Movies To See List - September

A couple of weeks ago, I received in the mail (as many of you probably did as well) Entertainment Weekly's "Fall Movie Preview" issue. Or as I call it, The Moviegoers' Bible. Fall, as you may have noticed, is when most of the higher-quality films come out. Studios are anxious to get out their Oscar-contenders between Labor Day and New Years, so while summer is mostly about fun and fluffy movies, autumn is a good season for the crème de la crème.

I did a full list here, but in case that's too long of a read, I'll post them on the blog a month at a time.

September

(9th) The Exorcism of Emily Rose - [Insert inevitable comparisons to The Exorcist here.] Seriously, though, people are saying good things about this movie. I like that the story apparently doesn't center on the exorcism itself, but the trial of the priest who performed it.

(9th) An Unfinished Life - I am determined to see Jennifer Lopez make a decent movie. I know she can do it. I've seen Out of Sight. I think the key is a good director, and Lasse Hallström is certainly that. Add to it the presence of Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman and I'm very hopeful indeed.

(16th) Everything is Illuminated - I think Liev Schreiber is one of the finest actors who rarely if ever gets recognized for it. I'm interested to see what he does behind the camera. Plus, you know, Frodo is in it and all. :P

(16th) Just Like Heaven - *hums The Cure song* I was dubious about this one. The trailer reminded me of City of Angels - which I STILL refuse to see. But the line about "why can I see her when no one else does" and the promise of a "great twist" as Reese Witherspoon calls it has me interested.

(16th) Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang - Robert Downey, Jr. is in it. Period. Oh, and the trailer is hilarious.

(16th) The Libertine - Johnny Depp, Samantha Morton, and John Malkovich. And did I mention Johnny Depp? The director has been at pains to let people know that they will not see Captain Jack Sparrow in this movie. To which I say - I would have expected no less of Mr. Depp. :)

(16th) Proof - Great play, but I'm wondering how well it will translate to the screen. Reuniting Gwyneth Paltrow with her Shakesspeare in Love director, John Madden, seems like it would yeild great results. But I can't quite forget the travesty of Captain Corelli's Mandolin. I'm hoping that was just a one-time slump, though.

(16th) Thumbsucker - The trailer for this is quite amusing. Keanu Reeves as a dentist. Hmmmm...

(23rd) Flightplan - Jodie Foster is one of my favorite actors, and she only makes one movie every three years, it seems. So I pretty much have to see this. Also, the premise is very intriguing - woman and her daughter get on a plane, daughter apparently vanishes while the plane is in the air, everyone thinks the woman is crazy, and the audience wonders if the daughter ever existed.

(23rd) A History of Violence - David Cronenbeg directing Viggo Mortensen (and Ed Harris and William Hurt). Should be good.

(23rd) Oliver Twist - Polanksi does Dickens. Should be fantastic. Although I'll have difficulty not humming "Consider Yourself". This movie has some big shoes to fill.

(23rd) The Thing About My Folks - I saw this at the Nashville Film Festival, and it's excellent. Worth seeing again for the pool hall brawl alone.

(23rd) Tim Burton's Corpse Bride - Burton. Depp. Stop-motion animation. Zombie puppets. I'm there.

(30th) Capote - Interesting subject matter and a very worthy cast led by Philip Seymour Hoffman.

(30th) Mirrormask - Written by Neil Gaiman. Directed by the guy who did the Sandman covers (I've never read the comic, but those covers are rather hypnotic). And the trailer is really impressive.

(30th) Serenity - Dude, if I have to explain why this is a must-see, you need to get your hands on the Firefly DVDs right this second.