King's Guide:Fall Movie Preview

If you have been wondering what films will be released this fall, you stopped at the right place. I have composed a list of films that will be making their way to a cinema near you. Keep in mind these release dates are limited to the US only. If the film is a wide release for example Breaking Dawn, there is a good chance that it will be playing in your country as well. What films are you most looking forward to? The films that I am most looking forward to are in red.

September

• The Words
• Bachelorette- Limited Release
• 10 Years- Limited Release
• Can this year be the year of Channing Tatum? We will see with this release.
• Finding Nemo 3D
• Is it bad that I would go see this movie again? 
• Resident Evil: Retribution
• The Master- Limited Release
• Dredd 3D
• End of Watch
• House at the End of the Street
• Jennifer Lawrence stars in this thriller about a mother and daughter who move in next door to a house where a young girl murdered her parents.
• Trouble with the Curve
• Clint Eastwood stars as a baseball scout in his first film since Gran Torino. This film as stars Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Limited Release
• The trailer looks wonderful for this film. I have a feeling that I would absolutely love this film.
• Hotel Transylvania
• Looper
• Joseph Gordon Levitt stars as a killer for a future mob that is assigned to kill his future self( Bruce Willis) 
• Won't Back Down

October

• Frakenweenie
• Pitch Perfect
• Taken 2
• The Paperboy- Limited Release
• Directed by Lee Daniels( Precious) and starring Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman and John Cusack 
• Argo
• Based on a true story of the operation to rescue six Americans during the Iranian revolution in 1979 It is directed by Ben Affleck( The Town, Gone Baby Gone)
• Seven Psychopaths
• Alex Cross
• Killing Them Softly
• Paranormal Activity 4
• Cloud Atlas
• The Big Wedding

November

• Flight
• Denzel Washington returns to the screens in this Robert Zemeckis( Forrest Gump) vehicle. 
• Wreck-It Ralph
• Skyfall
• Lincoln- Limited Release
• The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II
• The Twilight Saga comes to an end, twihards are in agony while film lovers rejoice
• Anna Karenina- Limited Release
• Directed by Joe Wright( Atonement, Pride & Prejudice) and starring Keira Knightley in the titled role. 
• Life of Pi
• Based on the Best selling novel and directed by the Academy Award winning Ang Lee( Brokeback Mountain) 
• Red Dawn
• Rise of the Guardians
• The Silver Linings Playbook

December

• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• Peter Jackson returns for the prequel to the Lord of  Rings trilogy. 
• Les Miserables
• Zero Dark Thirty
• This is 40
• Quasi sequel to Knocked Up
• Jack Reacher
• Django Unchained
• Been waiting for this film for two years now. I know that Quentin Tarantino will not disappoint

The Dark Knight Rises

Starring: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine
Director: Christopher Nolan
Written By: Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan
Rating: 4.5/5 Unicorns

The Dark Knight Rises is the conclusion to the epic Batman trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan. It takes place eight years after The Dark Knight. During those eight years Gotham City has not experienced any particular threat. That is all changed when Bane( Tom Hardy) enters the city with a mindset to destroy Gotham City. Batman( Christian Bale) must defend the city that has branded him a villain.

The Dark Knight Rises was not only one of the most anticipated films of the summer but of the most anticipated movies of the whole year. If it was not for The Avengers and The Hobbit it would be the film I was most looking forward to this year. I will be the first to admit that after watching The Avengers earlier this summer, many films failed to live up to my expectations. I was itching for a film that would entertain me at that level. Thankfully, The Dark Knight Rises filled the void for me. Unfortunately,  TDKR was overshadowed by tragedy. During the midnight showing of TDKR a man opened fire to an unsuspecting crowd. On my other blog I have written a post about my feelings of the tragedy. http://confessionsfromablackrose.blogspot.com/2012/07/frailty-of-life.html#more

You might be wondering why I have not given the TDKR a perfect score. I will tell you that I felt it was too long. There were some elements of the film that I felt dragged on. That does not mean that I did not like the film, I did. I honestly thought it was better than The Dark Knight. Tom Hardy was fantastic as Bane, his performance was bone chilling. Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues to slay me with his impeccable performances. He played the role of John Blake who was another hero of the film. I won't give it away but the ending for John Blake had me fangirling. Anne Hathaway had a career turn with Catwoman. I knew that she had it in her but it was still great to see it with my own eyes. There were twists and turns, a fantastic score by the legendary Hans Zimmer, the return of all the Batman Begins villains and directed by legend in his own right Christopher Nolan. If that is not a reason to check it out, I don't know what else to say.

