(Clockwise) BEN STILLER, MATTHEW BRODERICK, MICHAEL PEÑA, CASEY AFFLECK and EDDIE MURPHY in "Tower Heist", a comedy caper about working stiffs who seek revenge on the Wall Street swindler who stiffed them. After the workers at a luxury Central Park condominium discover the penthouse billionaire has stolen their retirement, they plot the ultimate revenge: a heist to reclaim what he took from them. (Universal Studios) (Photo Credit: David Lee / 2011 Universal Pictures)
JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT and ANNA KENDRICK star in 50/50. (Chris Helcermanas-Benge / © 2011 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.)
(L to R) JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT and SETH ROGEN star in 50/50. (Summit Entertainment) (Photo: Chris Helcermanas-Benge / © 2011 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.)
BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD stars in 50/50. (Photo: Chris Helcermanas-Benge / © 2011 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved.)
"REAL STEEL"At Crash Palace, an underground robot fight club, Charlie (HUGH JACKMAN) instructs his former league bot Noisy Boy (left), pitted against backroom brawler Midas, in this scene from REAL STEEL.Photograph by Greg Williams©DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC (Greg Williams / ©DreamWorks II Distribution Co. LLC)
GWYNETH PALTROW as Beth Emhoff in Warner Bros. Pictures' thriller "CONTAGION," a Warner Bros. Pictures release. (Photo by Claudette Barius) (Claudette Barius / Claudette Barius)
MATT DAMON as Mitch Emhoff in Warner Bros. Pictures' thriller "CONTAGION," a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Claudette Barius (Claudette Barius / Claudette Barius)
JUDE LAW as Alan Krumwlede in Warner Bros. Pictures' thriller "CONTAGION," a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Claudette Barius (Claudette Barius / Claudette Barius)
Brad Pitt, left, and Jonah Hill star in Columbia Pictures' drama "Moneyball." (Melinda Sue Gordon / © 2011 Columbia TriStar Marketing Group, Inc. All rights reserved.)
Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan star in DRIVE. Addtl. Info: Credit - Richard Foreman. Courtesy of FilmDistrict and Bold Films and OddLot Entertainment (Richard Foreman Jr SMPSP)
Ryan Gosling in DRIVE. Addtl. Info: Credit - Richard Foreman. Courtesy of FilmDistrict and Bold Films and OddLot Entertainment (Richard Foreman Jr SMPSP)
Bryan Cranston as Shannon in DRIVE Addtl. Info: Credit - Richard Foreman. Courtesy of FilmDistrict and Bold Films and OddLot Entertainmen (RICHARD FOREMAN JR SMPSP)
Carey Mulligan as Irene in DRIVE Addtl. Info: Credit - Richard Foreman. Courtesy of FilmDistrict and Bold Films and OddLot Entertainment (Richard Foreman Jr SMPSP)
Carey Mulligan stars as Irene in DRIVE Addtl. Info: Credit - Richard Foreman. Courtesy of FilmDistrict and Bold Films and OddLot Entertainment (Richard Foreman Jr SMPSP)
Christina Hendricks as Blanche in DRIVE Addtl. Info: Credit - Richard Foreman. Courtesy of FilmDistrict and Bold Films and OddLot Entertainment (RICHARD FOREMAN JR SMPSP)
Ryan Gosling stars in DRIVE.Credit - Richard Foreman. Courtesy of FilmDistrict and Bold Films and OddLot Entertainment (RICHARD FOREMAN JR SMPSP)
Caption: Jason Statham stars in KILLER ELITE, opening nationwide September 23rd. Based on a true story, KILLER ELITE is the action-packed account of an ex special ops agent (Jason Statham) who must evade a cunning assassin (Clive Owen) to rescue his mentor (Robert De Niro). Addtl. Info: Photo credit:Dan Smith, Distributor: Open Road Films
"REAL STEEL"Down-on-his-luck fight promoter Charlie (Hugh Jackman) trains his star robot boxer Atom for a chance to go to the big time in the high-tech boxing world in DreamWorks Pictures' action drama "Real Steel."©DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved. (©DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved.)
