2015
2014
2013
9/4
Working For It: The Transporter series is a simple one that doesn't need a lot of mythology or continuity to stay entertaining.
Working Against It: It's been seven years since the last movie and they aren't replacing Jason Statham with any sort of a known quantity. I don't see this going well.
Interest Level: Low
Working For It: Robert Redford and Nick Nolte hiking the Appalachian Trail. So, it'll be like a buddy movie version of Wild, but on the other side of the country, and without the flashbacks to Reese Witherspoon philandering.
Working Against It: I sort of read the book this is based off in high school, and by "soft of", I mean, I read some of it, got very bored despite Bill Bryson having an interesting voice, and never finished it. Back when it premiered at Sundance, I heard things like "The only reason this made it to Sundance is because Robert Redford started the festival". I'll probably wait until I'm in the right mood to watch this, then watch Grumpy Old Men instead.
Interest Level: Only very slightly curious in the most minimal way
Working For It: It has Chris Evans and Alice Eve as leads. I like them both. The plot description sounds like a Manhattan Before Sunrise, which could be good or bad based completely on execution. It's Chris Evans' directorial debut. That adds some curiosity.
Working Against It: Anytime the plot is "two strangers meet one night and get to know one another", it's entirely dependent on how interesting the conversation is and the people are. I haven't seen Evans or Eve is this mode and I don't know what the material they are working with is. That's a wildcard.
Interest Level: Pretty decent, but I don't expect to see it offered in theaters by me anyway.
9/11
Not much variety in the image results. That's not a good sign.
90 Minutes in HeavenWorking For It: You know the movie Heaven is Real? Imagine that with Anakin Skywalker and the woman from Blue Crush. There's If I Stay last year and Charlie St. Cloud a couple years before that. I think the studios are required to put out a movie like this between the Summer and Holiday seasons every year.
Working Against It: Did you notice how I didn't actually say anything positive about this in the "Working For It" section? I could be very wrong about how forgettable this is, but I'd bet money on it being close to exactly what I'm expecting.
Interest Level: Lower than seeing Hayden Christensen reprise his most famous role.
Working For It: It's a Screen Gems movie (think, Obsessed, with Beyonce and Ali Larter) so you know the drill. Sanaa Lathan (looking incredible for being in her 40s) dumps her longtime boyfriend and starts dating a new one. He's not what he seems. The old boyfriend comes back. Drama!
Working Against It: It's as simple as you either like Screen Gems movies or you don't. They are pretty generic thrillers with mostly black casts. It's nice to see the diversity and all, but I'm generally not interested in the stories enough to care, even with actors like Lathan, Michael Ealy, and Morris Chestnut, who I often like.
Interest Level: It would have to be a VERY slow week.
Working For It: It's a PG-13 M. Night Shyamalan horror movie about kids with creepy grandparents. Shyamalan has become a punchline these days, but some of those early movies are pretty good. The Visit looks like a return to the kind of movies he's best at.
Working Against It: It has been a very long time since he's made what I would call a good movie. After Earth was ok. Before that, maybe Signs, and that was 2002. A Shyamalan movie works best with low expectations though.
Interest Level: Moderate
Working For It: It's an indie movie about dating in the vein of When Harry Met Sally... (kind of). Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis headline it with people like Natasha Lyonne, Adam Scott, and Amanda Peet in supporting roles. It doesn't even have to be that good for me to be very likely to see it. This is Leslye Headland's follow up to Bachelorette, which I didn't love, but I did think did a lot of very interesting things with the characters.
Working Against It: With the pitch and Sudeikis being a moderately bankable star, I would've thought this could get a wider initial release. I don't know how the hell Alison Brie isn't a big star yet (the same goes for nearly anyone from Community). That's a rant for another day though. The release date and limited release worry me only a little bit.
Interest Level: Pretty damn high.
Working For It: Richard Gere plays a homeless man who tries to reconnect with his daughter, played by Jena Malone. Steve Buscemi's in there too. The director/co-writer has made a lot of movies that I've been told that I should see (Rampart, The Messenger, I'm Not There).
Working Against It: The world will forget about this movie before I have a chance to. I'm leaving it up to word of mouth and a persistent Netflix feature to get me to see this. If not that, I'd rather just think about why Jena Malone isn't in more movies/shows.
Interest Level: I can't even remember the title, and it, like, six lines up, so...
9/18
Working For It: This is supposed to be Johnny Depp's return to prominence as a serious actor. He plays a famous criminal in South Boston in the 1970s who becomes an FBI informant. It also has people like Bendict Cumberbatch, Joel Edgarton, Dakota Johnson, Kevin Bacon, and Adam Scott - Really? All those people? Ok, now I'm getting excited.
Working Against It: Scott Cooper is known for directing the movie that finally got Jeff Bridges his Oscar (Crazy Heart). He followed that up with Out of the Furnace which was the odd man out that Oscar season. I'm not sure which way this movie will go. It's one of those that has a little too much sight-unseen hype.
Interest Level: Excited, but I could see how this could go very badly.
Working For It: This is a surprisingly good cast. David Oyelowo plays a man who escapes prison and holds a single mother, Kate Mara, hostage. It's based on a true story.
Working Against It: The reason I find the cast, which also includes Michael K. Williams and Mimi Rogers, surprisingly good is that this looks like a stealth religious movie. And, it's not really stealth. The Purpose Driven Life plays a significant role in the movie. I'm not saying that that immediately makes it bad, but when was the last movie you saw with strong religious themes that didn't get derailed by them?
