Hollywood stars, action plots among autumn cinema draws
"Skyfall"
After being postponed due to financial issues with MGM Studios, the 23rd Bond film will finally hit theaters four years after Daniel Craig's last Bond film, "Quantum of Solace." While the actual story is unclear, Bond's loyalty to M will be tested when her past catches up with her. The inclusion of Javier Bardem, who portrayed the haunting Anton Chigurh in "No Country for Old Men," as the next Bond villain is reason enough to be excited. Plus, director Sam Mendes has shown in the past with films like "Road to Perdition" that he is equally skilled with gun fight scenes and quiet dramatic moments. In theaters Nov. 9.
"Taken 2"
"Taken" was the movie that established Liam Neeson's place in today's movie industry as one of the biggest bad-a**es alive. He will again play Bryan Mills now on a happy vacation with his family in Istanbul until a man with a personal vendetta against him takes Bryan and his wife hostage, leaving Bryan to ask his daughter for help. Clearly, these guys haven't seen the first movie. As excited as I am to see Neeson beat up bad guys again, I'm worried that the movie will pull a "Hangover 2." In theaters Oct. 5.
"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2"
Will the recent Kristin Stewart scandal which broke the hearts of millions of Twi-hards affect this movie's box office chances? I don't care, because it will all be over on Nov. 16. The final film of one of the biggest franchises in movie history (but definitely not one of the best) is almost here. After the birth of her baby, Bella is now a vampire and is enjoying the lifestyle, but her baby still may pose a threat to vampires everywhere.
"Wreck-It Ralph"
Disney has been on a hot streak lately with their non-Pixar films, with the only exception being "Mars Needs Moms." Their newest film is about an arcade game villain named Wreck-It Ralph, who is tired of being a villain, crosses over to other arcade games and strives to prove he is hero material. This is a 3-D animated film with a very original concept and features video game cameos by Q*bert, Bowser from "Super Mario Bros.," Zangief from "Street Fighter" and many others. In theaters Nov. 2.
"Looper"
The science fiction features to keep an eye out for include "Dredd 3D" and "Looper," an interesting film about mob assassins called "loopers" who kill targets sent back from the future. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as a looper forced to kill himself, that is, himself from the future, played by Bruce Willis. Opens Sept. 28.
"Argo"
Aside from the ups and down of his acting career, Ben Affleck proved he's a smart director with "Gone Baby Gone" and "The Town." His ability to choreograph great action sequences may make "Argo" a critical hit. It's a true story about a bizarre escape plan that involves CIA agents rescuing hostages in the Middle East while posing as filmmakers. In theaters Oct. 12.
"Frankenweenie"
From "Edward Scissorhands" and "Batman" to his stop-motion animated works like "The Nightmare Before Christmas," Tim Burton is a master of whimsical fantasy and melancholy drama. Based on a 1984 short film about Frankenstein, "Frankenweenie" is Burton's latest stop-motion project, a story of a boy who brings his dead dog back to life through the power of science. Burton actually directed the original film for Disney, but was fired after they deemed it too scary for younger audiences. So in a way, this is a second chance for Burton and it looks to be worthwhile. Opens Oct. 5.
"Flight"
Robert Zemeckis has directed such classics as "Back to the Future," "Forrest Gump" and "Cast Away." Twelve years after his last live-action film and a long affair with motion capture films, Zemeckis directs "Flight," a drama starring Denzel Washington about a pilot who saves a plane from a crash landing, but also comes under attack because of his substance abuse problem. Washington joins a promising cast that includes John Goodman, Don Cheadle and Melissa Leo. In theaters Nov. 2.
"Lincoln"
Daniel Day-Lewis is one of the greatest character actors alive today, which he has proven with his roles in films like "My Left Foot," "Gangs of New York" and "There Will Be Blood." This time, Day-Lewis is working with Steven Spielberg for a biopic on Abraham Lincoln's last four months and the political strategizing that pushed the Union victory in the Civil War. Since Day-Lewis is typically picky about what roles he chooses and always displays sheer devotion to them, I say get the Oscar ballots ready. Opens Nov. 9.
"Red Dawn"
Does this movie sound familiar? Here's a hint: "Wolverines." Yep, this will be a remake of the 1984 war film that starred Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen. So why are we seeing a remake? For the same reason I have been ranting about: the movie industry is lacking creativity and focus is primarily on earning money. In the remake, North Korea will be invading the United States instead of the Soviet Union and Josh Hutcherson from "The Hunger Games" and Chris Hemsworth join the cast. Opens Nov. 21.