With October here (seems like it arrived faster than ever), it's now time to recommend the top ten horror movies for the month of Halloween, which is one of my favorite genres. I go for the classics for the most part, so my favorite picks here are things like the original Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, The Exorcist, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Night of the Living Dead. There are so many great horror movies though, that I had to choose a theme to narrow things down, so my theme here is monsters or "Creature Features"- see the variation on the Frankensteins and all kinds of zombies on the list. You can head over to the Movies for Every Month page to read more about the theme and go to the October movie page to read detailed write-ups for each film and see the original trailers. Stock up on the candy and happy movie watching, everybody!
See the Trailer for Germany's Oscar Entry 'Toni Erdmann'
This German-Austrian film got rave reviews and won a prize at Cannes this year, so of course it was selected as Germany's Oscar submission. In fact, many believe this is the automatic frontrunner for the win, as it's already secured a release date and will undoubtedly be a critical darling when they dish out their own awards in a couple months. A three hour comedy about a unique father-daughter relationship, it certainly sounds unusual. You have to wonder how that might play for Oscar voters, who often like to go for "importance" in this category.
Andy Serkis Returns in 'War For the Planet of the Apes'
Yes! I had almost forgotten this was an ongoing franchise, but it looks like it's about that time again. Time for another Planet of the Apes movie! Caesar is the star of these of course, played by the great Andy Serkis, as always. Mark your calendars for July 14, 2017, when the war between humans and apes rages on.
Hailee Seinfeld Comes of Age in Red Band Trailer for 'Edge of Seventeen'
I wasn't totally sold on the first trailer for this movie, but after the good reviews out of Toronto and the frankness of this new promo, I'm in. Hailee Seinfeld looks great and this is a genre that really doesn't get many entries anymore, after the boom in certain other decades, like the 80's and late 90's. Not crazy about the voiceover reading of the written critical praise though- seems corny, especially for a red band trailer. Come on, guys.
Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard Show Off the Chemistry in Full Trailer for 'Allied'
After all these mini-teasers, we finally get the full trailer for Robert Zemeckis's Allied, which is still gonna draw attention for the rumored affair between co-stars on set, whether it's actually true or not (it's now been denied, but the hype will still be there). I'm intrigued by this look at it though. This is a very old-fashioned movie, the kind that really doesn't get made anymore, so the question is does this kind of thing feel dated now? Or can a director as old-school as Zemeckis pull it off in a way that feels relevant. It comes out at Thanksgiving, so keep an eye out.
Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg Team Up Again for 'Patriots Day'
A Wahlberg/Berg film just came out last weekend in Deepwater Horizon, and yes, this is their next, due out at Christmas. When do these guys sleep? It's yet another action-adventure film based on recent true life events, their third after the first successful collaboration, 2014's Lone Survivor. They appear to be trying to corner the market in this very specific genre. I'm amazed at how closely this trailer actually resembles the one for Deepwater Horizon, down to Wahlberg kissing his supportive wife goodbye on the way to work before disaster strikes. This time it's the recreation of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and I assume, the city-wide manhunt that took place immediately following. Berg's films are always pointedly politically neutral, despite the reinvention of events that most remember with at least some tint of political shading, but Berg's attitude is to play things out as straightforward as possible, in order to celebrate the heroes and survivors of these incidents without comment. So, if you're into that kind of thing, this might be for you?
Natalie Portman Brings History to Life in 'Jackie' Teaser
This film from Chilean director Pablo Larrain is apparently an extremely unconventional arthouse biopic about Jackie Kennedy in the days following JFK's assassination, and judging from the critical adoration it received at Venice and again at Toronto, Portman at least looks to be a favorite for her second Best Actress nomination. Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm having a real hard time with the accent we're hearing over this teaser. I know Jackie Kennedy did have a very distinct voice, but that's...gonna take some getting used to. Fox Searchlight picked this one up for a prime Oscar release date of Dec 2nd.