"REAL STEEL"FF-002Noisy Boy lands a hard punch to the steel face of Midas in a boxing match between the two robots at the Crash Palace in a scene from DreamWorks Pictures' action drama "Real Steel."©DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved. (©DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved.)
"REAL STEEL"FF-003Eight-foot tall robot boxer Midas pauses before entering the ring at the Crash Palace for a match with fellow robot boxer Noisy Boy in DreamWorks Pictures' action drama "Real Steel."©DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved. (©DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved.)
Julianne Hough (center) plays Ariel and Kenny Wormald plays Ren (second from center) in FOOTLOOSE, from Paramount Pictures. (Photography by: K.C. Bailey / © 2011 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.)
LEONARDO DiCAPRIO as J. Edgar Hoover in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama “J. EDGAR,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. (Keith Bernstein) (Keith Bernstein / Keith Bernstein)
(L-r) LEONARDO DiCAPRIO as J. Edgar Hoover and NAOMI WATTS as Helen Gandy in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama “J. EDGAR,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Keith Bernstein (Keith Bernstein / Keith Bernstein)
Caption: Jason Statham stars in KILLER ELITE, opening nationwide September 23rd. Based on a true story, KILLER ELITE is the action-packed account of an ex special ops agent (Jason Statham) who must evade a cunning assassin (Clive Owen) to rescue his mentor (Robert De Niro). Addtl. Info: Photo credit:Dan Smith, Distributor: Open Road Films
Jason Statham (L) and Robert De Niro (R) star in KILLER ELITE, opening nationwide September 23rd. Based on a true story, KILLER ELITE is the action-packed account of an ex special ops agent (Jason Statham) who must evade a cunning assassin (Clive Owen) to rescue his mentor (Robert De Niro).Photo credit: Jack English, Distributor: Open Road Films
"REAL STEEL"FF-004The mighty robot Zeus is the undefeated WRB champion of robot boxing in DreamWorks Pictures’ action drama “Real Steel”.©DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved. (©DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved.)
Tommy (Tom Hardy, left) and Brendan (Joel Edgerton, right) in WARRIOR. (Lions Gate Entertainment) (Photo credit: Chuck Zlotnick)
Tommy (Tom Hardy, left) and Paddy (Nick Nolte, right) in WARRIOR. (Photo credit: Chuck Zlotnick)
Joel Edgerton (left) stars as 'Brendan' in WARRIOR. (Photo credit: Chuck Zlotnick)
Nick Nolte stars as 'Paddy' in WARRIOR. (Photo credit: Chuck Zlotnick)
"REAL STEEL" REAL STEEL director SHAWN LEVY and star HUGH JACKMAN discuss a scene on set at Crash Palace. Photograph by Greg Williams ©DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC (Greg Williams / ©DreamWorks II Distribution Co. LLC)
The trailers for most of the fall 2011 movies can fill a film lover with a little cynicism.
“Twilight” is readying for its not-quite-final final chapter (Nov. 18), including what appears to be a werewolf-vampire update of the wedding scene in “The Graduate.” A new “The Three Musketeers” movie (Oct. 21) seems to be going for a cross between “Wild Wild West” and “Cutthroat Island” — no doubt the first adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ novel to feature flying pirate ships. And actor Adam Sandler finally gives in to the inevitable, taking on a Klump-ian role in which he plays sister and brother in the same film.
But there’s hope for discriminating moviegoers, who won’t have to look hard to find Oscar contenders, interesting new films by visionary directors and a few obvious crowd-pleasers. In the words of Hugh Jackman in the fighting robot movie “Real Steel,” we say “Bring it!”
Here are 10 movies we’re looking forward to, based on the trailers and track record of the filmmakers and actors involved.
Warrior (Sept. 9) The setup: Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton are estranged brothers Tom and Brendan Conlon — one a war hero and the other a teacher — who are both desperate to win a mixed martial arts tournament. Nick Nolte is looking especially grizzled as their dad. Gavin O’Connor, director of the excellent sports movie “Miracle,” is behind the camera. Will be awesome if: there’s a surprise or two that’s not in the trailer, which appears to give away everything except the last two minutes of the film.
