Box Office Results: 9/28/12-9/30/12

 

After some slow weekends, the box office greatly rebounded this week with two successful openings of films both distributed by Sony. In first place was the animated 'Hotel Transylvania', which had the best opening ever for a September release with 43 million. It also is a rebound for star Adam Sandler after his previous movie 'That's My Boy' bombed earlier this year in June. Meanwhile, not too far behind in second place was the more mature thriller 'Looper' which opened with 21.2 Million. Meanwhile, musical comedy 'Pitch Perfect' had a solid opening at fifth place while the drama 'Won't Back Down' had a lackluster opening, placing ninth.

 

1. Hotel Transylvania: $43 Million

2. Looper: $21.2 Million

3. Trouble With the Curve: $7.5 Million

4. House at the End of the Street: $7.2 Million

5. Pitch Perfect: $5.2 Million

6. Finding Nemo 3D: $4.1 Million

7. Resident Evil: Retribution: $3 Million

8. The Master: $2.8 Million

9. Won't Back Down: $2.7 Million

10. Dredd: $2.3 Million

 



Looper (2012) review

 

In 2005, two things happened when the movie 'Brick' was made. Director Rian Johnson made his directorial debut and star Joseph Gordon-Levitt established himself as a premier actor of his generation, along with films like 'Inception', '(500) Days of Summer', and 'The Dark Knight Rises'. The two reunite again for Looper, a sci-fi thriller that certainly makes all of the right moves when it comes to its writing. Like with Christopher Nolan's Inception back in 2010, Looper is one of the best written and most original films to come out in a long time with a story that is not only compelling, but brings much emotional substance to the table as well. It doesn't ignore the heavy material that it's focusing on and is a film that will leave you talking about it long after it is over.

In the year 2074, time travel will have been invented but it is immediately deemed outlawed. The only ones who use it are criminal organizations who utilize the system in order to rid themselves of their targets. To do that, they send them back 30 years to the year 2044 where hired hit men known as Loopers eliminate the targets, thereby erasing them from existence. Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is one of these Loopers and like the others, he lives the good life on the one condition that he must never let any of his targets escape. But Joe soon faces a huge problem when his latest target (Bruce Willis) is none other than himself 30 years from now. Hesitating, Joe allows his older self to escape and is now forced on the run from his employers as he tries to fix his dilemma, even if it means killing his older self in the process.

So why did Joe's employers send him his own future self to kill? Well, this is a process known as 'closing the loop' that the crime syndicates eventually use on all of their Loopers in order to terminate their contracts. This is some pretty heavy stuff the movie deals with, and Johnson does not hesitate to illustrate the effect of this situation on these hit men. When a Looper 'closes his loop', they never realize that they killed their own selves at first because their future self's face is covered by a hood like all of their other targets. They will treat it like it's any other kill and won't realize what they did until it's too late. In the case of Joe, his future self arrived without a hood so he quickly realized who his latest target was. But then Johnson throws a curve ball because apparently the usual reaction that Loopers have when their Loop is closed is quite surprising at first. You would think that they would be horrified by the fact that they just literally just killed themselves, but instead they respond by celebrating about it, even when they will eventually be on the receiving end of the blunderbuss shot later on.

On another note, Johnson also makes sure that Willis is well-utilized. This isn't some case where Willis' role feels more like a cameo and he is given nothing to do. He plays a key part in the story, as Old Joe is on a mission to take out the one person who will one day become the crime boss known as 'The Rainmaker' in order to fix the future. We also see what drives him to do this, having had a wife but then losing her because of the Rainmaker. Both Willis and Gordon-Levitt are excellent and JGL very much channels Willis in this movie. Aside from his own performance, the movie makes us buy that JGL's character grows up to become Willis, both by a key montage in the film where we see how he ended up being sent back to the year 2044 and of course all of those prosthetics and makeup done on him. Admittedly it's not perfect, but you get used to it after a while.

Amidst of all this violence, the film also has a lot of emotional substance behind it, primarily when Joe meets Sara (Emily Blunt), a single mother living on a farm with her son Cid (Pierce Gagnon). Aside from later serving a key part in the story, their whole back story helps bring a human touch to this story, and the movie doesn't let CGI overpower the story and character development. We get a clear idea of this universe, where crime syndicates run without any problems from police forces. The whole time-travel aspect of the film is one that is given little explanation, but even the script makes fun of the fact that, when you get down to it, all of this time-travel stuff is just too complicated and, as Jeff Daniels (a great turn here as Joe's boss Abe) puts it, it “can just fry your brain like an egg”.

