*Fun Fact: Check the release dates of the best
horror movies from the last few years. Very few of them were released in
October. That month is almost entirely reserved for safer studio horror movies.
2017
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sep
2016
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec
2015
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sep
2016
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec
2015
2014
2013
10/6
A young blade runner tracks down Deckard, who has
been missing for thirty years, while uncovering a dangerous secret.
Working For It: Just the curiosity of someone making
a Blade Runner sequel after 35 years is enough, kind of like seeing Tron
Legacy wasn't a debate for me either. This film has assembled quite a cast.
They got back Harrison Ford, which is key. Ryan Gosling is a good choice for
most things, including this. Jared Leto looks like an interesting villain. I
don't know what to expect from Robin Wright, Ana de Armas, or Mackenzie Davis,
but I'm sure it's good things. Director Denis Villeneuve appears to have a
vision for this and he's an interesting director to handle this material.
Working Against It: There's a decent argument that
nothing can be gained from returning to this story and answering questions that
film nerds have debated for decades. Additionally, I like Denis Villeneuve a
lot, although I haven't actually loved any of his films. That's odd.
My Position: I'm just too curious to skip it.
Kate Winslet, Idris Elba, and a dog survive a plane
crash on a snow covered mountain and have to find a way to get rescued.
Working For It: Kate Winslet, Idris Elba, and a dog.
Working Against It: I can't say I know the director
for anything. I feel like I've seen this exact movie before. I'm also a little
irritated by the punny-ness of the name.
My Position: I feel no urgency to see this.
An evil pony wants to take the magic from the other
ponies.
Working For It: The voice cast includes Emily Blunt,
Michael Pena, and Liev Schreiber who are all people I like.
Working Against It: I'm not a "bro-ny". I
don't care about My Little Pony. The film appears to be heavily weighted
toward children on the family/children's movie spectrum.
My Position: I'll need a lot more evidence to be
convinced that this is worth seeing.
A home invasion movie about a babysitter and the
boys she's watching who decide to strike back.
Working For It: That description doesn't do it
justice. This is a violent, deranged take on the genre. It's kind of like
"what if the robbers from Home Alone got injured a realistic
amount on all the traps?". This is one of those Fantastic Fest "blood
for sport" kind of movies. I think it's an amusing enough concept with
some very dark humor. Also, in a fun bit of casting, it reunites the kids from TheVisit.
Working Against It: It's likely to cross a violence
threshold that is too much for me.
My Position: I don't imagine it will get much of an
expansion in theaters. It's a little early for a Christmas movie of any kind.
Honestly, I'll be tracking this down eventually but I'm in no hurry.
A nature documentary about Earth.
Working For It: Basically, this is the movie
treatment of Planet Earth 2. So, if you want to see pretty nature
footage on a big screen, here you go.
Working Against It: If I could've already seen it in
Planet Earth 2, do I really need to see it again?
My Position: Only for diehard nature-doc fans, which I
can't believe is a large group.
Follow the summer adventures of a little girl
growing up in a motel in Orlando.
Working For It: It's Sean Baker's follow-up to the
micro-budget Tangerine in 2015. It's one of the more buzzed about movies
of the last few months. It's distributed by A24 which has rapidly established
itself as the most interesting studio around. Willem Dafoe is supposed to be
fantastic as is the little girl at the center of the film, Brooklynn Price.
Working Against It: If I'm reaching for something, I
could say that I didn't fall for Tangerine as hard as some people. I
liked it. It just didn't blow me away. Even that's a facile strike against The
Florida Project though.
My Position: This is likely to be in the discussion for
awards throughout the rest of the year. That alone gives it an urgency that a
lot of other films lack. And the movie looks pretty good.
Two brothers return to their home town for the first
time after years of running away from their past.
Working For It: I don't know anyone in this or
anyone behind the camera. I'm not sure I've seen anything distributed by
Freestyle Releasing. In fact, the only reason I'm mentioning this at all is
because I love the hunt for the next religious sleeper hit. I'm not sure this
will be that movie, but I'm intrigued by what actually looks like a religious
movie with an edge. It's still only PG13 and the trailer may be promising
something a lot more severe than the film can deliver, but I keep waiting for
a religious film that's willing to actually get a little dirty.
