Fall Movie Preivew: October 2013

This 84-degree bullshit has got to stop. It's called the Fall movie preview for a reason, Mother Nature. Oh, well. While we wait around for it to get cool enough to really enjoy pumpkin-flavored food, let's take a look at the upcoming month's movie offerings. As with last month, I'm not going to outline every release. It may seem strange to omit things like Romeo & Juliet (another straight adaptation seems kind of pointless right now) and Carrie (I assume it'll be too gory for me), but fear not. There's still plenty to grab my attention, even if it's the barest sliver of curiosity.

October 4

All is Bright: This may turn out to be too wacky for my tastes, but the cast list has definitely drawn me in. Paul Giamatti is a paroled criminal who attempts to make money by selling Christmas trees with Paul Rudd. The fact that Sally Hawkins is in this movie is also pushing me towards it, since she's still riding a wave of goodwill from Blue Jasmine. It's not a must-see or anything, but I'll be keeping my eye on this.

Bad Milo: I won't be seeing this one, but I'm bringing it up because I wish I could. Sure, a comedy about a guy who learns his stomach problems are caused by a monster living in his butt sounds ridiculous. But Ken Marino! Gillian Jacobs! Stephen Root! Kumail Nanjiani! Mary Kay Place! Unfortunately, it's a horror comedy, which means it's gory, which means I'm out.

Gravity: This is the must-see of October. I haven't heard or seen or read a single word about this movie that isn't glowing praise. The trailer, showing parts of initial catastrophe that leaves an astronaut (Sandra Bullcok) stranded in space, was eye-popping. Alfonso Cuarón knows how to make a thrilling drama, and this one looks amazing.

October 11

A.C.O.D.: Here's yet another talented cast drawing me in like a tractor beam. Adam Scott! Amy Poehler! Richard Jenkins! Catherine O'Hara! Mary Elizabeth Winstead! Jane Lynch! A.C.O.D stands for Adult Child of Divorce, and the movie is about Adam Scott's character being forced to renavigate the drama of his parents' bitter divorce. Even if I don't catch this in the theater, it'll definitely be an anticipated rental.

October 18

12 Years a Slave: I've been avoiding bummer movies lately, which is remiss of me. I just haven't been in the mood to intentionally depress myself for two hours, no matter how well-crafted a film is. This movie may sneak through the embargo, though, because it's been getting all sorts of critical raves. It's about a free black man (Chiwetel Ejiofor) in 1841 who is kidnapped and sold to a slave owner in the South (Michael Fassbender). And for those of us who have zero interest in the Wikileaks movie, this can be our dose of Benedict Cumberbatch until Sherlock comes back. I've read some extremely effusive reviews of this movie coming out of the Toronto International Film Festival, and if I can sufficiently psych myself up, I'll try and catch it.

October 25

The Counselor: Like All is Bright, my interest in this stems mostly from the people involved, rather than the plot. Michael Fassbender is having a busy month! He stars in this adaptation from a Cormac McCarthy novel alongside Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, and Penelope Cruz. Fassbender plays a laywer drawn into a drug operation that involves Pitt and Bardem, and though this carries the possibility of being as overrated as No Country for Old Men (to me, anyway), it's staying on my radar for now.

Spinning Plates: According to IMDb, this documentary was made last year, and I'm not sure why it took this long to be released or why it's been so roundly ignored. That's not a great sign. But the topic is intriguing enough; the movie explores three wildly varying restaurants and the people striving to keep them afloat. Food documentaries usually snag my interest (unless it's some polemic about how everything sucks), but with the exception of Jiro Dreams of Sushi, none of them have really stood out in a while. Let's see if this one can break the trend.