Hey folks! As you can see, Agent Earl took Looking Ahead out for a spin last week and he did good for a first timer. Very few scratches on the column too. Not bad man. Ok, new movies time! We got PLENTY of new films for this week on October 10, 2014.
It’s SPOOK-tober so we of course we got a few horror films coming out, but we also got a wide variety other other genres to try out this week.
But, lets start with some of the horror first…..
What’s it about? When young girls start to go missing within a religious cult, older followers fear a long-told prophecy while the younger members suspect abusive elders are killing them off.
My thoughts? Jennifer Carpenter looks quiet evil in this, but the trailer just doesn’t really do anything for me overall. Some nice mood for sure, but I felt a bit lost in the story they were selling in this trailer. Is this movie contemporary? Is it in the past? All this just made me less interested in seeing it.
What’s it about? Alexander’s day begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by more calamities. Though he finds little sympathy from his family and begins to wonder if bad things only happen to him, his mom, dad, brother, and sister all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
My thoughts? I think we’re a far way from the book this movie is based inspired on.
To be fair, I haven’t read this since I was a kid, but I’m pretty damn sure there isn’t a sequence in the book in which the father fights a kangaroo.
It’s strange for me to see this movie in which they try to shove a Steve Carell vehicle in the middle of this. I understand that Carell is a big name actor, but shouldn’t this movie be about Alexander? You know…the title character?
But hey I get it, this is a movie based on a 32 page book, you gotta expand on it somehow.
What’s it about? If the worst day of your life consisted of accidentally killing your girlfriend with an axe, chain-sawing your own arm off, and watching in horror as your closest friends were devoured by a zombified Nazi battalion, you’d have to assume that things couldn’t get much worse. In Martin’s case, that was only the beginning.
My thoughts? So Agent Aaron has been on my back for not seeing the first Dead Snow. See, I’m a jerk face that sometimes doesn’t take friends recommendations right away, and for years I just wasn’t in the mood to see the flick, even though I keep hearing that it was tons of fun. So, with the release of the sequel coming out I asked Agent Aaron to tell US what his thoughts are on the sequel to this Zombie Nazi film….
The problem with a LOT of movies that take ridiculous high concepts and run with them, is that they’re either too self aware (like Cabin in the Woods without being funny) or it takes itself WAY too seriously. Dead Snow is a movie about zombie Nazis done right. Both zombies and Nazis are scary, but it’s so scary that it pushes itself into the realm of absurd. Dead Snow is funny, while having enough heart and character to keep you interested and its the kind of movie that certain Agents should have watched four years ago..
Onto the trailer, if there’s one thing I didn’t like about Dead Snow was the trailer. I took one look and said, LAME. I’m glad I just watched the movie. Dead Snow 2‘s trailer looks just as bad. This makes it REALLY hard to tell if the sequel is going to keep the right tone, but the original writer and director are back, and this time there’s Americans!!!
Watching other countries use Americans is a personal joy for me. I always to love to see an honest satire of our jingoistic, egocentric world view. If Doctor Who had an American companion that made fun of Capaldi’s accent and visa versa it would probably became my favorite show.
The last movie was able to mix gore, comedy, and action in a way that worked for me. Dead Snow was good, the sequel looks just as good without needing to watch the first one. I’ll be buying my ticket.
Well damn, that convinced me. I’ll not be a jerk face anymore and will check out Dead Snow this week. While I’m not the biggest fan of the directors last film, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, I also know that film got some intense studio interference. This one looks like the director was able to cut loose and do things his way, and there are some crazy goofy things that I dig in the trailer. That super punch to the ceiling was very sweet.
What’s it about? A gallerist risks her family and flourishing career when she enters into an affair with a talented painter and slowly loses control of her life.
My thoughts? I honestly never felt interested in seeing steamy movies about adultery. I know there were quiet a bit in the early ’90s but I wonder if the audience is still here for films like this. I guess we’ll see.
What’s it about? A promising young drummer enrolls at a cutthroat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student’s potential.
My thoughts? When the film first started showing up in the film festival circuit, the majority of the conversations about the movie were how great the performances of Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons were. Upon watching the trailer, I can see why. After The Spectacular Now, I’m pretty much on the Miles Teller bandwagon, as I feel he brings a unique energy to every role he’s in. It’s the reason why I have some small hope that he’s gonna do something interesting with playing Reed Richards in the new Fantastic Four film. And J.K. Simmons is just the man, and seeing him tear the screen in a really meaty role like this is gonna be a blast.
