If September taught me anything I already knew, it’s that the given release date for a movie is not always the same thing as the Chicago release date. But I would drive myself insane if I tried to compensate for that, so once again, courtesy of the IMDb:
7.10.2005
Not a bad weekend, I think. I’m hugely excited about In Her Shoes, both for director Curtis Hanson, and because it looks like Toni Collette might finally get some recognition for this one, finally. Waiting has an intriguing ad campaign, and seems to be a touch more philosophical than its slacker comedy pinnings suggest. Two for the Money just seems kind of odd – was anyone really asking for a Pacino McConaughey buddy film?
Also, some clay movie about an inventor and his dog. Which, I don’t know, might be okay. I think it’s British
14.10.2005
I’ll be seeing it over a week earlier, but Elizabethtown is probably the most-exciting release of October for me; it has such a vibe of “Almost Famous but even better.” The other major release of the week is The Fog, one of those endless horror remakes that have no justification for existing. In smaller release are the deeply unappealing Domino (why does Tony Scott keep getting money? WHY?), and George Clooney’s sophomore effort Good Night, and Good Luck, which should have Most Controversial Film of 2005 locked up until Munich arrives in December. I should add that GN&GL has my favorite trailer in release right now.
21.10.2005
Again, I’ll be seeing Shopgirl well before it opens; I can’t imagine it being a misfire. Perfect cast for a really nifty story, even though the trailer practically begs you to think that it’s this year’s Lost in Translation. The rest of a crowded weekend leaves me cold: North Country seems too much like a Silkwood rehash; Stay lost David Fincher as director for Marc Forster, hack extraordinaire; Dreamer looks warm-and-fuzzy enough to cause cavities; Kids in America probably thinks it’s smarter than it’s going to be, although I could be proven wrong. I reserve special ire for Doom, the worst idea ever for a video game based film; and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, a film whose title is boldly preceded by the words “Shane Black’s,” and if that doesn’t scare you away, you have never seen fear.
Hitting the non NY/LA circuit will be Where the Truth Lies, Atom Egoyan’s new NC-17 film. I know nothing else about it, and this is probably not where I will introduce myself to Egoyan.
28.10.2005
The Weather Man, filmed in Chicago, and yet almost completely uninteresting to me: very obviously a middle-brow art film type of thing. Prime has the cast to be good, but the trailer suggests a better film than the plot does. The Legend of Zorro will almost certainly be fun, but it’s about 5 years too late…who still thinks about the original? The big money film will almost certainly be Saw II, which just makes me hate American moviegoers.
Of course, the big Chicago film news for October is the Festival. And I could go on at great length about that beast, but now’s not the time. Frankly, I’ve heard very little about most of the films playing: the biggies seem to be Elizabethtown, The Weather Man, North Country, Bee Season, and [shudder] Manderlay. When I get my tickets (Sunday), I’ll have more to say.