Looper is one of those movies that will leave an impression on you as soon as the credits roll. Easily one of the smartest and most well-written films of the year, Looper continues to establish director Rian Johnson's reputation as one of the top up-and-coming filmmakers after only his third film. Of course, it also continues to establish Joseph Gordon-Levitt as one of the best actors of his generation, pairing him up with one of Hollywood's most well-established leading men with great success. It's a film that hits you with the deep question of what would you do if you were faced with the situation of making a decision that will affect your whole life and doesn't sidestep around it. It's a film I highly recommend seeing and has my vote for a 'Best Original Screenplay' nomination at this year's Oscars.

 

Rating: 5/5! 

Box Office Results: 9/21/12-9/23/12

 

 

Despite an abundance of new releases coming out, no film really stood out this weekend at the box office. In fact, the Top 2 films of the week both finished at number one with 13 million. These two films were House at the End of the Street, the Jennifer Lawrence starring horror flick that received bashing reviews from critics and the more critically acclaimed 'End of Watch' which performed better than what most expected. Right behind these two films in third was 'Trouble With the Curve', the first film to star Clint Eastwood since 2008's Gran Torino (seems that incident at the Republican National Convention played a part in the film's performance). Meanwhile, the final major new release of the week, Dredd 3D, failed to attract an audience, finishing in sixth behind last week's holdovers 'Finding Nemo' and 'Resident Evil: Retribution'. Finally, 'The Master' performed well in its nationwide debut this week with 5 million finishing at 7th place.

 

1. End of Watch: $13 Million

2 (Tied with 1): House at the End of the Street: $13 Million

3. Trouble with the Curve: $12.7 Million

4. Finding Nemo: $9.5 Million

5. Resident Evil: Retribution: $6.7 Million

6. Dredd 3D: $6.3 Million

7. The Master: $5 Million

8. The Possession: $2.4 Million

9. Lawless: $2.32 Million

10. Paranorman: $2.3 Million

Top 10 Favorite Movies of All Time (as of 9/17/12)

The biggest problem that can affect anyone when it comes to naming what your favorite movies of all time are is that it will never be consistent. Over the years, you're going to come across other films, both new and old, that will grow on you. So, with that in mind, here are my Top 10 Favorite Films of all time, as of September 15^th, 2012. Keep in mind of course that this list will certainly change later down the line but for now, let's get started...

10. Terminator 2

I'm starting off this list with a film that has become a real favorite of mine more recently compared to the other films on this list, all of which I saw when I was younger. Terminator 2 is one of the rare examples of a sequel that is not only as good as its predecessor, but in a way it's actually much better. Now don't get me wrong, the original Terminator was another great sci-fi film too, but T2 does outdo it in many areas. Of course, director James Cameron delivers on the action and special effects, but what really makes this film work is its story and character development, as the lead characters all go through major changes throughout the movie. The end result is one of those rare action movies that brilliantly blends exciting action and terrific writing together into one excellent film.

9. Shrek

My favorite film from Dreamworks Animation mainly because this is up there with the films of Pixar in the way it can appeal to both kids and adults. Add in a terrific voice cast and you have yourselves a great film.

8. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

When it comes to the Indiana Jones movies, the two best entries in the series are easily 'Last Crusade' and 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' and while 'Raiders' is also a terrific adventure flick, I prefer 'Crusade' mainly because of the addition of Sean Connery as Indy's father. It's just perfect casting on Spielberg's part and Connery and Harrison Ford work great together.

7. The original Star Wars trilogy

Cheating a bit here by going with the entire trilogy instead of just one film, but this is the case of a trilogy of films where each film is great. Of course, 'A New Hope' is the one that started it all, with its great writing and well-developed characters. Then, we have 'The Empire Strikes Back', which goes even further into developing these characters culminating with one of the best twists in cinematic history. Finally, we come to 'Return of the Jedi' and when it comes to this entry, I think it's actually really underrated compared to its predecessors, primarily because of the final battle between Luke, Vader, and the Emperor which has so much meaning behind it as Luke Skywalker tries to bring his father back from the Dark Side, but at the same time he risks going down the same path of evil that his father went. This is one trilogy of films that I highly recommend seeing to anyone who hasn't seen any of these films before.

