Critical Mass

Here they come

Fall brings prestige films, sequels

L to R: Ian McKellen and Luke Evans in The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies"
L to R: Ian McKellen and Luke Evans in The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies"

This is the time of year when grown-ups can begin to get excited about going to the movies, when the powers that be conspire to give cinephiles and movie critics a wee bit of hope.

As dubious as it sounds, the distributors of mainstream movies tend to release what they consider their best -- most award-worthy -- films in the last quarter of the year, presumably because they don't expect Oscar voters to remember anything seen before then. From here to the new year (and beyond, for our little state is typically not in the first wave of markets), every week will see the arrival of prestige-mongering boutique movies.

We'll also get a lot of sequels, the end of the Hobbit movies and the beginning of the end of the Hunger Games franchise. We have new movies from David Fincher, Paul Thomas Anderson, Christopher Nolan and -- probably early 2015 -- Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Two Days, One Night, which doesn't have an official release date, is Belgium's entry in the forthcoming Academy Awards as Best Foreign Language Film).

Opening dates are tentative, if not wishful; we make no guarantee that this list is inclusive. One certainty: Some things will change. We do our best to offer informed opinions based on buzz, hype, spin and the occasional eyewitness account of an informed and trusted source, but please bear in mind we've seen very few (if any) of the movies on which we're about to hold forth.

FRIDAY

The Good Lie -- Reese Witherspoon continues her comeback with this story of Sudanese refugees who settle in Kansas City, Kan., and connect with her feisty job counselor to change their lives. From afar, it feels a little like The Blind Side, but I'll give French-Canadian director Philippe Falardeau (Monsieur Lazhar) a shot at elevating it over the usual faith-based programmer.

Gone Girl -- Ben Affleck's wife (Rosamund Pike) disappears and he becomes the prime suspect. Gillian Flynn adapted her best-selling novel for ever-meticulous and usually deeply interesting David Fincher. The supporting cast, which includes Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry, is intriguing. I have a bit of faith in Fincher's ability to make this a compelling 145 minutes, although some who've read the book insist that the transition to the screen will be problematic.

OCT. 10

Addicted -- Zoe (Sharon Leal) and her husband (Boris Kodjoe) are a nice couple raising three children. But she wants more. From the novel by Zane, directed by Bille Woodruff. For what it's worth, early reviews have been decent.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day -- Things don't go so well for 11-year-old Alexander after he wakes up with gum in his hair. Based on Judith Viorst's 1972 children's book. A Disney production with Jennifer Garner and Steve Carell.

Dracula Untold -- Who untold Dracula? Apparently we find out how the infamous count (Luke Evans from Fast & Furious 6) became undead in this vampire flick.

The Judge -- This crime thriller, which stars Robert Downey Jr. as a big-city lawyer who returns to his childhood home in Indiana after the small town's judge, his father (Robert Duvall), is accused of murder, is probably about what we'd expect. Downey and Duvall are charismatic, but we've seen the various family and cultural dynamics at play here before. Think August, Osage County hung on the spine of a courtroom drama. The wild card is Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin's comic sensibilities.

Kill the Messenger -- Based on the true story of investigative journalist Gary Webb (Jeremy Renner), who became the target of a vicious smear campaign after exposing the CIA's role in arming Contra rebels in Nicaragua and importing cocaine into California. Directed by Michael Cuesta; with Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Michael Sheen and Ray Liotta.

The Overnighters -- According to IMDB.com: "Broken, desperate men chase their dreams and run from their demons in the North Dakota oil fields. A local pastor risks everything to help them." Okey dokey.

Whiplash -- Miles Teller struggles to make it as a jazz drummer; J.K. Simmons is his sadistic instructor. We've heard this is one of the best psychological dramas of recent years and that it will certify director Damien Chazelle as a major talent. On my most-anticipated list, but don't expect it to open here on this date.

OCT. 17

The Best of Me -- High school sweethearts (Michelle Monaghan and James Marsden) reunite after many years when they return to visit their hometown.

The Book of Life -- Animated film stars the vocal talents of Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Ron Perlman and Christina Applegate. A young man is torn between fulfilling his family's expectations and following his heart. Sounds mushy and vague, but Guillermo del Toro is the producer, and director Jorge Gutierrez allegedly has a bit of visual style.

Fury -- Brad Pitt is an Army sergeant named Wardaddy in command of a Sherman tank and the crew (Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Pena) who must hold out despite overwhelming odds in the final days of World War II. The trailer makes it look pretty good.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown -- Not exactly a remake of the Charles B. Pierce low-budget classic (that was based on the real-life "moonlight murders") set in Texarkana. The killings have started again, 65 years after the original masked serial killer eluded police.

Birdman -- A washed-up actor (Michael Keaton) attempts a comeback via a Broadway play. With a fantastic cast that includes Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton and Andrea Riseborough, with Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu directing.

Oct. 24

Ouija -- A movie based on a board game. Scary.

Kingsman: The Secret Service -- Secret Agent Man Colin Firth breaks in a dangerous new protege. That sounds fairly average but Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Kick-Ass) is directing.

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension -- Bump. Eek!

St. Vincent -- Early reviews haven't been great, but I'm all in on Theodore Melfi's comedy that stars Bill Murray as an offbeat war veteran. Naomi Watts and Chris O'Dowd add value, and I'm anxious to see if Melissa McCarthy can actually act. I bet she can.

White Bird in a Blizzard -- "In 1988, a teenage girl's life is thrown into chaos when her mother disappears." OK, the title sounds like an Internet meme, but director Gregg Araki is always interesting. Cast includes Shailene Woodley, Eva Green, Christopher Meloni and Angela Bassett.