Working Against It: As I mentioned, almost
everything about it is working against it to make me interested.
My Position: What's supposed to pull me in about this?
The trailer doesn't actually say that much.
A family finds a stray dog and their life is changed
for the better.
Working For It: I like dogs.
Working Against It: This is like a generic ADog's Purpose and A Dog's Purpose was already a generic Marley
and Me.
My Position: It's not a hard no. It's a complete apathy.
A grown woman tracks down the man she had a
relationship with when she was 13 who then disappeared.
Working For It: I'm pretty intrigued by this. It
could go in a lot of directions. Some could be interesting. Some could be a
complete mess. Rooney Mara plays the woman. I've determined that she is good in
everything. Ben Mendelsohn is the man. While I tired of Bloodline, he
was great in it. Emmy Winner Riz Ahmed's in this too. I've liked him since Nightcrawler.
This cast really drives my interest.
Working Against It: Really, this could be a big
mess. It can't take a pro stance on the situation, but going too strong anti
would be pretty dull too.
My Position: This is worth waiting a little while to see
if it's savaged in the reviews.
10/13
A man whose daughter was killed in a bombing
terrorizes the government official he believes isn't investigating it enough.
Working For It: Jackie Chan vs. Pierce Brosnan. From
the director of Goldeneye and The Mask of Zorro and a screenplay
by the writer of Enemy of the State. It's feeling pretty 1990s right
now. Honestly, this looks like it has a nice throwback feel with a bit of a
modern look. It could be fun.
Working Against It: It's hardly an original premise
(Taken meets Law Abiding Citizen). It will only go as far as
Jackie Chan's stunts will take it.
My Position: I'm not sure I need to see something with a
humorless Jackie Chan.
A college student gets killed every day and keeps
reliving her death until she can figure out who is killing her.
Working For It: This movie has a great pitch.
There's a lot of potential for scares or even subversion of horror tropes.
Working Against It: This movie needs to be really
clever or executed really well. I'm already turned off by the PG13 rating,
because it's hard to pull off anything genuinely scary under those MPAA
guidelines. This movie looks like it's trying to have some fun with the Groundhog
Day device, but that's harder than it looks, especially because people will
immediately compare it to Groundhog Day.
My Position: I'm not inclined to believe the film will
match up to the high degree of difficulty to pull it off.
A young, badass Thurgood Marshall defends a black
man accused of raping a white woman.
Working For It: If this sounds familiar, then you've
seen To Kill a Mockingbird. The big difference is that this isn't a
white savior movie. That's nice. I like Chadwick Boseman as the lead and
Sterling K. Brown, Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, Dan Stevens, and James Cromwell in
supporting roles.
Working Against It: It's from the director
of...um...Serving Sara...House Party, The Ladies Man...That's
not encouraging for this subject matter. Also, this looks like a lionized
interpretation of Marshall, which is fine, I suppose. However, it's not all
that interesting, as far as I'm concerned.
My Position: This looks pretty bland.
The story of the man behind Wonder Woman and the
relationship with his wife and mistress that inspired him.
Working For It: Luke Evans is Professor Marston and
Rebecca Hall and Bella Heathcote are the Wonder Women. Connie Britton is in the
cast too. I know nothing about this topic, which could make for a nice little
biopic.
Working Against It: Director Angela Robinson's only
film credits are Herbie Fully Loaded and D.E.B.S. Don't get me
wrong. D.E.B.S. is fun. I can't say it's compatible with this film,
necessarily. Who knows, maybe she just hasn't been given the right opportunities
until now.
My Position: I kind of feel like the pitch is more
enticing than the final product.
A man is taken down by polio and his wife shows him
how to live again.
Working For It: It's a potential Oscar player,
starring Claire Foy (The Crown) and Andrew Garfield (the Spider-Man,
circa 2012-2014). It's also Andy Serkis' directorial debut and
looks like it's pulled directly from an Oscar playbook. In fact, it really
looks like The Theory of Everything - A Beautiful Mind (a formula
I'm certain to use when I write my Reaction). Still, I like Foy and Garfield.
