It’s no secret that Johnny Depp is a big fan of Hunter S. Thompson (in addition to playing a fictional version of him in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” he also narrated “Gonzo,” the 2008 documentary about the writer), and “The Rum Diary” was a project that he had been trying to get made for several years prior to Thompson’s untimely death. Unfortunately, while Depp clearly has a lot of fun channeling the eccentric journalist yet again in this adaptation of the writer’s “lost novel,” the movie is a rambling mess that fails to find any sort of rhythm over the course of its 120 minute runtime. The acting is solid and there are some great set pieces throughout, but it doesn’t really add up to anything of much substance. Having never read any of Thompson’s work, that may have very well been the point, but that doesn’t make the film any more accessible or entertaining.

Blu-ray Highlight: Though fans of Hunter S. Thompson will undoubtedly enjoy “The Rum Diary Back-Story,” a 2002 documentary that features Thompson and many others talking about the publication of the novel and the long road to adapting it for the big screen, I found the much briefer making-of featurette, “A Voice Made of Ink and Rage,” more interesting. In it, Johnny Depp and director Bruce Robinson discuss making the film while still keeping Thompson’s spirit alive on set. (Hint: It involved plenty of rum.)

There always seems to be at least one indie movie that emerges as a potential dark horse in the months leading up to the Oscars, and this year, that film is “Take Shelter.” Although it was overlooked by every major awards show, that hasn’t stopped some cinephiles from insisting that it deserved more recognition. In fact, my own critics group awarded the movie the #3 spot in our annual Top 10 and handed Best Actor honors to star Michael Shannon. But while “Take Shelter” is certainly a good film, I’m not convinced that it’s a great one, even in a year saturated with underwhelming movies. Shannon’s intense performance as a family man suffering from visions of an impending apocalypse has garnered a lot of attention, but it’s really no different from the work that the bug-eyed, off-kilter actor has been consistently delivering for years. Whether or not you actually like the film ultimately comes down to its polarizing ending, however, because it’s about as love-it-or-hate-it as they come.

Blu-ray Highlight: There are actually quite a few good bonus features on the disc – including an audio commentary by writer/director Jeff Nichols and actor Michael Shannon, as well as a short but sweet making-of featurette – but the best of the bunch is a surprisingly funny Q&A with Shannon and co-star Shea Whigham where they chat about how they got involved with the project and reveal other anecdotes from the set.

I missed out on seeing Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” when it debuted at SXSW two years ago; it was my first time at the event and I didn’t want to take the chance on a movie I knew nothing about. But after it won the festival’s award for Best Narrative Film, I made a mental note to watch it as soon as it was available on Blu-ray. Although I didn’t fall quite so head-over-heels for the movie as some, “Tiny Furniture” serves as a great showcase for a promising young talent who’s already drawn comparisons as a female Woody Allen. Granted, Dunham still has a ways to go – both behind the screen and in front of it – but the cornerstones are already there in her smart and funny writing. Your mileage will vary depending on how much you can tolerate Dunham’s hopelessly self-involved protagonist, but while “Tiny Furniture” is definitely rough around the edges, it’s worth seeing if only to bear witness to a filmmaker on the verge of a major breakout.

Blu-ray Highlight: Criterion always does a fantastic job with their Blu-ray releases, and “Tiny Furniture” is no exception. In addition to an engaging 30-minute conversation between writer/director/actor Lena Dunham and rom-com guru Nora Ephron, the single-disc effort also includes Dunham’s first feature, “Creative Fiction,” four of her early shorts, and an interview with Paul Schrader. They’re all highlight-worthy extras, but the discussion between Dunham and Ephron is something that any film fan will enjoy.

Who: Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly and Anthony Mackie
What: Set in the near future where robots have replaced humans in the ring, a former boxer and his estranged son discover a junkyard bot that could become champion.
When: October 7th
Why: It’s easy to see how someone might be a little skeptical about a film that looks like “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots: The Movie,” but after visiting the set last summer, any concerns I might have had were quickly laid to rest following a chat with director Shawn Levy and star Hugh Jackman. I’ve also had the opportunity to see the finished product since then, and while the movie certainly isn’t going to earn a spot alongside “Rocky” and “Raging Bull” as a boxing classic, it’s still a really enjoyable underdog sports drama with strong central performances and plenty of awesome robot-on-robot action.

Who: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti
What: An idealistic staff member for a Democratic presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his latest stint on the campaign trail.
When: October 7th
Why: With a big name like George Clooney attached to a movie come big expectations, especially when he’s the one calling the shots. Thankfully, his latest directorial effort appears to be more “Good Night, and Good Luck” than “Leatherheads,” and it doesn’t hurt that he’s surrounded himself with such an incredible ensemble cast. In addition to the film’s multi-hyphenate star, “The Ides of March” features two other Oscar winners and two nominees. It might not be considered the year’s strongest awards contender, but the Academy always loves a good political thriller, and this definitely looks the part.

Who: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
What: When an alien life form begins wreaking havoc at an Antarctic research site, a graduate student teams up with a helicopter pilot to prevent it from escaping.
When: October 14th
Why: There’s been a lot of debate over whether Universal’s “The Thing” is a remake or a prequel to the 1982 John Carpenter classic (the fact that it shares the same title certainly hasn’t helped matters), but it’s now been confirmed that it takes place prior to R.J. MacReady’s trip to the Antarctic and will detail what happened at the Norwegian camp featured in the original film. I’m not sure if that makes this prequel any less unnecessary, but at least it’s got a couple of good actors in Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton. That’s definitely a start, but it still has a ways to go to winning back the fanboys after Ronald D. Moore’s script was reportedly scrapped back in late 2009.

