The Exception

Christopher Plummer is resplendent as Kaiser Wilhelm II

(2016) Historical Drama (A24) Jai Courtney, Lily James, Christopher Plummer, Janet McTeer, Ben Daniels, Mark Dexter, Kris Cuppens, Eddie Marsan, Anton Lesser, Aubeline Barbieux, Lois van Wijk, Stephanie Auberghen, Martin Swabey, Lucas Tavernier, Kurt Standaert, Martin Savage, Karen Leclercq, Frederik Lebeer, Stephanie Van Vyve, Daisy Bouliton, Verona Verbakel. Directed by David Leveaux

As the First World War drew to a close, it became painfully obvious to the German people and to those in power that their Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II had failed them as a wartime ruler and he was quietly forced to abdicate and fled the country for a life in rural Holland in a place called Huize Doorn. There he remained in exile for the remainder of his life, surrounded by a few loyal former military men, Dutch servants and his devoted second wife Hermine.

It is 1940 and the Second World War is in full swing. Germany is ruled now by the Nazi party and their military victories have been startling in their speed and ferocity. The former Kaiser (Plummer) keeps abreast of these with keen interest, expressing admiration for Hitler although not for the party. The Nazis get wind that there is a British spy operating in the area so they dispatch Captain Stefan Brandt (Courtney) to take command of the Kaiser’s personal guard.

He is assisted by Dietrich (Dexter), an SS officer who informs Brandt that transmissions had been intercepted by the SS and that all they needed to pin down the location of the transmissions was a truck able to triangulate the signal and pin down its location. He assures Brandt that one is on the way.

Brandt – who was wounded in the invasion of Poland – is something of a ladies’ man and his eye falls on the comely made Mieke (James). The two begin a torrid affair which is forbidden; discovery could get Lily fired and Brandt sent back to combat duty. Both of them are what you’d call damaged goods with horrors in their past; not exactly an easy place to build a relationship from.

When the announcement that Nazi bigwig Heinrich Himmler (Marsan) will be visiting, the entire household is in a tizzy. Hermine is certain that this means her husband will be summoned back to Berlin to take his rightful place in a restored monarchy (delusion can be beautiful in its own way). The Kaiser believes it too – but Himmler has other plans.

As the search for the spy begins to close the noose, Brandt begins to suspect that Mieke might be involved. He will have to choose between his love for her and his duty to his country. Given what his country has become that might not be a very hard choice at all.

This is a fictionalized account of the Kaiser in his final year of life and pretty much the history that it gets right is that there was a man named Wilhelm who was once Kaiser of Germany. Most of the rest is fiction so if you’re going to this movie thinking you’re going to get a history lesson, think again. The saving grace here is that Plummer inhabits the role so well, capturing Wilhelm’s ego and Prussian love for pomp but also the decent fellow that lay just beneath although most accounts of the Kaiser don’t reveal a whole lot of regard for anyone other than himself. Plummer however is just so magnetic that you can’t help but enjoy the performance even knowing it’s a bit of a sham.

Courtney has much of the burden for the film as he’s really the centerpiece (the title refers to him rather than the Kaiser) and that’s maybe not such a good thing. There are some things that Courtney does really well – he was one of the bright spots of Suicide Squad I thought – but this really isn’t the type of role that’s in his comfort zone and you can tell because his performance is far from assured. Part of the issue is that Courtney doesn’t really excel at expressing emotion non-verbally and we don’t get a sense of the struggle going on within the character; we just see him get into a situation where he’s having sex with a beautiful woman and we just assume it blossoms into love but the process is never apparent so when it comes time for him to choose between love and country we never get a sense that it is a struggle for him.

It also must be said that Courtney is far too buff for his role. We see him naked quite a bit and unfortunately Courtney had just finished filming Suicide Squad when he started up with this and he still had an action hero’s body which really doesn’t jive with a German officer’s body during World War II. There wasn’t a lot of pumping iron going on at that time.

There are some other things as well. The dialogue is occasionally clunky and even some of these seasoned performers deliver it like “this isn’t how people talk; how the hell am I supposed to say this?” is bouncing around their brain pan. The movie looks a bit stage-y in places which isn’t surprising since Leveaux has a Broadway background. Be assured though that the pluses outnumber the minuses by a comfortable margin. Plummer alone should be reason enough to make a point of seeing this. And quite frankly, the ending has a kind of grace to it that is all too rare in motion pictures. I won’t give you much detail on that score other than to say the ending does elevate the film.

 

So this is a strong recommend. It’s still playing in a few cities here and there (Orlando is one of them as of this writing) but if it isn’t anywhere near you or it’s been and gone, do check it out on VOD (Amazon Prime subscribers can see it for free). This isn’t going to be one of the best movies of the year but it’s better than the majority have been and will be – even if it is as fake as a three-dollar bill.

REASONS TO GO: Christopher Plummer is on a hot streak. The final scene is a nice touch.
REASONS TO STAY: Some of the dialogue is a bit clunky.
FAMILY VALUES: There is a bit of profanity, some nudity and plenty of sexuality.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT: Some of the filming took place at the Kaiser’s actual home at Huize Doorn.
BEYOND THE THEATERS: Amazon, Fandango Now, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube
CRITICAL MASS: As of 8/1/17: Rotten Tomatoes: 77% positive reviews. Metacritic: 60/100.
COMPARISON SHOPPING: Anthropoid
FINAL RATING: 7/10
NEXT: The Commune

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Escape Plan

AARP action movie stars.

(2013) Action (Summit) Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Caviezel, Faran Tahir, Amy Ryan, Sam Neill, Vincent D’Onofrio, Vinnie Jones, Matt Gerald, 50 Cent, Caitriona Balfe, David Joseph Martinez, Alec Rayme, Christian Stokes, Graham Beckel, Rodney Feaster, David Leitch, Eric R. Salas, Brian Oerly, Jeff Chase, Lydia Hull. Directed by Mikael Hafstrom

There is a certain comfort in movies that recollect past eras. The action films of the 80s were one such. It can be said justifiably that the 80s were the golden age of the action film as stars like Stallone, Schwarzenegger, van Damme and a fairly large contingent from Hong Kong plied their trade in multiplexes across the country. Most of these actors are largely in their 60s now and while guys like Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson have picked up the slack, they haven’t equaled the popularity of those other men in their prime.

Ray Breslin (Stallone) breaks out of prisons for a living. He is a security specialist, finding the weak points in institutional security and pointing them out to their clients so that those weak points can be shored up. It’s a fairly lucrative business with Ray being the brains and his partner Lester Clark (D’Onofrio) the money man.

They get an unusual request from a representative from the CIA to see if a new Supermax facility, one which will hold people the government wants to see go away and never be found again – terrorists, domestic and foreign, that sort of thing. While Ray’s computer genius Hush (50 Cent) and his handler Abigail (Ryan) have misgivings, Ray thinks that the unusually high payday is worth the risk.

Then he is kidnapped off the streets of New Orleans and taken to a strange facility with glass cells and a massive central hub known as Babylon – all of which is clearly indoors but Ray has no idea where. He quickly realizes that things are awry when his contact doesn’t seem to exist and his evacuation code doesn’t work. Instead, he has the soft-spoken Warden Hobbes (Caviezel), a sadistic sort whose right hand man Drake (Jones) has plenty of muscle to enforce Hobbes’ wishes.

Ray gets an ally inside the prison in Emil Rottmayer (Schwarzenegger) who appears to be the middle man for a financial terrorist who targets corporations. Hobbes wants to know where the terrorist is in the worst way and Emil so far isn’t talking. Ray realizes that he’s been set up and betrayed and he is not supposed to escape – ever. What happens when you have a prison that’s truly escape proof? Do you settle in and accept your fate or die trying to get your freedom?

This definitely harkens back to the golden age of action films I referred to earlier in tone and layout. The plot and writing aren’t going to be confused with Henrik Ibsen nor are Schwarzenegger and Stallone going to be confused with Barrymore and Olivier. However, both of the former have become iconic screen personalities and they don’t really need to act. They just need to show up and react.

This is definitely Stallone’s movie with Schwarzenegger playing little more than comic relief, although he gets his testosterone moment when he lifts a huge machine gun out of a helicopter and opens fire on the baddies. It’s as preposterous as any moment in the film yet one of the most gratifying. In fact, all those who grew up with the movies of the heyday of these two men will find this comfort food of the highest order, cinematically speaking.

The sets of the massive prison are pretty impressive, as are the black-masked prison guards. While Arnold and Sly do what they do so well, Caviezel – generally the Eastwood-ian hero of Person of Interest on CBS and quite possibly the softest-spoken actor in Hollywood – makes his character silky smooth and with all the delicious evil of a serpent. He makes for an excellent antagonist and given the Bond-like set and soldiers, might make for a Blofeld-like bad guy for the venerable British spy series if they’re looking for a villain to go up against Daniel Craig in the next movie.

While the leads labor through some of their action sequences (after all, they are both well past AARP age) and remind us that their prime has come and gone, they nonetheless have the experience and wisdom to simply rely on the images they’ve both carefully crafted over the years and use them to help push them over the top. Sure, there’s nothing here that is going to essentially stand out above other action movies in the year of our lord 2013 but this isn’t a disgrace either. It’s fine, mindless entertainment for a nation that desperately needs the same. Still though, you’d be better off renting Predator, Rambo, The Running Man and Cobra if you want to see the best work of these gentlemen.

