Chasing Mavericks (trailer)
Director: Curtis Hanson & Michael Apted
Personal Interest Factor: 5
Hanson had a pretty strong run as a director for awhile, but his Lucky You was awfully mediocre, and then he had health problems during the filming of this and Michael Apted stepped in. Any movie starring the worst actor in Hollywood, Gerard Butler, is bound to be cringe-inducing in some way or t’other, and as a surfing movie, it marks Hanson’s second straight feature to feature subject matter of very questionable interest (Lucky You was about poker). Realistically, it looks like the studio just wants to release it and get it over with anyway.
Metacritic: 44
Cloud Atlas (trailer)
Director: Lana Wachowski & Tom Tykwer & Andy Wachowski
Personal Interest Factor: 8
Here’s an unusual thing these days, a genuinely adventurous major studio film. I don’t really know what to make of it – the trailer doesn’t inspire much of a reaction from me either way – but I’m still excited to see it.
Metacritic: 55
Keep the Lights On (trailer)
Director: Ira Sachs (The Delta, Forty Shades of Blue, Married Life)
Personal Interest Factor: 6
Chronicles the relationship between two men over the course of a decade. I actually had to look it up to see if I had seen Married Life, Sachs’s previous film. Turned out I had. Good thing this site exists or I wouldn’t have even remembered what I thought of it. I still only vaguely remember going.
Metacritic: 80
The Sessions (trailer)
Director: Ben Lewin (Georgia, The Favour, the Watch, and the Very Big Fish, Paperback Romance)
Personal Interest Factor: 6
This has good reviews, and I like the primary cast members involved (I’ve been particularly impressed by John Hawkes), but good lord does this look like the type of obnoxious Oscar-bait drama that I can barely stand. Very suspicious. I’ve barely been to any movies over the last few months and I still feel like I’ve seen this trailer a million times … how is that?
Metacritic: 80
Also this week:
Chakravyuh (trailer) – revolutionary drama from India
Fun Size (trailer) – out-of-control Halloween party
The Other Son – Israeli/Palestinian switched-at-birth drama
Silent Hill: Revelation (trailer) – video game sequel
The Wise Kids – indie coming-of-age drama
Agreed. I’m sure it’s fine, but I feel predisposed to hate it.