A Walk in the Woods (2015) Short Review

(This will only be a quick little review because I’m busy working on other projects. Enjoy!)

Had things turned out differently, ‘A Walk in the Woods’ would’ve ended up being the third on-screen collaboration between acting legends Paul Newman and Robert Redford, following their critically acclaimed turns in 1969’s ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ and 1973’s ‘The Sting’. Sadly, this would never come to fruition as Newman retired from acting in 2007 and died just a year later in 2008. Despite this, Redford moved on, brought in another acting legend in Nick Nolte to take over the role that was originally intended for Newman, and was finally able to get ‘A Walk in the Woods’, based on the 1998 memoir of the same name by travel author Bill Bryson, brought to the big-screen. It follows Bryson (Redford) as he attempts to hike the Appalachian Trail with his old friend Stephen Katz (Nolte), who he hadn’t been in contact with for about four years. But due to the two of them being not so prepared to take on this adventure, hilarity ensues as the two end up getting into all sorts of crazy situations as they try to complete the over 2,000 mile long trail. All of this comes together for a film that is just as pleasant as the trip these two men are taking (not counting all of the chaotic stuff that happens to them).

‘A Walk in the Woods’ is a fairly simple story but that doesn’t mean it’s not an enjoyable one to watch. The cinematography for the film by John Bailey is absolutely breathtaking with its shots of scenic vistas and Americana. And ultimately the film really benefits from its charismatic duo of leads in Redford and Nolte. The two have excellent chemistry, perhaps almost as good as Redford and Paul Newman, and it’s fun to see these two deal with everything that happens to them on the trail, from bears to crazy hikers, including an overly enthusiastic, and rather annoying, hiker named Mary Ellen (Kirsten Schaal), and so on. And it’s also rather nice to see these two old friends reconnect again through all of the chaos. Back them up with a few solid supporting roles, including Emma Thompson as Bryson’s wife Catherine and Mary Steenburgen as the owner of a motel who flirts with Bryson, and you have a nice little buddy road trip; no more, no less. ‘A Walk in the Woods’ isn’t the most profound film of its genre but it still manages to be a nice little film that strongly benefits from its leads and its beautiful scenery. If you’re looking for a nice little indie flick after all of the big blockbusters from this past summer, I think you’ll enjoy ‘A Walk in the Woods’.

Rating: 4/5

2015 Preview: September

With the Summer Movie Season now behind us, it’s time to start looking forward to this year’s awards season. As we enter the final third of the year, we’ll soon be seeing plenty of films that will be amongst those considered for major awards. September’s not usually considered to be a good month for film releases but as always there are definitely some noteworthy releases this month. Welcome back to Rhode Island Movie Corner’s year-long preview of the films that are set to come out in 2015. This is Part 9 of 12 and today we’ll be looking at the films that will be hitting theaters this September.

SEPTEMBER 4- The month opens up with a pair of new releases; a Robert Redford starring travel comedy and the latest installment of a popular action franchise, albeit without its original leading man.

*The series that made Jason Statham the action star he is today returns with ‘The Transporter: Refueled’. This time, however, the series goes the prequel route with Ed Skrein taking over the role of ex-Special Forces operative Frank Martin. In this film, Martin undertakes a major bank heist while dealing with a team of femme fatales and a Russian kingpin.

*Based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Bill Bryson, ‘A Walk in the Woods’ stars Robert Redford as Bryson who, after returning home to the States after two whole decades in the U.K., decides to hike the Appalachian Trail. The film also stars Emma Thompson and Nick Nolte, the latter of whom plays Bryson’s friend Stephen who ends up joining him on the trip.

SEPTEMBER 11- M. Night Shyamalan makes a return to the genre that first made him famous.

*The latest from M. Night Shyamalan, ‘The Visit’ focuses on a pair of siblings who are forced to stay at their grandparents’ house while their mother is on vacation. As time goes on, however, the two of them start to sense that things aren’t quite right with their grandparents.

SEPTEMBER 18- Among this week’s releases include the sequel to last year’s surprise hit ‘The Maze Runner’ and a Johnny Depp starring biopic on one of America’s most notorious criminals.

*Following last year’s smash hit ‘The Maze Runner’, the dystopian sci-fi series based off of the book series of the same name by James Dashner returns with ‘The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials’. Once again directed by Wes Ball and starring the majority of the surviving cast of the original film, this film sees Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and his fellow Gladers, after escaping the Maze, now having to traverse through the post-apocalyptic landscape of ‘the Scorch’. Newcomers to the cast include Aiden Gillen, Giancarlo Esposito, and Barry Pepper.

*Johnny Depp stars as James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, the most notorious gangster in U.S history, in ‘Black Mass’, directed by Scott Cooper. The film follows the story of Bulger’s alliance with the FBI during the 70’s and 80’s. The film also stars Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson, Kevin Bacon, and Corey Stoll.

*Another true story, ‘Captive’ stars David Oyelowo as Brian Nichols, who in 2005 went on a killing spree after being put on trial and held a young woman named Ashley Smith (Kate Mara) hostage.

SEPTEMBER 25- The last major weekend of the month is also its busiest, with four new wide releases and a nationwide expansion for a major awards contender.

*From Mike Flanagan, the director of ‘Oculus’, ‘Before I Wake’ stars Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane as a couple who adopt a young child whose dream suddenly manifest into reality.

*The latest from director Eli Roth, ‘The Green Inferno’ centers on a group of students who travel to the Amazon to help a native tribe. But when they end up crash-landing in the jungle, they then find themselves taken hostage by the cannibalistic tribe.

*Dracula and his pals return in the sequel to 2012’s animated hit ‘Hotel Transylvania’, ‘Hotel Transylvania 2’. Once again directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, this film sees Dracula (Adam Sandler) and his monster friends trying to train his new grandson when his daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) and her human husband Jonathan (Andy Samberg) announce that they are planning to leave Hotel Transylvania. The main cast of the previous film (Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, and David Spade) return to reprise their roles save for Cee-Lo Green as the mummy Murray. Keegan-Michael Key takes over the role and newcomers to the cast include Mel Brooks as Dracula’s father Vlad.

*Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro star in ‘The Intern’ in which Hathaway stars as the CEO of a fashion company who hires a retired widower (De Niro) as an intern as part of an outreach program. The film also stars Rene Russo and Adam DeVine.

*Finally, expanding into a Nationwide Release is ‘Prisoners’ director Denis Villeneuve’s latest film ‘Sicario’. Emily Blunt stars as an FBI agent who is enlisted into joining a task force to hunt down a drug lord. The film also stars Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, and Jon Bernthal.

And those are the films that are set to come out this September. Come back next month for Part 10 of this year-long preview as we’ll be previewing the films that will be hitting theaters in October.