A lot of movies are opening in the next couple of weeks, which means a decent selection. Avoid the horror movies, because they’re going to be cheesy – and not in a good way.
October 21
Paranormal Activity 3
Another year, another Paranormal Activity. Boo. Not a ghostly boo, but rather a this-is-a-bad-idea boo. There must be something about horror-ish movies that just necessitates beating the dead horse as much as possible. Look at the Saw franchise, or the less horrific Final Destination. They just can’t stop themselves from watering down the brand. In the third outing of Paranormal Activity, the year is 1988 and the ghosts are still just as active. It looks to be some kind of attempt at a prequel.
The Three Musketeers
There aren’t many roles built for Orlando Bloom. Legolas, sure. It was his claim to fame. Then following Johnny Depp around in the first Pirates movies was sort of a given. Now, he’s the Duke of Buckingham in the Three Musketeers. Ray Stevenson, Matthew Macfadyen, and Luke Evans are the Musketeers. Maybe now Bloom will move on to some more modern roles that don’t also feature Kirsten Dunst.
Margin Call
Now that banking is sexy (and also completely full of scandal) look for Hollywood to cash in on the stories. The star-studded cast including Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore, and Jeremy Irons revolves around an investment bank during the first 24 hours of a financial crisis. Look for dirty backroom deals that are a little too close to reality.
October 28
In Time
Justin Timberlake continues his movie streak with this sci-fi story. In the future, everyone stops aging at 25 years old, but has to work to continue to keep living. It’s a classic story of the rich being corrupt and evil and the poor being good. Timberlake plays a sort-of Robin Hood, literally taking time from the rich and giving it to the poor. That makes people angry, like the corrupt police force. Amanda Seyfield and Cillian Murphy co-star. Olivia Wilde plays Timberlake’s mom, which is likely worth the price of admission on its own.
Johnny English Reborn
Apparently there was a demand for a new Johnny English movie. The first movie in 2003 was met with such a public reception that Rowan Atkinson was said to have gone into seclusion. No, really. Somehow they got him to do another movie, which looks to be much of the same. Johnny English is basically what James Bond would be without the suave – an accidental hero of Mr. Magoo stature. In this movie, he goes on the hunt for international assassins planning to kill the Chinese premier.
The Rum Diary
Johnny Depp is back in a Hunter S. Thompson-created world. Is there really any need to talk about anything else? Depp plays Paul Kemp, an American journalist who takes on a freelance gig in Puerto Rico. Amber Heard and Giovanni Ribisi co-star.
Anonymous
This one is called a political thriller, but it’s not exactly like George Clooney’s latest release. Instead it asks the question of whether William Shakespeare was a fraud. Rhys Ifans plays the Earl of Oxford and the possible actual talent behind Shakespeare writings. Rafe Spall plays the famous playwright.
The Double
Richard Gere is best when he’s playing a bad guy. This movie gives him some room to flex those chops. This movie seems like one that would have a lot of twists in it, but the trailer basically puts it all out there: Gere is a trusted CIA agent who has worked to find assassins during his entire career, but unbeknowst to the agency, he’s the baddest guy of them all. It’s left to Topher Grace to figure it out and capture him without, you know, getting murdered.