Battle Royale

Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Taro Yamamoto Takeshi Kitano, Chiaki Kuriyama, Ko Shibasaki, Masanobu Ando
Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Written By: Kenta Fukasaku
Rating: 5/5 unicorns

42 ninth grade students wake up on a deserted island with a mysterious device on their necks. They are told that they have been selected to compete in the Battle Royale. The rule of the game is the participants have three days to kill each other until there is only one survivor. If they fail to do so their device will be activated and all of them will die. The students are each equipped with a bag that holds a weapon, map and rations of food and water.

I will be the first to admit that I had never heard about  Battle Royale before this past spring. I was voicing my disappointments after  finally seeing The Hunger Games(THG) with one of my friends. I was complaining about how THG failed to live up to the book. He mentioned that The Hunger Games was pretty much a rip off of Battle Royale. I did a little research and I found out that Battle Royale is a Japanese film that came out 12 years ago. It is based on a novel by the same name that came out in 1999. When Netflix matched me with the film a few weeks ago,  I decided to add Battle Royale to my queue. I finally watched the movie over the weekend and I have only one word to describe it, WOW!

Battle Royale is hands down the most intense and frightening film I have ever seen. At the same time there is a lot of humor as well. I can understand completely why it is a cult classic. It felt more like Lord of the Flies meets Clockwork Orange meets Kill Bill than a superior version of The Hunger Games.You really see the grotesqueness of these classmates killing each other. It is not watered down so it is easy to digest but graphic and unsettling. The film is a beautiful portrayal of survival and friendship. Interestingly these two elements are codependent and conflicting from each other. It was fascinating to see how friendships were formed and dissolved under these circumstances. What made this film so horrifying for me is that it is something that could totally happen now. It asks some tough questions and illustrates the complexities of human nature. There are individuals who are natural born killers, others that are self sacrificing and few that refuse to play the game at all. I would recommend this film for anyone who is interested in having a twisted thrill ride.

Movie Buzz

Hunger Games: Catching Fire

It seems that every week there is another casting announcement for the highly anticipated Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It has already been confirmed that Jena Malone has been cast as Johanna Mason and Phillip Seymor Hoffman has been cast as Plutarch Heavensbee. Now there are rumors swirling that the casting directors have decided on Sam Claflin to play the coveted role of Finnick Odair. Sam Clafin was recently seen in Snow White and the Hunstman. Personally,  when I was reading Catching Fire I always imagined a Garrett Hedlund type playing Finnick. I am sure that if Sam was offered the part, he will be amazing in the role. Earlier today it was confirmed that Amanda Plummer has been cast in the role of Wiress. After much thought I believe that she will be perfect in the role. The are rumors spreading that Tony Shalhoub is in the mix to play Beetee. That will be the best casting decision in the entire Hunger Game franchise. Perfect is not even a good word to describe him playing Beetee maybe flawless. Melissa Leo is also in the mix to play Mags. I always imagined Mags as being played by someone older but Melissa Leo is fantastic. 

Pixar

It is official, there will be a Finding Nemo sequel. I have been waiting for this news since 2003. I never thought it would happen and I am so excited that this is finally happening. There is a strong possibility that there will be a Toy Story 4. Next year the prequel to Monsters INC, Monsters University will make it way to the movie screens. 

Quick Box Office Report

In the midst of bombs and mishaps Ted is turning out to be the surprise hit of the summer. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom are the indie darlings of the year.  It is looking that Beasts of the Southern Wild will be joining their company. 

War Horse

Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Kross, Niels Arestrup
Director: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Lee Hall and Richard Curtis
Rating: 5/5 Unicorns



War Horse is based on the children novel by Michael Morpurgo which was later adapted successfully to stage. War Horse is set during the First World War I and begins with the beautiful friendship between a horse named Joey and Albert Narracot( Jeremy Irvine), the young boy who raises and trains Joey. When Albert's Father(Peter Mullan) sells Joey to the British Calvary in order to maintain their farm, the film follows the remarkable journey of Joey and all those whom come in contact with him during the war. 


