The month of October sees many Oscar hopefuls released as well as many high profile scary movies in time for Halloween.
October 5 Releases
Tim Burton's "Frankeweenie" is released in the first weekend of October. The film, which is loosely based on Mary Shelley's classical tale Frankenstein and based on Burton's first short film, tells the story of Young Victor who conducts a science experiment to bring his beloved dog Sparky back to life, only to face unintended, sometimes monstrous, consequences.The film opened at the London Film Festival and has garnered positive reviews.
The other wide released is the sequel to 2009's success "Taken." "Taken 2" stars Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills and tells the story of retired CIA operative Bryan Mills and his wife who is taken hostage. The film premiered at the Deauville Film Festival and has obtained negative reviews.
Expanding Nationwide will be the hit comedy "Pitch Perfect" which opened on September 28 to a record $5.7 million in 335 theaters.
In the arthouse theaters four high profile films will hit theaters. Jennifer Garner's "Butter" which has been playing on Video on Demand for a few weeks hits theaters. The film is set in small-town Iowa, and tells the story of an adopted girl who discovers her talent for butter carving and finds herself pitted against an ambitious local woman in their town's annual contest. The film premiered last year at the Toronto Film Festival to mixed reviews.
Also in theaters is the Cannes hit "The Paperboy" which stars Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey and Nicole Kidman. The film is directed by Lee Daniels.
Last year's Toronto hit by Andrea Arnold's "Wuthering Heights" also makes its wa to the silver screen. The film is based on Emily Bronte's classic novel which tells the story of a poor boy of unknown origins who is rescued from poverty and taken in by the Earnshaw family where he develops an intense relationship with his young foster sister, Cathy.
"V/H/S" has also played to success on video on Demand for quite some time. The film, which is being released by Magnolia, is about a group of misfits who are hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire a rare VHS tape.
If you could only pick one: Tim Burton's Frankenweenie is the film to watch. Even though he disappointed with "Dark Shadows." "Frankenweenie" promises to be his return to form.
October 12 Films
October 12 sees the release of Ben Affleck's third film "Argo." Having premiered at Toronto to great reviews, it is easily the most anticipated film of the week as it has become one of the Oscar frontrunners. The film tells the story of a CIA 'exfiltration' specialist who concocts a risky plan to free six Americans who have found shelter at the home of the Canadian ambassador.
The other big film is "Seven Psychopaths" which is directed by Academy Award Nominee Martin McDonagh (In Bruges). The film which stars Colin Farrell, Olga Kuryalenko, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson and Christopher Walken tells the story of a struggling screenwriter who inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends kidnap a gangster's beloved Shih Tzu. Reviews from the Toronto Film Festival have praised the film.
Also being released nationwide is the critically acclaimed horror film "Sinister" which stars Ethan Hawke and the comedy "Here Comes the Boom" starring Kevin James and Salma Hayek.
In the Arthouse theaters the Sundance hit "Smashed' starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer hits theaters. The film already has awards buzz and revolves around a married couple whose bond is built on a mutual love of alcohol.
If you could only pick one: This is hard because I would recommend Argo, Smashed and Seven Psychopaths but considering all the buzz I'll recommend Argo, as Ben Affleck has yet to disappoint when directing a film.
October 19 Films
October 19 sees the release of the fourth "Paranormal Activity" film and "Alex Cross." Paranormal activity continues the trend of using documentary style visuals to tell its story. "Alex Cross," staring Tyler Perry, tells the story of a detective is told that a member of his family has been murdered. He vows to track down the killer.
In the arthouse theaters the awards contender "The Sessions" will be released. The film stars John Hawkes, Helen Hunt and William H. Macy and relates the story of a man in an iron lung who wishes to lose his virginity and contacts a professional sex surrogate. John Hawkes and Helen Hunt have already received praise and are slated to be awards contenders.
If you could only pick one: There is no contest here as The Sessions is the film to watch. The buzz and the great reviews should attract a huge audience.
October 26
October 26 sees the release of four new films. It all begins with the epic film by Warner Bros "Cloud Atlas." The film explores how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution. The film stars Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving, susan Sarandon, Halle Berry, Jim Sturgees and is receiving generally positive reviews and is sure to be a commercial hit.
Open Road Films releases yet another "Silent Hill: Revelation 3D" movie in time for Halloween. Following the video game story the film is about Heather Mason who is drawn into a strange and terrifying alternate reality that holds answers to the horrific nightmares that have plagued her since childhood. The film stars Sean Bean, Radha Mitchell and Carrie Anne Moss.
Fox will also release their sports drama "Chasing Mavericks" which is about Jay Moriarty who discovers that the mythic Mavericks surf break, one of the biggest waves on Earth and he enlists the help of local legend Frosty Hesson to train him to survive it.
Paramount also releases a movie for Halloween called "Fun Size." However unlike the rest of the scary movies being released this is a comedy about a girl Wren whose plan to attend a huge Halloween party thrown by the guy she likes goes awry when she's put in charge of her oddball little brother, who wanders off on his own. The film is likely to attract younger audiences.
In arthouse the New York Film festival hit "The Loneliest Planet" starring Gael Garcia Bernal hits theaters. The critically acclaimed film tells the story of a local guide who takes a young couple through a twisted backpacking trip across the Georgian wilderness.
If you could only pick one: Cloud Atlas is the film to watch by a long shot . With its stellar cast and incredible visuals it sure to engage a huge audience.
October is sure to have some fun and thought provoking films for everybody.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
