What better way to enjoy the end of the summer and the coming fall by relaxing on your couch or in your favorite chair and enjoying a movie from the comfort of your own home? Well there some great (and other not so great) films hitting the shelves this September. Grab a soda, pop some popcorn and check out these hot new releases if you are looking for a great way to unwind after a long day!
September 7th
Killers – Lionsgate Films
If you were take Mr. and Mrs. Smith and mix it with elements of True Lies and then completely remove all traces of humor, screen chemistry and anything even resembling edginess and put it on the screen you would come up with this film: Killers. Jen (Katherine Heigl, Knocked Up) is vacationing in France with her parents when she meets and falls in love with the perfect man, Spencer (Ashton Kutcher, The Butterfly Effect). The only problem is that Spencer is an undercover assassin who is on the job. He decides that Jen is a good enough reason to leave his current line of work and settle down and begin a married life. Fast forward a few years, now Spencer’s former employers have put out a hit on him and the chase is on. This romantic action comedy was one of the biggest box office bombs of the year (aside from The Bounty Hunter) and will most likely end up being in the bargain bin of most entertainment retailers before Christmas. Come on, Ashton Kutcher as an assassin, who are we kidding here? Stick to making straight comedies Ashton, those are where your strengths lie.
September 7th
MacGruber – Rogue Pictures
There have been quite a few action movies that have come out this year, but only one has a man brave enough to still sport a mullet and save the day by using common household products to create useful contraptions. That man is special United States operative MacGruber (Will Forte, The Brothers Solomon) as he turns his famous SNL skit into a feature length film where he and his fellow agents must stop a madman named Dieter VonCunth (Val Kilmer, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) from setting off a nuclear warhead and killing millions. This is, by far not only one of the SNL-based movies to come out in a long time, but one of the best action comedies to come out all year. Rude, crude and completely outrageous, the film never once takes itself seriously as they spoof the long running MacGuyver TV series and Val Kilmer obviously has a lot of fun hamming it up as the megalomaniacal villain. The action is over the top, the jokes are raunchy and the acting is spot on. So for anyone looking for a lot of laughs (when the kids are not around because this film is very R rated) be sure you check this out.
September 14th
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time – Walt Disney Pictures
Jerry Bruckheimer has the Midas touch because everything he touches turns to gold. Even if the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is lacking in certain areas such as poor pacing and some of the cornier moments like the ostrich races, the movie still delivers the goods on a purely popcorn entertainment level. Prince of Persia is not going to lead to hours of self examination afterward, but it simply is a lot of fun at the movies. Now that the Pirates of the Caribbean and National Treasure franchises have proven to be solid moneymakers, Disney is looking to expand its live action department with films like this and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. If you walk into this movie expecting a cinematic masterpiece, you will most likely end up very disappointed. For those viewers who are in the mood for an above average “sword and sandal” epic, then you will love seeing Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Brothers) as Dastan as he squares off against the evil magician Nizam (Ben Kingsley, Species). Besides, considering the usual claptrap Hollywood films based on video games that we are subjected to, such as Bloodrayne or Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, Prince of Persia is a welcome breath of fresh air.
September 14th
Held Hostage – Image Entertainment
Held Hostage is a rather unfortunate film. Michelle Estey (Julie Benz, Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day) is a bank manager and single mother who is taken hostage along with her daughter and is forced by three masked bank robbers to help them rob her own bank, lest they kill her along with her daughter. However, all of this happens within the first twenty minutes or so and the rest of the film is concerned with the after effects of the incident on Michelle as she is shunned by her friends and co-workers because they believe her to be a co-conspirator, rather than a victim, in the robbery. The director tries to give us a glimpse of what happens to people after they are in such a traumatic experience, whereas most filmmakers would just as easily choose to focus on the robbery. This is why the word “unfortunate” best describes Held Hostage, because despite the director’s obviously genuine attempts to focus on something deeper, the film falls flat on its face. Lacking any real characterization, and boasting a dull script and an overly loud soundtrack which is very distracting, this film could have really fleshed out some very visceral feelings and grabbed an audience, but it just ends up being tedious and boring.
September 21
Robin Hood – Universal Pictures
Director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven) brings the legend of Robin Hood to life in this new action packed film about the man who “robs from the rich and gives to the poor”. The story is a familiar one. Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe, Romper Stomper), a soldier and archer in Richard the Lionheart’s army, returns home after fighting in France to find his land in turmoil. Robin goes to Nottingham, a small village which is suffering under the crushing grip of a corrupt sheriff (Matthew Macfayden, Frost/ Nixon) who is taxing the village into poverty. It is here in Nottingham that Robin encounters Maid Marian (Cate Blanchett, The Gift) and in an attempt to win her hand, sets out to overthrow the despotic sheriff. Robin assembles a group of ruthless mercenaries to help him retake the town and right the injustices. Ridley Scott took quite a bit of critical panning for choosing to make this an origin story about Robin Hood, rather than focus on the same regurgitated legend that we have seen in film for decades. However, this film pays off in a lot of ways. The action is well timed and balanced with the slower scenes which focus on character development. Scott’s passionate attention to detail has helped create both a masterful and thoughtful film with a great script and solid effects. This film will be well worth any movie lover’s money on DVD or Blu-Ray.
