Fall Movie Preview Spectacular! Part 2

Cloud Atlas

Release Date: October 26^th

Directed by Lana & Andy Wachowski and Tom Twyker; Starring Tom Hanks, Hugh Grant, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, James D’Arcy, Ben Winshaw, Susan Sarandon, and Keith David

Cloud Atlas is a film I have consciously tried to learn as little about as possible. I feel like this could be a major comeback for the Wachowski siblings, given the enormity of the source material and possibility for awe-inspiring visuals and meaningful thematic content.

The synopsis describes Cloud Atlas as “an epic story of humankind in which the actions and consequences of our lives impact one another throughout the past, present and future as one soul is shaped from a murderer into a savior and a single act of kindness ripples out for centuries to inspire a revolution.”

If the film is as vast and impressive as it has the potential to be, I want to go in cold. I want Cloud Atlas to be a surprise, a revelation, an experience on par with seeing The Matrix for the first time. Can it possibly live up to such hype? We won’t know until October 26^th.

The Sessions

Release Date: October 26^th

Directed by Ben Lewin; Starring John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, Moon Bloodgood, and William H. Macy

A critical favorite out of Sundance, Ben Lewin’s The Sessions tells the story of Mark O’Brien, a poet paralyzed from the neck down by polio who must spend most of his time in an iron lung. Mark decides he’d like to experience more out of life, and hires a ‘sexual surrogate’ (Hunt) to train him for lovemaking.

The film looks fantastic. I always appreciate ‘biopics’ that discuss a small slice of a person’s life, rather than attempting to dramatize the whole story, and by focusing on Mark’s late-in-life quest to lose his virginity, I think there’s more than enough narrative potential. But the real draw here is John Hawkes, whose physically transformative performance has him getting early Oscar buzz and mountains of praise from every viewer lucky enough to see the film. This is definitely one to mark on your calendars.

Fun Size

Release Date: October 26^th

Directed by Josh Schwartz; Starring Victoria Justice, Jane Levy, Thomas McDonnell, Chelsea Handler, and Johnny Knoxville

In a vacuum, the trailer for Fun Size does not look particularly interesting. A teen comedy about two female friends who lose a little brother while trying to attend a party, my initial impression is that this is unlikely to offer us anything the best modern teen flicks, like Superbad, Easy A, or Mean Girls, haven’t already delivered. But when I look at the names behind the film, my enthusiasm rises exponentially.

Jane Levy is a wonderful young actress; just look at her work on Suburgatory for evidence. Victoria Justice is a promising leading lady. And most importantly, director Josh Schwartz has earned my trust time and time again on TV, with credits like The O.C. and Chuck. Schwartz did not write the film, which is disappointing considering how crucial his distinctive dialogue is to his work, but if anyone can helm effective teen material, it’s him.

We’ll just have to wait and see on this one.

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obloodyhell

What made Taken so good was really pretty simple: Luc Besson wrote it and produced it. I’ve yet to see anything with Besson in two “construction” roles (writer, director, producer) that wasn’t at least good, often very good, sometimes excellent…. even the stuff he has only a single role in the creation of, often do well enough. Liam Neeson’s talented acting was just icing on that cake. So I expect Taken2 to be decent at worst.

Pitch Perfect looked remarkably lame on concept, but… from the trailer it looks like it has just enough irreverence and snark to pull off not being some dumbass Glee ripoff.

Butter sculpting…? Looks just weird enough to work.

The only concern with Argo is that George Clooney produced it. That suggests it’s going to reflect enough of his ultraliberal viewpoint that it will successfully turn off audiences. There’s a reason certain movies and TV series over the last 10-odd years have generally fallen flat on their faces — they reflect a view of America that isn’t in keeping with that of the American people, but instead reflects the attitude of the Hollywood Elites. Clooney is one of those. If he chose to produce it, it’s because he liked something he saw…. and that bodes ill for this movie’s primary message.

Alex Cross looks decidedly uncerebral.