War Horse was one of the films that came out last year that I really wanted to see. It was a film that I knew would not be good for me to watch around people. I once made the mistake of watching Tsotsi on the airplane, I do apologize to the people around me. I am sure I sounded like a drowning cat trying to muffle my cries. From the trailers of War Horse I was already getting misty eyed, so I knew this was no film to watch at the cinema. I am going to breakdown the emotions that come with watching War Horse. Once the movie begins  you will find yourself  in love with Joey and the relationship he establishes with Albert. When it was time for Joey to ploy the land, my cheeks were stained. By the quarter mark of the film you will be crying under a table with a bottle of wine. By the middle of the film, full on sobbing in shower mode. By the time the movie ends, you will find yourself crawled up in fetal position not being able to cope with all the emotions you are feeling. It was an emotional marathon trying to get through War Horse. I am not trying to discourage you from seeing War Horse, it was one of the most breathtaking films I have seen in recent memory. The cinematography in War Horse was spellbinding and the art direction was spectacular. The score was enchanting and acting was superb. This film had classic Spielberg feel which I absolutely adored.

A good bonus about War Horse is the wonderful Tom Hiddleston, who is absolutely lovely as Captain Nicholls. I think I actually clapped when he came on screen. Am I turning into a fangirl? I think he already has too many of them without me putting myself onto the list. Captain Nicholls is the man the Narracots sell Joey to. He promises to take special care of him. I won't delve much more because one of his last scenes had me crying under a table with a bottle of wine. Benedict Cumberbatch played the Major Jamie Stewart in the same division as Captain Nicholls. It was out of the world seeing them as screen partners. The great thing  about Major Jamie Stewart is that he had a horse named Topthorn who becomes Joey's big brother. I will not talk much more about Topthorn because when I do I find myself crawling on the floor. My final verdict on War Horse is a film not to be missed. Just remember to bring a box of tissues with you. You have to be emotionally prepared to handle the beast of emotions that come flying out you.

Brave

Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Craig Ferguson, Kevin McKidd
Director: Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
Written by: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell, Irene Mecchi
Rating: 4.5/5 Unicorns

Brave is the 13^th Pixar produced film and the first to feature a female protagonist. I have to give Pixar props for creating  hands down the most bad ass princess ever written in the history of Disney Princesses. Brave's protagonist is the fabulous Princess Merida( Kelly Macdonald), an unconventional Scottish princess with a gorgeous red mane who prefers to shoot arrows than to find a husband. In this tale we follow the relationship between Princess Merida and her mother Queen Elinor(Emma Thompson), who is determined to groom Merida into a "lady. The tension builds between the two when the disagree about Merida's future. In order to maintain peace amongst the kingdoms Merida is required to marry one of the first born sons of the fellow clan chiefs. Merida is not ready to be wed but her mother believes that is apart of her responsibilities to maintain tradition. On her quest to change her fate, Merida encounters a "wise" woman( Julie Walters) that has a solution to her problem. What follows is a great heart string pulling journey between mother and daughter.


What I loved about Brave was that it was not a typical princess story. This is not girl meets boy type of story but more of a coming of age tale. Princess Merida is a breath of fresh air. The first true feminist to ever be associated with Disney. She doesn't wait for prince charming to rescue her but solves her problems with her skill and wit. Queen Elinor was a force to be reckoned with. Seriously loved that she was the no nonsense parent and was the one who set everything in order. I absolutely adored Merida's three little brothers, they had me giggling throughout the film. I must warn you that by the end of the film expect to shed a few tears. 

There is talk about Brave not being up to par with its fellow Pixar films but I beg to differ. Brave is totally different from other themes that Pixar has tackled in the past. It has the working of an original Disney movie with its own unique spin. It is a funny and heartwarming love story between mother and child. It is not in the league of Finding Nemo or Toy Story 3 but Brave is an absolute joy to watch. Trust me when I say it is worth your money to check it out. 

Rent or Skip

Rent This: Another Earth

I cannot stress how beautiful this film was. It is not exciting or thrilling but a heartbreaking tale about healing after a tragedy against the backdrop of the recent discovery of another planet the exact replica of Earth. 

Rent This: We Need to Talk About Kevin

This film displays the nature vs. nurture debate brilliantly. Are monsters created or are they born? Tilda Swinton is fabulous in this uneasy drama. 

Rent This: Red State

Terrifying, hilarious and  unexpected. Definitely not a film for those who are easily offended.   

Skip This: Snow White and the Huntsman

I was really looking forward to watching this movie ever since I first saw the trailer. Unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. It is not terrible but it is not epic either, it's just okay. Charlize Theron was amazing in this film. Kristen Stewart really did hold her own and was believable as the re-imagined Snow White. Chris Hemsworth was fantastic as usual. I suggest you catch it when it is available for rental.