10 – Frank (August
15)
Director: Lenny
Abrahamson
Writer: Jon
Ronson, Peter Staughan
Actors: Michael
Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy, Carla Aza,
Francois Civil
Genre: Comedy
Rated: R
This movie looks kooky, crazy and completely unique.
When I decided it was a movie worth looking out for in
August, I didn’t realize it was based loosely on a manuscript about a real
person. It doesn’t change my viewpoint at all, though. In fact, the idea that
someone like the Frank character depicted in the trailer actually existed makes
the movie even more interesting to me.
 |
| Maggie Gyllenhaal trying out BDSM in Secretary |
Seeing Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight, White House Down, Stranger Than Fiction) in the
trailer was pretty cool. I’ve loved her since I first saw her in Secretary (I saw that before I saw Donnie Darko). She’s quirky and I like
that in my actors. It’s more realistic. Not everyone is the smoothest thing
since creamy peanut butter and that’s a sorely underrepresented fact in
Hollywood.
Aside from her, when I found out that it was Michael
Fassbender inside that big Frank head? Mind. Blown.
9 – Are You Here
(August 22)
Director: Matthew
Weiner
Writer: Matthew
Weiner
Actors: Owen
Wilson, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Poehler, Jenna Fischer
Genre: Comedy
Rated: R
I have an awesome best friend. We met as teenagers and grew
up together. During our friendship we dealt with so many issues and so much
violence from others that the only way to describe it briefly is to say our
friendship was forged in blood. So, when a movie comes out that’s about true
friendship that lasts through the insanity and other crap, it appeals to me.
The trailer showed a kind of insane guy run to his friend
after losing his dad. Throughout the trailer, you see the two men dealing with
all kinds of family and legal issues, always together.
 |
| Friends are there for the insane times too |
I’ll admit that Owen Wilson (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Internship, Cars 2) isn’t one of my
favorite actors. Most of the time, I try to steer clear of him. In fact, the
only movie I’ve ever actually liked him in was Anaconda and that movie’s more of a guilty pleasure than one I
admit to liking in polite company.
Zach Galifianakis, however, is a different story. I’ve only
ever seen him in The Hangover series,
but I thought he was awesome in it. I’m looking forward to how he does in a
movie like this. Although it’s a comedy, it seems a little more on the serious
side.
8 – The November
Man (August 27)
Director: Roger
Donaldson
Writer: Michael
Finch, Karl Gajdusek, Bill Granger
Actors: Pierce
Brosnan, Luke Bracey, Olga Kurylenko, Eliza Taylor, Caterina Scorsone, Bill
Smitrovich, Will Patton
Genre: Action
Rated: R
I’d love to give some great speech about why I am looking
forward to this movie, but I can’t. It doesn’t look incredibly original; in
fact, it looks like every other action-spy movie ever released.
It made the list for one very simple reason. Sometimes I
just like to turn my brain off and watch fictional things go boom. Sorry. That’s
my only reason.
 |
| Boom |
7 – When the Game
Stands Tall (August 22)
Director: Thomas Carter
Writer: Scott
Marshall Smith, David Zelon, Neil Hayes
Actors: Jim
Caviezel, Laura Dern, Michael Chiklis, Alexander Ludwig
Genre: Drama
Rated: PG
To be honest, I couldn’t care less about this movie and the
trailer only minimally interested me. The only reason it made the list is sheer
curiosity.
I’ve been working for a news source for the past couple of
months and during the month of July, the title of this movie was so popular
that it was constantly being given as a tip to other journalists. I understand
that the movie is based on a true story and that it has a certain ‘underdog’
quality to it, but I don’t understand why that’s made it so insanely popular.
 |
| Why does 15 minutes in football mean 65? |
I’m not a fan of football; soccer’s my game of choice. Maybe
if I was then I would understand the depth of interest people have for When the Game Stands Tall. I’ll just
have to watch it to find out.
6 – Life After
Beth (August 15)
Director: Jeff
Baena
Writer: Jeff
Baena
Actors: Aubrey
Plaza, Dane DeHaan, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Matthew Gray Gubler, Cheryl
Hines, Paul Reiser, Anna Kendrick
Genre: Comedy
Rated: R
How could I resist?
When I first saw the title, I expected to watch the trailer
for some recipe romantic comedy. Life
After Beth? Of course it was going to be bullshit. Just proves the old
saying that you can never judge a movie by its title.
Life After Beth is
a romantic comedy… about zombies. The last movie I saw that fell into that
category was Warm Bodies and I LOVED
that movie. To be fair, it looks like Life
After Beth is going to concentrate more on the comedy than the romance.
That’s fine, too. I also loved Shaun of
the Dead.
 |
| Sassy. |
Also, Anna Kendrick’s (Rapture-Palooza,
Pitch Perfect, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) in it. I love that sassy
actress.
5 – Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles (August 7)
Director: Jonathan
Liebesman
Writer: Josh
Appelbaum, Andrew Nemec, Evan Daugherty, Peter Laird, Kevin Eastman
Actors: Megan
Fox, Alan Ritchson, Jeremy Howard, Pete Ploszek, Noel Fisher, Will Arnet, Danny
Woodburn, William Fichtner, Johnny Knoxville, Tony Shalhoub, Whoopi Goldberg
Genre: Action
Rated: PG-13
First thing to remember is that, despite the hype, Michael
Bay did not direct this. Yes, he had a hand in it as a producer, but he was not
credited as a director in any way, shape, or form. Now that the confusion is
cleared up, I’ll move on.
