Holymoley. There are a ton of movies out this week. Most of them limited release arty films. So, hopefully you are in a better market than I am in to see them all. Every last bummer one of them. And there are a lot of bummer ones. But, luckily, one or two upbeat ones to hold off the inexorable tide of cinematic death.
This BSR! Weekend Movie Previews is for the weekend of September 19, 2014. Per usual, before we get started, a quick disclaimer. I write these over my lunch at my day job, all of the film information presented here, including the plot summary, has been pulled from the Opening This Week page of IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/nowplaying/). I have not seen any of these movies at the time of this writing.
Join us this week as we preview “The Maze Runner”, “This Is Where I Leave You”, “A Walk Among The Tombstones”, and a whole ton more.
The Maze Runner (2014)
PG-13 113 min – Action | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Director: Wes Ball
Stars: Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, Thomas Brodie-Sangster
Summary: Thomas is deposited in a community of boys after his memory is erased, soon learning they’re all trapped in a maze that will require him to join forces with fellow “runners” for a shot at escape.
Thoughts: Not quite sure what to think about this, but the online early feedback has been moderately positive. I suspect that it is a YA version of a Twilight Zone like story. It turns out they are all stuck in a Super Walmart on Black Friday or something. Or they are really actually lab mice. I mean real mice that have human self images. Yeah, that is probably what it is about.
This Is Where I Leave You (2014)
R 103 min – Comedy
Director: Shawn Levy
Stars: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Adam Driver
Summary: When their father passes away, four grown siblings are forced to return to their childhood home and live under the same roof together for a week, along with their over-sharing mother and an assortment of spouses, exes and might-have-beens.
Thoughts: I flat out love Tina Fey. Rather, I love Liz Lemon as portrayed by Tina Fey. And Liz Lemon buys Tina Fey a lot of grace in my book. And as an extension of that, so do her movies. Date Night might have been a seriously miscalculated tonal mess, I still sat all the way through it to see Tina Fey. This looks like it is a bit all over the place, but Liz Lemon gets it a look, and so does Jason Bateman. And Rose Byrne. So, the cast will probably be better than the movie, but that is okay.
A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014)
R 113 min – Action | Crime | Mystery | Thriller
Director: Scott Frank
Stars: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour, Astro
Summary: Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife.
Thoughts: There is literally nothing better than Liam Neeson on a mission. Nothing. No argument.
The Guest (2014)
R 99 min – Thriller
Director: Adam Wingard
Stars: Dan Stevens, Sheila Kelley, Maika Monroe, Joel David Moore
Summary: A soldier introduces himself to the Peterson family, claiming to be a friend of their son who died in action. After the young man is welcomed into their home, a series of accidental deaths seem to be connected to his presence.
Thoughts: Holy cow!! This movie looks awesome!! I have no idea if he is a good guy or a bad guy. That is awesome. And the action looks great. It is like they are taking all of the clichés that we have been fed in action movies for the last forty years and saying that we’ve been doing it wrong. I hope I am right.
Tusk (2014)
R 102 min – Horror
Director: Kevin Smith
Stars: Justin Long, Michael Parks, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez
Summary: When podcaster Wallace Bryton goes missing in the backwoods of Manitoba while interviewing a mysterious seafarer named Howard Howe, his best friend Teddy and girlfriend Allison team with an ex-cop to look for him.
Thoughts: I am not a big Kevin Smith booster at all. I liked Clerks back in the day, but really hated Dogma and most of the rest. I used to say if he was a journeyman Hollywood writer, he would have a great career, but he just wasn’t a fimmaker. Having said that, this looks, technically, like a real film. If Smith has been able to kinda pull together the craft part of making movies, and could learn to self-edit some, that would be a very good thing and I could start rethinking how I feel about him. The rest of the BSR! guys though, I think for the most part, are big fans. Here is a great review from the very awesome Zendobot: https://www.bigshinyrobot.com/57994/kevin-smiths-tusk-walrusyes-or-walrusno/
The Zero Theorem (2013) – [Limited]
R 107 min – Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi
Director: Terry Gilliam
Stars: Christoph Waltz, Lucas Hedges, Mélanie Thierry, David Thewlis
Summary: A computer hacker whose goal is to discover the reason for human existence continually finds his work interrupted thanks to the Management; namely, they send a teenager and lusty love interest to distract him.
