With the summer over and Award season quickly ramping up, the studios are releasing a plethora of new films this fall, with this weekend being a particularly crowded time.
In addition to the expansion of the limited release of “The Master,” audiences are facing three new wide releases at the multiplexes on Friday: “Dredd,” “End of Watch,” “House at the End of the Street” and “Trouble With the Curve,” while movie fans in L.A. and New York will also have “Perks of Being a Wallflower” to consider (it opens in more cities next week).
We take a look at the new films in HitFix’s New Movie Showdown.
“Dredd”
HitFix grade: B.
Read Drew McWeeny’s review.
The lowdown: The longtime Brit comicbook character comes to the big screen again, this time with Karl Urban subbing for Sylvester Stallone and some gritty action subbing for the 1996 film’s scattershot camp approach.
In the dense dystopian future of “Dredd,” many people escape their dreary lives by turning to a mind-altering drug called “SloMo.” To depict its effects, the filmmakers used — you guessed it — a lot of slow motion. Check out this brief featurette about the film’s style, including 3D blood splatters and, of course, slo-mo Karl Urban:
“End of Watch”
The lowdown: David Ayer (“Training Day,” “Dark Blue”) returns to the world of troubled LAPD cops, this time with a found footage/first-person POV spin. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena play two L.A. officers who are targeted by a powerful drug cartel after uncovering a dark secret.
Watch one of the film’s visceral shoot-outs here:
“Trouble With the Curve”
Read Kris Tapley’s thoughts on the film here.
The Lowdown: Fresh off his bewildering appearance at the RNC, Clint Eastwood takes a break from directing to *just* star in this drama about an aging baseball scout (Eastwood) re-connecting with his daughter (Amy Adams) and forming a friendship with a former player-turned-rival scout (Justin Timberlake).
Watch J. Timberlake put the moves on Adams in this clip:
“Perks of Being a Wallflower”
HitFix grade: A-.
Read Drew McWeeny’s review here.
The lowdown: Stephen Chbosky directed this adaptation of his own popular novel about a freshman misfit (Logan Lerman) who finds himself when he starts hanging out with an older, free-spirited crew that includes the lovely Sam (“Harry Potter’s” Emma Watson). It’s only opening in L.A. and NYC this Friday, and opening wider next week.
See what it’s like to feel infinite as Charlie and Patrick (“We Need to Talk About Kevin’s” Ezra Miller) drive around with the spontaneous Sam and a Bowie tape:
“The Master”
Read Drew McWeeny’s B- review here, and Guy Lodge’s A- review here.
Already doing stellar business in early runs in NYC and L.A., Paul Thomas Anderson’s cryptic exploration of two men’s damaged psyches — and the roots of a Scientology-like religion — is wowing many critics and building hearty Oscar buzz, especially for stars Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams.
Watch Adams talk about her experience working with Anderson and Phoenix here:
“House at the End of the Street”
The Lowdown: Elisabeth Shue and Jennifer Lawrence play a mother and daughter who move to a new town and find themselves living next door to a house where a young girl died. Guess what? The killing isn’t over yet.
With all these new films hitting theaters, what will you see this weekend?