By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
After a summer of good, bad, and ugly, will September represent an improvement in the quality of film, or will it be the dreaded lull that tends to happen every year? One thing is for sure, the amount of major movie releases will be among the lowest all year, so there won’t be a whole lot of anticipated options. However, there will be family movies, a comedy, a couple of intriguing horror flicks, and a huge scale production from an Oscar winning director mired in controversy.
September 6th
The month begins with a sequel to a family favorite classic from 1988. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is once again directed by the imaginative Tim Burton with Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara all reprising their roles from the original. The cast also features the highly popular rising star that is Jenna Ortega, as well as veteran talents like Willem Dafoe and Monica Bellucci. While it is very difficult to recapture the magic of the original, don’t underestimate Tim Burton’s creativity. This may be a can’t miss sequel.
September 13th
The biggest release this week is a horror film called “Speak No Evil.” If you’re thinking, wait a minute, didn’t that movie come out a couple years ago, then you would be correct. This is a remake of that 2022 Danish movie of the same name, which wasn’t very good, so hopefully this version is better. Having James McAvoy play the murderous antagonist could prove to be the difference maker. He showed incredible talent playing a similar role in “Split,” and he looks downright scary in trailers of this movie. This is one worth taking a gamble to go see.
Next up is an independent film that debuted earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. “My Old Ass” is a coming-of-age story featuring comedic actress Aubrey Plaza. Her deadpan line delivery, reminiscent of Janeane Garofalo, is a brand of humor that is usually welcome in otherwise serious films. Actress turned filmmaker Megan Park writes and directs this comedy, and early reviews from Sundance have been mixed so it may be best to wait for more intel on this one before taking that leap.
September 20th
“Transformers One” is the animated origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, insert yawn here. It may have an impressive voice cast of Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Jon Hamm, Laurence Fishburne, and Steve Buscemi, but it’s unlikely to draw a crowd other than diehard fans of the franchise and families with small children who are easily enthralled by colorful, animated robots blowing stuff up. The good news is that it is directed by Josh Cooley, who won an Oscar for “Toy Story 4” and received a screenplay nomination for “Inside Out,” so don’t count it out just yet.
The other option this week is not any more enticing. “Never Let Go” is a new horror film directed by Alexandre Aja, one of the worst horror directors in the business, responsible for truly nightmarish productions like “High Tension” and “Piranha 3D.” The premise of not being able to leave a remote cabin without being tethered together with a rope does not instill a lot of confidence. It also stars Halle Berry, one of the most overrated actresses in the business, so it’s a safe bet to tiptoe past this release.
September 27th
Five-time Oscar winner Francis Ford Coppola (“The Godfather Part II”) returns to the director’s chair after a long hiatus with a passion project around 40 years in the making. There’s been a lot of talk about “Megalopolis,” and not all of it is favorable. Rumor has it that he spent around $120 million of his own money to finance this project, that he fired his entire visual arts team, and that it’s nothing more than self-indulgent madness. Controversy surrounding the production has only amplified with reports of the director kissing and groping extras, and the trailer was recently pulled due to misquoting film critics. The premiere at Cannes Film Festival was also not as well received as he was hoping. Regardless, this is likely the final film from one of the greats, but best to read some reviews before committing time and money.
More promising is a family movie from the new kings of animation, Dreamworks/Universal, called “The Wild Robot.” With three-time Oscar nominee Chris Sanders (“Lilo & Stitch,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” and “The Croods”) directing and co-writing the screenplay, this could very well be an Oscar contender this year. It is a heartwarming story of a robot stranded in a tough environment who finds itself caring for an orphaned baby goose. This should be a good one to take the family to with quality animation.