6. The Incredibles

The first of two Pixar films on this list and also the first of two Brad Bird helmed pics, The Incredibles may just be Pixar's best film ever made. Bird brilliantly mixes a superhero flick with a tale of superheroes trying to adapt to a normal life. This is also the only Pixar movie that is really truly worthy of a sequel, as shown by the film's ending when a new villain is introduced. Easily one of the finest animated films ever made.

5. Toy Story 2

Okay, so if The Incredibles is the best Pixar movie ever, why do I like this Pixar movie more than that one? Well, the reason why Toy Story 2 is my favorite Pixar movie of all time is because this is an excellent example of how to do a sequel right, with its broadened scope and new cast of characters. Plus, the sequence where Jessie's back story is explained might just be the first example of when Pixar went a more mature route as it is really sad. The end result is a sequel that is just as excellent as the original Toy Story, but actually kind of better.

4. Iron Giant

And here's the second Brad Bird film on this list, more importantly the one that began his phenomenal film career in the first place. It's just a shame that this film wasn't a huge box office hit because it's such a great movie. Like Incredibles, the story is brilliant, there is a good amount of depth given to these characters, and the animation is terrific.

3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

For the record, I'm pretty much counting the entire Harry Potter franchise here, but unlike the Star Wars trilogy, there are much more films in this series (which would be kind of cheating in regards to this list) and I will admit I do like some entries more than others. Case in point, we have Goblet of Fire, my personal favorite of the series. There is never a dull moment and the film takes the right dark turns the same way 'Prisoner of Azkaban' did, especially with the introduction of Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort in the final 15 minutes of the movie. I won't go as far as saying this is the best, but it is certainly one of the best entries of this franchise.

2. The Lion King

Favorite Disney movie of all time. Of course, it isn't the best but it certainly is one of the finest to come out from the studio. There are many reasons why this is such a great movie; its scope, its atmosphere, Hans Zimmer's truly moving score, the memorable songs, etc. This is just an epic animated film and it still gives me goosebumps every time I see it.

1. Back to the Future

Here we have a brilliant mix of science fiction, action, comedy, romance, and drama all rolled into one very memorable, highly quotable, and extremely entertaining film. I don't know how many times I've seen this movie, but it's one of those films that never gets old. All three Back to the Future movies are terrific but in the end, this is undeniably the best one of the three. It's a certified classic and for the record should NEVER be remade... EVER!!

Box Office Results: 9/14/12-9/16/12

 

After some slow weekends, the box office did rebound this weekend as both new releases this week did gross at least 15 million this weekend. In first place was the fifth Resident Evil movie, 'Retribution'. While this latest entry in the franchise received the usual negative reception from critics that the other films in the series have gotten, it did take in 20.6 million, continuing the franchise's solid run at the box office. Right behind 'Retribution' was the 3-D re-release of Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo, took in 17.5 million, not on par with the highly successful 3-D re-release of 'The Lion King' last September. Meanwhile, on the limited release market, Paul Thomas Anderson's 'The Master' had the best opening weekend for a limited release with a 'per theater' gross of $145,949. This beats the previous mark of $130,759 held by 'Moonrise Kingdom'.

 

1. Resident Evil Retribution: $20.6 Million

2. Finding Nemo 3-D: $17.5 Million

3. The Possession: $5.8 Million

4. Lawless: $4.2 Million

5. Paranorman: $3.04 Million

6. The Expendables 2: $3.03 Million

7. The Words: $2.9 Million

8. Bourne Legacy: $2.88 Million

9. The Odd Life of Timothy Green: $2.5 Million

10. The Campaign: $2.4 Million

My Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies for the Remainder of 2012

For the past few days my blog has consisted of a preview for the biggest movies coming out for the remainder of 2012. As a little bonus, here are my Top 10 most anticipated movies for the remainder of the year. For the record, this will not include any re-releases like Finding Nemo or Monster's Inc because that would just be cheating. So here we go.

