Summer is over and the early awards season has begun. While the ten films below are not to be missed, September also means high-profile premieres at the Venice, Telluride and Toronto International Film Festivals. It also means, up to the end of the year, this list will likely be filled up with many limited releases, so make sure to check out when these hit your town. Let us know what you want to see this month below.
To See:
10. Waiting for Superman (Davis Guggenheim; Sept. 24th)
Synopsis: A documentary on the state of public education in America.
Why You Should See It: Guggenheim is a documentary powerhouse after the Oscar-winning Inconvenient Truth and the wickedly fun It Might Get Loud. His latest won the audience award at Sundance Film Festival this year.
9. Machete (Ethan Maniquis & Robert Rodriguez; Sept. 3rd)
Synopsis: After being betrayed by the organization who hired him, an ex-Federale (Trejo) launches a brutal rampage of revenge against the people who double-crossed him.
Why You Should See It: Robert Rodriguez will likely deliver the most fun to have at theaters in September with his feature film version of the Grindhouse trailer. With Danny Trejo leading Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan, Cheech Martin and Steven Seagal, this is going to be one ridiculously entertaining B-movie.
8. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Oliver Stone; Sept. 24th)
Synopsis: Fallen stockbroker Gordon Gekko (Douglas) teams up with a young Wall Street trader (LaBeouf), who’s mentor was recently murdered, to track down the killer and warn others about an impending massive financial meltdown.
Why You Should See It: After getting pulled from its previous April release, Oliver Stone‘s sequel premiered to decent reviews at Cannes and is hitting theaters this month. I can’t see it winning any awards this fall, but it should be a fun follow-up to the original. And it has Carey Mulligan. And Josh Brolin.
7. I’m Still Here (Casey Affleck; Sept. 10th)
Synopsis: Casey Affleck documents Joaquin Phoenix‘s transition from acclaimed actor to aspiring rapper.
Why You Should See It: If only to see what Phoenix has been up to this last year, this should also provide a half-captivating, half-confusing look at the insane antics that went on.
6. Buried (Rodrigo Cortés; Sept. 24th)
Synopsis: Paul (Reynolds) is a U.S. contractor working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it’s a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap.
Why You Should See It: Lionsgate has done an excellent job marketing this one-box thriller. We’ve seen trailers, ads and posters since they’ve picked it up earlier this year after its excellent debut at Sundance Film Festival. I can’t wait to see how Cortés can keep one coffin enthralling for the entire runtime.
5. Catfish (Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman; Sept. 17th)
Synopsis: A film you should know nothing about before seeing.
Trailer
Why You Should See It: Another Sundance hit that will hopefully become one of the most discussed films of the year. As everyone seeing it has said, don’t know a single thing before going in, so I will end this recommendation on that note.
4. The American (Anton Corbijn; Sept. 1st)
Synopsis: An assassin hiding out in an Italian village while he anticipates his last-ever assignment tempts fate by seeking out the friendship of a priest (Bonacelli) as well as the affection of a local woman (Placido).
Why You Should See It: Control was beautiful and judging from the trailer this will fall into the same category. I’m looking forward to seeing Clooney step out of his charm box and play a cold, distant individual in this assassin study.
3. Never Let Me Go (Mark Romanek; Sept. 15th)
Synopsis: Set in a dystopian Britain, boarding school friends Ruth (Knightley), Kathy (Mulligan) and Tommy (Garfield) face the sobering reality that awaits them all as they mature into adults.
Why You Should See It: After reading Kazuo Ishiguro’s wonderful novel, I can’t wait to see how Mark Romanek translates this emotionally gripping story with three of the finest actors working today. Early buzz is extremely strong.
2. The Town (Ben Affleck; Sept. 17th)
Synopsis: Career thief Doug MacRay (Affleck) considers deepening his relationship with Claire (Hall), a bank teller who was traumatized by a recent heist — and who has no idea that Doug was behind the crime. Meanwhile, an investigator (Hamm), who is close to unmasking Doug’s secret life, wrestles with his feelings for Claire.
Why You Should See It: Ben Affleck’s directorial debut Gone Baby Gone was one of the best crime thrillers of the decade. Now he is back to Boston, with an equally stellar cast of Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Blake Lively and Chris Cooper. This looks to be more commercial than his previous effort, but I bet it will be just as gripping.
1. Enter The Void (Gasper Noé; Sept. 24th)
Synopsis: A drug-dealing teen is killed in Japan, after which he reappears as a ghost to watch over his sister.