REASONS TO GO: Nice set design and pacing. Caviezel makes an intimidating villain.

REASONS TO STAY: No surprises. The stars show just how long in the tooth they have become.

FAMILY VALUES:  A fair amount of action violence and bad language.

TRIVIAL PURSUIT: Stallone’s eldest son Sage passed away during filming, causing a brief break in shooting while he attended to family matters.

CRITICAL MASS: As of 11/3/13: Rotten Tomatoes: 49% positive reviews. Metacritic: 49/100.

COMPARISON SHOPPING: Escape From Alcatraz

FINAL RATING: 5.5/10

NEXT: The Counselor

New Releases for the Week of October 18, 2013

CARRIE

(Screen Gems) Chloe Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, Judy Greer, Portia Doubleday, Alex Russell, Gabriella Wilde, Ansel Elgort, Barry Shabaka Henley. Directed by Kimberly Pierce

A young picked-upon girl, the daughter of an obsessively devout mother, develops telekinetic powers among other things. Some bitchy cheerleader sorts decide to play a prank on her at the prom – not a very good idea. A remake of the classic 1976 film with Sissy Spacek and itself based on one of Stephen King’s earliest novels.

See the trailer, clips and a featurette here.

For more on the movie this is the website.

Release formats: Standard (opens Thursday night)

Genre: Horror

Rating: R (for bloody violence, disturbing images, language and some sexual content)

A.C.O.D.

(The Film Arcade) Adam Scott, Richard Jenkins, Catherine O’Hara, Jane Lynch. The adult son of a divorced couple whose acrimonious divorce scarred him to the point of needing therapy needs to get his bickering parents to make peace so that they can attend his brother’s wedding. He also discovers the therapy he underwent to get through the pain of the divorce was actually a project by a writer to chronicle the effects of divorce on children which led to a bestseller on her part but exposing all of
his most painful secrets. When he finally gets his parents together, his life goes spinning off into directions he couldn’t have imagined. This played the Sundance Across America series at the Enzian earlier this year and my review can be found here.

See the trailer here.

For more on the movie this is the website.

Release formats: Standard

Genre: Comedy

Rating: R (for language and brief sexual content)

Boss

(Viacom 18) Akshay Kumar, Shiv Pandit, Mithun Chakraborty, Ronit Roy. A petty criminal takes the fall for his father when he accidentally and unknowingly kills a teenager. After serving his time, he relocates to another city, only to discover that his younger brother has gotten into a conflict with the bullying son of a home minister. He will have to return home to defend his family – a home that doesn’t want him back.

See the trailer here.

For more on the movie this is the website.

Release formats: Standard

Genre: Bollywood

Rating: NR

Escape Plan

(Summit) Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Caviezel, Vincent D’Onofrio. An expert on structural security who makes a lucrative living exposing the defects in prisons and other correctional institutions takes on a brand new high-tech state-of-the-art Supermax prison. Unbeknownst to him, someone wants him to disappear from the grid – permanently. To survive he is going to have to make an alliance with a brutal inmate and assuming he survives long enough to put his plan into action, find out who put him there…and make whoever it is pay!

See the trailer, promos and clips here.

For more on the movie this is the website.

Release formats: Standard (opens Thursday night)

Genre: Action

Rating: R (for violence and language throughout)

The Fifth Estate

(Touchstone/DreamWorks) Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Bruhl, Anthony Mackie, Laura Linney. Idealists Julian Assange and Daniel Domscheit-berg, disgusted and disillusioned by all the chicanery going on in secret, decide to found a website where whistle-blowers can expose the corruption and crime going on in the political and corporate worlds. However their idealism will be put to the test when a cache of top secret documents from the U.S. Military is leaked and leads to a fundamental dilemma – is the freedom of accessible information more important than the potential loss of human life?

See the trailer and featurette here.

For more on the movie this is the website.

Release formats: Standard

Genre: True Life Drama

Rating: R (for language and some violence) 

The Hunt

(Magnolia) Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp, Lasse Fogelstrom. A substitute teacher in a small Danish town in the midst of a bitter divorce and custody battle is unexpectedly accused of molesting the daughter of his best friend. Despite his protestations of innocence and a lack of any evidence, nobody believes him and he is ostracized from nearly everyone in the town. As events escalate and grow uglier, he will have to find a way to convince the town – and his friend – that he is an innocent man. One of the best films to come out of this year’s Florida Film Festival, you can read my review here.

See the trailer, a clip and a promo here.

For more on the movie this is the website.

Release formats: Standard

Genre: Drama

Rating: R (for sexual content including a graphic image, violence and language)

I’m in Love with a Church Girl

(High Top) Ja Rule, Adrienne Bailon, Stephen Baldwin, Michael Madsen. A young man who has made his fortune as a drug trafficker attempts to get out of the business and go straight although the DEA is skeptical of his intentions. When he meets a beautiful but devout woman, he falls for her despite the difference in their lifestyles. Both of them will be sorely tested in their faith if their love is to overcome the long odds that it faces.

See the trailer here.

For more on the movie this is the website.

Release formats: Standard

Genre: Faith Drama (opens Thursday)

Rating: PG (for thematic elements, a scene of violence, some suggestive content and brief language) 

Paradise

(Image/RLJ) Julianne Hough, Russell Brand, Octavia Spencer, Holly Hunter. A young woman who has led a sheltered life in a small Montana town is nearly killed in an accident, causing her to take stock of her situation and her mainly unlived life. Deciding to see for herself what the other side has to offer, she takes her insurance settlement to Las Vegas and falls in with some fellow wounded souls and finds something a little more lasting than sin.

See the trailer, clips and a link to stream the full move at Amazon here.

For more on the movie this is the website.

Release formats: Standard

Genre: Dramedy

Rating: PG-13 (for sexual material, substance abuse, some language and thematic elements)

The Snitch Cartel

(BN) Manolo Cardona, Tom Sizemore, Juana Acosta, Kuno Becker. Based on the life of Andreas Lopez-Lopez, a young boy from a poor background tries to win the heart of the girl he’s had a crush on since he was very young but doesn’t have the money to catch her eye. He joins one of the more vicious drug cartels in Colombia and works his way up the ladder but in doing so catches the eye of the DEA as well.

See the trailer and clips here.

For more on the movie this is the website.

Release formats: Standard

Genre: Crime Drama

Rating: R (for strong violence, language, drug content and sexuality/nudity)

Four-Warned: October 2013

Every month I’m going to look at every movie on the release schedule and try to assign them a numerical value corresponding to how anxious I am to see it. The lower the number, the more I want to see it. A one means I would walk through hell and high water to see it; a four means there’s no interest whatsoever. The numbers are not arrived at scientifically but they aren’t arbitrary either.

The numbers aren’t a reflection of the artistic merit of any of these films, but merely a reflection of my willingness to go to a movie theater and see it. The top four scores will be gathered as a means of reflecting the movies I’m anticipating the most; you may use that as a guide or not.

Most of the movies will never play theatrically where you live (unless you live in either New York or Los Angeles) but many of those that won’t will be available through Video-on-Demand; check with your local cable or satellite providers to find out if any specific movie is available through that medium.

Each entry is broken down as follows:

NAME OF FILM (Studio) Genre A brief description of the plot. Release plans: Wide = Everywhere, Limited = In selected markets. RATING A brief comment

Keep in mind that release dates are extremely subject to change, even at this late date.

FOUR TO SEE
1. GRAVITY (1.0)
2. CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (1.2)
3. THE FIFTH ESTATE (1.3)
4. ESCAPE PLAN (1.5)

FOUR TO SEEK OUT (FILMS NOT IN WIDE RELEASE)
1. THE SUMMIT (1.2)
2. CBGB (1.3)
3. 12 YEARS A SLAVE (1.4)
4. A.C.O.D. (1.5)
TIE. THE DIRTIES (1.5)
TIE. BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (1.5)

RATING SYSTEM: 1) Must-see, 2) Should-see, 3) Perhaps-see, 4) Don’t-see

OCTOBER 2, 2013

BESHARAM (Reliance) Genre: Bollywood. A young orphan who steals cars to support the orphanage unwittingly hurts the girl he loves and resolves to right all the wrongs he’s done in his life. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 2.9 Stock Bollywood – high energy, low humor, lots of charm and music. What’s not to like?
LET THE FIRE BURN (Zeitgeist) Genre: Documentary. The 1985 firebombing of the MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia by police remains controversial to this day. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 1.6 Looks very much like the filmmakers are at least trying to understand all sides of the story.

