Who: Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis and Owen Wilson
What: A night guard at an armored car company organizes one of the biggest bank heists in American history.
When: September 30th
Why: This film, on paper, sounds like it should be a slam dunk. Jared Hess (“Napoleon Dynamite”) directs this all-star comedy cast about an ill-conceived heist that seemingly goes awry. But the film has also been sitting on the shelf for a while, which is concerning. Is it just that the studio is uncertain with what they have, and in fact this is a cult comedy film in the making? Or has it been testing so poorly because it’s simply not funny (like Hess’ “Gentleman Broncos”)? Galifianakis and Wiig are capable of pulling comedy from even the least funny situations, so there’s some hope that this is simply a matter of uncertain marketers who don’t know the weird film they have in their hands.
Who: Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Ella Purnell, Judi Dench and Chris O’Dowd
What: When Jacob uncovers a mystery that spans different worlds and times, he finds Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, a sanctuary for kids with special powers.
When: September 30th
Why: This adaptation of Ransom Riggs’ international bestseller seems perfect for Tim Burton – a tale of misunderstood misfits and monsters battling it out with fantastic elements at play. Adapted by Jane Goldman (“Kingsman: The Secret Service”), this film looks like a time-displaced X-Men story with a touch of the old-timey that Burton favors in his aesthetic. Will there be too much sturm und drang to deliver real characters and emotions? Possibly. This looks like another blockbuster for the Hot Topic set, but with a murderer’s row of talent like Green, Samuel L. Jackson, Terrence Stamp and others, it could be a captivating kick off to a new franchise that’s unlike anything else out there.
Who: Mark Wahlberg, Kate Hudson, Dylan O’Brien, Kurt Russell and John Malkovich
What: A story set on the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, which exploded during April 2010 and created the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
When: September 30th
Why: Peter Berg is a vexing filmmaker who can turn out some great genre work (“Friday Night Lights,” “The Kingdom”), but he also makes things like “Battleship” and “Hancock.” Berg does seem to rise to the challenge of true-life stories, though, and is able to create real tension and heroics amongst tales of everyday people thrust into extraordinary circumstances. Wahlberg did well in Berg’s last film, “Lone Survivor,” and appears to be cast again as the hero (or at least, the protagonist) of the terrible disaster. Hopefully, the film will reignite conversations about the horrific oil spill and bring that story, which has fallen away in recent years, back into the spotlight.
Who: Sasha Lane, Shia LaBeouf and Riley Keough
What: A teenage girl with nothing to lose joins a traveling magazine sales crew and gets caught up in a whirlwind of hard partying, law bending and young love.
When: August 30th
Why: The film has been garnering lots of praise at festivals for writer/director Andrea Arnold (who made the excellent “Fish Tank”). It appears like a version of “Kids” for millennials in the post-economic recession era. LaBeouf, for all of his bullshit antics, is still a very talented actor and seems to bring a blend of honesty and danger to his role as the ringleader of this merry band of misfits roaming the highways. It would be great if the film lived up to the hype and people discover a compelling tale of a young woman losing and finding herself amidst all the hard partying and gun toting.