New In Theaters - October 26 2012

CLOUD ATLAS

Starring: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving,

Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy,

Xun Zhou, Keith David, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon & Hugh Grant

 Directed by Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski for distribution

by Warner Brothers

The Plot: Six inter-related group stories portray an exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future.

The Final Word: Opening day reviews show the critics are very evenly split with some believing this is a new classic that should be an automatic Oscar contender, while others believe it’s a self-important train wreck. However everyone seems to respect what the Wachowskis and co-director Tom Tykwer attempted to pull off as this was a book that many deemed “un-filmable.” It just seems like in order to get everything on screen they had to take a few creative avenues that didn’t necessarily work.

FUN SIZE

Starring: Victoria Justice, Thomas Mann, Jane Levy,

Thomas McDonell, Thomas Middleditch & Chelsea Handler

 Directed by Josh Schwartz for distribution by Paramount

The Plot: A high school senior loses her little brother while trick-or-treating and enlists her friends to help track him down.

The Final Word: Did anyone over the age of 18 even know this was coming out? This is a teen comedy aimed at a the younger side of the spectrum with the hope the appeal of Nickelodeon’s Victoria Justice and “Suburgatory’s” Jane Levy; still entirely sure that will translate to box office success.

SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D

Starring: Adelaide Clemens, Sean Bean, Kit Harington, Radha Mitchell,

Deborah Kara Unger, Carrie-Ann Moss, Malcolm McDowell,

Martin Donovan & Heather Marks

 Directed by Michael J. Bassett for distribution by Open Road Films

The Plot: On the eve of her 18^th birthday a teenager learns a shocking secret about her past that may hold the key to her father’s recent disappearance.

The Final Word: The original “Silent Hill” wasn’t exactly a massive success but it did have a very solid $20 million opening weekend back in 2006. For any film to pull off that type of haul means that a sequel is always in the cards; this one just took a little longer than expected. Incidentally the original did that big business in April so imagine what it may be able to pull off Halloween weekend.

New In Theaters - October 19, 2012

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4

 Directed by Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman for distribution by Paramount Pictures

The Plot: Yeah, like they are going to reveal this!

The Final Word: Ever since the original “Paranormal Activity” debuted back in 2007, Paramount hasn’t really that much detail about its horror franchise; including its cast. The bottom line is this is a hugely successful film series for the studio and should once again scare up some serious profits. It’s also worth noting that this time the film is directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman who are responsible for the controversial “documentary” “Catfish,” which hit theaters in 2010.

ALEX CROSS

Starring: Tyler Perry, Matthew Fox, Edward Burns,

Rachel Nichols & Jean Reno

 Directed by Rob Cohen for distribution by Summit Entertainment (Liongate)

The Plot: A cat and mouse game between a detective and a serial killer quickly gets personal when the killer targets the detective’s wife.

The Final Word: Originated on screen in 1997 by Morgan Freeman in “Kiss The Girls,” the character of Alex Cross has long been a successful box office fixture. Created by noted author James Patterson, “Alex Cross,” represents the return of the cunning detective to cinemas across the country with Tyler Perry now paying the role. Perry is actually already receiving rave reviews for his performance and is rumored to be “this close” to agreeing to terms for a sequel. 

New In Theaters - October 12, 2012

ARGO

Starring: Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston & John Goodman

Directed by Ben Affleck for distribution by Warner Brothers

The Plot: Using a fake move as cover, a CIA extraction expert enters into Iran to rescue six Americans seeking refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador following the start of the Iranian hostage crisis.

The Final Word: Fundamentally “Argo” is a movie about a military operation that is so absurd in nature and over the top in execution that if it wasn’t based on actual events it probably would be getting a much chillier reception from audiences and critics. Yet it is based on actual events and as a result it is being taken seriously (and rightfully so).

HERE COMES THE BOOM

Starring: Kevin James, Salma Hayek & Henry Winkler

Directed by Frank Coraci for distribution by Columbia (Sony)

The Plot: A teacher turns to mixed martial arts competition to raise money to save the arts program at his school.

The Final Word: Kevin James had a major hit with his CBS series “The King Of Queens,” since then he’s a had a fairly healthy run at the box office. Although James’ comedies seem to get over better with fans when he’s paired with a fellow comedian and here he’s shouldering the load mostly solo. “Boom” should do okay, but it won’t be to the levels frequent co-star Adam Sandler used to command early in his career.

SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS

Starring: Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson,

Abbie Cornish, Tom Waits, Olga Kurylenko &  Zeljko Ivanek

Directed by Martin McDonagh for distribution by CBS Films

The Plot: A struggling screenwriter gets entangled in a scheme to kidnap a gangster’s dog.

The Final Word: Read the plot line again and then tell me your expecting more out of this film than action and dark humor. CBS Films was designed to make small budget movies with big name casts and hopefully turn a profit; not sure how much of one this one will turn, no matter the pedigree of its cast and crew.

SINISTER

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, 
James Ransone & Fred Dalton Thompson

 Directed by Scott Derrickson for distribution by Summit Entertainment

The Plot: A crime novelist and his family are plunged into a state of terror following his discovery of a box of mysterious and disturbing home movies.

The Final Word: It’s October and this is a horror film. You do the math! “Sinister” came out of nowhere and has slowly built up buzz which should translate into a solid return.

New In Theaters - October 5, 2012

TAKEN 2

Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen

Rade Sherbedgia & Luke Grimes

Directed by Olivier Megaton for distribution by 20^th Century FOX

The Plot: A retired CIA agent looks to protect his wife and daughter after he’s targeted by the family of a group of sex traffickers he killed years prior.

The Final Word: Liam Nesson is a man with “a very particular set of skills.” I think we all can agree Nesson can open a movie on his name alone and the original “Taken” is a big reason why that’s the case. Despite a critical beatdown, the sequel’s going to do just as well because this is a non-thinking action film and those are currently in high demand.

FRANKENWEENIE

Starring (voices): Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Landau,

Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Robert Capron & Conchata Ferrell

Directed by Tim Burton for distribution by Disney

The Plot: After losing his beloved dog, a young boy finds a way to bring his pet back from the dead only to see him come back with a few “quirks.”

The Final Word: Simply put if you’re a fan of Tim Burton and “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” this move is for you. If you aren’t and are looking for a kids film then “Hotel Transylvania” is probably looking pretty good right now.