The Year in Film 2013: Episode VIII

Summer has come and gone and hot on its heels is the mixed month of September; full of cast-off films with low expectations along with a few early Oscar hopefuls.

The journey begins with…

RIDDICK – Vin Diesel reprises his role of the blind anti-hero Riddick for the third time in this sci-fi adventure. David Twohy (THE FUGITIVE) directs.

SALINGER – One of the most anticipated documentary features of the year dives into the life of author J.D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye.  SALINGER interviews over 150 people including Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Edward Norton, John Cusack, and Danny DeVito.

ADORE – This psycho-sexual drama was shot in the classic and seldom used 35mm cinemascope format. Stars Naomi Watts and Robin Wright

HELL BABY – This screwball comedy is scripted by frequent collaborators Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant (NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM), and tells the tale of a new couple who move into a haunted house.

MY FATHER AND THE MAN IN BLACK – Another highly anticipated documentary feature is an inside look at Johnny Cash as seen through the eyes of his former manager and Cash’s son, who re-discovers his father through a series of newly discovered audio diaries and recorded phone calls.

INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2 – Horror team James Wan and Leigh Whannell (SAW) reunite for the first followup to their successful INSIDIOUS film from 2011. Stars Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne.

THE FAMILY – In this action comedy, a mafia boss and his family are relocated to a small town in France under witness protection. Stars Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Tommy Lee Jones. Directed by Luc Besson (LEON THE PROFESSIONAL).

BLUE CAPRICE – This chilling-looking film tells the story of the Washington, D.C. snipers who terrorized the Beltway in 2002. Stars Isaiah Washington.

PRISONERS – Hugh Jackman is the parent of a kidnapped child in this thriller with an all-star cast. Co-stars Terrence Howard, Jake Gyllenhall, Melissa Leo, Paul Dano, Maria Bello, and Viola Davis. It is directed by Denis Villeneuve, whose 2010 film INCENDIES was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.

A SINGLE SHOT – David M. Rosenthal directs this backwoods thriller starring Sam Rockwell, Jeffrey Wright, William H. Macy, and Jason Isaacs…in which a hunter accidently kills a young woman.

PARKLAND – Recounts the events that occurred on the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It stars Paul Giamatti, Billy Bob Thornton, Jacki Weaver, Jeremy Strong, Marcia Gay Harden, James Badge Dale, Zac Efron, and Jackie Earle Haley.

RUSH – Ron Howard returns to directing his own dramas in this race-car yarn starring Chris Hemsworth (THOR), Daniel Bruhl, and Olivia Wilde.

DON JON – Joseph Gordon-Levitt makes his directorial debut and stars in this film, which tells the tale of a man torn between his porn addiction and his new girlfriend. Co-stars Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, and Tony Danza

AS I LAY DYING – James Franco also takes a stab at directing in this adaptation of the novel from the 1930’s by William Faulkner.

 

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Next month, Episode IX previews the equally-packed month of October.