Jack Sparrow Doesn't Make the Cut in First Trailer for 'Dead Men Tell No Tales'
So yeah, Pirates of the Caribbean is back for its fifth installment, and Jack Sparrow is mentioned and teased during this trailer (which is awfully intense and spooky for a Pirates movie), but no Johnny Depp in any frame of it? I can't help but wonder if this has something to do with his horrifically bad PR year, kinda like how the trailer for Mel Gibson's new movie Hacksaw Ridge tells us its "from the director of Braveheart," whoever that was, with no name attached whatsoever. Huh. I thought this character pretty much was the attraction for the Pirates movies, but this teaser is depending on Javier Bardem doing his best villainous CGI pirate thing (no one can pass Bill Nighy's Davey Jones effect from the second movie in that department).
'Miss Peregrine' lands in first place
BOX OFFICE 9/30-10/02: 'Miss Peregrine' Tops With an Okay Opening
'Miss Peregrine' lands in first place
This weekend saw the opening of two big budgeted releases in Tim Burton's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and Peter Berg's Deepwater Horizon, the action movie based on the events of the BP oil spill. Miss Peregrine won the battle for first place, debuting with $28 million, but that's not exactly huge for a movie that cost $110 million, and Deepwater Horizon came in lower, with $20 million on a similar sized budget. Miss Peregrine opened a tad below Burton's Dark Shadows, and with mixed reviews and a "B+" Cinemascope, it probably won't stick around too long. Horizon fared better critically and with audience reaction, but the unimpressive opening will hinder it as well.
Last week's champ The Magnificent Seven fell harder than expected to third place, with just $15 million, although it's doing pretty well overseas and has already earned back its $90 million budget. The animated Storks fell to fourth with $13 million, just a small drop-off from its $21 million opening, and Sully rounded out the top five, having now crossed $100 million total in its fourth week, another solid hit for Clint Eastwood well into his 80's as a director. You have to admit, that's a feat for anyone.
Mark Wahlberg in 'Deepwater Horizon'
Top 5:
- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children- $28.5 million
- Deepwater Horizon- $20.6 million
- The Magnificent Seven- $15.7 million
- Storks- $13.8 million
- Sully- $8.4 million
In limited release, Queen of Katwe stumbled as it expanded, earning just $2.6 million from over 1200 theaters, and the critically panned Masterminds opened outside the top ten with a low $6 million for Zack Galifianakis and Kristen Wiig. Next weekend sees the opening of Girl on the Train, which is getting fairly weak reviews, and the brimming with outside controversy Birth of a Nation, which is now considered a lost cause in the Oscar race, where just nine months ago it was deemed a sure frontrunner out of Sundance. How quickly things change.
New Trailer for 'Rules Don't Apply' Shows More Romance
I have a feeling this movie is going to be a pretty sizable flop, since the tone of this trailer couldn't be more different from the last one, which made it look like a screwball comedy. This one all but hides Warren Beatty, while he was in every frame of the last one. That means the studio doesn't quite know what it should be either, which is never a good sign. It appears now to be some kind of young love conquers all story between newcomers Lily Collins and Alden Ehrenreich, but why would Warren Beatty's return to film be something so slight? Something about this feels really off.
Kristen Stewart Hears Ghosts in 'Personal Shopper' Teaser
This is another Cannes release that's scheduled to come out here sometime early next spring, so it's definitely not being plugged as an Oscar movie. It actually got a very divisive reaction in Cannes- it's allegedly a ghost story, but it's not that scary and the tone kinda wanders all over the place from spooky to funny and is never really unsettling either way. You can see why they might have a hard time marketing that to an audience. Plus, I've never like Kristen Stewart, as you all should know by now, so I will not necessarily be checking for this one.
Adam Driver Stars in Jim Jarmusch's Latest Film 'Paterson'
Paterson premiered at Cannes this May to some very rapturous reviews, and is now coming out in the U.S. on December 28th. Jim Jarmusch has never exactly been a mainstream director, and now he can't even get his films financed in the the U.S. anymore, but there may be more interest after the cult success of his last movie Only Lovers Left Alive, which happened to be on my top ten of 2014. I'm here for this one for sure- looks like the perfect role for someone like Driver.