Thoughts: Welcome back Mr. Gilliam, welcome back. You were deeply missed.
Tracks (2013) – [Limited]
PG-13 112 min – Adventure | Biography | Drama
Director: John Curran
Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Adam Driver, Lily Pearl, Philip Dodd
Summary: A young woman goes on a 1,700 mile trek across the deserts of West Australia with her four camels and faithful dog.
Thoughts: I don’t know that I am the right audience for these kinds of films. On a certain spiritual level, I think it would mean something positive about me if I were, but on a pragmatic level, I have real issues with “based on a true story” films that aren’t completely open about what was invented for the screen and what wasn’t. Anyway, I am sure that it is good for someone.
20,000 Days on Earth (2014) – [Limited]
97 min – Documentary | Drama | Music
Directors: Iain Forsyth | Jane Pollard
Stars: Nick Cave, Susie Bick, Warren Ellis, Darian Leader
Summary: Writer and musician Nick Cave marks his 20,000th day on the planet Earth.
Thoughts: Nick Cave is a seriously weird cat, and I mean that in the best way possible. He does it all. He plays, he writes, he acts, he directs. All of it. And well. And unapologetically in his own voice. This looks like a must own.
Keep on Keepin’ On (2014) – [Limited]
R 84 min – Documentary
Director: Alan Hicks
Stars: Clark Terry, Justin Kauflin, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock
Summary: A documentary that follows jazz legend Clark Terry over four years to document the mentorship between Terry and 23-year-old blind piano prodigy Justin Kauflin as the young man prepares to compete in an elite, international competition.
Thoughts: I always love documentaries on the stories behind the music and the musicians. They are invariably interesting viewing and this doesn’t look like an exception.
Hector and the Search for Happiness (2014) – [Limited]
R 114 min – Adventure | Comedy | Drama
Director: Peter Chelsom
Stars: Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, Jordan Schartner, Tracy Ann Oberman
Summary: A psychiatrist searches the globe to find the secret of happiness.
Thoughts: I feel so mediocre and bland when I say that I love Simon Pegg, because that is what everyone says and then feel smug about it. But it is the truth. He has a certain on screen sensibility and wonderment that connects really well to all of us. He is always elevating the actors and material that surrounds him. Except in Mission Impossible 3. That was just awful.
Pump (2014) – [Limited]
PG 88 min – Documentary
Directors: Joshua Tickell | Rebecca Harrell Tickell
Stars: Adhemar Altieri, Dr. Greg Anderson, Edwin Black, David Blume
Summary: A documentary that tells the story of America’s addiction to oil, from its corporate conspiracy beginnings to its current monopoly today, and explains clearly and simply how we can end it – and finally win choice at the pump.
Thoughts: Soooooo heavy. The word is ending!! And it is all your fault for supporting the illuminati. Listen I get that fossil fuels create more problems than they solve, but stridency rarely ever accomplishes anything of lasting value.
Stop the Pounding Heart (2013) – [Limited]
98 min – Drama
Director: Roberto Minervini
Stars: Sara Carlson, Colby Trichell, Tim Carlson, LeeAnne Carlson
Summary: Sara, a girl being home-schooled on a goat farm alongside her 11 siblings, finds her devout values challenged after she meets Colby, an amateur bull rider.
Thoughts: No idea what that was about. It looks like, and based on the short summary, a preachy indictment of growing up a preachy christian.
Swim Little Fish Swim (2013) – [NYC]
95 min – Comedy | Drama | Music
Directors: Ruben Amar | Lola Bessis
Stars: Lola Bessis, Dustin Guy Defa, Brooke Bloom, Anne Consigny
Summary: When a bubbly young artist moves into a couple’s tiny Chinatown apartment, their already fragile balance is upset even further.
Thoughts: Seriously, I am tired of stories about the young person as an artist.
Now, it’s your turn – if you have seen any of these movies, let us know your thoughts in the comments. I am actually really only interested in how “20,000 Days On Earth” is.