10. The Impossible

The only film on this list which will start as a limited release. The recent trailer for this film was really nice, and there are some really beautiful shots throughout it. It probably will be rather hard to watch because of the event it's based around, but it looks like it's shaping up to be a nice heartwarming tale of a family's survival in a tragic event. Also, I'm a huge fan of both Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor.

9. The Silver Linings Playbook

This looks like it's going to be a nice little comedy, with a great cast including Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert De Niro (who gets many of the best lines in the trailer).

8. Taken 2

 

No matter how you look at it, the first Taken is just one of those movies where you ignore the rather simple plot. It was just a kick-ass movie,and it looks like the sequel will be just as awesome. I've been hearing rumors that the sequel will not really be focusing on Neeson and more on Grace, but if they do give enough for Neeson to do, then we'll be all fine.

7. Django Unchained

 

Quentin Tarantino behind the camera, and a top of the line cast including Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson? Sign me up.

6. Dredd

 

This movie looks sick. I never saw the original with Sylvester Stallone but so far it looks like this will be far better. It also seems like the filmmakers were smart in using slow-motion here, not the way guys like Zack Synder do it all the time.

5. Looper

 

The trailers for this film are really impressive and you can't go wrong with a cast that includes Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon Levitt, can you? Like with Dredd, it's also getting rave reviews by critics.

4. Wreck-It-Ralph

This blog may be all about movies, but I've always been a big gamer as well. So a film like this with cameos from many gaming icons is right up my alley.

3. Argo

For the record, this seems much different from Affleck's last two directorial efforts, but it's nice to see Affleck doing something new outside of dark and gritty dramas. Really, the only problem Affleck faces is that unless you don't know anything about the event this film is based off of, then you know how it's going to end. But even still, this is looking to be a really entertaining film, and has a great cast.

2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

 

Why wouldn't this be on anyone's list for not only the most anticipated movies for the end of the year, but for this in general? A prequel to one of the greatest trilogies in the history of film, helmed by the same man who brought us that trilogy? Yes, I do believe that once Peter Jackson was confirmed as director for this film, we all got very excited. He knows this universe, and can certainly do it justice. But why is this only number two, you ask? Well, there's one movie I'm looking forward to more than this.

1. Skyfall

 

It's James Bond, and after a admittedly rather disappointing follow-up to Casino Royale in 'Quantum of Solace', this looks to get the franchise back on the right track. Sam Mendes is an interesting choice for director, and it's looking like Javier Bardem's going to be a great villain for Bond to face. Pair that with one of the best Bonds ever in Daniel Craig and you got yourselves a winner here. Both trailers for this film excite me every time I see them.

So that's my Top 10 most anticipated films of the year. How about you?

Box Office Results: 9/7/12-9/9/12

 

I'm betting not a lot of you were at the movies this weekend as none of the movies that finished in the Top 10 grossed over 10 million these last three days. 'The Possession' held on to the top spot for the second weekend in a row with only 9.5 Million. The only newcomer of the week, 'The Words', finished with only 5 million total in third place. 

 

1. The Possession: $9.5 Million

2. Lawless: $6 Million

3. The Words: $5 Million

4. The Expendables 2: $4.8 Million

5. The Bourne Legacy: $4 Million

6. Paranorman: $3.8 Million

7. The Odd Life of Timothy Green: $3.7 Million

8. The Campaign: $3.5 Million

9. The Dark Knight Rises: $3.3 Million

10. 2016: Obama's America: $3.28 Million

2012 End of Year Preview: Part 4: December

Welcome to the final part of this 4-part look into the upcoming films of the year, in turn closing out the year of 2012. It's time to look into the final month of 2012, December.

*The month opens with a bang on the 14^th with the release of the highly anticipated 'The Hobbit', the prequel to the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. Returning to the director's chair is Peter Jackson, who helmed the original trilogy and this first part, titled 'An Unexpected Journey', is the first of a three-part trilogy. The second, The Desolation of Smaug comes out next year, and There and Back Again will close out the trilogy in 2014. The Hobbit follows the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, now played by Martin Freeman, and includes many returning cast members of the previous trilogy, including Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis, and Hugo Weaving.

*That same weekend, we have 'Les Miserables', based off of the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo but primarily based off of the musical of the same name which debuted back in 1985. It is directed by Tom Hooper, who last won an Oscar for 'The King's Speech' in 2010. The ensemble cast includes Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Anne Hathaway.