Working Against It: The story really does feel
pretty tired. It's also like a prestige version of Me Without You.
Really, I can't stop coming up with movies that it reminds me of.
My Position: Honestly, I owe it to Serkis to see this.
And, if I saw The Light Between Oceans, I'm seeing this, right?
The story of the man who wrote Winnie the Pooh
and his relationship with his son who inspired him to write the stories.
Working For It: Personally, I'm looking at this as
an About Time reunion for Domhnall Gleeson and Margot Robbie. That may
not work for everyone though. I'm not sure if I like Gleeson as an actor or for
how well he picks projects. I struggle to think of a movie he's been in that I
didn't like, although he's not my favorite part of a lot of them. I'm a big fan
of Robbie too, although I'll admit that I don't know how much of that is
because I think she's a great actress and how much is because she's gorgeous.
It's more the former than the latter, but it's impossible to say the exact
proportions. Regardless, she's in the movie. Kelly Macdonald too, who is nearly
always great. Phoebe Waller-Bridge as well. I just watched Fleabag on
Amazon, so I'm a fan of her now. I liked director Simon Curtis' film My Week
with Marilyn. I like that the only other writing credit for one of the two
credited screenwriters is a TV movie called "A Bear Named Winnie",
which I choose to believe means this film was developed by a superfan.
Working Against It: This could be a very sleepy
movie. Films about people writing books don't have the best track record. It
turns out, watching someone write a book isn't all that exciting.
My Position: I think the casting makes it a must-see,
even if the film ends up being a bore.
An old woman tells the story of her affair with a
priest during WWII.
Working For It: It's another Rooney Mara movie. She
plays the woman in flashbacks and Vanessa Redgrave plays her in the present.
Theo James is the hunky priest. Eric Bana is who she tells her story to in old
age. There's also something about what happens to the son she had with the
priest. It think it's something bad. Something about a cover-up. It's one of
those "based on an international best seller that no one's heard of"
movies. Directed by Jim Sheridan, who is the go to director if you want
something Irish.
Working Against It: Is it OK if I say I just don't
care? It's a good cast, good director, and looks competently made. I'm just not
sucked in by this story. It's one part Philomena, one part Thorn
Birds.
My Position: Just as soon as I get to The Promise
and The Zookeeper's Wife.
10/20
In a near future in which we control the weather,
something goes wrong and creates a super-storm.
Working For It: I guess if you like disaster movies,
here you go.
Working Against It: Gerard Butler has become that
guy you get for an action movie when you need name recognition but don't want
to put a lot of money into the movie. I'm not a huge fan of disaster movies,
because the bar is set so high for the spectacle to make up for the other elements.
The trailer sounds convoluted.
My Position: Just, no.
Firefighters in Arizona try to stop a wildfire.
Based on a true story.
Working For It: I would've bet money on this being a
Pete Berg movie (as a producer, at least). It's not. It turns out that it's
from the director of Tron Legacy and Oblivion instead. That's
fine too. With Miles Teller, Josh Brolin, Jeff Bridges, and Taylor Kitsch among
the firefighters, the decision is nearly out of my hands.
Working Against It: This is a tricky kind of movie
to pull off, especially since it's based on actual events. Pete Berg pulled
something similar off with Deepwater Horizon last year, which I liked a
lot. I'm not sure if Joeseph Kosinski is the right director to mix the
sentimentality with the spectacle.
My Position: I'll be looking for a reason to not see it,
but it's probably an inevitability with that cast.
Working For It: It could be...OK.
Working Against It: Renee Zellweger, Greg Kinnear,
Djimon Hounsou, and Jon Voight is a killer cast in 1998. Not so much now. And,
maybe I'm wrong, but isn't this a textbook "Magic negro" movie? I'm
kind of shocked that's still a thing, at least, this overtly. Normally they
dress it up a little, or try to invert the dynamic some.
My Position: Hard no.
