable. Based off the DC comic, the flick brings Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich together. The four play a team of retired agents who need to put their differences aside and work together once again to find out why the CIA is trying to kill them. Think of this as an A-Team for senior citizens, with satire galore in the dialogue. Again, it will be fun even with the lack of substance in the script.
October 22nd
Saw 3D is the seventh installment in the franchise. Let it be known to my readers that I was done after Saw II. Although, Saw V didn't completely turn me off. The story is tired (same writers since Saw IV), the contraptions are negligible and the 3D lure will do nothing. Variety is the spice of life and the foundation this franchise was built on was never meant to go past two movies. That said, since audiences get into a routine, people will see this and complain as always. Here's a thought...Send Hollywood a message and don't bother for once.
Hereafter comes from director Clint Eastwood and features three people (Matt Damon, Cecile De France, Bryce Dallas Howard) who have an experience with death. Reporting states that this flick will dive into the supernatural realm and this has been labeled a thriller. Since an official trailer hasn't been released yet, one has to figure that this flick will start doing promo work a couple weeks before release. Usually a sign that the studio isn't overly confident about their product. So we're basing this preview on the talents of Eastwood behind the camera (solid) and the cast (also solid). Still, it is alarming that promotion has been non-existent thus far.
October 29th
Monsters is shaping up to be a bastard-child of Cloverfield and District 9. Good news is the cinematography will be handled like a real movie as opposed to the hand-held gimmick, which only a few directors know how to use effectively. Based on the trailer, the shooting of this creature flick looks to be more like 28 Days Later. Only concern is that the audience may not get to see the monster until the very end. The plot is about how alien life forms have landed in Mexico and some random guy attempts to cross the border to save his boss's daughter despite all the craziness. If this flick takes some chances, this could be a nice sleeper hit this month.
Paranormal Activity 2. The last 15 minutes of the first one delivered, but getting there was a chore. They should have left this one alone. Just ask Blair Witch if they regret doing the sequel. Director Oren Peli is in producer mode here (he directed the first) and this looks to be a rush job in order to make another quick profit. To tell you the truth (for once), it may serve one to just wait for the DVD and watch this with all the lights off in your own home.
Read previews for SEPTEMBER & NOVEMBER
Comments
Trailer for Hereafter was released just this last Friday. Looks really un-Eastwood like in terms of story. But, I'll give it a shot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XvJwTYnKww
Nice preview articles, Joe. I'm currently working on my November preview. Just finished the October one.
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