*A week later, fellow Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow reunites with 'The Hurt Locker' writer Mark Boal for 'Zero Dark Thirty', a thriller based around the special ops mission in May 2011 that resulted in the death of Osama Bin Laden. Brothers Joel and Nash Edgerton portray members of the SEAL team that took part in the mission and other members of the cast include Jessica Chastain and Kyle Chandler. 'Zero Dark Thirty' comes out on December 19^th.

*Pixar's second re-release of the year hits theaters again in 3-D the same weekend with 'Monsters' Inc', a few months before its prequel 'Monsters University' hits theaters in 2013. Like with Finding Nemo, this is another Pixar classic. Admittedly, I can't say as much about as I could for Finding Nemo but this is still a terrific animated film.

*On December 21^st, we have 'Jack Reacher', directed by writer Christopher Macquarrie, who won an Oscar in 1996 for 'The Usual Suspects'. Based on the novel 'One Shot' by Lee Child, the film stars Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, an ex-Army officer who investigates into a shooting.

*Meanwhile, Judd Apatow releases his latest directorial effort, 'This is 40', a semi-sequel to his 2007 smash hit 'Knocked Up'. This spin-off film focuses on Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann's characters from 'Knocked Up' a few years after the events of that film. As the title suggests, the two try to adjust to getting older.

*During Christmas Vacation, director Quentin Tarantino releases his latest flick 'Django Unchained'. This western follows Jamie Foxx as Django, a slave who meets bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz). The two join forces to take down the ruthless gang known as the Brittle Brothers. In exchange for his help, Schultz will grant Django his freedom and help him rescue his wife (Kerry Washington), who is currently living on a plantation owned by Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).

As for the limited release of the month:

*We have 'The Impossible', based on a true story of a family's tale of survival during the 2004 Tsunami in Southeast Asia. It stars Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor and will be released on December 21^st.

And with that, this concludes our four-part preview of the upcoming movies as we end the year of 2012. Thanks for reading!

Indiana Jones Film Series Retrospective

In honor of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' being re-released in IMAX theaters this week and the upcoming Blu-Ray release of 'The Complete Adventures' on the 18^th, it's time we take a look at the Indiana Jones quadrilogy. What can you say about these movies? They're some of the most classic movies of their era and loving homages to the adventure films of the 30's and 40's. Conceived from the minds of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford, who was fresh off of his role as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy, there were a 'trilogy' of films in the 80's and then the series made a return in 2008. So now, here are short reviews for all four of the four Indiana Jones movies.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): The one that started it all. It's a brilliant mix of humor, action, and adventure all rolled into one film. Really, there's not much to say that has already been said about this film already, so really all I can say now is that if you haven't seen this movie, I recommend you get to watching it sooner or later. Maybe go see it in IMAX this week, especially if you're someone like me who never saw the original three movies in theaters. It's quite an experience.

Rating: 5/5!

Temple of Doom (1984): AKA one of the most effed-up PG movies you will ever see. Yes, this movie was one of the main contributors (along with two other Spielberg productions, Gremlins and Poltergeist) to the creation of the PG-13 rating that we have today and as you can see, there's good reason why this attracted much controversy. This is a very dark movie, and it does go a little bit off the deep end in a few areas. Where you ask? Well, let's just say from experience that a scene where someone's heart is ripped out of their chest is something that no kid should ever see. Ultimately, Temple of Doom does come off as the weakest entry in the original three films. Kate Capshaw's Willie Scott comes off as really annoying compared to the other leading ladies in the franchise and overall it's not really as fun as the other movies were.

Rating: 3.5/5

Last Crusade (1989): When it comes to the best film in this series, usually it's debated between either Raiders or Crusade. I'll admit, I prefer Crusade mainly because of one man, and that is Sean Connery as Indiana Jones' father, Henry Sr. This is inspired casting, mainly in part due to the fact that a lot of Indiana Jones was inspired by the James Bond franchise and it fits having the original Bond himself in this movie. Not only does it add more humor to the movie, but it adds a solid father/son dynamic that works incredibly well. Don't get me wrong, Raiders is just as great but Crusade has to be my personal favorite.

Rating: 5/5!

