Fall Movie Preview Spectacular! Part 2

The Big Wedding

Release Date: October 26^th

Directed by Justin Zackham; Starring Robert DeNiro, Diane Keaton, Katherine Heigl, Amanda Seyfried, Topher Grace, Susan Sarandon, and Robin Williams

Looks like Robert DeNiro, one of history’s single greatest actors, is slumming it in the world of broad, pandering comedy. Again. At least he has some good company in Keaton, Sarandon, Williams … actually, no, just typing out all these great names makes me sad. Have you watched the trailer for The Big Wedding? I’m fairly sure we’ve seen this comedy several dozen times before. Or at least variations on it.

Dysfunctional family gets together. Laughs are had about their dysfunction. A crazy plan must be executed, which is ironic because the family is, you know, dysfunctional! Oy.

Look, I hope this one is good. I don’t want to see any of these actors star in yet another bad comedy. But the track record some of these people have, especially DeNiro, for choosing bad comedic vehicles is pretty much off the charts at this point, and nothing I’ve seen so far about The Big Wedding indicates this will be the one that reverses the trend.

Silent Hill: Revelation

Release Date: October 26^th

Directed by Michael J. Bassett; Starring Adelaide Clemens, Sean Bean, Kit Harington, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Malcolm McDowell

Huh. So the first Silent Hill was successful enough to warrant a sequel? Odd.

Revelation looks like a completely different beast than the first movie, with a new production team and a largely new cast, and I actually find the trailer kind of intriguing. It’s got some terrific visuals, shows off plenty of interesting performers, and builds an effective atmosphere. I would be willing to check it out, even though this is one of many similar horror films coming out in a one-month period. Hopefully the film’s supernatural elements will allow it to stand out from the crowd.

Chasing Mavericks

Release Date: October 26^th

Directed by Curtis Hanson and Michael Apted; Starring Jonny Weston, Gerard Butler, Levin Rambin, Elizabeth Shue, and Abigail Spencer

Gerard Butler plays a surfer in this movie. The mere concept puts me in fits of giggles. I mean, how can you take the guy who slaughtered thousands in 300 seriously when wearing tight spandex and running out to catch a wave?

But I digress. From the looks of the trailer, Chasing Mavericks looks aggressively dull, a lifeless amalgamation of every surfing film I’ve ever seen. But one cannot judge a film by its trailer, and there are positive signs here. Apted is a very fine filmmaker, and the true story of surfer Jay Moriarty the film chronicles is an interesting one. Can it make for good drama? Maybe. I like the cast, even though star Jonny Weston is a major question mark. If he can carry the proceedings, the film can probably work. If not? Well, we can always laugh at Leonidas in a wetsuit.

What films are you most excited for? Sound off in the comments, and be sure to read PART THREE of our FALL MOVIE PREVIEW SPECTACULAR!

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.