Why You Should See It: Irréversible did things to my brain I didn’t think were possible. Now, Noé’s next looks to be more of a drug trip. Since its premiere in Cannes, this has been getting expectantly divise reviews. For those that enjoyed the trailer and love Noé’s style, this is an absolute must-see.
Check out what to avoid and see a matinee of on the next page >>
Avoid:
Resident Evil: Afterlife (Paul W.S. Anderson; Sept. 10th)
Synopsis: As the T-Virus continues to spread, Alice (Jovovich) maintains her mission to find survivors and keep them safe from the Undead, and to take down the Umbrella Corporation. Reteaming with Claire (Larter), Alice makes a dangerous journey to a new city that is said to be a safe haven: Los Angeles.
Trailer
Why You Should Avoid It: I enjoyed the first Resident Evil, but enough is enough. The fourth film in the series looks like nothing but a poor tech demo. The CG is laughably bad and that is just in the short trailer. I can’t imagine having to sit through the entire film.
Matinee:
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (Zack Snyder; Sept. 24th)
Synopsis: Soren is a young Barn Owl who lives in the peaceful forest of Tyto. Kidnapped and brought to the foreboding St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls, Soren must face certain challenges – including taking his first-ever flight – on a dangerous adventure that leads to the mythical Great Ga’Hoole Tree, where he and his friends Gylfie, Twilight and Digge look to fight a great evil in their world.
Trailer
Why You Should See a Matinee: Unlike the film above, Snyder’s latest experience looks like a tech demo done right. I can’t fully buy into a feature film centered around an owl troupe, but I’m hoping for the best.
The Virginity Hit (Huck Botko & Andrew Gurland; Sept. 10th)
Synopsis: Four friends use a video camera and their Internet savvy to chronicle their buddy’s attempt to lose his virginity.
Why You Should See a Matinee: Produced by Adam McKay and Will Ferrell, it will be interesting to see if this low-budget no-name comedy experiment will succeed. I’ve loved most of the Funny or Die content, so I will definitely give this a chance.
Devil (Drew and John Erick Dowdle; Sept. 17th)
Synopsis: A group of people trapped in a elevator realize that the devil is among them.
Why You Should See a Matinee: Although this has been the laughing stock of trailers, with M. Night’s Shyamalan producer credit attached, he has very little to do with the film. The Dowdle Brothers showed talent with their [REC] remake Quarantine and this looks to be their most interesting project yet.
Jack Goes Boating (Philip Seymour Hoffman; Sept. 17th)
Synopsis: A limo driver’s blind date sparks a tale of love, betrayal, friendship and grace centered around two working-class New York City couples.
Why You Should See a Matinee: Premiering to solid reviews at the Sundance film festival, Philip Seymour Hoffman’s directorial debut looks to be an exciting step in the incredible actor’s journey. He has barely made a mistake in the last few years and I hope this continues the streak.
You Again (Andy Fickman; Sept. 24th)
Synopsis: When Marni (Bell) realizes her brother is about to marry the girl who bullied her in high school (Yustman), she sets out to expose the fiancée’s true colors.
Why You Should See a Matinee: Although the Betty White thing needs to die, the pairing of two female cinematic forces (Weaver and Curtis) should prove entertaining in this otherwise safe Disney romantic comedy.
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (Woody Allen; Sept. 22nd)
Synopsis: Follows a pair of married couples, Alfie (Hopkins) and Helena (Jones), and their daughter Sally (Watts) and husband Roy (Brolin), as their passions, ambitions, and anxieties lead them into trouble and out of their minds.
Why You Should See a Matinee: It’s a sad day when I can barely recommend a Woody Allen film. Premiering at Cannes, it received pretty poor reviews. It has a stellar cast and it still is Woody Allen, so it may still be worth checking out.
A Woman, A Gun and A Noodle Shop (Yimou Zhang; Sept. 3rd)
Synopsis: The owner of a Chinese noodle shop’s scheme to murder his adulterous wife and her lover goes awry.
Trailer
Why You Should See a Matinee: Ever want to see a foreign remake of the Coens‘ debut film, Blood Simple? Now is your chance. The Golden Bear-nominated film is getting a limited release here in the US.
Howl (Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman; Sept. 24th)
Synopsis: A drama centered on the obscenity trial Allen Ginsberg (Franco) faced after the publication of his poem, Howl.
Why You Should See a Matinee: Premiering to mixed reviews at the Sundance Film Festival this year, this account of Allen Ginsberg still looks like a must for anyone interested in the man. It should be a nice precursor to James Franco‘s Oscar-hopeful turn in 127 Hours.
What do you want to see this month?