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008): This is quite a film to talk about because this was one that was in development for a long time. Spielberg and Lucas never intended to make a fourth film but years later they ultimately did and in the end, most people liked it as much as they did the Star Wars prequels, and by 'like' I mean they most likely hated it. But like with the Star Wars prequels, I don't think this is bad as most people put it off to be. The main problem with this movie was that it really didn't pull any punches unlike the other movies. Also, aliens in a Indiana Jones movie is going a little too far. For the record, that's not all of the problems that a lot of people have with the film. True, that scene where Indy survives a nuclear explosion just by hiding in a fridge is really out there but for some odd reason, that never bothers me. As for Shia LaBeouf as Mutt Williams' AKA Indy's son, he's actually pretty good here. In the end, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is exactly what it is supposed to be. It's a modern-day B-movie and in that sense, it did its job well. Was it needed? No, but it's nice to see Indy one more time.

Rating: 4/5

2012 End of Year Preview: Part 3: November

Welcome back to this four-part look into the upcoming movies in the final quarter of 2012. This is Part 3, where we'll be looking into the month of Thanksgiving, November.

*After spending most of the last decade working strictly through the use of motion-capture, director Robert Zemeckis returns to live-action film making with 'Flight'. Denzel Washington stars as a pilot who gets into a plane crash but saves everyone on board by making an emergency landing. However, a shocking truth of what happened while he was flying could spell trouble for him in the long run. The film comes out on the 2^nd.

*For the martial arts crowd, November 2^nd also sees the release of 'The Man with the Iron Fists'. The directorial debut of musician RZA stars himself as a blacksmith who must save his village from invaders. The film also stars Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu.

*Closing out the weekend of November 2^nd is one for the video game fanatics, Wreck-It-Ralph, the latest animated film from Disney and produced by Pixar's John Lasseter. It centers around the titular 'Wreck-It-Ralph', the bad guy in a popular arcade video game who grows tired of being the villain and yearns to be a good guy for once as he travels across multiple video games looking to find his place in life. John C. Reilly stars as Ralph and his co-stars include Jack McBrayer, Sarah Silverman, and Jane Lynch. The movie also features cameos from many characters from other video games including Sonic, Ryu and Ken from Street Fighter, and Bowser from Super Mario Bros (sorry, no Mario or Luigi).

*November 9^th sees the return of one 'Bond... James Bond' with the latest Bond flick, Skyfall, the 23^rd entry in this long running franchise. Daniel Craig returns for a third time as Agent 007, who returns from an apparent demise to face off against Javier Bardem's Raoul Silva when MI6 falls under attack. Sam Mendes (American Beauty) helms this new flick and newcomers include Ralph Fiennes as a government agent monitoring MI6, Naomie Harris as field agent Eve, and Ben Whishaw as Q, the first time the character has appeared in a Bond film since the last Pierce Brosnan film 'Die Another Day'. For those in the UK, Skyfall comes out a few weeks earlier on October 26^th but here in the U.S., you'll have to wait until November.

*November 16^th won't give much in terms of competition for what will probably be number one that week, the final entry in the Twilight saga, Breaking Dawn Part 2.

*Continuing the long line of remakes that come out every year is 'Red Dawn', a remake of the 1984 flick of the same name which was notably the first film to ever be released with the PG-13 rating. This project has been in development since 2009 but due to financial issues with MGM, it doesn't come out until the 21^st of November of this year after it was originally planned for a 2010 release. During this time, the main villains were changed from the Chinese to North Korea in order to maintain access to China's box office. This remake stars Chris 'Thor' Hemsworth and Josh Peck in the roles once held by Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen. Like with 'House at the End of Street', however, this was filmed before Hemsworth and co-star Josh Hutcherson made it big in Hollywood with their roles in Thor and The Hunger Games, respectively.

*November 21^st also sees the release of the latest from Dreamworks Animation, Rise of the Guardians. This new animated feature, produced by Guillermo Del Toro, focuses on the 'Immortal Guardians' who must band together when the Earth is threatened by the Boogeyman. The all-star cast includes Chris Pine as Jack Frost, Hugh Jackman as the Easter Bunny, Alec Baldwin as Santa Claus, Isla Fisher as the Tooth Fairy, and Jude Law as the Boogeyman.

