Fall Movie Preview: September

September 3

After the void that was this year’s summer movie season, we’re jumping right back into things with a few interesting releases. The American (September 1), Anton Corbijn’s follow-up to 2007’s Control, stars George Clooney as an assassin on the run. The “one last job” plotline is so hackneyed at this point, but if there are two people who can make a stylish thriller, it’s probably Corbijn and Clooney. Also in wide release is the romantic comedy Going the Distance, starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, which got bumped back from late August. Robert Rodriguez’ highly anticipated (for reasons unknown to me) Machete also hits theatres.

In limited release, The Winning Season stars Sam Rockwell and Emma Roberts, and it seems to be a full-length riff on the basketball coach storyline from director James C. Strouse’s previous writing effort, Lonesome Jim. In foreign fare, director Zhang Yimou gives us his update on Blood Simple with A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop.

September 10

The Resident Evil franchise barrels on with the latest release, Resident Evil: Afterlife, while comedic dream team Will Farrell and Adam McKay bring us their latest production, The Virginity Hit.

In limited release is the much-buzzed-about Joaquin Phoenix documentary (?), I’m Still Here, which likely will answer very few of our questions about Phoenix’s recent antics. We’ll also get a couple of top-notch ensemble casts with Lovely, Still (starring Martin Landau, Ellen Burstyn, Elizabeth Banks, and Adam Scott), and The Romantics (starring Anna Paquin, Katie Holmes, Josh Duhamel, Adam Brody, Malin Ackerman, Elijah Wood, and Diana Agron. How’s that for a sickeningly attractive cast? Well, the movie itself looks equally sticky and insufferable).

September 17

This week, we’ll see a slew of interesting, completely disparate releases. Alpha and Omega, the 3D animated children’s film brings us a voice cast of Christina Ricci, Justin Long, Danny Glover, and the late Dennis Hopper. Devil brings an M. Night Shyamalan story to life (wait, isn’t the story usually the weak point of every Shyamalan-written film?) and stars the charming Chris Messsina. Easy A is a welcome, promising showcase piece for up-and-comer Emma Stone and co-stars Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Thomas Hayden Church, and Lisa Kudrow. We’ll also see two major actors take a seat in front of and behind the camera, with Ben Affleck’s The Town (his directorial follow-up to Gone Baby Gone), and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Jack Goes Boating (his directorial debut, in limited release) hitting theatres.

Never Let Me Go (September 15), an adaptation of the acclaimed Kazuo Ishiguro novel, offers a promising cast, with Andrew Garfield, Carey Mulligan, and Keira Knightley all taking on the sci-fi-twinged tale. Also in limited release is the Sundance hit, Catfish, which got audiences buzzing about its low budget, supposedly non-fictional take on internet love gone awry.

September 24

Though last year’s Whatever Works caused some movie-goers to give up on him entirely, Woody Allen is back with a new comedy, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (September 22)(starring Josh Brolin, Naomi Watts, Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Bandera, and Freida Pinto). And speaking of big-name directors, Oliver Stone returns with Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Michael Douglas reprises his iconic role of Gordon Gekko, and Shia LaBoeuf, Carey Mulligan, and Josh Brolin hope to add their own charms to the franchise. On his time off between Watchmen and Sucker Punch, Zack Snyder made Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, a children’s film about owls, and it also hits theatres this week, as does You Again, a rom-com starring Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Sigourney Weaver.

In limited release, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Half Nelson) bring us their adaptation of Ned Vizzini’s It’s Kind of a Funny Story, which could provide Zach Galifianakis’ meatiest role to date. Ryan Reynolds also takes a turn for the serious with Buried, a one-man thriller about a soldier buried alive in a coffin. As well, we’ll get to see James Franco in his first of two headlining projects this fall, playing poet Allen Ginsberg in Howl. Also finally getting a North American theatrical release is the trippy French film, Enter the Void, which has been playing on the festival circuit for over a year.

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Movie Trailer/Poster Round-Up

As we sift through a cinematically awful summer, at least the studio execs are giving us something to get excited about. Forget Knight and Day and Salt – all the good stuff’s coming out in the last four months of the year. Here’s a look at some recently released trailers and movie posters that have me excited.

**And as a side-note, happy 100th post to me! I could also talk about how I’m approaching my 1-year blog anniversary, but let’s just get back to the movies…**

The Social Network (October 1)

Better known as “the Facebook movie”, David Fincher’s The Social Network (based on Ben Mezrich’s The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal) is making waves for its ultra-current subject matter. I love the first poster that they’ve released (the famous Facebook bar is great, and the photo and font are bold), and hopefully this means that a trailer is right around the corner.

Somewhere (December 22)

As I saw someone mention online, this trailer for Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere makes it look as though she’s halved the ages of her protagonists from Lost in Translation and made a rather similar movie. But by the looks of this gorgeous trailer, that’s not a bad thing at all. Even though Marie Antoinette was considered a bit of a flop (I never saw it), here’s hoping that Somewhere lives up to Coppola’s potential.

Never Let Me Go (October 1)

October 1 is shaping up to be a good day for Times Likes Those favourite Andrew Garfield (who also co-stars in The Social Network), and his work here in Never Let Me Go looks quite promising. I’ve heard about the major plot point that the trailer for Never Let Me Go alludes to, and without giving it away for those who wish to go in blind, it sounds like it’ll be a very interesting movie.

The American (September 1)

I already wrote about the trailer, which was released a few weeks ago, but this striking vintage-inspired poster for Anton Corbijn’s The American is certainly worth mentioning.

Conviction (October 15)

Formerly titled Betty Anne Waters (why did they switch to such an anonymous title?), this movie looks like Oscar bait epitomized (and it reminds me of a certain viral spoof). But nonetheless, with Sam Rockwell on board (in a role that looks like it could garner some serious awards consideration), and Juliette Lewis along for the ride, I’m intrigued.

Trailer Alert: The American (2010)

The trailer for one of my most anticipated films of 2010, The American (director Anton Corbijn’s follow-up to 2007’s fantastic Control), has just been released. The movie isn’t slated for release until September 1.

I really like the look of The American. The trailer is much darker and less Bourne-y than I had expected, but it looks like a great role for Clooney. The trailer is very well put together and taught, and this movie will likely be just as visually intriguing as Control.