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Ten Fall Films to See (and Five to Avoid)
Yes to Harry Potter, no to Yogi Bear
Ron and Harry (Photo: MTV.com)
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With all due respect to Resident Evil: Afterlife, today is the official beginning of the fall movie season. That means we won’t have to deal with cinematic afterthoughts like Takers or, well, Resident Evil: Afterlife. Fall is the best season for films because a) if studios want a chance at winning an Academy Award, their film has to be released around now, and b) there are blockbusters, but nothing like the garbage that’s released during the summer. Of course, because it’s Hollywood, there are some awful films set to come out between now and December, but they’re more than outnumbered by movies that you don’t mind paying $12 for.
Here are 10 films Encore can’t wait to see—and five to avoid:
Buried
September 24
Ryan Reynolds plays an American truck driver working in Iraq who, after an attack, wakes up buried in a coffin six feet under. All he has on him is a lighter, a knife and a cell phone. Reynolds certainly has come a long way since Van Wilder, and he’s been getting fantastic press for his role in Buried. It’s rare to find a good claustrophobic film (remember Event Horizon?), but this might be one of them.
The Social Network
October 1
If only one out of every 20 Facebook users sees The Social Network, it’ll still make $200 million. I like those odds.
Nowhere Boy
October 8
Aaron Johnson deserves credit for taking risky roles. Earlier this year, he played the titular character in Kick-Ass, and now he’s playing the most talented member of the greatest band of all-time, John Lennon. Supposedly Johnson sings in the film, but I’m sold on the casting simply based off how much he looks like Lennon. Can’t be worse than the last Beatles film.
Jackass 3D
October 15
Admit it: that high five gag is brilliant.
127 Hours
November 5
We’ve known since Freaks and Geeks that James Franco can act, but now he really has to prove it. For two hours, Danny Boyle’s camera will be focused almost solely on Franco, portraying Aron Ralston, a mountain climber who had to amputate his own arm after being trapped by a boulder in Utah for nearly five days in 2003. One of the few other actors is a Party Down alum—Lizzy Caplan—so there’s another reason to go.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
November 19
If you really need a reason to see this, you’re already not going to.
The Black Swan
December 1
Could do for what ballet what Psycho did for showers. Darren Aronofsky’s psychological thriller premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and received overwhelmingly positive reviews, especially for Natalie Portman. Mila Kunis, who I’ve always thought was more talented than she was given credit for, is also supposedly very convincing as Natalie’s competition. This is the non-Harry Potter film to see this winter.
TRON: Legacy
December 17
Unlike Chief Wiggum, I’ve seen the original Tron. And I wasn’t particularly smitten. The pace’s slowing, dialouge clunky and, oh boy, those special effects…Then why am I so pumped for Legacy? Have you seen the trailer! There’s a reason why it’s been watched nearly two million times on YouTube—and why Disney will have one of the year’s biggest hits. The Daft Punk soundtrack is pretty awesome, too.
True Grit
December 25
The Coen Brothers can do no wrong (well, expect for The Ladykillers), and there’s no reason to expect anything less than brilliance from True Grit. Yes, it’s a re-make (and the original is one hell of a movie), but, again, Coen Brothers, plus Matt Damon, Jeff Bridges and Josh Brolin.
Blue Valentine
December 31
Nothing like an incredibly depressing movie to welcome us into a new year. The film’s about a married couple (Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling) and their relationship over a period of many years. Think a less quirky (500) Days of Summer. Rumors are that Williams and Gosling might be Oscar-worthy for their roles as Cindy and Dean.
And now to the crap…
Alpha and Omega
September 17
In the age of Avatar, can’t we have better animation than what you see above? Terrible.
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
September 22
Because it’s written and directed Woody Allen, we’re all going to see it. But because it’s after 1994, it’s probably not going to be very good. Sure, Match Point and Vicky Christina Barcelona are decent enough films, but let’s not forget about Melinda and Melinda, Scoop, Cassandra’s Dream, Anything Else, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion and most things post-Bullets Over Broadway. Stranger‘s reception at Cannes was middling at best, and Entertainment Weekly‘s Owen Gleiberman wrote, “The film is notable, if that’s the word, for being the first movie Allen has made in London that is every bit as bad as his most awful New York comedies.”
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole
September 24
Didn’t movie execs learn their lesson after Gigli and Zzyzx? If the film’s title can’t be pronounced or sounds stupid, don’t make it. This works for music, too; there’s a reason why Blonde and Blonde and Blood on the Tracks are better albums than Empire Burlesque and Down in the Groove. It’s because when a film or album or TV show has a terrible or unpronounceable name, it’s often an indication that the work itself is bad. One good thing about the owl movie that isn’t Hoot, though: True Blood‘s Jason Stackhouse is in it, voicing something called Kludd.
Yogi Bear
December 17
The first joke of the trailer has a talking bear falling off a roof. In most contexts, that would be pretty freaking hilarious. But not here. Humor is not to be found in a film with bear butt jokes and a poster that seems to imply…well, something inappropriate. Also, why did Dan Aykroyd decide to make Yogi Bear sound like Rodney Dangerfield?
Little Fockers
December 22
Can someone please make Robert De Niro watch Taxi Driver? Maybe he’ll remember how good he once was. Ben Stiller is too talented for this kind of garbage, too. And Dustin Hoffman. And Barbara Streisand. And Owen Wilson. And Laura Dern. And Harvey Keitel. How did this bad franchise get so many good people?