Part II Fall Movie Preview - October

Part II of the fall preview. Predictably this segment focuses on films released in October. There are some good films here but all in all not too interesting a month. Half of the horror films already came out in September to give them a good Halloween lead in, and the big holiday films and most of the big awards contenders are still a few weeks off. Still there are a number of interesting films that should keep business hopping at the box-office.

October 5th
The Squid and the Whale - People get divorced, kids have to cope, this sounds depressing.

October 7th
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit -Dreamworks
The award winning duo of two animated shorts finally get their own feature film. The creative team had a chance to work out how things work in the film Chicken Run. I liked the humor of Chicken Run, though I may be the only one. This claymation film has some good buzz and seems like it will be good on content which is often overlooked in children’s programming.
In Her Shoes -20th Century Fox
Haven’t we had enough of beautiful women sleeping their way through the populace and then trying to reconnect with the rest of us? I guess not. This one has Chick Flick written all over it.
The Gospel -Sony Pictures
I lived across from a gospel church and though the music is impressive and the experience vastly different from my own, I don’t see there being a slot on my fall movie card for this film. This movie seem like it will play well to a very specific audience.
Two For the Money -Universal Studios
Matthew McConaughey as a golden boy betting agent and Al Pacino chewing the scenery as the devil, I mean his mentor. Somehow I feel like I’ve seen these characters before played by these same actors. I still don’t get the whole gambling is legal except that it isn’t basis for the film. But this film is probably polished and has all of its pieces in the right places, after all, theses guys have all been here before.
Waiting - Another R rated comedy could be a good thing as evidenced by Wedding Crashers and 50 year Old Virgin, but the premise of people working at a chain restaurant doesn’t thrill me. The preview had better be good if they want to rope me in.

October 11th
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (limited) -Warner Brothers
I’m a little confused about the release date since I have seen some press clips show this as September 16th. See September preview for comments on this film.

October 14th
Elizabethtown Paramount Pictures
Though I was disappointed in Orlando Bloom’s starring turn in Kingdom of Heaven I still have high hopes that if he gets out of the costume dramas he can shine. Plus, I may still be of the impression that director Cameron Crowe can do no wrong since he hasn’t disappointed me yet. But the buzz from the Toronto Film Festival wasn’t promising and Crowe is re-editting the film mere weeks before the release.
The Fog -Sony Pictures
Looks better than the original and stars two up and coming television stars, Maggie Grace and Tom Welling. But the film doesn’t have its original director Carpenter, and I just can’t get into the scary fog.
Good Night, and Good Luck -Warner Independent Pictures
The liberal slant and the fact that the film is in black and white might be a turnoff for many but the interplay between newsman Edward R Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s is a gripping true story and I’m hooked on seeing yet another portrayal of it.
North Country -Warner Brothers
Yes it is a women’s lib story, yes Charlize Theron doesn’t wear much glamorous makeup, yes it is a bit Norma Rae, but it still looks like an interesting story of the first sexual-harassment case in the US. Plus it looks like it will offer the generally famished ranks of the Oscar categories for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress some meaty roles.
Domino -new Line Cinema
Yes pretty girls with guns is sexy. Plus women bounty hunters is a not often canvassed film topic and Domino Harvey did make some interesting decisions to lead an unconventional life. Domino marks the first of a number of Kiera Knightly appearances this fall.

October 21st
Doom -Universal Studios
Another film based on a video game. I would hope that there is a real story and some real characters here, but I doubt it. Look for explosions, hideous corpses, and lots of gore.
Stay -20th Century Fox
I like psychological thrillers and I like Ewan McGregor. This is one of the number of films this fall shot a few years ago that is just finding its way to the screen. Films that jump around in time tend to be tricky and risk losing the audience. Lets hope that audiences can keep up with Stay.
Shopgirl -Touchstone Pictures
Steve Martin brings his book to the big screen and I can’t wait. Martin has shown a cutting wit and a subtlety that belies the Wild and Crazy Guy of old and I couldn’t be more thrilled.
Dreamer: Inspired By a True Story - Dakota Fanning and horses, add a puppy and a unicorn and it is every little girl’s fantasy and enough to send the rest of us into sugar shock.

October 28th
The Weatherman -Paramount Pictures
The Weatherman seems like an interesting midlife crisis film led by Nicholas Cage. Perhaps this is the quirky Nicholas Cage film for this year. It will remain to be seen if the film remains offbeat and fun like matchstick Men or wallows in a pool saccharine melodrama like the Family Man.
Saw II -Lions Gate films Inc
I didn’t see Saw and I have no intention of seeing Saw 2. Starring perhaps the lesser of the two Wahlbergs Saw II presumably picks up where the first film left off as a psychological slasher flick.
Prime -universal Studios
Meryl Streep hasn’t been in anything in the past two decades that I really liked and I can’t see a comedy anchored by Streep and Thurman both of whom seem to have a tin ear for comedy leading a cast in a film about shrinks and dating. This seems to be trying to recreate the magic of Something’s Gotta Give but that is as likely as a lightning strike.
The Legend of Zorro -Sony Pictures
This film was a long time coming and though it is expected to be formulaic, the characters created last time were so much fun that I am willing to take the ride again without reservation.
Three Extremes - Is anyone besides me getting tired of pale faced yelling Japanese kids and women with straggly long wet hair popping out at you for cheap scares? This film was released in 2004 in most of the rest of the world.

Related posts:

1. Part III Fall Movie Preview - November
2. Part I Fall Movie Preview - September
3. Part IV Fall Movie Preview - December