Release Dates Oct 11 2008 @ 10:29 am
Theater Releases for October 10, 2008
City of Ember
Hope always springs eternal with me and Walden Media’s literary adaptations, even though they usually turn out to be terrible (or at least critically mauled). The reviews on this one have been mixed — visually arresting, but weak in storyline, characters, etc. (sound familiar?) — but it has an intriguing premise (kids must escape from a failing underground community) and it features Bill Murray, so I’m on board. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Recommended if you liked the two minutes that featured Bill Murray in Get Smart
Quarantine
I saw the original version of this film (which was a Spanish movie entitled [REC]), and I thought it was a taut little zombie thriller, made in the faux-real style of The Blair Witch Project (as was the fashion at the time). This English-language version looks like a pretty straightforward redo, so I can recommend it with a fair amount of certainty. I’m not sure why they used the final shot of the film for the poster, though. If you hate spoilers, don’t look to the left.
Recommended if you liked The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, or Diary of the Dead
The Express
Yet another racially-charged sports drama based on a true story. The only surprise? It’s not from Disney.
Recommended if you liked Remember the Titans, Miracle, The Longshots, Coach Carter, Cool Runnings, etc., etc.
Body of Lies
The long-awaited remake of Traitor, this one finds Leo DiCaprio chasing terrorists around the Middle East. And also, there’s Russel Crowe. And also, Ridley Scott (who hasn’t made a truly great film in quite a while, but there’s always a chance…).
Recommended if you liked Traitor, Blood Diamond, or American Gangster
Billy: The Early Years of Billy Graham
Here’s some movie trivia for you: Billy Graham shares an alma mater with horror auteur Wes Craven: Wheaton College of Illinois. But for some reason, Wheaton has a “Billy Graham Center,” but no “Wes Craven Center.” Go figure. Oh, and as for the movie, I think the title tells you pretty much all you need to know. It also has the word “Billy” in it twice, in case you…really like the word “Billy.”
Recommended if you love traveling evangelists, or if you want to know what makes them tick
on Oct 13 2008 @ 7:05 am 1. Film-Book dot Com said …
Body of Lies was pretty good. Great action. Crowe owned as a CIA asshole.
Quarantine I’ll check out after I watch [REC], which has been sitting in my collection for months now.
on Oct 13 2008 @ 9:16 am 2. Evan Derrick said …
Are you going to review it, Reggie?
And yes, you need to see [REC] posthaste. It’s not a groundbreaking film by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a very good effort in the genre.
on Oct 13 2008 @ 1:22 pm 3. Ryan Dunlap said …
I enjoyed City of Ember last night. But, I’m a sucker for the steampunk style. Loved Act 1, but thought it had pacing issues come Act 2. I’m guessing if I dropped 10-15 years off my age I would have thought it was one of the best movies EVAR.
Overall, I hope it succeeds because there just needs to be more steampunk.
on Oct 13 2008 @ 2:05 pm 4. Evan Derrick said …
Steampunk FTW! By the way, Ryan, did you ever seen Steamboy, that anime from the dude who did Akira? Sadly, it wasn’t that good, although there were lots of pretty pictures.
on Oct 13 2008 @ 4:38 pm 5. Ryan Dunlap said …
I haven’t seen Steamboy yet… been meaning to. Loved the concept and found it on YouTube once but didn’t have time to watch. I still plan on watching it.
I eventually want to make a Steampunk Faerietale at some point… even if it is a short film. Gotta have a bigger budget and a good marketing vehicle… we’ll see how Ember did boxoffice-wise… and that’s with recognizeable faces…