OCTOBER 4, 2013

A TOUCH OF SIN (Kino Lorber) Genre: Drama. The often devastating effects of China’s economic boom are seen through the eyes of four ordinary citizens from four different provinces. Release Strategy: New York City only. RATING: 1.7 From the director some say is China’s Kurosawa.
A.C.O.D. (The Film Arcade) Genre: Comedy. A man whose parents divorced acrimoniously tries to get them to put aside their differences so they can both attend his younger brother’s wedding with surprising side effects. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 1.5 One of the standouts at Sundance this year; see my review of it here.
ALL IS BRIGHT (Anchor Bay) Genre: Comedy. An oddball French-Canadian pair of losers try to make a bundle of cash selling Christmas Trees in New York City. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 2.2 Doesn’t look all that bad.
ARGENTO’S DRACULA 3D (IFC Midnight) Genre: Horror. An undead Transylvanian count sets his evil eye on an innocent wife of an Englishman. Release Strategy: New York City/Los Angeles. RATING: 2.6 A horror master shows us just why the ultimate vampire tale is still the scariest.
BAD MILO (Magnet) Genre: Horror Comedy. A stressed-out man discovers a demon living in his intestines is escaping at night and killing those who have wronged him. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 2.2 Unusual, irreverent, gory and completely without redeeming social value – my kind of film.
CONCUSSION (Radius) Genre: Drama. After a head injury, a soccer mom decides her life is unfulfilling and decides to take up prostitution. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 2.0 Provocative, wrenching and passionate – was one of the most talked-about films at this year’s Sundance.
THE DIRTIES (Phase 4/Kevin Smith Movie Club) Genre: Drama. A pair of bullied friends making a film for class find the lines between reality and celluloid starting to blur. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 1.5 Disturbing on a lot of different levels but certainly captures the culture of violence (mental and physical) in our high schools.
FIVE DANCES (Paladin) Genre: Drama. A talented young dancer tries to make it in a prestigious New York modern dance troupe. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 3.8 Sort of like Fame, updated.
GRACE UNPLUGGED (Roadside Attractions) Genre: Faith. A Christian songwriter’s faith is tested when she goes to Los Angeles to try and make it as a pop superstar. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 4.0 Not interested in the least.
GRAVITY (Warner Brothers) Genre: Sci-Fi Thriller. Two astronauts are stranded in Earth orbit when their shuttle is destroyed. Release Strategy: Wide (Standard, 3D, IMAX 3D). RATING: 1.0 Might well be a surprise Oscar contender from filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron and stars George Clooney and Sandra Bullock.
I USED TO BE DARKER (Strand) Genre: Drama. When a troubled Irish teen visits her aunt and uncle in Baltimore, she is thrust into a situation in which her own problems become secondary to those of her family. Release Strategy: New York City only. RATING: 2.9 Could be a powerful film but can’t really tell from the trailer.
NARCO CULTURA (Cinedigm) Genre: Documentary. The increasing glorification of drug traffickers among Mexicans and American Latinos is examined. Release Strategy: New York City only. RATING: 2.0 The romance of the outlaw life isn’t dead; it’s just learned to speak Spanish.
PARKLAND (Exclusive) Genre: True Life Drama. An ordinary day at Parkland Hospital on November 22, 1963 becomes anything but. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 1.9 A different perspective on the JFK assassination.
RUNNER RUNNER (20th Century Fox) Genre: Thriller. A college student trying to win his tuition money at the online poker tables unwittingly finds himself drawn into a maelstrom of corruption and danger. Release Strategy: Wide. RATING: 2.4 Sort of a prototypical early Fall movie; should tide us over until the blockbusters start to arrive in a few weeks.
RUNNING WILD: THE LIFE OF DAYTON O. HYDE (Screen Media) Genre: Documentary. The story of a man who has devoted the last 23 years of his life to protecting the wild mustangs of the Black Hills. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 2.7 The last of the authentic American cowboys.
THE SUMMIT(Sundance Selects) Genre: Documentary. A disastrous attempt to summit K2 leads to questions about the nature of adventure in the 21st century. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 1.2 Looks really interesting.
VIKINGDOM (Epic) Genre: Action. A Viking hero ventures to Hell to retrieve a powerful artifact to prevent Thor from using it to take over the Earth. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 2.8 I like the concept but looks kind of chintzy.

OCTOBER 11, 2013

ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE (Radius) Genre: Horror. A young virginal girl is invited to a party at a secluded ranch, but the revelers start to disappear one by one. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 2.8 Although the buzz about this has been strong, it’s been sitting on the shelf for years which always makes me wonder why.
BROADWAY IDIOT (Film Buff) Genre: Documentary. Nobody would have thought that a classic punk pop album could be turned into a Broadway musical but here’s the story of American Idiot. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 2.3 Definitely nothing I ever expected would happen so I’m curious to see how it did.
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (Columbia) Genre: True Life Drama. The captain of the MV Maersk Alabama must show uncommon valor when pirates board his vessel. Release Strategy: Wide. RATING: 1.2 I’ll basically see Tom Hanks in just about anything, but this one looks to be worth seeing even if he wasn’t in it.
CBGB (XLRator) Genre: True Life Drama. The story of perhaps the most influential club in the history of rock music. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 1.3 Awesome soundtrack and terrific cast; Alan Rickman was never better.
ESCAPE FROM TOMORROW (Producers Distribution Agency) Genre: Fantasy/Drama. A father of two, cracking under the strain of a lost job, a shrewish wife and an expensive trip to Disney World, begins to hallucinate. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 2.0 Shot guerrilla-style at Disney World without permission, looks rather unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
GHOST TEAM ONE (The Film Arcade) Genre: Horror Comedy. After accidentally awakening an ancient evil, a pair of roommates enlist a sexy paranormal investigator and end up vying for her affections with a demonic presence. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 1.8 One of the few Florida Film Festival entries this year we didn’t get to catch.
I WILL FOLLOW YOU INTO THE DARK (Epic) Genre: Horror. A woman whose parents recently passed away finds love with a new man but when she discovers him missing and his bed splattered with blood, she hunts in the labyrinthine apartment complex to run up against a supernatural force that doesn’t want him found. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 1.6 Looks truly frightening but thought-provoking at the same time; color me interested.
THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER AND PETE (Codeblack) Genre: Drama. Two young boys survive in the mean streets of New York without adult supervision. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 3.7 Everything I can’t stand about movies – kids that are far smarter than adults and stereotypes about the African-American poor.
MACHETE KILLS (Open Road) Genre: Action. The ex-Federale is personally recruited by the President to take on a maniacal arms dealer hell-bent on setting up Armageddon. Release Strategy: Wide. RATING: 1.6 Corny but in a good way – and as action packed as any ten B-movies you’re likely to see.
ROMEO AND JULIET (Relativity) Genre: Tragedy. A new take on the Bard’s most famous play, with Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth as the title characters. Release Strategy: Wide. RATING: 2.3 Although I love Shakespeare, this is one of my least favorite plays of his – possibly because I’ve seen it so often.
ZERO CHARISMA (Tribeca) Genre: Comedy. When a nerdish dungeon master’s reign is challenged by a new hipster gamer joining his group, all Hell breaks out. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 2.0 This is my movie and these are my people.

OCTOBER 16, 2013

CAMILLE CLAUDEL, 1915 (Kino Lorber) Genre: Biographical Drama. The true story of a brilliant sculptress and protégé of Rodin who was confined to an asylum possibly because of her intense creativity and Bohemian mores.. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 2.3 Juliette Binoche is an amazing actress and this movie is populated with actual asylum patients to add realism.

OCTOBER 18, 2013

12 YEARS A SLAVE (Fox Searchlight) Genre: Biographical Drama. The true story of a free African-American in pre-Civil War New York abducted and sold as a slave. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 1.4 Might be the role that wins Chiwetel Ejiofor an Oscar; it will certainly win him some consideration for a nomination.
2 JACKS (Breaking Glass) Genre: Drama. The son of a legendary womanizing Hollywood director comes to town for his first turn in the director’s chair only to have the daughter of a woman his father seduced years ago fall in love with him. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 2.2 The sound on the trailer I saw was very poorly mixed, but the movie has a good cast and a decent premise – could be worth checking out.
ADVENTURES IN THE SIN BIN (Phase 4) Genre: Teen Sex Comedy. A shy young teen virgin lends out his van to his friends for their sexual exploits and gradually gets a lesson in the art of seducing girls. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 3.1 Doesn’t look like it’s going to add anything to the genre.
ALL IS LOST (Roadside Attractions) Genre: Drama. A lone sailor confronts his own potential demise when his sailboat is disabled after a collision and drifts into the path of a massive storm.. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 1.7 Could be another iconic performance for Robert Redford.
BIG ASS SPIDER (Self-Released) Genre: Horror Spoof. When the city is invaded by a giant spider, only a plucky exterminator stands between mankind and oblivion. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 2.3 One of my favorite actors, Greg Grunberg, finally gets a lead role.
CARRIE (Screen Gems/MGM) Genre: Horror. A picked-on high school girl whose mother is an authentic religious nut develops powerful telekinetic abilities and uses them to exact revenge on her tormentors. Release Strategy: Wide. RATING: 2.4 The original was magnificent so I don’t see the need for a remake; that said, Chloe Moretz is an amazing actress and if anyone can do justice to the part, she can.
ENZO AVITABILE MUSIC LIFE (Shadow) Genre: Musical Documentary. One of the greatest musicians you’ve never heard of is this singer/songwriter/saxophonist from Naples. Release Strategy: New York City only. RATING: 2.2 Jonathan Demme is the Oscar-winning director of Stop Making Sense.
ESCAPE PLAN (Summit) Genre: Action. A breakout specialist sent to test a brand new super maximum security prison is betrayed and left to rot inside; he must find a way to escape from the high-tech escape-proof Tomb and pay a guy who did it a visit. Release Strategy: Wide. RATING: 1.5 Gotta like the pairing of Stallone and Schwarzenegger. Sample dialogue – Arnold: You hit like a vegetarian. Stallone: KA-POW! Arnold (gasping): That was good.
THE FIFTH ESTATE (DreamWorks) Genre: True Life Drama. WikiLeaks has dedicated itself to exposing corporate and governmental corruption by publishing classified documents but when they get information that may put lives at risk, the cost of those lives against the right of the world to know what our country is up to must be weighed. Release Strategy: Wide. RATING: 1.3 Another potential Oscar contender.
HAUNTER (IFC Midnight) Genre: Horror. The ghost of a young girl who died under mysterious circumstances tries to save the family living in her house now from sharing the same fate. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 1.9 Seems to be a little bit like Beetlejuice only serious; great concept!
HELLBENDERS (Lionsgate) Genre: Horror Spoof. A team of unauthorized priests battle demonic possession and the Vatican. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 3.0 Looks kind of funny actually.
I’M IN LOVE WITH A CHURCH GIRL (High Top) Genre: Faith Drama. A former drug trafficker still under DEA scrutiny falls in love with a devout young woman who tries her hardest to bring him into the light of the Lord. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 4.0 I simply don’t go to the movies to be preached to.
KILL YOUR DARLINGS (Sony Classics) Genre: Biographical Drama. A brutal murder brings together writers Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. Release Strategy: New York City/Los Angeles. RATING: 3.1 Beat Generation noir. Great cast though.
PARADISE (RLJ/Image) Genre: Dramedy. After getting paid an insurance settlement, a starry-eyed young woman from a cloistered small town decides to experience sin in the best place for it – Las Vegas! Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 2.4 While Russell Brand and Julianne Hough aren’t my two favorite actors and Diablo Cody isn’t my favorite writer, I have to admit I was intrigued by the trailer.
TORN (The Film Collective/Brainstorm) Genre: Drama. Two families, bonding in grief when their teenage sons are killed in an explosion at a suburban mall, are torn apart when their sons are investigated for possibly setting the bombs. Release Strategy: New York City (opening in Los Angeles October 25). RATING: 2.0 Could be a powerful film indeed, although the trailer left me with the impression that it’s highly possible that the movie squanders the opportunity by being histrionic and manipulative.