Contagion (Sept. 9) The setup: A virus is spreading around the world, leading to a quick death for those who contract it and panic for the survivors. Steven Soderbergh directs his first big-budget film since “Ocean’s Thirteen” in 2007, with a strong cast including Matt Damon, Kate Winslet and Marion Cotillard. Will be awesome if: Gwyneth Paltrow’s character makes an infection-aided exit in the first 10 minutes; Soderbergh is able to avoid “Outbreak”-style melodrama and maintain a realistic tone.
Drive (Sept. 16) The setup: Ryan Gosling, on a wonderful streak with “Blue Valentine” and “Crazy Stupid Love,” is a stunt driver by day and criminal wheelman by night, who falls in love with a parolee’s wife (Cary Mulligan). Based on James Sallis’ 2005 book. Will be awesome if: Nicolas Winding Refn, who won a directing award for the film at Cannes, gives us the greatest car stunt film since “Ronin.” The cast looks excellent, including a menacing Albert Brooks as a mob boss and Christina Hendricks, Bryan Cranston and Ron Perlman in supporting roles.
Moneyball (Sept. 23) The setup: Based on the Michael Lewis book, Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) goes against the old-school traditions of baseball scouting and uses statistical analysis to build a competitive team of has-beens, cast-offs and other cheap talent. Will be awesome if: the rest of the movie is as good as the trailer. The task of turning this book into a film seemed impossible during pre-production, but screenwriters Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian appear to have set an entertaining and engaging tone.
Killer Elite (Sept. 23) The setup: Jason Statham is a badass, who beats up his torturer while still strapped to a chair, escapes through a window and must save a mentor played by Robert De Niro. Based on the 1991 book “The Feather Men,” which apparently featured a lot of people getting kicked in the face. Will be awesome if: the other 100 minutes of the movie are as action-packed and testosterone-driven as the two-minute trailer. (As far as we can tell, there isn’t a single woman in this film.)
50/50 (Sept. 30) The setup: A cancer comedy that was inspired by screenwriter Will Reiser’s real-life experiences. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a 27-year-old who gets thrust into chemotherapy. His friends and family adjust in wildly different ways, and a young therapist (Anna Kendrick) enters his life. Director Jonathan Levine seems to have found a nice balance between comedy and drama. Will be awesome if: we see more of the wonderful supporting actors (including Philip Baker Hall and Matt Frewer) than we did in the trailer; Gordon-Levitt can carry a movie in a comic leading role.
Real Steel (Oct. 7) The setup: Hugh Jackman stars as a boxer whose chance at a title shot ends when the sport is taken over by robots. He must team up with his son to create a fighting robot and win against overwhelming odds. The plot sounds just like Sylvester Stallone’s arm wrestling movie “Over the Top.” This is a good thing. Will be awesome if: the boxing scenes are anywhere near as compelling and memorable as my childhood bouts with the game Rock’em Sock’em Robots; if there’s at least one Kenny Loggins song on the soundtrack.
Footloose (Oct. 14) The setup: “Hustle & Flow” director Craig Brewer remakes the 1980s classic, with nods to the original but also a sweatier, hip-hop-infused vibe. Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough are the leads, with Dennis Quaid as the dancing-averse Rev. Shaw Moore. Will be awesome if: Wormald is strong in the Ren McCormack role. The dancer with limited acting experience doesn’t need to make us forget Kevin Bacon, but he has to bring something new to the role.
Tower Heist (Nov. 4) The setup: A group of investors who work in the high-rise of a billionaire Madoff-type (Alan Alda) scheme to steal his secret cache of money to offset their losses. Ben Stiller stars; his bumbling crew includes Casey Affleck, Matthew Broderick and Eddie Murphy. Will be awesome if: director Brett Ratner gets out of his own way, and doesn’t make this the “X-Men 3” of caper comedies; Murphy can channel some of his “Trading Places”-era humor. The trailer looks promising.
J. Edgar (Nov. 9) The setup: Clint Eastwood directs Leonardo DiCaprio in this biopic about the professional and personal life of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (“Milk”) penned the script. Like most Eastwood movies in recent years, there’s almost no advance hype. Will be awesome if: something catastrophic doesn’t happen. Eastwood hasn’t made a bad film since “Space Cowboys,” and he’s rarely surrounded by this much talent.
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