Michael Fassbender is a detective tracking down a
serial killer with a penchant for playing in the snow.
Working For It: This is another international best
seller that I've never heard of that getting adapted into a movie. Fassbender
is the big draw. It has a strong supporting cast too, namely Rebecca Ferguson,
JK Simmons, Chloe Sevigny, and Val Kilmer. Director Tomas Alfredson doesn't
work a lot, but his last two films - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Let
the Right One In - have been pretty good and appear to match tones with
this.
Working Against It: I'm pretty bored of genius
mastermind serial killer stories. Between TV and movies, the market has been
saturated over the last decade. There's nothing all that special about the
movie based on the trailer other than the pedigree of the people involved.
Perhaps this will be like Wind River though: a great movie that can't be
sold by a trailer.
My Position: I see no reason to hurry and see this.
More Madea shenanigans with a Halloween theme.
Working For It: You know the drill by now. Tyler
Perry isn't looking to make any converts. After Boo! A Madea Halloween
did surprisingly well in a barren October last year. They wasted no time
churning another one out. If the trailers are any indication, there appears to
be no drop off in quality with the sequel.
Working Against It: I think I've put in my due
diligence. I've seen enough of Perry's movies with and without Madea to say
that they just aren't for me. Horror comedy is a tough sell already, especially
when going broad and big.
My Position: Perhaps, if all the theaters in Louisville
and all surrounding cities burn down, except for one theater, that lost all
their movies reels or files except for this one, I'd see it. Then again, is it
that important that I keep my "one movie every week" streak going?
I've only kept it going since August of 2012.
After the death of his wife, a man moves with his
son to a new town for a new teaching job.
Working For It: This is a pretty ideal indie movie
cast. JK Simmons is the father. I don't recognize the actor who plays the son.
Julie Delpy, Kevin Dunn, and Odeya Rush are in it too. This film looks like
it's following the indie movie formula that has gotten me to see many similar
movies.
Working Against It: This really does feel like a
movie I've seen before. People will call it a dramady even though it's really
just a drama that has a couple people who are more associated with comedies in
it.
My Position: This is the kind of movie I'm certain to
track down eventually, although I'm in no hurry.
A teenager gets revenge on the family of the doctor
who treated his father before his death.
Working For It: It's director Yorgos Lanthimos'
follow-up to The Lobster and it looks intense. It's a revenge story in
which the antagonist is the one getting the revenge [I think. Maybe Collin
Farrell is asking for it]. I get the feeling that the trailer only touches the
surface of everything going on. It's got Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell back
together after The Beguiled this summer. Alicia Silverson and Bill Camp
too. It's a weird cast.
Working Against It: I didn't care for The Lobster
all that much. I got what it was doing. I could see how other people would like
it. I can even see how it looks like other movies I do like. I just didn't care
for it for some reason. That's my only exposure to Lanthimos so far.
My Position: There's enough pedigree behind this to make
it a priority, and it really does look wild.
The story of a boy and a girl separated by 50 years
yet somehow linked.
Working For It: It's Todd Haynes' follow-up to Carol,
which is a movie that has grown on me since I first saw it. It's got Julianne
Moore and Michelle Williams, so you know that will be good. I'm also curious
because it's not that often that a PG non-animated movie is looked at as a
potential Oscar player.
Working Against It: I know more about the concept of
the film than the execution of it.
My Position: Maybe this could be another Hugo.
I'm excited.
10/27
When a woman gets her sight back, it puts strain on
her marriage.
Working For It: This might be a horror movie, and
the fact that the trailer is a little vague about it makes me even more
curious. Blake Lively and Jason Clarke are the central couple. Yvonne
Strahovski shows up too. It's from director Mark Forster, who directed my
beloved Stranger Than Fiction. That alone should lock this up.
Working Against It: OK, I know the marketing
department is to blame for this, but it does annoy me that Stranger Than
Fiction isn't one of the movies referenced in the trailer. Also, this
premise, with horror overtones could be a mess pretty easily. Despite my love
of Stranger Than Fiction, Forster doesn't have the greatest track record
over the last decade.
My Position In a less crowded weekend, I'd make a point
to see this.
