Here to take a look at the films coming out in wide and limited release this coming weekend. I’ll give you my thoughts to help you decide what’s worth checking out.
- Black Mass – Tells the story of the infamous Whitey Bulger, career criminal turned informant.
Directed by Scott Cooper (Out of the Furnace, Crazy Heart)
Starring Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Babe of the Week Dakota Johnson, Joel Edgerton, Kevin Bacon
Nick will have an enthusiastic review up for this movie today. He downright loved it. The trailer didn’t quite hook me but the cast seemed exceptional and interesting (the list above barely covers the ensemble). Every time a new scene in the trailer was shown a new exciting face was in it (oo Corey Stoll! oo Juno Temple! oo crazy ass Todd from Breaking Bad!). I am fascinated by anything related to true crime and the documentary Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger has been sitting in my queue for months now. Hopefully I’ll see both in the near future and then obsessively read page after page of related Wikipedia entries. - Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials – The survivors of the maze trial must make it through the hostile wasteland known as the Scorch, while trying to figure out the motives of the mysterious organization WCKD.
Directed by Wes Ball
Starring Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, Rosa Salazar
While I found this book series to be a bit repetitive and boring (not awful but not exciting), I thought The Maze Runner was a huge improvement on the book’s story and a well made movie. It has similar trappings to other dystopian young adult fiction but is based on a unique premise that doesn’t feel like a Hunger Games rip-off. This sequel moves out of the confines of the maze setting and should involve some cool scenery and action (more of Dylan O’Brien sliding through small spaces at the last second according to the trailer). I’m not sure if it’s a theater must-see, but I definitely plan to watch it at some point. - Captive – An escaped prisoner invades the home and holds hostage a troubled single mother (aka Labor Day minus the Nicholas Sparks).
Directed by Jerry Jameson
Starring Kate Mara, David Oyelowo
Why are Mara and Oyelowo in this bizarre commercial for the book The Purpose Driven Life? This is one weird premise – a murdering criminal and the drug abusing mother he is holding captive find solace in a New York Times best seller. They don’t really hint at a romance developing which I suppose is for the best. If this was just the same idea without them reading a religious self help book together it still wouldn’t be super appealing, but considering that it is, this is a definite no.
- Cooties – A group of teachers must survive in a school overrun by infected feral students.
Directed by Jonathan Milott, Cary Murnion (directorial debut!)
Starring Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer, Leigh Whannell, Nasim Pedrad
Cooties looks like fun! It’s for anyone who thinks kids can be (are) little assholes and want to see a bunch of adults kill them off (in self defense, of course). This is co-written by Leigh Wannel (Insidious, etc) and Ian Brennan (who co-created the upcoming show Scream Queens) so you know it’s going to be a fun-spirited horror comedy. Hopefully the results are good but the trailer already has me down for a watch. I think the cast is quite a cool gang of funny people and the idea for the story is the right kind of silly camp. - Everest – The true life story of an expedition group climbing Mount Everest in 1996.
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur (2 Guns, Contraband)
Starring Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Jake Gyllenhaal, Kiera Knightley, Michael Kelly
This is releasing in IMAX theaters this week, in all theaters next week. A full review will be up on the site soon. Overall it’s a good movie, but quite frustrating to watch due to the subject matter. The tension and visuals are fantastic but the story is quite depressing so it can’t exactly be described as an entertaining disaster/survival movie.
