Monthly movie mania: September edition
August 28, 2013
Welcome back to the second edition of our monthly movie preview guide, if you want to read the August version, click here.
Riddick is the fourth film about this character, but it is more so to prove that Vin is a badass. This new film looks to be closer to “Pitch Black” than “Chronicles of Riddick,” which means we might actually end up with a decent movie.
“Insidious: Chapter 2“ 09/13/13 (Trailer)
The Lambert family just can’t catch a break in “Insidious: Chapter 2,” as they have continued to be haunted by a supernatural force that is out to make their lives generally unpleasant. If you liked the first “Insidious” movie, Chapter 2 is bringing a lot of the same ideas back to the table. It’s directed by James Wan, director of “Saw” and “The Conjuring,” and as a result the film promises to bring some creepy imagery and with its PG-13 rating, a teenage-approved amount of horror goofiness that Wan generally brings with him to a feature. I would recommend seeing the first “Insidious” film before the sequel, as the trailers promise answers to some plot details that hopefully will be expanded upon in “Insidious: Chapter 2.”
“The Family“ 09/13/13 (Trailer)
“The Family” looks like it has a lot of good things going for it. It stars Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones. It is a dysfunctional family. It is a mob story set in France. It is directed by Luc Besson, who brought us “The Fifth Element” and “Leon: The Professional.” And finally, Martin Scorsese is an executive producer. With so much talent involved, I think it has the chance of being one of the best movies in September, and as you see, there is not much competition this month. The only thing working against the films success is that it hasn’t had much advertising, so people just might not know what it is.
“Prisoners“ 09/20/13 (Trailer)
“Prisoners” is a film full of moral questions and doubt, setting up some excellent performances by a cast full of Academy Award nominees. Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal are leading the pack as a father whose daughter was kidnapped and the detective on the case respectively. Both actors are full of tension, confusion and anger in the trailer over accused kidnapper Alex Jones (Paul Dano) and their inability to find clear answers.
“Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2“ 09/27/13 (Trailer)
“Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs” ended up being a surprise comedy hit in 2009, it had comedy and humor the whole family would enjoy. A sequel, not based on a book anymore, decided to make a movie full of animal/food combination puns. “Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2” is the only CGI movie coming out this month, after a summer where we were flooded with them. It will have been about seven weeks since “Planes,” so needless to say, movie goers have been waiting for a good animated film for some time.
Although not about the Canadian rock band as I first hoped when I began hearing about the project, “Rush” still caught my interest. The film is based on the no holds barred rivalry between Formula One drivers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl), two racers driven by starkly different methods and personalities. Ron Howard seems to have done the racing scenes well, and the off-track trials the two racers deal with look to deliver an enjoyable end of summer drama for racing fans and nonfans alike.
Like a lot of people, I have learned to love Joseph Gordon-Levitt. After “Looper,” “50/50” and “Inception,” he has basically catapulted himself. So when we found out he had written and directed his own movie, “Don Jon,”I got excited. He was also able to get Scarlett Johansson as the main female lead. If anyone was going to make a story about a guy who cared about fitness, family and webcam porno models, I guess it made sense to be Joseph Gordon-Levitt. If he succeeds in the directing/writing format, then Joseph Gordon-Levitt will cement himself into a very bright and long future.
As this guide is merely a preview, make sure you check back every week for reviews on all these movies and more.
