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Saturday, October 1, 2011

New In Theaters - October 7th, 2011


THE IDES OF MARCH
Starring: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei,
Paul Giamatti, Jeffrey Wright, Max Minghella & Evan Rachel Wood
Directed by George Clooney for distribution by Columbia (Sony)


The Plot: A hotshot campaign press secretary finds himself embroiled in a scandal that could bring down both him and his candidate during the final days of a contentious Ohio presidential primary.

The Final Word: If you didn’t know who Ryan Gosling was before, you certainly will by the year’s end. Already a former Oscar nominee, Gosling has yet to really breakthrough to the level of Clooney, Hoffman or Tomei, but that’s coming. Here he is given a chance to build on his work in the critically loved “Drive” and with Clooney as his director, he could be right back in the mix come award season. Incidentally don’t forget about Clooney either (not that anybody could) as between this and the upcoming “The Descendants”  he’ll be in the Oscar spotlight just as much.

REAL STEEL
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Dakota Goyo,
Anthony Mackie & Kevin Durand
Directed by Shawn Levy for distribution by DreamWorks


The Plot: A washed up boxer teams with his estranged son to build and train a robotic fighter in a future where humans no longer compete in the ring.

The Final Word: “Steel” has been on many fan’s must-see lists for some time now and it’s not hard to see why. This is literally a more developed version of the popular “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots” line of toys and with Hollywood heartthrob Hugh Jackman in the title role opposite the equally stunning Evangeline Lilly, DreamWorks should see some solid returns. Studios will also be keeping an eye on “Steel” as DreamWorks opted to go the IMAX route, without the 3D add-on. With the drubbing 3D has been taking this could be a smart middle-ground for upcoming releases. 

Previewed next week: The Thing, Footloose, The Big Year