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Fall Movie Preview: September

By Eric Robinette | Monday, August 28, 2006, 12:02 PM

The calendar says there are still three weeks of summer left, but the schools are like Hollywood this time of year. Once September hits, summer is over, Labor Day or no Labor Day.

And boy, summer ended with a whimper, didn’t it? Snakes on a Plane was the last “summer” (read: popcorn) flick, and it nosedived at the box office this week. Now it looks like it’ll just barely make back its budget of $30 million. I’ve already posted about why it underperformed, but that reason was amplified this weekend when a friend asked me a question.

“So Eric … Snakes on a Plane — what’s the deal?” I might add my friend had a rather confused tone in her voice.

So with summer slithering away and with nothing of note to review this Friday, now’s a great time to go over what’s coming out the rest of the year. For the rest of this week, I’ll cover one month a day. Standard disclaimer: release dates are subject to change.

September 1

Crank: No, it’s not a movie about that grouchy fella from The Electric Company. It’s Jason Statham in kiester-kicking mode as a killer who’s about to die himself.

Crossover: Basketball movie with Wayne Brady. You might say I’ll pass on this one.

Lassie: What is it, girl? Woof, woof! You mean your movie stands about as much chance of succeeding as Hoot and How to Eat Fried Worms?

The Wicker Man: Neil LaBute directs Nicolas Cage in this remake of the 1973 cult hit about a detective looking for a young girl. Despite an A-list cast and a name director, Warner Bros. won’t screen this for critics. Something tells me the A-list is running a letter or two below standard.

September 8

The Covenant: Renny Harlin takes on what is essentially The Craft with testosterone. And to think Harlin was a halfway decent action director once. Remember Die Hard 2, Renny? Be more like that.

Hollywoodland: It’s the year’s second Superman movie! Sorta. This one is about the investigation of the mysterious death of George Reeves, who played him on TV in the 50s. Ben Affleck plays Reeves and reportedly does his best work in awhile. Also stars Diane Lane and Adrien Brody. I’m intrigued.

The Protector: Tony Jaa makes his second American bid to become the next martial arts superstar. Ong Bak wasn’t much of a movie, but Jaa’s stunts made it worth the price of admission. Here’s hoping the same is true here.

September 15

The Black Dahlia: Hands down, the movie I’m most looking forward to all month. Josh Hartnett and Aaron Eckhart play cops who investigate the grisly murder of a young actress, with Hilary Swank and Scarlett Johansson playing the femme fatales. This sounds like the kind of deliciously lurid material director Brian De Palma could score big with if he keeps the story under control. The fact that he’s working from a novel by James Ellroy (LA Confidential) makes me optimistic.

Everyone’s Hero: A boy tries to return Babe Ruth’s bat before the deciding game of the 1932 World Series. This animated film is the last hurrah of Christopher Reeve, who co-directed, and Dana Reeve, who voices. I hope it’s a fitting last act and not just another movie in this year’s CG glut.

Gridiron Gang: The Rock plays coach to a group of inmates who form a football team. Sounds like a cross between The Longest Yard and Remember the Titans. Say what you will about The Rock, but he has real presence. I like the idea of him playing in inspirational figure instead of another tough guy.

The Last Kiss: Zach Braff ponders whether he really deserves Jacinda Barrett or not, and must also contend with Rachel Bilson as a love interest. Some guys have all the luck. But even beyond that, a script by Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby) makes this even more interesting.

September 22

All the King’s Men: With a cast including Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Patricia Clarkson directed by Steven Zallian (A Civil Action), who is remaking an Oscar-winning film, this seems like sure-fire awards-bait, except it was supposed to come out late last year. The buzz has turned sour since then.

Flyboys: James Franco and Jean Reno star in this World War I aviation drama. At least it ought to score some interest around the birthplace of aviation.

Jackass Number 2: Hee-haw. Hee-haw.

Jet Li’s Fearless: Not to be confused with Jeff Bridges’ Fearless, this is supposedly Jet Li’s final foray into action movies. Normally I’d say no thanks, but the casting of Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) kicks up my interest a notch.

September 29

The Guardian: No, it’s not a remake of the William Friedkin horror film, nor is it a tribute to the Wright State student newspaper. Rather, it’s an action movie starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher as Coast Guard rescuers. Andrew Davis directs, hopefully in the vein of The Fugitive rather than Collateral Damage.

Open Season: The trailer for the 32nd computer-animated movie released this year actually looks fairly decent, but I can’t help thinking that seeing the delightful Over the Hedge makes this movie unnecessary.

School for Scoundrels: Napoleon Dynamite (AKA Jon Heder) falls for Jacinda Barrett (yep, her again) – and so does Billy Bob Thornton. What’s a girl to do? The premise is inspired; as long as the script doesn’t resort to lazy, crass humor, this could be one of the year’s better comedies.

As usual, feel free to chime in. What looks appealing/unappealing to you?

Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Coming Attractions

Comments

By Allie D.

August 29, 2006 1:39 PM | Link to this

Jet Li’s last foray into action? Is he retiring? I’m really really REALLY looking forward to The Black Dahlia!!

By Derwood

August 29, 2006 5:56 AM | Link to this

I saw Fearless about 6 months ago.. Quite a good movie actually. One of Jet Li’s best. Jet Li also starred in another movie called “Fist of Legend” which takes place after the events of “Fearless”. Fist of Legend is a typical Hong Kong movie though. The production values were very different.

By Sir Critic

August 28, 2006 1:46 PM | Link to this

RE The Guardian: I wonder - between Costner and Kutcher, which is the officer and which is the gentleman?

By MRZERO

August 28, 2006 12:44 PM | Link to this

I saw the trailer for The Guardian, it looked OK, but kinda reminded me of An Officer and a Gentleman.
 

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