“Snowden”

Who: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Zachary Quinto and Nicolas Cage
What: The story of NSA employee Edward Snowden, who leaked thousands of classified documents to the press.
When: September 16th
Why: There was a time when this would seem like a perfect fit for Oliver Stone’s anti-establishment, paranoiac bravado. After a few shaky previous films, like “World Trade Center” and “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” it’s unknown if Stone still has it in him to be a rabble rouser and deliver the harrowing story of Snowden to the screen. But the film should be a fascinating character study in what pushes a man to forsake his country for a higher purpose, and if anyone can bring those true-life emotions to the screen, it’s Gordon-Levitt, who has proven himself a very gifted actor in the past few years.

“Blair Witch”

Who: Corbin Reid, Valorie Curry, Wes Robinson and James Allen McCune
What: After discovering a video of his sister’s experiences in the demonic woods of the Blair Witch, James and his friends head to the forest in search of his lost sibling.
When: September 16th
Why: Director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett’s last two films together (“You’re Next” and “The Guest”) are both excellent genre affairs that harkened back to older entries while forging their own paths. So even though it’s a bit dubious to get a sequel to the original 17 years later (and 16 years after the uneven “Book of Shadows”), it’s still with cautious optimism that viewers should approach this film. A cast of unknowns will once again delve into the forests for a scary ride that has already received a lot of hype and praise from those who have seen it. Wingard himself said that this is his first “truly scary movie,” which is incredibly promising.

“The Magnificent Seven”

Who: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Haley Bennett, Ethan Hawke and Peter Sarsgaard
What: Seven gunmen in the Old West come together to help a poor village against savage thieves.
When: September 23rd
Why: Antoine Fuqua directed this film from a script co-written by Nic Pizzolato (“True Detective”), and that’s a pretty exciting blending of talent to revisit this story. The original “Magnificent Seven” (and its influence, “Seven Samurai”) is a great tale that seemingly never ages and still inspires filmmakers to this day with the idea of outsiders banding together against impossible odds. Add in some of today’s best and most charming actors, especially character actors like D’Onofrio and Sarsgaard, and this has the makings of a fun time and a great return to the westerns of old, all told with a modern sensibility for flash and bold action sequences.