OCTOBER 25, 2013

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (Sundance Selects) Genre: Drama. When a 15-year-old French girl tries to assert her sexual identity by finding boys to become intimate with, she instead takes up with an older French woman. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 1.5 Quite possibly the most acclaimed film to come out of Sundance this year.
THE COUNSELOR (20th Century Fox) Genre: Thriller. A lawyer gets involved in a shady business deal that rapidly spirals out of control. Release Strategy: Wide. RATING: 1.8 Director Ridley Scott and stars like Fassbender, Bardem, Diaz, Cruz and Pitt and written by Cormac McCarthy – I think I’m in love.
JACKASS PRESENTS BAD GRANDPA (Paramount) Genre: Comedy. A faux old man and his “grandson” make hidden camera vignettes with unsuspecting people put in outrageous situations. Release Strategy: Wide. RATING: 2.8 Yes, from the idiots at Jackass but I have to admit I was laughing hysterically at the trailer.
THE SQUARE (City Drive) Genre: Documentary. Referring to Tahrir Square where many of the demonstrations of the Arab Spring occurred, the story of the overthrow of the despotic Mubarak government is chronicled through the eyes of the various activists – both Muslim Brotherhood and liberal alike – who took part. Release Strategy: New York City only. RATING: 2.1 I would probably want to see this even more if I could locate a trailer for the damn thing.
WILDE SALOME (Self-Released) Genre Documentary. Al Pacino’s version of Oscar Wilde’s controversial play Salome is examined as this documentary explores the creative process for Pacino and co-star Jessica Chastain from start to finish. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 2.7 An insight into Pacino as we’ve never seen him before.

OCTOBER 30, 2013

IN THE NAME OF… (Film Movement) Genre: Thriller. An attractive priest helps minister to a halfway house until a troublemaking newcomer spreads rumors about the priest’s sexuality, sparking homophobia and Antisemitism. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 3.2 Very provocative and somewhat intriguing.
SKINWALKER RANCH (Deep Studios) Genre: Sci-Fi Horror. Mysterious goings on at a ranch bring in a task force of scientific professionals…who find themselves in way over their heads. Release Strategy: Limited. RATING: 1.9 One of the most effective trailers I’ve ever seen.

SCHEDULED TO BE REVIEWED HERE AS NEW RELEASES
Gravity, Runner Runner, Captain Phillips, Machete Kills, Romeo and Juliet, 12 Years a Slave, Escape Plan, The Counselor

2013 Fall/Holiday Preview

With summer coming to an end for another year, life takes a different turn from the carefree days of our warmest months; the beginning of school isn’t far off, the weather turns from warm and sunny to cooler and our attention turns from barbecues and vacations to the preparation for the holidays. Autumn is, no doubt about it, my favorite time of year but I do have to admit that I feel a bit of a pang of loss for Hollywood’s blockbuster season.

Fear not, however because there will be plenty of movies this fall that will keep us from missing those popcorn epics we know and love. Iron Man 3 was a big success particularly overseas where it seemed to strike a chord (although a lot of Marvel fanboys have expressed some displeasure over the film but that is just, as far as I can tell, the inevitable Internet fanboy backlash that comes to every franchise). Also grabbing some big box office numbers was Man of Steel which although less successful with the critics, got big box office number and a good deal of fanboy approval, paving the way for DC to create a shared cinematic universe of their own – a sequel has already been fast tracked and it is said that preparation for a Justice League movie is well under way. Superheroes weren’t the only big winners either as Star Trek Into Darkness did big box office as did Fast and Furious 6 while Monsters University and Despicable Me 2 showed that the family film market is still thriving.

For movie buffs, the fall and holiday films are the Oscar contenders as Hollywood puts out their prestige projects; this year the frontrunners look to be The Wolf of Wall Street from legendary director Martin Scorsese, the highly-praised Inside Llewyn Davis and the big buzz project from George Clooney Monuments Men.

The popcorn epics I referred to earlier will also be in plenty of abundance, as Peter Jackson continues his Tolkien trilogy with The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and last year’s blockbuster sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will both doubtlessly will inspire long lines at the box office. Not to be outdone, Ender’s Game should put a lot of butts in seats as a potential franchise film, Anchorman: The Legend Continues is the sequel to one of the great comedies of the 21st century and Tom Clancy’s smart spy Jack Ryan reboots the franchise with Trek veteran Chris Pine in the title role.

Fall is a time for jack o’lanterns and scares, and traditionally horror movies rule the October box office. This year, however, there is surprisingly little in the pipeline for the scare-inclined. At the top of the list is the remake of the Stephen King classic Carrie as well as All the Boys Love Mandy Lane and Insidious Chapter 2 to turn to. There will be plenty of laughs as well, with a new take on the James Thurber classic The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Delivery Man and Last Vegas all hoping for box office gold. This year will see our share of biographies and true stories in the multiplex, with Captain Phillips, Grace of Monaco, The Wolf of Wall Street, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Saving Mr. Banks and Rush out in theaters.

There will be more than a few remakes as The Delivery Man (a remake of this past year’s Starbuck), Oldboy from director Spike Lee putting his spin on the Korean cult classic, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet returning to the big screen along with the aforementioned Carrie and Walter Mitty. There will be plenty of family fare with Frozen, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and Free Birds waiting in the wings. The glut of science fiction films carries over from the summer as Thor: The Dark World, Gravity, Ender’s Game, Riddick, Homefront and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will transport us to new worlds. And, as always, plenty of drama with August: Osage County, The Counselor, Dallas Buyers Club and Prisoners.

There’s nothing like a clear winter night sky for star-gazing and 2013 will have plenty of opportunity for that. You’ll be able to see Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street), Brad Pitt (12 Years a Slave), Ben Stiller (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty), George Clooney (Monuments Men), Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips), Will Ferrell (Anchorman: The Legend Continues), Vin Diesel (Riddick), Julia Roberts (August: Osage County), Robert De Niro (The Family), Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Matthew McConaughey (The Dallas Buyers Club), Arnold Schwarzenegger (Escape Plan), Michael Fassbender (The Counselor), Bradley Cooper (American Hustle), Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire), Harrison Ford (Ender’s Game), Vince Vaughn (Delivery Man), Owen Wilson (Free Birds), Jennifer Hudson (Black Nativity), Anthony Hopkins (Thor: The Dark World), Samuel L. Jackson (Oldboy), Vince Vaughn (The Delivery Man), Nicole Kidman (Grace of Monaco), Ben Affleck (Runner Runner), Michael Douglas (Last Vegas), Chris Hemsworth (Rush), Jason Statham (Homefront) and Hugh Jackman (Prisoners). There will also be plenty of stars behind the camera with Peter Jackson, Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, David O. Russell, Ron Howard, Alexander Payne and the Coen Brothers all sitting in the director’s chair this fall.

You can start planning your trips to the multiplex now with this preview of what lies ahead. Further details can be found in our weekly Previews and monthly Four-Warned features, and of course many of the movies that are in this preview today will be one of our daily reviews down the road. There are plenty of great movies to choose from this fall so enough of this blather and let’s get started telling you about them.

SEPTEMBER

As fall is a time for the earth to rest after the summer growing season, so too is September a brief respite between the big summer blockbusters and the Holiday box office monsters. Generally the movies here are not of the quality we’ll see later in the season although once in awhile some pretty good films manage to make their way through. Hopefully one of them will be the third installment in Vin Diesel’s epic science fiction saga, as well as Ron Howard’s tale of a legendary Formula One racing rivalry, Canadian director Denis Villaneuve’s taut kidnapping thriller and Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directing debut that was a big hit at Sundance.

