The Accountant
The roles are kind of reversed here as Ben Affleck who played a genius’ friend (Matt Damon) in Good Will Hunting knows gets to play a genius by the name of Christian Wolff. Here, he uses his genius comes from numbers which leads him to become an accountant. Behind the cover of a small-town CPA office, he works as a freelance sleeper assassin for some of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations. The trailer was pretty exciting and Affleck seems to portray the eccentric very well. I was also very interested in the story behind his upbringing. It doesn’t really give away where it’s going but there’s a lot of suspense here and I can’t wait to see where it goes. The Accountant releases October 14th, 2016.
Into the Forest
It’s the end of the world, again. It’s not immediately clear as to how this happened but maybe that isn’t the most important thing here. This movie is about a pair of sisters Nell (Ellen Page) and Eva (Evan Rachel Wood) who live in a remote forest. They may not have much but at least they have each other. They must try to survive intruders, disease, loneliness & starvation as they must learn about what is really happening. The film seems to focus heavily on the sisters’ relationship and how these events test them and their bond. This seems promising but I would like to see a little more first. Into the Forest releases July 22nd, 2016.
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
I’m personally very excited for this one. I haven’t read the book in which the film is based but I am excited because of the film’s director, Ang Lee. I haven’t seen Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon but ever since I saw Life of Pi, one of the most beautiful movies I’ve ever seen, I’ve been a fan. I’ve heard faint ramblings about this one but seeing the trailer convinced me. I’m sure this will be beautiful but in a different way (obviously) and also the story and acting look like they’re going be great as well. I’m also curious to see Vin Diesel and Steve Martin as they are actors who I would not normally associate with this type of film. Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk releases November 11th, 2016.
Hell or High Water
While Into the Forest was about a pair of sisters, this one is about a pair of brothers, Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster), with different circumstances. There desperation in trying to save their family’s farm leads them down a dark path. In doing so, they must avoid being caught by the authorities, led by a Sheriff named Marcus (Jeff Bridges). I will say that I didn’t find myself too invested in this one because of the accents in the fact that we’ve pretty much seen this story a multitude of times on tv shows and movies but I am still curious of how it’s going to go. Hell or High Water releases August 12th, 2016.
The Phenom
A Major League rookie pitcher named Hopper Gibson (Johnny Simmons) loses control over his pitching and is sent down to the minor leagues, where he begins sessions with an unorthodox sports psychologist named Dr. Mobley (Paul Giamatti). In the process, hidden conflicts with his overbearing father named Hopper Sr. (Ethan Hawke) are brought to light. Just like before, we’ve pretty much seen this story before on plenty of occasions. What will probably differentiate this is how likeable Simmons is as the main character here. He seems likeable enough so far but let’s just hope all the cliches don’t ruin it. The biggest one of those happens to be Hawke who plays the overbearing, pushy father. The only real interesting thing here is the relationship between Hopper Jr. and Dr. Mobley, primarily due to Giamatti who is cast perfectly again. The Phenom releases June 24th, 2016.
Don’t Breathe
It’s wrong to try and rob a blind man. Three thieves learned this the hard way here. Money (Daniel Zovatto), Rocky (Jane Levy), and Alex (Dylan Minnette) thought they’d make a quick buck by breaking into the house of a wealthy, blind man (Stephen Lang). Of course it doesn’t go as expected when the man becomes more of a match for them. One would think a blind man wouldn’t stand much of a chance but when that man is Stephen Lang, it becomes a lot more scary if the trailer is any indication. I couldn’t think of anyone better for this than Lang as he is just a very imposing and intimidating man and it worked here. I would love nothing more than to see him tear these people to shreds. Don’t Breathe releases August 26th, 2016.
The Light Between Oceans
Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, need I say more? They are definitely 2 of the best actors working today so I’d be willing to see them in just about anything. Even in this film which on paper, would not be one I’d immediately flock to. A lighthouse keeper named Tom (Fassbender) and his wife Isabel (Vikander) living off the coast of Western Australia raise a baby they rescue from an adrift rowboat. Tom and Isabel had a baby and then they lost it, which is bad and leaves them in shambles. Once they encounter a new baby, they keep it and raise it as their own. But how long were they really going to get away with it? Once it’s birthmother comes along, their relationship is tested when they must decide whether or not to keep it or give it back to its mother. The Light Between Oceans releases September 2nd, 2016.
Indignation
Again, another film based on a book which I haven’t read. This one is about a young man named Marcus Messner (Logan Lerman), the idealistic son of a humble kosher butcher from Newark, N.J. Marcus leaves for Ohio to study at a small, conservative college, where he finds himself at odds with the administration, grapples with anti-Semitism and sexual repression and pines after a troubled girl named Olivia Hutton (Sarah Gadon). This film is a period piece, taking place in the 1950s. I found the time period and the setting to be interesting and I am curious as to where everything will go. The character of Marcus doesn’t come off as overly flashy and more restrained but I do find him fascinating which is a testament to the performance of Lerman. Indignation releases July 29th, 2016.
The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.