The only problem with a top 10 list of movies to see is that it only has room for 10 movies. Naturally, there are some films coming out this fall that might be top-10 worthy and didn’t make my list, so I honor the potential of these films now in my Honorable Mention/Best of the Rest category.
“Jennifer’s Body” (Sept. 18)
The combination of Hollywood’s hottest actress, Megan Fox, and Diablo Cody’s first follow-up to her Oscar-winning comedy “Juno” would normally be a sure hit, but B-movie style teenage horror flick isn’t exactly what any of us had in mind. Whether that’s still enough to sucker every teenager on the planet into theaters the weekend of Sept. 18, however, remains to be seen – but the odds are favorable. Fox stars as the hot high school cheerleader who’s actually possessed by a demon and devours the boys she seduces. Amanda Seyfried co-stars as the dorky best friend whose crush (Adam Brody) is next on Jennifer’s list. “Jennifer’s Body” is one of those movies that could either be a steamy pile of teenage hormones mixed with blood or a hilarious horror comedy with impressive high school satire undertones. It’s too early to tell by the trailer, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.
“Capitalism: A Love Story” (Oct. 2)
Michael Moore is about as touchy of a subject as it gets between fans of film, but there’s no denying the documentary filmmaker’s reach and impact, which extends greater than anyone who has ever worked in the genre before. His comedic style and unforgiving attitude definitely push a lot of buttons and now he’s approaching the sorest subject ever: the U.S. economy. Moore’s move from the specific – gun control, 9/11, health care – to the broad and sensitive issue of the economy has got to be one of his gutsiest and will likely generate mixed criticism in mass quantities.
The first collection of short films on love that surrounded a city was “Paris, Je’Taime” and what better way to build on that concept than move to New York City. “Paris Je’Taime” was an international success and was a nice movie for those who love short film and the vignette concept. It’s hard to imagine “New York, I Love You” won’t feel the exact same way. The cast is at least 20 good actors deep and the directors of the shorts are of diverse cultural backgrounds with Natalie Portman, Brett Ratner and the previously mentioned Mira Nair as the big names involved.
“Amelia” (Oct. 23)
For those looking to get their Oscar fix early, Hilary Swank as Amelia Earhart should be the first target on your list. Director Mira Nair of the much-praised “The Namesake” is in charge and the film co-stars Richard Gere and Ewan McGregor. Although the film might not get anything more than a nomination for Swank, the odds say this should be a decent film in a month cluttered with entertainment-based movies.
“Gentleman Broncos ” (Oct. 30)
Filmmaker Jared Hess is in a tough spot. He’s riding one hit, “Napoleon Dynamite,” and one flop “Nacho Libre.” Now he’s releasing “Gentleman Broncos” which looks like it’ll fit somewhere in between. Young actor Michael Angarano (“Snow Angels” and “The Forbidden Kingdom”) stars along with “Flight of the Conchords” comedian Jemaine Clement in a film about a famous sci-fi/fantasy writer (Clement) who steals a teenager’s (Angarano) story idea in order to resuscitate his career. The film contains enactments of the bizarre story that Sam Rockwell stars in, which is amusing in itself.
“The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day” (Oct. 30)
The sequel fans of the cult classic have waited for for ten years now is suddenly dropping Halloween weekend and being as highly anticipated as this movie is, that’s enough for it to make the list of honorable mentions. Norman Reedus, Sean Patrick Flanery and Billy Connolly are back as the Irish-Catholic vigilantes and creator Troy Duffy appears to have pumped it full of more operatic slow-mo action for the die-hard fans whose dorm rooms are in need of a new “Boondock Saints” poster. It’s hard to say whether this will trump the original but it will almost certainly be worth finding out.
I never saw Robert Zemeckis’ animated “Beowulf” or the many times holiday re-released “The Polar Express,” but something looks promising about his attempt to give the classic “A Christmas Carol” the realistic animation treatment. The supernatural element of the story plays well into the hands of this media and the animation looks distinctly grittier and more intense. Plus, the voice talents of Jim Carrey would seem to lend themselves well to Ebenezer Scrooge. It’ll take raving reviews to get me into the theater to see it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this film gets that fair share of praise.
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