The sadistic lethal puzzlemaster Jigsaw is
back...maybe.
Working For It: The Spierig brothers are behind this
installment in the Saw franchise. They made the excellent Predestination
a couple years ago, and if they can bring that cleverness to this Saw
revival then that could be pretty good.
Working Against It: I really dislike the Saw
franchise. On a personal level, I don't have the stomach for the movies and get
no joy out watching them. Of the four that I've seen - a friend insists that
parts 5-7 have a good arc to them. I remain unconvinced - only the first movie
aspired to more than being "torture porn".
My Position: I guess I could be bound by my Club 50
oath to see this eventually, but there is no chance in hell I'll be seeing it
otherwise.
An idyllic suburban town is rocked by a wave of
violence after a home invasion.
Working For It: George Clooney directs a film from a
Coen brothers screenplay starring Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, and Oscar Isaac.
This dark comedy sells itself.
Working Against It: To be fair, Clooney has mixed
results as a director, there's some evidence that only the Coen brothers can do
a Coen brothers script justice, and all the actors have some stinkers in their
filmography, even in the last few years. This isn't a sure thing.
My Position: If you like all the ingredients, the odds
are, you'll like the meal. That's my mindset for this film.
An army officer has trouble with PTSD when he
returns home.
Working For It: Jason Hall adapts another book about
an American solider (the first was American Sniper), and this time, he
directs it too. Miles Teller is the lead and I like him more than his filmography
probably deserves. The supporting cast is an eclectic one, featuring everyone
from Haley Bennett to Keisha Castle-Hughes to Amy Schumer.
Working Against It: How many versions of the
"soldiers return from war with PTSD" story do we really need? I mean,
the cream always rises. If this is made well, I'm sure I'll like it. But, this
is a pretty saturated market over the last decade or two.
My Position: I'm happy to wait on this one.
Thomas Hayden Church moves in with Domhnall Gleeson,
who fell in love with Church's wife (Christina Applegate) after a one night
stand she had to get back at him.
Working For It: It's a convoluted premise, but a
good one for a comedy. The screenwriter is pretty new and the director is
Alexander Payne's longtime editor, directing his first film in nearly three
decades. The film also has Nina Dobrev, who I've like since Degrassi. I
don't think this film will be very good, but it's light enough that I'll enjoy
watching it.
Working Against It: I see few outcomes from this
premise that end up being more than messy and amusing. I haven't seen Gleeson
in a pure comedy yet. He's done some sketches that are good. That's about it
though.
My Position: I'm pretty motivated to track this down for
some reason.
Nuns struggle with their faith during the Vatican II
reforms in the 1960s.
Working For It: It helps that I was raised Catholic
and know all about Vatican II. The more exciting aspect of this Sundance film
is the cast, which is overflowing with up-and-coming and established talent. In
that respect, it looks a lot like the female equivalent of The Stanford
Prison Experiment. Margaret Qualley (The Leftovers), Liana Liberato
(The Best of Me, If I Stay), and Morgan Saylor (Homeland)
are names you'll probably come by more in the future. Surely Diana Agron has
some life left in her career after Glee. This film is being sold on the
strength of Melissa Leo's performance as the head of the convent.
Working Against It: It might be too "inside
baseball" for non-Catholics or non-lapsed Catholics. A lot of this film
will be riding on the performances. The story looks pretty tame and the
direction and photography hardly seem adventurous.
My Position: I'm pretty excited for this.I haven't
figured out why.
Swedish dark comedy about a modern art museum and
the eccentrics who gravitate to it.
Working For It: Despite being a foreign movie, it
has Elisabeth Moss and Dominic West. It won the Palm d'Or at Cannes. The humor
looks to do a good job of mocking the intellectual class. It's from the
director of Force Majeure, who did something similar in that film as
well.
Working Against It: Winning the Palm d'Or doesn't
mean much to my taste. I've only seen a handful of winners. I liked some, hated
others, and feel indifferent about the rest.
My Position: Emmy Winner Elisabeth Moss probably pushes
it over the edge enough to be worth seeing.
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