Opening This Week - September 20
Prisoners (2013)
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Certificate R 153 min - Crime | Drama | Thriller
Metascore: 73/100 (43 reviews)
When Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo
THE BUZZ: Zodiac spotlighted Jake Gyllenhaal as a nascent detective, and it was one of his finest roles to date. He also nailed the buddy-cop relationship in End of Watch, so I'm excited to see him as a cocky detective going up against a frantic Hugh Jackman in this Black List script by Aaron Guzikowski, who wrote Contraband. The young screenwriter's project sat in the laps of several directors (including Bryan Singer and Antoine Fuqua) before Denis Villeneuve came aboard to direct his follow-up to the excellent, Oscar-nominated Incendies. Given the cast's pedigree, the director's cache, and the adult-skewing subject matter, we think this is a true awards candidate in the Warner Bros. 2013 roster.
Battle of the Year (2013)
Certificate PG-13 109 min - Music
Metascore: 27/100 (16 reviews)
Battle of the Year attracts all the best teams from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years. Dante enlists Blake to assemble a team of the best dancers and bring the Trophy back to America where it started.
Director: Benson Lee
Stars: Josh Holloway, Laz Alonso, Josh Peck, Caity Lotz
THE BUZZ: Chris Brown might not put his past with Rihanna behind him in the indefinite future, but unlike, say, Mel Gibson, he's managed to find success despite a tarnished public image. Here, he teams up with Josh Peck for director Benson Lee, who is turning his documentary into a feature for Screen Gems, who haven't put out a dance movie since Stomp the Yard, surprisingly. I'll make a large-popcorn bet that Brown's character redeems himself during the course of this battle.
Enough Said (2013) - [Limited]
Certificate PG-13 93 min - Comedy
Metascore: 76/100 (26 reviews)
A divorced woman who decides to pursue the man she's interested in learns he's her new friend's ex-husband.
Director: Nicole Holofcener
Stars: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener, Toni Collette
THE BUZZ: Though this movie will forever be remembered as one of James Gandolfini's last big-screen appearances, it's cool to know that Nicole Holofcener wanted to work with him earlier on in her (and his) career. Having him paired with Julia Louis-Dreyfus is one of the highest final honors imaginable, and we're looking forward to how this duo translates Holofcener's reliable perspective on romance, aging, what have you.
C.O.G. (2013) - [Limited]
Certificate R 88 min - Comedy | Drama
Metascore: 59/100 (14 reviews)
A cocky young man travels to Oregon to work on an apple farm. Out of his element, he finds his lifestyle and notions being picked apart by everyone who crosses his path.
Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez
Stars: Jonathan Groff, Denis O'Hare, Corey Stoll, Dean Stockwell
THE BUZZ: Adapting a David Sedaris story for the big screen is both an honor and a daunting task -- we're unsure if a film can even come close to matching his written tone effectively -- but director/adapter Kyle Patrick Alvarez has laid the foundation here, and reportedly there are fine performances from star Jonathan Groff, the oddly sexy Corey Stoll from "House of Cards", the reliable Denis O'Hare and Dale Rickey, and what's said to be a surprising and subdued turn from former "SNL" player Casey Wilson.
A Single Shot (2013) - [Limited]
Certificate R 116 min - Crime | Drama | Thriller
Metascore: 53/100 (16 reviews)
The tragic death of a beautiful young girl starts a tense and atmospheric game of cat and mouse between hunter John Moon and the hardened backwater criminals out for his blood.
Director: David M. Rosenthal
Stars: Sam Rockwell, Jeffrey Wright, Kelly Reilly, Jason Isaacs
THE BUZZ: We'll watch Sam Rockwell in anything (seriously, put on Gentlemen Broncos again and we'll deal with it) so it doesn't matter if we think we've seen plenty of similar plots in the past, we just want to watch Rockwell lead the way -- even if it's into dangerous yet familiar territory.
Rush (2013) - [Los Angeles/New York City]
Certificate R 123 min - Action | Biography | Drama | Sport
Metascore: 73/100 (25 reviews)
A re-creation of the merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
Director: Ron Howard
Stars: Daniel Brühl, Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara
THE BUZZ: Senna made the real world of Formula 1 racing one of the best documentaries in recent history. Will a dramatized version of champion rider Niki Lauda's obsessive competitive streak register with a wide audience? Well, with Ron Howard directing, we can't help but think this will be the safest race around. The upshot: Daniel Brühl's first starring role in the States.
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