Who: Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell
What: City boy Ren McCormack moves to a small town where rock ‘n’ roll and dancing have been banned, and his rebellious spirit begins to shake up the populace.
When: October 14th
Why: I know what you’re thinking: who in their right mind wants to see a remake of “Footloose” when they can just watch the 1984 original starring Kevin Bacon? But while it might sound like a terrible idea in theory – a thought supported by the numerous young actors (including Zac Efron and Chase Crawford) who passed on the potentially star-making lead role – early word is that the movie is actually a surprisingly enjoyable reimagining that manages to maintain the spirit of the original while injecting it with some necessary modern updates. Go ahead and file this one under “Wait and see.”

Who: Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Rashida Jones and Anjelica Huston
What: Three avid bird watchers compete to spot the rarest birds at an annual event.
When: October 14th
Why: Based on the book of the same name by Mark Obmasick, “The Big Year” has the kind of cast that, up until a few years ago, would have sounded like a comedy dream team. But that’s how quickly the careers of Owen Wilson and (especially) Jack Black have plummeted since then, and while that may seem like a bad thing, it actually works in the film’s favor. Expectations are incredibly low, and between its quirky plot and the who’s who of supporting talent (including Jim Parsons, Joel McHale and Kevin Pollock), there’s a pretty good chance that this won’t be nearly as bad as the trailer suggests.

Who: Luke Evans, Ray Stevenson, Matthew Macfayden and Orlando Bloom
What: D’Artagnan and his musketeer comrades Athos, Porthos and Aramis thwart the plans of Royal Prime Minister Richelieu to usurp the King of France’s power.
When: October 21st
Why: It’s gotten to the point where making fun of director Paul W.S. Anderson has grown so tiresome that I wish he would just churn out a good movie for once in order to silence his critics. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen any time soon, because “The Three Musketeers” has been made into a movie so many times that it’s hard to find a reason why another one needs to exist. Anderson is clearly trying to distinguish his version from the many others that came before it by instilling a steampunk-like aesthetic to the film, but while he deserves some credit for at least trying something new, the trailer is so laughably bad that it seems to be all for naught.

Who: Michael Angarano, Kyle Gallner, Nicholas Braun, Melissa Leo and Michael Parks
What: After a group of teens accept an online invitation for group sex, they soon encounter Pastor Abin Cooper, his followers, and their sinister agenda.
When: October 21st (limited)
Why: Although it’s technically been available on Video On Demand for a few weeks now, Kevin Smith’s low-budget attempt at making a horror movie is getting a limited theatrical run towards the end of October in conjunction with its home video release. Some might say that it’s a good excuse to see the film on the big screen, but considering the way that Smith has been marketing “Red State” (taking the show on the road and charging big bucks to see it), the whole thing stinks of a last-ditch effort to bleed more money from his fans. Though reviews of the film haven’t been very positive, I’m still curious to see Smith explore a different genre for once, especially with veterans like Michael Parks, Melissa Leo and John Goodman spouting his trademark dialogue.

Who: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy and Olivia Wilde
What: Set in a world where people stop aging at 25 and time is literally money, a young man accused of murder goes on the run in order to fight back against the system.
When: October 28th
Why: Justin Timberlake isn’t the first person you’d think of to play a Jason Bourne-like action hero, but after watching the sizzle reel for “Gattacta” director Andrew Niccol’s return to the sci-fi genre that premiered at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, I’m certainly willing to give him a chance. “In Time” is one of those high-concept sci-fi movies that are too complex to explain in a single paragraph – the easiest way to describe it is as a less crazy version of “Logan’s Run” – but it’s a pretty cool concept that, if executed correctly, could make for a really fun piece of escapism entertainment.

Who: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Aaron Eckhart, Giovanni Ribisi and Richard Jenkins
What: American journalist Paul Kemp takes a freelance job in Puerto Rico and struggles to find a balance between island culture and the ex-patriots who live there.
When: October 28th
Why: A big screen adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s “lost novel” has been in the works for over a decade now, but it wasn’t until two years ago when the project finally went into production, only to be shelved long enough for Thompson’s death to prevent him from seeing the final product. But while the film’s behind-the-scenes drama doesn’t exactly inspire much confidence, Thompson’s semi-autobiographical work always seems to bring out the kooky best in Johnny Depp, who’s been too busy playing the part of a Hollywood A-lister to take many offbeat roles these days. The chance to see Depp embrace his oddball side once again is worth the price of admission alone.

Who: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Rafe Spall and David Thewlis
What: Set during the succession of Queen Elizabeth I, the film proposes the theory that it was Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford, who penned William Shakespeare’s plays.
When: October 28th
Why: Because if it does well, we may never have to endure another end-of-the-world disaster movie from Roland Emmerich again. Seriously, though, it’ll be interesting to see what Emmerich can do without the crutch of special effects for once, because while he’s proven on numerous occasions that he can blow shit up, the jury’s still out on his skills as a director. The plot may be a bit preposterous, but it’s an interesting theory nonetheless, and I love the idea of staging it as a political thriller instead of a more generic historical drama. The Radiohead song in the trailer, however, still baffles me.