Fall Movie Preview Spectacular! Part 2 – The Films Of October

Sinister

Release Date: October 5^th

Directed by Scott Derrickson; Starring Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, and James Ransone

I am not an avid horror follower, but Sinister intrigues me. It appears to be a clever twist on the obnoxious found footage horror trend of recent years, where the main character (Hawke) finds and studies video diaries of serial murders in his attic. That alone sounds interesting, and combined with a very strong trailer and great reaction out of its South by Southwest premiere, I think Sinister could be a nice surprise. It’s been a while since I enjoyed a new horror movie, so here’s hoping Sinister breaks the trend.

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Pitch Perfect

Release Date: October 5^th

Directed by Jason Moore; Starring Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse

I have no idea whether or not this film has a shot at being good, especially after watching the erratic trailer. But Anna Kendrick is one of my absolute favorite young actresses, and I will watch her in just about anything, especially when she has a starring role. I trust her earnest energy will do the project wonders, given that it is, in fact, the tale of a super-competitive college a-capella group.

That could be a comedically resonant premise, though I may be biased, as I sang in one of these groups in High School and may one day have to work out the deep-seated psychological trauma by writing a scathing sitcom on the subject. Until I reach my breaking point, however, Pitch Perfect will have to suffice, and I hope its observations on a-capella nonsense are smart and insightful, rather than lazy and surface-level as the trailer suggests.

Butter

Release Date: October 5^th

Directed by Jim Field Smith; Starring Jennifer Garner, Ty Burrell, Olivia Wilde, Rob Corddry, Ashley Greene, Alicia Silverstone, Hugh Jackman, and Yara Shahidi

Here’s the lone film on our Fall Movie Preview that I don’t have to speculate about, because I saw it almost a full year ago at the Starz Denver Film Festival. You can read my full review of the film here, but for now, let me just say that this will be the best comedy of 2012 so far, a fun and insightful political satire with a simple, down-to-earth message that is far from inflammatory.

Set in the competitive world of Iowa butter carving, the film pits competitive, entitled local activist Laura Picker (Garner) against Destiny (Shahidi), a young orphan girl interested only in discovering her talents. The film handles political allegory well, has plenty of sharp and hilarious writing, and features an immensely talented ensemble cast. Butter is definitely one to watch out for.

Continue the Preview on the next page…