What’s it about? A young boy whose parents just divorced finds an unlikely friend and mentor in the misanthropic, bawdy, hedonistic, war veteran who lives next door.
My thoughts? After watching the trailer to this flick, it dawned on me that this would have been a big studio release 20 years ago. Same concept, hell, maybe even still had Bill Murray in the lead. It would have had a few hot actors of that time, and I’m sure it would have had a decent push in the marketing. It’s clear that’s not the case with this one. It will be quiet in a few theaters, but it certainly feels like a smaller release then most films. I guess what I’m getting at is, it’s weird to think this movie is considered to be an indie film nowadays, when it used to be the norm in terms of feel good studio comedies. It’s nice to see Bill Murray do a leading comedy role again. He’s been great as a supporting cast member, but I’m always happy to see him take front and center.
What’s it about? Based on the True story of Journalist Gary Webb. The film takes place in the mid 1990s, when Webb uncovered the CIA’s past role in importing huge amounts of cocaine into the U.S. that was aggressively sold in ghettos across the Country to raise money for the Nicaraguan Contras rebel army. Despite enormous pressure not to, Webb chose to pursue the story and went public with his evidence, publishing the series “Dark Alliance”. As a result he experienced a vicious smear campaign fueled by the CIA. At that point Webb found himself defending his integrity, his family, and his life.
My thoughts? I like the way that Jeremy Renner is playing this part. It has all the energy and charisma that people usually associate with Renner, but in a very intriguing true life story. The director, Michael Cuesta, has a ton of interesting work in his resume. He directed the pilots to Dexter and Homeland (which means he set the shows visual tone and energy) and I like how those pilots looked. This has potential to be something good, and I hope it ends up being the case.
What’s it about? The true story of Paul Potts, a shy, bullied shop assistant by day and an amateur opera singer by night who became a phenomenon after being chosen for — and ultimately winning — “Britain’s Got Talent”.
My thoughts? And sometimes….I’m really easy. I know the outcome to this movie. I already know what’s gonna happen….yet I want to watch this movie. I want to be at home, with a warm plate of cookies and cold milk on a Sunday afternoon and watch this movie. It’s the kind of movie you can watch with your mum. Sometimes, that’s EXACTLY what I’m in the mood for.
What’s it about? Facing threats to his kingdom and his family, Vlad Tepes looks to make a deal with dangerous supernatural forces – without succumbing to the darkness himself.
My thoughts? Do we really need another movie in which we de-fang (get it?) a famous villain and try to turn them into a lazy tragic story. (Dracula was just trying to save his wife and kid!!) I feel bored with this interpretation, and I feel bad for Luke Evans. Hollywood keeps trying to tell me that he’s a leading man, and while I don’t think he’s terrible, I just don’t see what their seeing. He honestly doesn’t have enough charisma to get my interest as a lead. Oh, and did you hear how Universal is now trying to create a shared cinematic universe like Marvel but instead using their famous monsters? Well, originally, this film wasn’t a part of that plan, but apparently they did some recent reshoots and the film NOW could be part of that shared universe. That being said, if this bombs, then it’s gonna be a safe bet that they will ignore this movie and reboot Dracula…….again.
What’s it about? Big city lawyer Hank Palmer returns to his childhood home where his father, the town’s judge, is suspected of murder. Hank sets out to discover the truth and, along the way, reconnects with his estranged family.
My thoughts? I was really pulling for this one. I loved the idea of seeing Robert Downey Jr. in a more dramatic film. I wanted to pull for director David Dobkin, who was stuck doing studio comedies and had a chance to do something different. I know that Downey Jr. produced this film himself (along with his wife) and he really was passionate about the movie.
Then all that hope went away when the reviews came in.
But I’m still gonna give the flick a shot. I could be that weirdo who ended up liking the movie regardless of the reviews. I like the dramatic hook of the film, and I love the idea of seeing Robert Downey Jr and Robert Duvall spare on screen. I’m honestly in the mood to see a big studio dramatic film again, so I’m hoping this still might end up being entertaining for me to watch.
What about you folks? What films are you most looking forward to seeing this week? Let us know in the comments below!