*Finally, this weekend also sees the release of the latest from the director of 'The Fighter', 'The Silver Linings Playbook. This dramedy stars Bradley Cooper as an ex-teacher who moves back in with his parents (played by Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver) after a stint in a mental institution as he tries to get his life back together. He soon meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a girl who has had problems of her own, and the two form a unique bond as they get to know each other.

In terms of Limited Releases, there's one big one for this month...

*Earlier this year, we had the action-fantasy flick 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'. For those of you looking for a more historically accurate take on our country's sixteenth President, you're in luck with 'Lincoln', directed by Steven Spielberg. In the lead role as Lincoln is Daniel Day Lewis and the film, which is based on the biography 'Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln' by Doris Kearns Goodwin, will follow Lincoln during the last few months of his life, from the abolishment of slavery to his untimely assassination at Ford's Theater. Joining Day Lewis is Sally Field as First Lady Mary Todd, Joseph Gordon Levitt as their son Robert, Tommy Lee Jones, Jackie Earle Haley, and Jared Harris. 'Lincoln' hits theaters, in limited release, on November 16^th.

And that is all for the month of November. Stay tuned for the finale of this four-part preview with a look into the month of December.

2012 End of Year Preview: Part 2: October

Welcome back to this 4-part look into the upcoming movies in the final quarter of 2012. This is Part 2 and today we'll be looking into the films coming out during the month of Halloween, October.

*Director Tim Burton's first film of the year, May's 'Dark Shadows', was neither a critical or commercial hit. But Burton isn't done yet this year, as his second film 'Frankenweenie' hits theaters on October 5^th. Like with many of his previous projects, this film is a remake but this remake just so happens to be based off one of Burton's old projects of the same name, a live-action 1984 short film which he made while working for Disney about a young boy who re-animates his dog Sparky back to life after he died. This new version is stop-motion and stars many actors who were in previous Burton films, including Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, and Martin Landau.

*2008's 'Taken' was one of the first to establish Liam Neeson as a premier action star. He returns to his role of ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills in 'Taken 2'. This new film follows Mills as he travels to Istanbul on vacation with his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) and wife Lenore (Famke Janssen). Mills soon runs into trouble again when he runs into a group of gangsters looking to enact revenge on Mills for their comrades who he killed in the first film. 'Taken 2' hits theaters on October 5^th.

*Ben Affleck proved that he is a all-star director with the acclaimed Boston thrillers 'Gone Baby Gone' and 'The Town'. For his third directorial effort, Affleck leaves Boston for Iran with 'Argo', which is based off of the true events of a rescue attempt by the U.S. government to save six U.S. diplomats during the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis. Affleck stars as Tony Mendez, a CIA agent who comes up with a plan to convince Iran that the diplomats are a part of a film crew who are scouting on location for a science fiction movie. The film also stars Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, and Alan Arkin and will hit theaters on the 12^th.

*For those looking for a comedy, 'Here Comes the Boom', the latest from Happy Madison, comes out the same weekend as Argo. Kevin James stars as a biology teacher who becomes an MMA fighter when budget cuts threaten his school.

*October 19^th sees the release of the latest entry in the highly successful Paranormal Activity franchise, 'Paranormal Activity 4'. While the last two entries in this series were prequels, this is the first true sequel to the original film from 2007. This film follows a young teen and her mother who start to experience strange events in their home when the series' main character Katie, now possessed by a demon, moves in next door with her sister's son Hunter, now called 'Robbie'. Paranormal Activity 3 directors Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost return to helm this new film.

*That same weekend sees the release of spy thriller 'Alex Cross'. It is the third adaptation of the hit book series of the same name by author James Patterson. The previous two films, 'Kiss the Girls' and 'Along Came a Spider' starred Morgan Freeman in the role of Cross. This film stars Tyler Perry as Cross, who fights a serial killer known as 'The Butcher', played by Matthew Fox.

*The final big-name release in October is the much talked about 'Cloud Atlas', an epic adventure film from the creators of 'The Matrix'. Set during multiple time periods, the ensemble cast includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, and Jim Broadbent. It is based on the 2004 novel of the same name by author David Mitchell and will be released on the 26^th.

Nothing really major in terms of limited releases this month, so that's it for October. Check back soon for Part 3 where we take a look into the month of November.