The September Movie Preview

It's been 7 years since M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening. Since then, Shyamalan strayed from the eerie with a couple of forgettable disasters (The Last Airbender and After Earth) so, at the very least, it's good to see him back to his roots. Since The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan's films have been polarizing. The reception has been lukewarm. But, based on the trailer, this looks intriguing.

The true story of one of the most powerful gangsters in Boston history, James "Whitey" Bulger. It's early but it might be safe to pencil in Johnny Depp for a Best Actor nomination for his take on Bulger. While it doesn't mean movies released from January-August won't get Oscar consideration but let's declare September 18th as the start of Oscar season.

Tobey Maguire brings the genius and paranoia of Bobby Fischer to life. The true story of Fischer vs. Boris Spassky during the rise of the Cold War. Add to it, Edward Zwick (Glory, Legends of the Fall, The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond) as director and you have a must-see biopic.

Based on The Scorch Trials, the second book in the Maze Runner trilogy, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is the sequel to, you guessed it, 2014's The Maze Runner. Basically, The Maze Runner was The Lord of the Flies on steroids. Look for more of the same from the dystopian sequel.

Writer/director Nancy Meyers has been somewhat hit or miss. Her last film, It's Complicated, was well received. The Holiday? Not so much. Anne Hathaway as CEO of an internet start-up, Robert DeNiro as the world's oldest intern? Here's the fear: The majority of intrigue is given away in the trailer.

Moving a movie from an end of February release to a fall release can be a really good sign. Another based on a true story September release about a disastrous expedition to climb Mount Everest in 1996 boasts a solid cast headlined by Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Keira Knightley and Robin Wright. Visually, this one looks to be IMAX-worthy.

The Mexican border drama has buzz. Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin are all receiving praise for their performances. The second half of September is looking crowded.

The preview looks intense although Andrew Garfield and Michael Shannon look to be typecast. What makes me nervous is the poster. It looks quintessential "the lady doth protest too much" with the accolades. It says, "This is a really, really great movie. We swear!!!"

This will do better than expected simply because of the timing of the release. It's going to have weak competition the week preceding and during its release. Plus, the book was a bestseller and Robert Redford is still a draw.

Because the serial cheating genre is severely lacking. Is there a serial cheating genre?

Degenerate gambling has produced some excellent movies (see Rounders, Let It Ride, even Easy Money to a lesser extent) that have flown under the radar. When it's bad, it's real bad (see Shade, Runner Runner, Focus). It's usually a safe bet that it'll miss but maybe this one will buck the odds.

Normally, this is the type of movie I'd wait for cable (or Netflix) and watch it by accident and enjoy but the release date and the lack of anything else interesting being out could entice me to the theaters. Plus, it has a tinge of Before Sunrise and I really enjoyed Alice Eve in Starter for 10. If you see one movie this September, make it The Visit... if you see 10, Before We Go is fine, too.

The right cast and right studio to do a movie about a woman transitioning to a man. The director (Gaby Dellal) and writers (Nikole Beckwith with an assist from Dellal) are largely unproven but Elle Fanning, Susan Sarandon and Naomi Watts have the pedigree. This won't be big at the box office but could be a hidden gem.

A low budget horror flick from Eli Roth? This was supposed to come out a year ago but the production company had financial difficulties which pushed the release date back a year. Roth has done well with no name casts and shocking horror before.

It's hard not to be skeptical of a serious film directed by Roland Emmerich. Stranger things have happened so this coming of age film set around the 1969 Stonewall Riots which sparked the gay rights movement might work after all.

Ed Skrein replaces Jason Statham as "The Transporter" Frank Martin. Originally set for a March release, the film was pushed back to June (promising) then to September (not so promising). It's unlikely this will be better than forgettable.

The Perfect Guy looks like the movie you make fun of incessantly only to secretly watch it and seek it out every time it's on cable.

Here's a suggestion: Let's retire using the word "Captive" as a movie title. Adding "The" to the front doesn't count, either. This title was used in 1986, 1991, 1994 (Captives), 1998, 2000, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Enough. (Not the Jennifer Lopez movie).

Richard Gere plays the best looking homeless guy you'll ever see. The biggest challenge of this movie, no matter how crazy or socially incapable Gere acts, it has to somehow make you believe there's a homeless guy that looks like Richard Gere.

The film based on the autobiography by Don Piper is basically the adult version of Heaven Is Real. There's an audience for this. I'm probably not that audience.

Apparently, Hotel Transylvania was a big enough hit to warrant a sequel. There's plenty of familiar voices here: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, Fran Drescher, Mel Brooks... Still not interested.

Dolph Lundgren. Mickey Rourke. Chuck Liddell. Ugh.