I loved the Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles when I was growing up. I watched the cartoons, I played
the video games (unsuccessfully), I had all the action figures and I had all
their movies on VHS. Even writing this piece has got their old jingle stuck in
my head. Seriously, I’m singing it right now. My dog is looking at me weird. (Heroes
in a half-shell, TURTLE-POWER!)
Parts of the trailer look awesome, other parts… not so much.
I’m not thrilled with the casting choice for April O’Neil. The more films I see
Megan Fox in, the less I like her. Of course, I can’t judge her in this movie
until I’ve seen it.
 |
| The turtles of my childhood |
Yeah, I think the turtles themselves look a little weird,
but that could be my stubborn nostalgia kicking in. It wants to see those same
cartoon-y, soft-lined, clay-like turtles from the old movies. I just have to
keep telling myself, change can be good.
It can, can’t it?
4 – The Congress
(August 29)
Director: Ari
Folman
Writer: Ari Folman,
Stanislaw Lem
Actors: Robin
Wright, Harvey Keitel, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Danny Huston, Sami Gayle, Michael
Stahl-David, Paul Giamatti, Jon Hamm, Sarah Shahi
Genre: Sci-Fi
& Fantasy
Rated: Unrated
The fangirl in me squee-d when I saw Robin Wright (House of Cards, Forrest Gump, The Princess
Bride) playing herself. I can quote the majority of The Princess Bride from memory.
 |
| Robin Wright as Princess Buttercup in The Princess Bride |
The Congress seems
to follow reality just enough that it makes the sci-fi aspects of the plot more
believable and more frightening. At least from what I can tell of the trailer.
I enjoy a drama aspect in my sci-fi/fantasy and I also enjoy
a touch of realism. In my own writing, I tend to delve in the post-apocalyptic
areas, so there’s a little of both. For me to truly get lost in the fantasy I
need to feel as though it could happen should that magic/science in the story,
actually exist.
I can’t wait to see The
Congress. I really believe I’m going to enjoy it.
3 – Frank Miller’s
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (August 22)
Director: Robert
Rodriguez, Frank Miller
Writer: Frank
Miller
Actors: Mickey
Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Brolin, Powers Boothe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce
Willis, Eva Green, Dennis Haysbert, Martin Csokas, Rosario Dawson, Jamie Chung,
Jamie King, Alexa Vega, Julia Garner, Christopher Meloni, Jeremy Piven, Ray
Liotta, Juno Temple, Christopher Lloyd, Stacy Keach, Jude Ciccolella, Lady Gaga
Genre: Action
Rated: Unrated
Are you kidding me? I’ve been looking forward to this since
the first one came out in 2005. Even before I knew the second one was going to
be made, I was hoping for a sequel.
The first Sin City
blew my mind. I do usually go for movies based off comic books. I enjoy the
superhero feel. Even without all that, though, Sin City was the kind of movie that left one hell of an impression
on me. I think I watched the entire thing with my jaw hanging just slightly
open.
 |
| Surreal |
The unique mix of color and black & white, along with
the ridiculously entertaining stories of Frank Miller make for the kind of
movie that just makes the world a more exciting place. That’s even before you
glance through the list of actors taking part in the project.
There are so many kick-ass actors involved, that I can’t pick
just a couple to talk about.
I’m thinking I might have to go to a midnight showing of
this one.
2 – The Giver (August
15)
Director: Phillip
Noyce
Writer: Michael
Mitnick, Robert B. Weide, Lois Lowry
Actors: Jeff Bridges,
Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites, Alexander Skarsgard, Katie Holmes, Odeya Rush,
Taylor Swift
Genre: Sci-Fi
& Fantasy
Rated: PG-13
Post-apocalypse corrupt Utopias are my bread and butter. I
write them. I read them. I watch them. Quite frankly, the trailer for this one was
one of the best I’ve seen.
The idea of a world without free-will, without creativity,
without access to history and family is terrifying to me. The story itself
looks insane, in the best kind of way. I’m going to be looking into getting and
reading the book by the time the movie comes out.
 |
| Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep |
The actors involved are fantastic too. Jeff Bridges (R.I.P.D., Iron Man, TRON) and Meryl
Streep (The Iron Lady, Julie & Julia,
Mamma Mia!) are two veterans of Hollywood. They’ve both been acting longer
than I’ve been alive and they’ve more than earned the respect they’re given in
their profession.
Alongside them are younger, but still respect-worthy, actors
such as Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood,
Battleship, Zoolander) and Katie Holmes (Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Batman Begins, Dawson’s Creek).
When you take a great story and add and equally great cast,
you get something that’s worth looking forward to.
1 – If I Stay (August
22)
Director: R. J.
Cutler
Writer: Shauna
Cross, Gayle Forman
Actors: Chloe
Grace Moretz, Mireille Enos, Jamie Blackley, Joshua Leonard, Liana Liberato,
Aisha Hinds, Stacy Keach
Genre: Drama
Rated: PG-13
I didn’t actually know this movie existed until I did the
research for films coming out in August. I got chills watching the trailer.
About a year ago I did some consulting work with a doctor
doing a study involving patients in a coma. I can’t discuss too much about it,
but I will say that it has been fascinating stuff. Along comes this movie and
it shows a point of view that doctors don’t really have on the subject.
 |
| Where there is a soul there is spirituality |
I’m not religious. I used to be spiritual but it kind of
went away gradually and then all at once. The truth of the matter is that I
envy religious and spiritual people. It must be a wonderfully comforting
feeling to believe that the universe or a supreme being is watching over you; that
after death there is a continuation of the soul.
If I Stay doesn’t
seem to be about religion, overtly. However, it does revolve around the
self-aware soul of a comatose patient. It’s a subject I’m very interested in.
No comments:
Post a Comment