September 28th
Iron Man 2 – Paramount Pictures
This was the first great blockbuster of the summer of 2010, and with good reason. Picking up shortly after the events of the first Iron Man, billionaire playboy Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes) is facing new enemies both in the public and private sector. Now that the world knows that he is Iron Man, he is facing pressure from the U.S. government, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell, Moon) who emerges as his newest corporate rival, and the mysterious Whiplash (Mickey Rourke, Sin City), a Russian man with a grudge against the Stark family that goes back decades wants Stark dead. Iron Man 2 is a worthy sequel to the first, which set a new standard in comic book books from Marvel. This effects laden film has plenty of action and laughs to go around all while maintaining a cogent storyline and giving the Iron Man real human dilemmas such as alcoholism (the “Demon in the Bottle” storyline from the comics), the death of his father, and his attempts to maintain his relationship with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow, Se7en) while battling super-villains. This explosive sequel is not to be missed by any movie lover, but especially by those who have a love for the comic book genre.
September 28th
Get Him to the Greek – Universal Pictures
Aldous Snow is back and he only has 72 hours to get from London to Los Angeles for his comeback performance at the Greek theater! Russell Brand (Bedtime Stories, Penelope) reprises his role as the overly obnoxious rocker that he brought to life in the 2008 comedy hit, Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Jonah Hill (Superbad, Accepted) who starred alongside Brand in that film (though not reprising his role oddly enough) plays corporate stooge, Aaron Greene, who is in charge of making sure that Aldous makes it to the Greek Theater in time to give his performance. Coming straight to you from the mind of Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Pineapple Express) this spin-off of Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a kind of hit-and-miss comedy. The funny moments, of which there are quite a few, become less funny when the writers try to “explain” the cause behind Aldous’ raucous behavior is due to daddy issues. Russell Brand is a great improv actor and had been given the freedom to do what he does best and just be himself without having to be explained, this movie would have been much funnier. Still, it is better than many comedies and deserves recognition for being an expansion on a very interesting character.
September 28th
The Killer Inside Me – Revolution Films
A good thriller is hard to make because so much depends on tension building and suspense and lots of moviegoers just prefer to skip to the next action scene, the next explosion, the next sex romp. So when a movie takes its time to let the story unravel as it would in real life, it can be construed as boring. The Killer Inside Me is the perfect example of that. Based on the novel by Jim Thompson, it tells the story of a small town Texas sheriff named Lou Ford (Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) who is harboring a dark secret. Behind his shiny sheriff’s badge and his country drawl, he is in a fact a psychotic killer. His performance is unsettling because, he is supposed to be a man who upholds the law, not breaks it to satisfy his own sick needs. Affleck’s performance is one that truly shows the depth and range of characters he can play. The only shortcoming of this film is that there seems to be no method to his madness, no reason for his killings. They just appear random and senseless, which adds to his danger level because he has no predictable pattern and therefore seems unstoppable, but there doesn’t seem to be an endgame for him. This movie is not easy to watch, the murders are brutal and convincing and Affleck’s performance will send chills up your spine. But if you are a fan of psychological crime thrillers, then this film is highly recommended.
The “B” Reel
A Column For The Forgotten Movies That You Should Be Watching
1981
Dragonslayer – Paramount Pictures
In the early 1980s, the world was still reeling from the Star Wars sucker punch that left audiences and critics dazed for years to come. So awestruck were they by the breathtaking special effects and the ingenious storytelling by George Lucas that many great science fiction and fantasy films passed in and out of theaters across the world without the audiences blinking an eye. These films would be “rediscovered” later and be recognized for the achievements they made in a world dominated by Lucasfilm, LTD. Dragonslayer was just one of the films that was considered a box office bomb, but later seen as a very good piece of fantasy storytelling. The film focuses on an evil king who has made a blood pact with a dragon. If the king will supply the dragon with virgins to eat, the dragon will not destroy the kingdom by fire. However, when the king decides to sacrifice his own virgin daughter Princess Elspeth (Chloe Salaman, The Life Story of Baal) to the dragon, a wise, old wizard (Sir Ralph Richardson, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes) and his brave, young apprentice Galen (Peter MacNicol, Ghostbusters II) set out to destroy the dragon and free the kingdom. Dragonslayer is a great sword and sorcery fantasy epic with its dark storyline, the high level of sophistication of the effects, and most of all, the tension building of actually getting to see the dragon in all its glory. While most directors would want the monster to be the showcase and would work to get it in front of the camera as soon as possible, director Matthew Robbins chose to let the dragon be the eventual payoff for the viewers’ patience. And it is well worth it, the dragon looks spectacular and far better than anything in Dragonheart or Eragon. This remains an above par fantasy film even today and has earned its place of honor in the great films of the 1980s.
