Summer blockbusters may still be with us but it’s time to dust the popcorn from our clothes and keep one keen eye on what Autumn has to offer as well, especially when this year it promises so much. We take a look at the pick of the crop to harvest before storing ourselves up for winter.
Summer blockbusters may still be
with us (just) but it’s time to dust the popcorn from our clothes, take a look at what’s out there and keep one keen
eye on what Autumn has to offer as well, especially when this year
it promises so much. We take a look at the pick of the crop to harvest before
storing ourselves up for winter.
COMEDY
Early in September we got The Switch as Jason
Bateman fathers Jennifer Aniston’s child without her knowing (the trailer
explains how). With Jeff Goldblum in support this could be the sleeper
comedy of the year. More high profile the end of that month saw Will Ferrell
and Mark Wahlberg star as The Other Guys trying to
outsmart fellow top cops Samuel L Jackson and The Rock. No doubt Ferrell fans
will lap it up while watching Wahlberg hopefully rip a little on his Departed character
promises to be a lot of fun.
Underrated but just as funny cames
John C Reilly in Cyrus as a lonely
singleton who discovers the love of his life has an unusual son (Jonah Hill).
Blending humour with drama can be tricky but this Step Brothers-esque effort
did well at Sundance and hopefully will tap into Reilly’s Walk
Hard antics. We’ll see at the end of September.
Comedy man-of-the-moment Zach
Galifianakis stars with Robert Downey Jr in Todd “Hangover” Phillips’s Due Date in November. A similar
set up to Planes, Trains and Automobiles sees the mismatched pair put
up with each other in order to get home for the birth of Downey Jr’s child.
Promising.
DRAMA
For drama devotees three films
really stand out this autumn. First up in October we get a
rather belated sequel to 1987’s Wall Street, titled Money Never Sleeps. Whether or
not Gordon Gekko will have much to say in our current times remains to be seen
but if not then Carey Mulligan and Shia LaBeouf make good stand-ins.
Despite a pasting from the Team
America team, Ben Affleck stepped behind the camera a couple of years ago to
deliver the outstanding Gone Baby Gone. Opting to direct and star too
in The
Town which is out now, Affleck plays a charming bank robber who falls for one of his
hostages. Like Heat meets Out of Sight it
certainly promises thrills galore and hopefully might restore Affleck’s
reputation in front of the camera as well as behind it.
The end of the month though sees the
long-awaited Fincher/Facebook film The Social Network. Shot in
his trademark dark yellow hue and with Jesse Eisenberg starring and Aaron
Sorkin writing this could a fascinating blend of true life drama and a dramatic
true life. Like?
THRILLS
For those who enjoy a few thrills
with their popcorn and prefer suspense to gore then The Hole , currently out on release, could be a
lot of fun. Joe Dante’s first film in a while looks like a cross between The
Goonies adventurous charm and The Descent’s creature-based
lurking shocks. Like Pirates to come and building on the 3D theme, expect the
Disney ride shortly afterwards.
However two films really intrigue
this autumn in the suspense stakes and both have a similar feel. First up is Frozen at the
start of October which sees relative newcomers Emma Bell, Shawn
Ashmore and Kevin Zegers brave the elements as three young skiers trapped on a
chairlift for days in the dark. Much like Adrift and Open
Water, expect lots of shouting and some uncomfortable decisions.
If that wasn’t enough, currently out on release, we’re treated to Ryan Reynolds U.S contractor in Iraq trapped underground
in Buried. Much as it
did for Colin Farrell after Phone Booth expect to see this mainly
one-header be probably the most talked about film of the year.
SCARES
However if you like to leap out
of your seat in terror then there are a few treats for you this
Autumn. Opening the same week as the now dead-in-the-water next Yawn – sorry –
Saw film, Paranormal
Activity 2 arrives late October not long
after it’s phenomenally successful younger sibling. Whether or not the
low-budget feel of the first film will carry another one we’ll have to wait and
see but let’s hope this is more Blair Witch than its
quickly rehashed sequel Book of Shadows.
Although it might be the most
pointless remake since Karate Kid, it doesn’t mean Matt Reeve’s
virtually shot-for-shot re-telling of Swedish hit Let The Right One In will necessarily
be a bad thing. With Chloe Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee taking on the roles of
the young friends whose love triumphs over her being a vampire, late October’s Let Me In could
appease those Twilight fans pining for their next instalment, or show
up the so beloved franchise’s flaws.
However this autumn is likely to be
dominated by one film and one film only as part 1 of Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows will no doubt fill cinemas until Christmas. Opening
mid November we’re promised more darkness, more thrills and
hopefully some real scares. If not then we’ll have to wait until next summer
for the true finale although fear not, the winter line-up in between looks very
strong too.