Interest Level: Considerably low
Working For It: I saw the first movie. This one brings the kids out of the maze and to another series of obstacles. Go figure. It looks like The Scorch Trials won't be quite the same sausage fest bringing in people like Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones), Katherine McNamara (Happyland), and Rosa Salazar (remember the pregnant girl from Parenthood?) to go along with Dylan O'Brient, Aidan Gillen, Kaya Scodelario, and the others returning.
Working Against It: The only thing really hurting this is the saturation of the market for these kinds of movies. This moves away from the gimmick (The Maze) and that's where these movies normally fall apart. You see, coming up with a hook and world-building are very different skills.
Interest Level: I mean, I imagine I'll be seeing this.
Working For It: Elle Fanning plays a teenager transitioning from a female to a male. Also features Naomi Watts and Susan Sarandon. I like those three.
Working Against It: This is going to depend entirely on how much I believe in Fanning's ability to pull this off.
Interest Level: Mild
Working For It: Another retelling of the disastrous storm in 1996 that killed many hikers trying to summit Everest. It's a blockbuster movie cast with Jake Gyllenhaal, Keira Knightley, Josh Brolin, Jason Clarke, Sam Worthington (If you have a square jaw, you are getting in this movie), John Hawkes, Elizabeth Debicki, and Robin Wright. The source material makes for an entertaining movie.
Working Against It: I've read the book. I've seen the documentary. I've watched the TV movie. I know the story of this disaster pretty well. As an audience, I'm getting tapped out. It's curious that this is starting with a limited release, because this looks like a big movie. I'm not sure if this should concern me.
Interest Level: Not as high as the mountain.
Working For It: Tobey Maguire plays Bobby Fischer preparing to face Boris Spassky in the famous match. I'm no good at chess, so I find people that are good at it pretty interesting. I'm almost certain to see this at some point.
Working Against It: I run hot (The Last Samurai, Glory, Courage Under Fire) and cold (Love & Other Drugs, The Siege, Legends of the Fall) on Edward Zwick's movies. I'm pretty sure this is closer to hot, but we'll see.
Interest Level: Higher than average
9/25
Working For It: This looks like Traffic 2. It's about an FBI agent (Emily Blunt) working for a special task force against the Mexican drug cartels. It's from the director of Prisoners, Enemy, and Incendies. It's supposed to have Benicio Del Toro's best performance in years. I don't expect this to be anything truly special, but I'm very interested in this topic.
Working Against It: There isn't much that I can find to convince me not to see this. I'm looking and I don't see anything.
Interest Level: Not sky high, but I'm certain to see it.
Working For It: Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane adopt a child whose nightmares come to life while he sleeps. It sounds like a generic enough idea. The selling point is that it's from Mike Flanagan, who made Oculus which is one of my favorite recent horror movies.
Working Against It: In general, the idea isn't the determining factor for whether or not a horror movie is good. It's all about the execution. I have little concern over if Flanagan can make a good movie. I don't have repeated evidence of that, which it the smallest of sticking points.
Interest Level: High, despite being based on little evidence
Working For It: It's an Eli Roth movie about college students who go to the Amazon to protest, and things don't go so well for them. I don't recognize any of the actors by name, which is fine, because most of them are going to be redshirts anyway.
Working Against It: Eli Roth movies are kind of fun sometimes (I got more enjoyment out of Cabin Fever than I expected). Normally though, the hyper-violence isn't quite my tempo.
Interest Level: Low
Working For It: The first Hotel Transylvania was a hit back in 2012. I enjoyed it well enough in its limited aspirations. This has another solid voice cast of Happy Madison regulars and Selena Gomez, Andy Samburg, and Nick Offerman.
Working Against It: I have no ill will towards this movie. The first didn't wow me. The second looks very similar. I'll take my time.
Interest Level: Middling
Working For It: Robert De Niro is a retiree who decides to become an intern for a fashion magazine run by Anne Hathaway. Let's start with this. I'll be watching this as a stealth sequel to The Devil Wears Prada. That's happening. Don't fight it. I've apparently seen almost all of Nancy Meyers' movies (including What Women Want, The Holiday, and It's Complicated). This is a face-value movie that looks genial enough to eventually see. I like Hathaway. I like De Niro. There's not much more to it than that.
Working Against It: I wouldn't say I've loved any of Meyers' movies (although she did write the Father of the Bride screenplays, which comes close). It's more accurate to say that I don't mind seeing them.
Interest Level: Mild. There's no urgency.
Working For It: Andrew Garfield plays a father who gets evicted from his home and starts working for the man who evicted him, played by Michael Shannon, who has a very 2010s Gordon Gecko vibe to him. It's a theoretical awards player for this year.
Working Against It: I absolutely have no desire to see this movie. Until someone comes up with a new or interesting angle on the "evil businessman" trope, I simply don't care. It's the same story every damn time. No thanks.
Interest Level: I'll only be seeing this if it somehow gets some major Oscar nominations.
Working For It: This is a Rolland Emmerich (ID4, The Day After Tomorrow, 2012) passion project about the Stonewall Riots in 1969 in New York City, which is one of the pivotal moments in the gay liberation movement. With people like Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Ron Perlman, Jeremy Irvine, and Joey King, it's hardly an A-List cast, but it is a pretty good one.
Working Against It: This one doesn't look like it's going to please anyone. It's being advertised like a hippy love-fest (seriously, look at that picture). Emmerich might be a tad too epic for the scale of the movie. It seems to be rewriting some of the key events. I'm curious about it and would like to see it turn out well, I'm just not convinced yet.
Interest Level: I'll probably see it eventually but I'm willing to wait if reviews are negative.
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