Thursday, September 3, 2015
Vindicator staff and AP wire
NEW YORK
Though the fall movie season is traditionally the time of year when Hollywood gets serious, this fall is stuffed with spectacles.
Alongside the seasonal biopics, true-life tales and period dramas that will surely contend for Oscars, some of the biggest franchises around are set to add a whiff of popcorn to awards season.
James Bond returns in “Spectre” (Nov. 6).
Before that, mobster Whitey Bulger and computer visionary Steve Jobs get the Hollywood treatment in “Black Mass” (Sept. 18) and “Steve Jobs” (Oct. 9).
Here’s a monthly rundown of a few highlights coming to theaters through mid-November (the holiday season movie preview will run Nov. 12 in Vibe):
September 11
“The Perfect Guy”: After a painful breakup, successful lobbyist (Sanaa Lathan) jumps into a passionate relationship with a charming stranger (Michael Ealy). When her ex-boyfriend (Morris Chestnut) resurfaces in her life, she has to figure out whom she should trust and whom she should fear.
“The Visit”: Director M. Night Shyamalan returns to the horror genre with “The Visit,” about two children (Ed Oxenbould, Olivia DeJonge) spending a weekend with their grandparents where strange things happen after 9:30 p.m.
September 18
“Black Mass”: Johnny Depp takes on the role of Whitey Bulger, the Boston mobster who inspired Jack Nicholson’s gangster in “The Departed,” in an engrossing true-life crime story. The cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Corey Stoll, Juno Temple, Dakota Johnson, Joel Edgerton, Kevin Bacon and Adam Scott.
“Captive”: Kate Mara stars as a struggling single mother who’s taken hostage by a killer who finds his way into her apartment. Also starring David Oyelowo.
“Everest”: An intense all-star adventure thriller (based on the real story) of a climb up Mount Everest that turns bad. Starring Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley and Emily Watson.
“Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials”: Based on James Dashner book series, the sequel finds Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and the other Gladers (Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster) encountering new groups of survivors and new threats beyond the maze. Patricia Clarkson and Lily Taylor also star.
September 25
“Before I Wake”: Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane play parents trying to get on with their lives after the death of their child. They decide to adopt a young boy who is terrified of falling asleep, as his dreams become reality for everyone around him.
“Hotel Transylvania 2”: Sequel to the 2012 film of the same name. Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, David Spade – return in lending their voices to the sequel, and Mel Brooks, Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally joining the cast.
“The Intern”: Robert De Niro stars as a 70-year-old man who takes an internship at a company run by young CEO played by Anne Hathaway.
“Sicario”: Emily Blunt stars in Denis Villeneuve’s grim and muscular drug war thriller on the U.S.-Mexican border.
September 30
“The Walk”: The French high-wire artist Philippe Petit, whose walk between the Twin Towers in 1974 inspired the 2008 documentary “Man on Wire,” gets Robert Zemeckis’ 3-D treatment, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt starring. (IMAX only), expands on Oct. 9.
October 2
“The Martian”: Ridley Scott’s new sci-fi film stars Matt Damon as a NASA astronaut stranded on Mars. Cast includes Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Kristen Wiig, Jessica Chastain and Sean Bean.
October 9
“Pan”: Levi Miller stars as Peter Pan on his first trip to Never Never Land, where he encounters Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman), Hook (Garrett Hedlund) and Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara).
“Steve Jobs”: Danny Boyle directs Aaron Sorkin’s script of the Apple co-founder, played by Michael Fassbender.
October 16
“Bridge of Spies”: Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks reunite for their fourth film together in a Cold War spy thriller about the negotiated release of a U.S. pilot shot down in the Soviet Union.
“Crimson Peak”: Guillermo del Toro’s new film about an aspiring author (Jessica Chastain )is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Starring Charlie Hunnam and Tom Hiddleston.
“Goosebumps”: Jack Black stars as the author R.L. Stine, with a cast including Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush, Amy Ryan, Ryan Lee, Jillian Bell.
“Truth” (limited release): A starry cast of Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford dive back into the CBS News scandal over the network’s report on President George W. Bush’s Vietnam service.
October 23
“Burnt”: Bradley Cooper stars as a once-famous chef who loses it all and must start from the bottom again. Also starring Alicia Vikander, Jamie Dornan, Lily James, Sienna Miller and Uma Thurman.
“Jem and the Holograms”: A movie live-action film based on the ’80s animated TV show. Starring Aubrey Peeples, Stefanie Scott and Molly Ringwald.
“The Last Witch Hunter”: Vin Diesel stars as the immortal last witch hunter, Kaulder. Cast includes Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood and Michael Caine.
“Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension”: The fifth and touted as last in the series, starring Nathan Brewer and Jay Hieron.
“Rock the Kasbah”: Bill Murray stars as a music manager, lost in Afghanistan, who ends up finding a young Afghani girl to compete in a singing competition. Bruce Willis, Zooey Deschanel, Kate Hudson and Scott Caan also star.
“Suffragette” (limited): Starring Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter and Romola Garai, about the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement.
October 30
“Autobahn”: A fast-paced action thriller about a washed-up ex-Formula One driver who has 90 minutes to deliver the bomb-rigged car to a target or his wife and daughter will be killed.
“Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse”: Three scouts attempt to save their town from a zombie outbreak. Starring Halston Sage, Patrick Schwarzenegger and Tye Sheridan.
November 6
“The Peanuts Movie”: Charlie Brown, the world’s most beloved underdog, embarks upon an epic quest, while Snoopy takes to the skies to pursue his arch-nemesis, the Red Baron.
“Spectre”: The twenty-fourth James Bond film features Daniel Craig in his fourth performance as James Bond.
“Spotlight” (limited): Thomas McCarthy dramatizes the reporting of the Boston Globe’s “Spotlight” investigative reporting team and its Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Catholic sex- abuse scandal.
November 13
“The 33”: True story about group of thirty-three miners who were trapped inside a mine for more than two months. Starring Antonio Banderas.
“By the Sea”: Set in France during the mid-1970s, a former dancer and her husband, an American writer, travel the country together. Starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
“Rings”: Samara returns to strike terror again in the third film of the “Ring” franchise. Starring Aimee Teegarden, Johnny Galecki and Laura Wiggins.