DEANS LIST

RIDDICK
RELEASE DATE: September 6, 2013
STUDIO: Universal
STARRING: Vin Diesel, Karl Urban, Jordi Molla, Katee Sackhoff, Bokeem Woodbine, Dave Bautista, Matt Nable, Conrad Pla, Raoul Trujillo, Nolan Funk, Keri Hilson
STORY: After falling from his place as Ruler of the Necromancers, Riddick finds himself stranded on a planet more desolate and deadly than he ever has been before. With bounty hunters after his head and the ever-deadly Lord Vaako demanding answers, Riddick will have his hands full getting off this planet alive.
PROSPECTS: More of a return to Pitch Black which made Diesel a star. Doesn’t hurt that he’s riding high after enormous numbers for Fast and Furious 6.
OBSTACLES: The ponderous and pretentious Chronicles of Riddick may leave some wary of the franchise.
FACTOID: Urban is the only returning character other than Riddick from the second film.

GRADUATED WITH HONORS

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2

RELEASE DATE: September 27, 2013
STUDIO: Sony Animation
STARRING THE VOICES OF: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Benjamin Bratt, Terry Crews, Will Forte
STORY: Flint’s machine is still going and now mutating giant food into hybrids of food and animals. Flint and his crew must somehow make their way back to the island and find the machine and turn it off once and for all.
PROSPECTS: Really the only family film coming out during the void between the end of Summer and October so could have a good time as the only game in town.
OBSTACLES: While the first film did decent numbers, it wasn’t an overwhelming hit.
FACTOID: Phil Lord and Chris Miller, directors of the first movie, will be taking an executive producers role without directing.

RUSH
RELEASE DATE: September 20, 2013
STUDIO: Universal
STARRING: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, Christian McKay, Stephen Mangan, Natalie Dormer
STORY: Formula One racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda develop a fierce rivalry on the track and a fierce respect off of it.
PROSPECTS: Hemsworth is hot and director Ron Howard’s name ought to pull in at least a few folks into the multiplex.
OBSTACLES: This will probably do much better overseas than in the United States where NASCAR is king and Formula One is more or less a footnote.
FACTOID: Howard decided against using archival footage of Lauda’s Nürburgring crash but re-created it where it actually happened.

ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION

DON JON
RELEASE DATE: September 27, 2013
STUDIO: Relativity
STARRING: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Brie Larson, Glenne Headly, Rob Brown, Jeremy Luc, Italia Ricci
STORY: A handsome ladies man who has no trouble scoring with the ladies finds himself with a porn addiction. When he falls (and is fallen for by) a pretty young woman with old-fashioned values and an unrealistic expectation for romance, the two try and find a way to make things work out.
PROSPECTS: One of the most acclaimed films to come out of Sundance earlier this year. Gordon-Levitt seems poised to move on up to the next level.
OBSTACLES: Not a sure thing that the public sees him as a leading man.
FACTOID: This is Gordon-Levitt’s directing debut.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE

SEPTEMBER 6, 2013

POPULAIRE (Weinstein) is opening in limited release and is set in 1958 France. Herein a vivacious young woman, seeing a wife of dull housewifery ahead of her, interviews for a secretarial position in another town and her amazing typing speed gives her new boss the idea of entering her in a speed typing competition. WINNIE MANDELA (Image) chronicles the life of the former first lady of South Africa and a freedom fighter in her own right in this limited release.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2013

In THE FAMILY (Relativity) a mob informant in witness protection whose wife and kids are as criminally inclined (if not more so) than he is gets moved to a small French village where they fit in like a Goth at a Pat Boone concert. Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones star. INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2 (FilmDistrict) returns Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne whose supernatural issues from the surprise 2010 hit have not been put behind them after all.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

BATTLE OF THE YEAR 3D (Screen Gems) is one of those hip hop dance movies that is pretty much interchangeable with all the others. PRISONERS (Warner Brothers) is the first major studio film from acclaimed French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve and stars Hugh Jackman, Maria Bello, Terrance Howard and Viola Davis as the parents of two missing daughters whose desperation to find them drives them to unspeakable acts. Jake Gyllenhaal also stars as a sympathetic detective. THE WIZARD OF OZ IMAX 3D (MGM) is re-released on the 75th anniversary of its original release in the IMAX forward. Lions and Tigers and Bears…in 3D! Oh My!

SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

BAGGAGE CLAIM (Fox Searchlight) stars Paula Patton as a flight attendant determined to get engaged before her younger sister’s wedding and willing to use her airline connections to find her Mr. Right – in just 30 days. METALLICA THROUGH THE NEVER (Picturehouse) send Dane DeHaan as a roadie for the legendary Metal heroes on a quest while his employers shred in concert. While this opens in limited release this week, it will get a wider release starting October 4 for the resurrected Picturehouse distribution company. THERESE (LD Entertainment) is a new version of the Emile Zola novel Therese Raquin which scandalized Paris in the 19th century. It opens in limited release..

HOW THEY DID LAST YEAR
A look back at how last year’s previewed movies did at the box office. The budgets and box office numbers are courtesy of Box Office Mojo. My verdicts are based on the typical studio formula that for a movie to break even it must make twice its production budget; any movie that achieves that will be labeled as profitable. I define hit movies as those that make three times the production budget and blockbusters as anything that makes $200 million in domestic box office or more, or made five times the production budget with a minimum of $100 million in domestic box office. The first four movies listed are the four main previewed items; I’ve also chosen a selection of other major releases that made the preview issue as well.

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (Columbia) Budget: $85 Million. Domestic Gross: $148.3M Total: $346.9M Verdict: Blockbuster.
RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION (Screen Gems) Budget: $65M. Domestic Gross: $42.3M Total: $240.2M Verdict: Big Hit.
LOOPER (TriStar) Budget: $30M. Domestic Gross: $66.5M Total: $176.5M Verdict: Big Hit.
THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY (Summit) Budget: $20M. Domestic Gross: $3.7M Total: $16.9M Verdict: Flop.
TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE (Columbia) Budget: N/A. Domestic Gross: $35.8M Total: $49.0M Verdict: Probably Broke Even.
END OF WATCH (Open Road) Budget: $7M. Domestic Gross: $41.0M Total: $48.1M Verdict: Big Hit.
DREDD (Lionsgate) Budget: $50M. Domestic Gross: $13.4M Total: $35.6M Verdict: Flop.
HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET (Relativity) Budget: $10M. Domestic Gross: $31.6M Total: $39.5M Verdict: Hit.
THE WORDS (CBS) Budget: $6M. Domestic Gross: $11.5M Total: $13.2 Verdict: Made Money.
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER (Summit) Budget: $13M. Domestic Gross: $17.7M Total: $33.4 Verdict: Made Money.
KILLING THEM SOFTLY (Weinstein) Budget: $15M. Domestic Gross: $15.0M Total: $37.9 Verdict: Made Money.

OCTOBER

The leaves are turning now and fall is beginning in earnest. While this year’s installment of the horror film franchise of the hour has been put off until next year that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of things to bring those who like their spines chilled and their senses shaken with a remake of a Stephen King classic and the latest from director Alphonso Cuaron set in outer space. There is also Tom Hanks in a true life thriller, a new installment in a series that began on reality TV and a sequel to a big animated hit.

DEANS LIST

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
RELEASE DATE: October 11, 2013
STUDIO: Columbia
STARRING: Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Max Martini, Chris Mulkey, Yul Vazquez, Michael Chernus, Corey Johnson, Angus MacInnes, David Warshofsky
STORY: When the freighter Maersk Alabama is seized by armed pirates, the Captain must take heroic measures to protect his ship and crew, leading to a daring rescue by U.S. Navy Seals that would capture the world’s imagination.
PROSPECTS: Director Paul Greengrass proved his mettle when it came to current event films with United 11. With Hanks leading the way and little competition at the box office, this could do surprising business.
OBSTACLES: Hanks hasn’t had a big hit or Oscar buzz for a few years now, and with a competing film coming out in December his draw might not be what it used to be. Current event films tend to do poorly at the box office unless they’re sports-related.
FACTOID: The MV Maersk Alabama was the first American-flagged cargo ship to be seized by pirates in over 200 years.

GRADUATED WITH HONORS

GRAVITY
RELEASE DATE: October 4, 2013
STUDIO: Warner Brothers
STARRING: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Eric Michels, Basher Savage
STORY: Two astronauts on a routine spacewalk are left stranded when their shuttle is destroyed. Completely cut off from NASA and spinning out into deep space, their oxygen will rapidly deplete unless they can undertake a radical plan to save themselves.
PROSPECTS: Director Alfonso Cuaron is Oscar-nominated and well respected in the genre community. Bullock and Clooney are two of Hollywood’s most appealing stars and the trailer looks absolutely spectacular.
OBSTACLES: With the shuttle program completed and the next generation program years away, interest in NASA may be unusually low.
FACTOID: This is producer David Heyman’s first project since the Harry Potter series concluded. Cuaron directed the third installment, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, of the franchise.

ESCAPE PLAN
RELEASE DATE: October 18, 2013
STUDIO: Summit
STARRING: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Caviezel, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Vinnie Jones, Vincent D’Onofrio, Amy Ryan
STORY: An expert on prison security agrees to test the integrity of a brand new high-tech supermax facility. Betrayed and falsely imprisoned, he must team up with an inmate to escape the most escape-proof facility ever built.
PROSPECTS: Stallone and Schwarzenegger co-starring as leads will set action fans to salivating.
OBSTACLES: They are also getting a bit long in the tooth. Prison break films haven’t exactly set the box office on fire as of late.
FACTOID: Filming was interrupted while Stallone grieved for his eldest son Sage who passed away during shooting.

ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION

THE FIFTH ESTATE
RELEASE DATE: October 18, 2013
STUDIO: DreamWorks
STARRING: Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Bruhl, Anthony Mackie, David Thewlis, Alicia Vikander, Peter Capaldi, Carice van Houten, Stanley Tucci, Laura Linney
STORY: Julian Assange and partner Daniel Domscheit-Berg co-found WikiLeaks, a platform for whistleblowers to anonymously post covert data, shedding light on government secrets and corporate crimes. When they gain access to the largest leak of classified U.S. military information in history, they are faced with the ethical question of whether the price of posting information that could cost lives is worth the exposure.
PROSPECTS: Cumberbatch is one of the hottest faces of this summer after his stellar work as the villain in Star Trek Into Darkness. The cast of international stars supporting him is impressive.
OBSTACLES: Assange isn’t really seen as a hero in America.
FACTOID: James McAvoy was originally cast as Domscheit-Berg but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with his stage play Macbeth. Bruhl was cast in his place.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE

OCTOBER 4, 2013

RUNNER RUNNER (20th Century Fox) stars Justin Timberlake as a grad student who gets burned in an online poker game. Believing he got ripped off, he goes to set things right – and winds up even deeper in a world more corrupt than he could have imagined. Ben Affleck also stars.. A TOUCH OF SIN (Kino Lorber) examines the effects the economic boom in China has had on four individual lives from various places and economic stations in that country. This is likely opening in limited release and yes, this is based on actual incidents. A.C.O.D. (The Film Arcade) stands for Adult Children of Divorce and stars Adam Scott, trying to get his bickering divorced parents to co-exist for one night at his little brother’s wedding, with unexpected results. This played Sundance earlier this year as part of the Sundance Across America program and was reviewed here.

OCTOBER 11, 2013

In MACHETE KILLS (Open Road) the ex-Federale is recruited by the President himself to stop a billionaire arms dealer and a revolutionary from hatching a mad plot to start World War III. Danny Trejo returns to the role. ROMEO & JULIET (Relativity) is a reimagining of the classic Shakespeare tragedy re-set in the modern era. Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth play the star-crossed couple. ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE (Radius) has taken a long and circuitous route but is finally getting a theatrical release after years of sitting on the shelf and passing from distributor to distributor. At a party on a secluded ranch a number of the revelers begin to disappear one by one and the guest of honor, a “good girl” who has become the object of obsession for a number of high school boys, might be involved. As you might guess, this is opening in limited release.

OCTOBER 18, 2013

CARRIE (Screen Gems) has cast Chloe Grace Moretz in the title role of the classic Steven King horror film. A young teenager, sheltered by an overbearing and religious nutjob of a mother, begins to develop psychic powers even as she becomes the object of scorn and torture at her school. You just know it isn’t going to end well for anyone. 12 YEARS A SLAVE (Fox Searchlight) is based on a true story as a free black man in pre-Civil War New York is abducted and sold as a slave. The incredible cast includes Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender and Chiwetel Ejiofor and is directed by Steve McQueen, one of the best young filmmakers in the world. Sadly, it’s opening in limited release but hopefully it will make it to Orlando. HAUNTER (IFC Midnight) is also opening in limited release and is a haunted house thriller in which Abigail Breslin must unravel a mystery dating back well before she was born if she is to save her family.

OCTOBER 25, 2013

THE COUNSELOR (20th Century Fox) stars Michael Fassbender as a young lawyer who gets involved in an illegal business deal which turns his life sideways quickly. Ridley Scott directs this adaptation of a Cormac McCarthy screenplay. JACKASS PRESENTS: BAD GRANDPA (Paramount) brings back the entire gang for a road trip in which Johnny Knoxville’s character Irving Zisman introduces his naive grandson to a wide variety of real people. Opening in limited release, BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (Sundance Selects) was one of the most talked-about films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, receiving an NC-17 rating for its eroticism as it depicts a 15-year-old French schoolgirl discovering love and sex with a free-spirited young woman.

HOW THEY DID LAST YEAR
CLOUD ATLAS (Warner Brothers) Budget: $102M. Domestic Gross: $27.1M Total: $130.5M Verdict: Lost Money.
ARGO (Warner Brothers) Budget: $44.5M. Domestic Gross: $136.98M Total: $232.3M Verdict: Big Hit.
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (Paramount) Budget: $5M. Domestic Gross: $53.9M Total: $140.8M Verdict: Big Hit.
THE PAPERBOY (Millennium) Budget: $2.5M. Domestic Gross: $693,286 Total: $1.4M Verdict: Flop.
TAKEN 2 (20th Century Fox) Budget: $45M. Domestic Gross: $139.9M Total: $376.1 Verdict: Blockbuster.
FRANKENWEENIE (Disney) Budget: $39M. Domestic Gross: $35.3M Total: $67.1 Verdict: Lost Money.
ALEX CROSS (Summit) Budget: $35M. Domestic Gross: $25.9M Total: $30.4M Verdict: Flop.
HERE COMES THE BOOM (Columbia) Budget: $42M. Domestic Gross: $45.3M Total: $73.1M Verdict: Lost Money.
SINISTER (Summit) Budget: $3M. Domestic Gross: $48.1M Total: $77.7M Verdict: Blockbuster.
SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS (CBS) Budget: $15M. Domestic Gross: $15.0M Total: $19.4M Verdict: Lost Money.
PITCH PERFECT (Universal) Budget: $17M. Domestic Gross: $65.0M Total: $113.0M Verdict: Major Big Hit.

NOVEMBER

November is when things really start to get interesting. Fall’s biggest blockbusters normally start making appearances now as well as some Oscar front-runners. Marvel is bringing their box office magic this month, and Martin Scorsese prepares another Oscar contender. Disney has a brand new animated feature and the newest franchise fluttering the hearts of pre-teen girls delivers its second installment.

DEANS LIST

ENDER’S GAME
RELEASE DATE: November 1, 2013
STUDIO: Summit Entertainment
STARRING: Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Harrison Ford, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, Viola Davis, Moises Arias, Brandon Soo Hoo
STORY: After barely surviving an alien attack, the forces of Earth prepare for the next one by preparing young people at Battle School, training them in strategy and tactics. One student will rise above and become mankind’s only hope to win the coming impossible battle.
PROSPECTS: The Ender novels are extremely popular and the good young cast (along with some outstanding adult cast members) will certainly make a case for this to become a new franchise for Summit if it does well.
OBSTACLES: Author Orson Scott Card’s political views, particularly towards gay marriage and President Obama, have offended some who may boycott the film because of it.
FACTOID: The Battle Room sequences used a special wheel harness that allowed the actors a much more free range of motion than traditional harnesses.

GRADUATED WITH HONORS

THOR: THE DARK WORLD
RELEASE DATE: November 8 2013
STUDIO: Disney/Marvel
STARRING: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgard, Idris Elba, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Kat Dennings, Zachary Levi, Ray Stevenson
STORY: A shadowy foe that predates the Universe and the vengeful Malekith seek to topple Asgard and with it the Nine Realms. Not even the might of Odin can withstand them; only Thor, reunited with Jane Foster, might have a chance of victory but it will cost him everything.
PROSPECTS: Marvel is showing no signs of slowing down. This is said to be setting the stage for the Outer Space venue that will be the setting for Avengers: The Age of Ultron in 2015.
OBSTACLES: Sooner or later fans may well tire of the Marvel cinematic universe like they did of the Star Trek universe. Overexposure with two movie and a TV series this year are a very real concern.
FACTOID: Josh Dallas, who played Fandral in Thor, was unable to reprise his role here because of his commitment to his TV show Once Upon a Time. He was replaced by Zachary Levi who was originally the first choice for the role but was unable to take it – because of his commitment to his TV show Chuck.

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
RELEASE DATE: November 22, 2013
STUDIO: Lionsgate
STARRING: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Stanley Tucci
STORY: Katniss and Peeta embark on a tour of Panem as a requirement of their victory in the Hunger Games. However her inspiring victory is brewing up a rebellion, one which the ruthless President will crush by any means necessary – including killing Katniss and everyone she holds dear.
PROSPECTS: This really resonated with the pre-teen and teen girls, many of whom were Twihards as well – but also appealed to their boyfriends and brothers. This might well be the big franchise Lionsgate has been looking for.
OBSTACLES: The Hunger Games was released early in the year with little competition; that won’t be the case here.
FACTOID: Gary Ross, who directed the first movie, declined to return for the second although he had been invited to.

FROZEN
RELEASE DATE: November 27, 2013
STUDIO: Disney
STARRING THE VOICES OF: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana, Alan Tudyk, Chris Williams
STORY: An optimistic young woman whose sister is the Snow Queen, undertakes a perilous journey with eccentric friends to put an end to the perpetual winter the kingdom has been stuck in.
PROSPECTS: Disney has deliberately kept this movie largely under wraps; the only footage we’ve seen yet is a Looney Tunes-esque clip that has served as a trailer. If the movie holds to that, it might be one of the best movies they’ve turned out in years.
OBSTACLES: The plot is a little Narnia-esque with a bit of Wicked mixed in for good measure. There will be some family film competition this month as well.
FACTOID: Loosely based on the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale The Snow Queen.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
RELEASE DATE: November 15, 2013
STUDIO: Paramount
STARRING: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey, Jonah Hill, Jon Favreau, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Bernthal, Jean Dujardin
STORY: The rise and fall of a cutthroat Wall Street tycoon (based on the memoirs of Jordan Belfort) whose party hard lifestyle symbolized the excesses and outrages of Wall Street.
PROSPECTS: Every Martin Scorsese movie has at least something worthwhile to see; chances are this will be yet another Oscar contender for the director.
OBSTACLES: Movies set in the financial sector have fallen into disfavor as of late.
FACTOID: This is the fifth collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio.

ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION

OLDBOY
RELEASE DATE: November 27, 2013
STUDIO: FilmDistrict
STARRING: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley, Samuel L. Jackson, James Ransone, Michael Imperioli, Rami Malek, Max Casella, Hannah Ware
STORY: A man is inexplicably kidnapped and held captive for 20 years, then just as inexplicably released. He is given three days to discover who kidnapped him and why, only to discover that he is still trapped – by his past.
PROSPECTS: Based on one of the best movies of the past five years, director Spike Lee might just be the perfect fit to sit behind the camera for this one.
OBSTACLES: The original Korean movie was extremely violent and sexual, with some of the plot elements perhaps too rough for mainstream audiences.
FACTOID: Among those who turned down roles were Daniel Craig, Will Smith, Rooney Mara, Clive Owen, Colin Firth, Christian Bale and Mia Wasikowska.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE

NOVEMBER 1, 2013

FREE BIRDS (Relativity) is an animated feature in which the turkey pardoned by the President is sent on a mission back in time to the first Thanksgiving to take turkey off the menu. Who’s got the cranberry sauce?. In LAST VEGAS (CBS), four old friends (and I do mean old) head off to Sin City for one last fling to celebrate the impending marriage of one of their number. Robert De Niro, Kevin Kline, Michael Douglas and Morgan Freeman star. DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (Focus) opens in limited release and stars Matthew McConaughey as a hard-living Texas cowboy diagnosed with AIDS in 1985 and given 30 days to live. Finding no solutions in traditional medicine, he seeks out alternative medicines both legal and otherwise from around the world and distributes them to himself and others in the same pickle. Based on a true story.

NOVEMBER 8, 2013

ABOUT TIME (Universal) is the latest from British rom-com king Richard Curtis (Love, Actually). This one’s about a young man who discovers he can travel in time and put right all of his romantic mistakes, but changing the future can be a dangerous thing..

NOVEMBER 15, 2013

THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY (Universal) reunites the cast of 1999 urban comedy for a magical Holiday weekend in New York in which secrets will be revealed and their lives changed forever. THE BOOK THIEF (20th Century Fox), based on a best-selling book, is the story of a brave young girl who goes to live with a new family in Nazi Germany and discovers courage – as well as instills it in others – through the power of literature. THE NECESSARY DEATH OF CHARLIE COUNTRYMAN (Millennium) opens in limited release and stars Shia LaBeouf in the title role as a young man who falls in love with the girlfriend of an insanely violent (and jealous) crime boss which we really don’t recommend you do either.

NOVEMBER 22, 2013

DELIVERY MAN (DreamWorks) stars Vince Vaughn as a genial slacker who discovers that through an error at a fertility clinic his donated sperm has fathered over 500 children. NEBRASKA (Paramount) comes from acclaimed director Alexander Payne and stars Bruce Dern as a cantankerous old man who believes he’s won a million dollar sweepstakes and takes a road trip wit his son to collect the prize.

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

BLACK NATIVITY (Fox Searchlight) is an adaptation of a Langston Hughes play about a streetwise Baltimore teen who is forced to spend the Christmas holidays in New York with his strict and devout relatives. When he rebels against their rules, he determines to make the trip back home to his mom, no matter what the odds. HOMEFONT (Open Road) stars Jason Statham as an ex-DEA agent who retires to a small town for the sake of his ten year old daughter. Unfortunately, he picked the wrong town. Sylvester Stallone wrote this. GRACE OF MONACO (Weinstein) chronicles the life of the late actress-turned-royalty with Nicole Kidman in the title role. Opens in limited release.

NOVEMBER 29, 2013

MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM (Weinstein) stars Idris Elba in this biography of the great South African leader, activist and liberator.

HOW THEY DID LAST YEAR

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 2 (Summit) Budget: $120M. Domestic Gross: $292.3Total: $829.7M Verdict: Blockbuster.
SKYFALL (MGM/Columbia) Budget: $200M. Domestic Gross: $304.4M Total: $1.109B. Verdict: Blockbuster.
FLIGHT (Paramount) Budget: $31M. Domestic Gross: $93.7M Total: $161.7M Verdict: Big Hit.
JACK AND DIANE (Relativity) N/A. Domestic Gross: $1,142 Total: $1,142. Verdict: Flop.
LINCOLN (DreamWorks) Budget: $65M. Domestic Gross: $182.2M Total: $275.3M Verdict: Big Hit.
LIFE OF PI (20th Century Fox) Budget: $120M. Domestic Gross: $125.06M Total: $609.0M Verdict: Blockbuster.
RISE OF THE GUARDIANS (DreamWorks) Budget: $145M. Domestic Gross: $103.4M. Total: $303.7M Verdict: Broke Even.
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (Weinstein) Budget: $21M. Domestic Gross: $132.1M Total: $236.4M Verdict: Blockbuster.
WRECK-IT RALPH (Disney) Budget: $165M Domestic Gross: $189.4M Total: $471.2M Verdict: Made Money.
RED DAWN (FilmDistrict) Budget: $65M Domestic Gross: $44.8M Total: $44.8M Verdict: Flop.
THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS (Universal) Budget: $15M Domestic Gross: $15.6M Total: $19.7M Verdict: Lost Money.
A LATE QUARTET (EOne) Budget: N/A. Domestic Gross: $1.6M Total: $1.6M Verdict: May have made money.

DECEMBER

The twelfth month is a frenzy of foul weather, Christmas shopping, Oscar wannabes and blockbuster hopefuls as the year comes to an end. This year, we’ll be seeing the middle installment of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy, a long-awaited sequel to a very funny film, a reboot of a popular realistic espionage series, and George Clooney’s latest directorial effort set during the Second World War.

DEANS LIST

ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND CONTINUES
RELEASE DATE: December 20, 2013
STUDIO: Paramount
STARRING: Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Christina Applegate, Kristen Wiig, James Marsden, Harrison Ford, Vince Vaughn, Luke Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Greg Kinnear
STORY: Legendary anchorman Ron Burgundy and his news team are enticed out of retirement at the prospect of joining the country’s very first 24-hour news channel but it doesn’t turn out quite the way they expected
PROSPECTS: Holy mother of God, Burgundy’s back! Many consider this one of the funniest movies ever made and certainly it is still quoted regularly by fanboys to this day. Has only grown in stature since the original aired a decade ago.
OBSTACLES: It’s been more than a decade and one wonders if it still has the cred it used to have.
FACTOID: Ferrell, in character, announced the movie on the Conan O’Brien show.

GRADUATED WITH HONORS

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG
RELEASE DATE: December 13, 2013
STUDIO: New Line
STARRING: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, Benedict Cumberbatch, Luke Evans, Lee Pace
STORY: The epic quest to reclaim the Dwarven Kingdom of Erebor continues as the party of 13 crosses the desolation of Smaug and comes face-to-face with the mighty dragon himself.
PROSPECTS: The huge Tolkein fanbase and those who have loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy will continue to show up in huge numbers.
OBSTACLES: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey didn’t generate the kind of excitement that the previous trilogy did.
FACTOID: Due to the dearth of female characters in the source novel, screenwriter Philippa Boyens created the character of Tauriel to inject some redheaded feminine energy into the film.

JACK RYAN
RELEASE DATE: December 25, 2013
STUDIO: Paramount
STARRING: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, Colm Feore, David Paymer, Gemma Chan, Nonso Anozie
STORY: A young CIA analyst races against time to foil a plot that would destabilize the economy of the nation.
PROSPECTS: Ryan has done big box office in four films with three different actors playing him and there’s no reason to believe that won’t continue.
OBSTACLES: Given recent events, there’s not a lot of love for the covert departments of the government and that might translate to smaller audiences.
FACTOID: This is the first Jack Ryan movie to contain an original plot not from one of the novels.

SAVING MR. BANKS
RELEASE DATE: December 13, 2013 (limited; opens in wide release December 20)
STUDIO: Disney
STARRING: Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Kathy Baker, B.J. Novak
STORY: The classic family film Mary Poppins almost didn’t get made; author P.L. Travers was extremely reluctant to sign the rights to a Hollywood studio that she felt would maul the spirit of her book. This is how Walt Disney convinced her otherwise.
PROSPECTS: Truly a fascinating story, the moving tale might well be an Oscar contender. Certainly those who love Poppins will be eager to see it.
OBSTACLES: May fall in heavy competition both for the box office and for Oscar attention.
FACTOID: The first Disney film to have Walt Disney as a main character.

ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
RELEASE DATE: December 6, 2013 (limited; opens in expanded release December 20)
STUDIO: CBS
STARRING: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham, Justin Timberlake, Ethan Phillips, Max Casella
STORY: An aspiring folk singer, preternaturally attached to his cat, tries to survive in the Greenwich Village folk scene of the 1960s.
PROSPECTS: Hey, it’s a Coen Brothers film! They carry their own little niche and this could well be the first film from that struggling studio to be a serious Oscar contender.
OBSTACLES: Hey, it’s a Coen Brothers film! They never make a ton of money at the box office.
FACTOID: Loosely based on the life of the late Dave van Ronk.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE

DECEMBER 6, 2013

In OUT OF THE FURNACE (Relativity), a blue collar worker caring for his dying father watches helplessly as his brother, just home from Iraq, gets involved in a ruthless crime ring. When his brother vanishes and the police seem ill-disposed to find him, he takes matters into his own hands. Christian Bale stars.

DECEMBER 13, 2013

TYLER PERRY’S A MADEA CHRISTMAS (Lionsgate) is America’s most irascible grandmother’s first holiday movie. Ho ho ho, y’all.

DECEMBER 18, 2013

THE MONUMENTS MEN (Columbia) is directed by and stars George Clooney, leading an all-star cast (including Matt Damon, Bill Murray and Cate Blanchett) depicting the true story of a small group of experts during the War who attempted to prevent the Nazis (and the Allies) from destroying priceless art and architecture.

DECEMBER 20, 2013

WALKING WITH DINOSAURS: THE MOVIE (20th Century Fox) brings the world of the dinosaurs to life through computer animation and live photography. Should be a big hit with the kids. FOXCATCHER (Sony Classics) is the true story of John DuPont, the eccentric heir to a chemical fortune whose obsession with Olympic wresting would lead to murder. Opens in limited release.

DECEMBER 25, 2013

47 RONIN (Universal) stars Keanu Reeves as a masterless samurai who is betrayed along with 46 others by a ruthless warlord. Driven from their homes and hunted down, they must unite to make a stand against a powerful and merciless foe. AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (Weinstein) boasts an all-star cast and is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play. In it, a group of strong-willed sisters whose lives have diverged in different directions return to the home they grew up in and the dysfunctional woman who raised them. GRUDGE MATCH (Warner Brothers) features Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro as two retired boxers who decide to get back into the ring and settle their rivalry – 50 year after they got out of it. THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY (20th Century Fox), based on the beloved James Thurber short story which was in turn made into a beloved film starring Danny Kaye. How beloved this will be remains to be seen but it will be Ben Stiller playing the title role of the perpetual dreamer Walter Mitty..

HOW THEY DID LAST YEAR

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY (New Line) Budget: $200M. Domestic Gross: $303.0M Total: $1.017B Verdict: Blockbuster.
ZERO DARK THIRTY (Columbia) Budget: $40M. Domestic Gross: $95.7M Total: $108.7M Verdict: Made Money.
THIS IS 40 (Universal) Budget: $35M. Domestic Gross: $67.5M Total: $88.1M Verdict: Made Money.
LES MISERABLES (Universal) Budget: $61M. Domestic Gross: $148.8M Total: $441.8M Verdict: Blockbuster.
DJANGO UNCHAINED (Weinstein) Budget: $100M. Domestic Gross: $162.8M Total: $425.0M Verdict: Big Hit.
JACK REACHER (Paramount) Budget: $60M. Domestic Gross: $80.1M Total: $216.6M Verdict: Hit.
THE GUILT TRIP (Paramount) Budget: $40M. Domestic Gross: $37.1M Total: $41.0M Verdict: Lost Money.
AMOUR (Sony Classics) Budget: $8.9M. Domestic Gross: $6.7M Total: $19.8 Verdict: Made Money.
PARENTAL GUIDANCE (20th Century Fox) Budget: $25M. Domestic Gross: $77.3M Total: $119.8M Verdict: Big Hit.
PLAYING FOR KEEPS (FilmDistrict) Budget: $35M. Domestic Gross: $13.1M Total: $13.1M Verdict: Flop.
THE IMPOSSIBLE (Summit) Budget: $45M. Domestic Gross: $19.0M Total: $172.4M Verdict: International Hit.
PROMISED LAND (Focus) Budget: $15M. Domestic Gross: $7.6M Total: $8.1M Verdict: Flop.

Thus ends this year’s Fall and Holiday preview. Maybe a few of these whetted your appetite for popcorn and darkness; maybe more than a few. Theater owners can only hope. Remember; release dates are always subject to change, particularly the farther out you go so be sure and check your local listings before heading out to the theater. Readers in New York and Los Angeles, please note that there are several major December releases which will be opening wide in January following their Oscar qualifying run in your cities; those will be previewed in our 2014 preview issue. Speaking of the 2014 preview, our 2013 preview work is done and the annual look ahead at next year is due out at the end of December. There are some interesting projects on the horizon, including no less than six movies from Marvel including their first feature-length animated feature, a return of the Transformers, Sin City, 300, the Hobbit, the Expendables and the Hunger Games and reboots of Frankenstein, Dracula and Godzilla. However, 2014 may well be only a prelude to a blockbuster 2015 which promises the second Avengers film, the first film in the brand new Star Wars trilogy, sequels to Independence Day, The Terminator and Pirates of the Caribbean as well as a new James Bond film and a Superman/Batman team-up. Reason enough to be optimistic about coming attractions. See you at the multiplex!

The Debt (2010)

Sam Worthington takes aim.

(2010) Spy Thriller (Miramax/Focus) Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain, Tom Wilkinson, Ciaran Hinds, Jesper Christensen, Marton Csokas, Romi Aboulafia, Brigitte Kren, Istvan Goz, Morris Perry, Jonathan Uziel, Iren Bordan, Katya Tompos. Directed by John Madden

The thing about the truth is that it is rarely what we think it is. Often we are told one thing and the truth is quite another. Sometimes knowing that truth doesn’t set us free however; sometimes the knowledge of truth shackles us for a lifetime.

Rachel Singer (Mirren) is a retired Mossad agent who bears the scars of her vocation both literally and figuratively. Her daughter Sarah (Aboulafia) has authored a book about her career, particularly concerning a daring raid into East Berlin that was performed by a three-person team in 1965 in order to retrieve a Nazi war criminal. Although it didn’t end up well, Rachel emerged from the raid as a national heroine.

In 1966, Rachel (Chastain) was the junior member of the team which included team leader Stephan Gold (Csokas) and David Peretz (Worthington). They are in East Berlin to extract a former Nazi War criminal – Dieter Vogel (Christensen), the so-called Surgeon of Birkenau who performed hideous experiments on Jewish concentration camp residents and bring him to Israel to stand trial for his war crimes.

He is masquerading as an ordinary OB-GYN, so Rachel and David pose as a man and wife unable to have to date. The plan is set up meticulously with an escape route marked for them. However the plan misfires and they are forced to bring their prisoner back to their East German apartment while they try to find a way back home. Unfortunately, Vogel manages to escape his bonds and after a fierce struggle in which Rachel is scarred for life, she shoots him dead rather than let him escape.

But was that the whole truth? When Rachel’s ex-husband Stephan (Wilkinson) tells her that information has surfaced that puts everything she’s built in her life in jeopardy, she will be forced to take a journey to make things right, not only for herself but for her daughter, her team and her country.

John Madden is best known for directing Shakespeare in Love but he does pretty well in the taut spy thriller genre. There are some scenes that literally had me on the edge of my seat, cliche as that might sound. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he has quite a cast to work with.

Mirren is one of the top actresses in the world at the moment and one of the finest of all time when all is said and done. She is one of the main reasons to see this – as always her performance is letter perfect. She plays Rachel as a woman haunted by that secret and embittered by the way her life has turned out. Her only saving grace is her daughter Sarah who is now getting sucked into the lie.

The rest of the cast is pretty impressive as well. Chastain, who has had a couple of exceptional performances already this summer in The Tree of Life and The Help adds a third (although this movie was shot well before the other two). Her character is as naive as Mirren’s version is worldly and jaded. She is certainly flawed, but her dedication is unquestioned.

Worthington gets a role here that plays to his strengths as an actor and runs with it. His David is cold, shut-off and haunted by the specter of the War in which is family was decimated. He is guarded and closed off, which Worthington can do well.

Wilkinson is another veteran actor who has a complex role to fill and he does it admirably. His character is crafty, devious and infectiously charming while Hinds, who plays the older David, is thoroughly haunted and destroyed, his expression one of a man who doesn’t expect anything in life but misery.

The problem with the movie is two-fold. For one thing, the 1966 and 1997 versions of the characters don’t really resemble each other and when it comes to Csokas and Worthington, it is easy to confuse them with Wilkinson and Hinds (who resembles Csokas more than Worthington). For the record, here are the correct pairings: Wilkinson (1997) and Csokas (1966) as Stephan, Hinds (1997) and Worthington (1966) as David and of course Mirren (1997) and Chastain (1966) as Rachel.

It also must be said the ending is a little bit hoary, although I must admit there was at least some tension in the scene, enough that it made it entertaining. The movie itself harkens back to the cold war thrillers of the 60s in many ways, although I have to admit it’s a pale echo of some of the better examples of the genre. Still, given the performances and the tension, I can recommend it without reservation for most audiences.

REASONS TO GO: Great cast. Some well-thought out taut moments.

REASONS TO STAY: Ending is unsatisfying. Not easy to match 1997 versions of 1966 characters.

FAMILY VALUES: There is some violence and a bit of foul language.

TRIVIAL PURSUIT: One of two movies that was distributed by Miramax whose release was delayed due to the purchase of the company by Colony Capital. The company eventually made a distribution deal with Focus.

HOME OR THEATER: Works just as well at home as it does in the theater.

FINAL RATING: 7/10

TOMORROW: Columbiana