OCT. 31

ABCs of Death 2 -- Am I the only one who missed the first one? Seriously, we need another omnibus film with 26 directors telling 26 stories about dumb ways to die? But if they enlist Tangerine Kitty to do the theme music ...

Nightcrawler -- Jake Gyllenhaal stumbles upon the underground world of L.A. freelance crime journalism. The word out of the Toronto International Film Festival is that it's ultra creepy. Dan Gilroy directs.

NOV. 7

Big Hero 6 -- Computer animated family film about a robot named Baymax and programming prodigy Hiro Hamada, who lead a band of inexperienced crime fighters in a city that's a mashup of Tokyo and San Francisco. Based on the Marvel comic series. The anime style reminds me of the pop band Gorillaz videos.

Interstellar -- Everyone is waiting on Christopher Nolan's sci-fi epic, which stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain as explorers who use a wormhole to surpass limitations on human space travel. Expect the crowd who dubbed Inception "best movie ever" to again be over-awed. But don't hold Nolan's fan club against him -- he's got serious intent to go with his technical chops.

The Theory of Everything -- Les Miserables star Eddie Redmayne is genius guy Stephen Hawking in this true-life romance set in the late '50s, when Hawking arrives at Cambridge University and meets student Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones). In short order, he falls in love and learns of the diagnosis that will change his life forever. Good things have been heard.

NOV. 14

Beyond the Lights -- Judging by the synopsis -- "a talented young musician (Gugu Mbatha-Raww) on the brink of super-stardom struggles with the pressure of her new-found success" -- I guess we can expect music. Given that Danny Glover has a prominent role, probably the dispensing of life lessons. What do the kids say? Meh?

Dumb and Dumber To -- The Farrelly brothers persist. But at least Jeff Daniels gets to wash all that Aaron Sorkin dialogue out of his mouth with this one.

Foxcatcher -- Bennett Miller's weird but true examination of the relationship between rich dude John du Pont and the Schultz brothers, Olympic wrestlers he sponsored, has generated great buzz. I expect Oscar-caliber performances from Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum; a Best Director nod for Miller; and a Best Picture nomination. I expect it to be a good movie too.

NOV. 21

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 -- If you care about this, you're only reading this to see what snide comment I make. (If you don't care about this, maybe you're reading this to see what snide comment I'm going to make.) All I have to say is I believe Jennifer Lawrence is probably a lovely young lady and I'm glad this franchise has made her rich enough that she can make whatever movies she wants.

The Imitation Game -- I hope they don't muck up this bio-pic of the fascinating English mathematician and logician Alan Turing, a homosexual who helped crack the Enigma code during World War II. Big British glamour cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch (as Turing), Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode and Mark Strong.

McFarland USA -- Kevin Costner coaches track. He's good at it.

NOV. 28

Horrible Bosses 2 -- Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis get paid again. Chris Pine also has his hand out.

Penguins of Madagascar -- How is this not direct to home video? A cartoon about penguins. Who are also spies. Oh, and Benedict Cumberbatch is attached, so that answers the question.

DEC. 5

Wild -- Reese Witherspoon continues to collaborate with French-Canadian directors -- this time it's Jean-Marc Vallee (Dallas Buyer Club) -- as she continues an attempted comeback. In this movie she hikes 1,100 miles solo to recover from her divorce, her mother's death and years of dissolution. It might be pretty good.

DEC. 12

Exodus: Gods and Kings -- Ridley Scott gives us his version of Moses (Christian Bale) leading the Israelites out of Pharaoh's land.

Inherent Vice -- Paul Thomas Anderson takes on what is arguably Thomas Pynchon's slightest and most filmable novel; a '70s-set story about a druggy detective (Joaquin Phoenix) investigating the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend. This ought to be good, with Jena Malone, Josh Brolin and America's Sweetheart Reese Witherspoon!

DEC. 18

Mr. Turner -- This is the tentative opening date, probably only in New York and Los Angeles, for Mike Leigh's deeply interesting-sounding movie about the British painter J.M.W. Turner (Timothy Spall). Word is it's one of the year's best. Count me in.

DEC. 19

Annie -- "Benjamin Stacks?" Oh, I see what you've done there. A Wizzed-up musical version of the Little Orphan Annie myth, this time with Quvenzhane Wallis and Jamie Foxx. Why not?

The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies -- Elves and fairies and dragons. Sort of like Game of Thrones and True Blood all mixed up but without the sex. Or so I'm told. Directed by some obsessive Kiwi, starring Sherlock's little friend John Watson.

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb -- This is what you get when you're mean to Ben Stiller and don't go watch him when he makes a (sort of) good movie like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

DEC. 24

Hot Tub Time Machine 2 -- This time John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke and Rob Corddry go into the future. I don't mind the raunchy nonsense.

The Interview -- This is how the world ends. Not with a bang or a whimper, but with Seth Rogen and James Franco annoying some crazy Korean person with nuclear capability. Was it worth it, fellas?

Into the Woods -- The Disneyfied version of the Brothers Grimm-derived musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine comes to the screen with a big cast (Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt and more) and lavish production values. Expect it to work, even though it's less dark than the stage production.

Paddington -- No doubt a charming tale of the Peruvian bear who finds shelter with a kind London family while hiding from an evil taxidermist. Cast includes Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent and Nicole Kidman.

Unbroken -- Angelina Jolie's movie about war hero and Olympian Louis Zamperini (Jack O'Connell), who survived 47 days at sea in a raft during World War II before being captured by the Japanese and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

Dec. 30

Leviathan -- Not the recent documentary. A Russian fisherman (Alexey Serebryakov) fights back when a corrupt mayor tries to seize possession of his ancestral home.

Email:

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Style on 09/28/2014

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