It might not seem real yet, with the weather we are seeing, but our summer is coming to an end and is going to slowly pass the torch to autumn. So as we start digging in our closets for scarves and the focus switches to getting as warm as possible, theater rooms might seem like a more appealing option for a night out.
It is time to start getting excited about what movies are going to be available to spice up our semester.
Currently, Hattiesburg residents can enjoy “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” a sequel to the brilliant 2005 adaptation of Frank Miller’s comic. The film seems to be walking the fine line between a well-made sequel, which is not always a given, and merely the re-use of the first “Sin City’s” innovative comic book aesthetics and of an eye-catching cast to sell a formatted action movie. You will have to be the judge.
Tate Taylor, who brought us “The Help” in 2011, has released a biopic picturing the eventful life of the “King of Soul.” “Get On Up” shows a young James Brown rise to fame in a familiar setting, seeing as the movie was shot mainly in Natchez and Jackson.
Speaking of music-based biopics, September will bring to the silver screens John Ridley’s “Jimi: All Is by My Side,” a movie that will feature none other than Andre 3000 interpreting the role of another crucial musical icon: Jimi Hendrix. The movie sparked controversy when the Hendrix estate refused the music rights to the production unless they had full participation in the process, leaving Danny Bramson and Waddy Wachtel in charge of doing their best to imitate the music of Jimi Hendrix for the original soundtrack.
“Foxcatcher” is yet another biopic that will be released Nov. 14, depicting the life and struggles of Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz. It is Bennett Miller’s second sports-based biopic after his great success “Moneyball.”
Schultz will interpret award-winning actor Channing Tatum, accompanied on screen by Steve Carrell. Both actors seem to be going out of their usual role spectrum in this motion picture, which looks especially promising.
The winner of the Sundance Film Festival, Damien Chazelle’s “Whiplash,” will be released in October. It is a music-based film about a young drummer’s journey through the rough steps toward greatness. The film will feature some long-awaited performances by Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons.
Critically acclaimed director Alejandro González Iñárritu will be presenting his new production, “Birdman,” Oct. 17, ridiculing the Marvel & DC movies fad that has spread quickly in theaters this past decade. The film that features Michael Keaton, Naomi Watts, Edward Norton and Zach Galifianakis, looks like a promising creation showcasing a fun and intelligent take on today’s film industry.
World War II will be the topic of David Ayer’s action movie “Fury,” starring Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf, The “Imitation Game,” with Benedict Cumberbatch in the shoes of Alan Turing, the British mathematician who significantly affected the development of the conflict by decoding a crucial Nazi code and “The Notebook,” a promising Hungarian movie on the growth of two kids in wartime Hungary.
Look out for Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance as a Los Angeles freelance crime journalist in “Nightcrawler,” David Fincher’s “Gone Girl,” Bill Murray in “St. Vincent” and of course Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar,” with performances from Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain and the ever-lasting Michael Caine.
