August movies

Well, that was a fast summer!

In the 80's and 90's there were dozens of big Stephen King movies but lately they are few and far between (but I read King has this really cool clause that allows filmmakers to use his material on the cheap so there are LOADS of Stephen King based short films out there). It seems Hollywood felt some sort of King fatigue so we're being treated to two BIG King films this year. It is coming out in September but this month we have The Dark Tower to look forward to. The Gunslinger, Idris Elba, is a man from a broken and destroyed world who is searching for the Dark Tower before the Man in Black, Matthew McConaughey, destroys it and brings the end to all worlds. From what I understand this Tower connects many universes and in the King Universe, The Dark Tower connects all of his works. While I don't think we'll have Idris Elba gunning down killer clowns, possessed trucks, Jack Nicholson or bullied high school students I do believe there will be a few subtle references to this works throughout the film. This is a big deal for King fans, who may be disappointed that this film is different than the books, (but aren't they always?) but it does have support from King, who's no stranger to disowning film versions of his books (The Shining especially).

Until Hurt Locker came out it had been quite some time since anyone had heard of Katherine Bigelow. She had a few movies before and after Point Break but nothing major (though Strange Days and Near Dark are definitely worth a look). With Hurt Locker she revived her career, made Jeremy Renner a star and beat her ex-husband, James Cameron, for the Best Picture Oscar (even after he, supposedly, managed to up the Best Picture nominees from 5-10 just to get Avatar in the running). After that came Zero Dark Thirty, where she made the hunt for Bin Laden into an investigatory thriller with heavy focus on everything leading up to the raid. So it's been a few years and she's back with another movie based on true events. This time it's about the 1967 Detroit riots, specifically the events that unfolded at a Detroit hotel during that tumultuous time. Now Point Break, Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty had exciting and well shot action sequences, but I feel Bigelow and her crew excel at tension and this film looks very tense. 

There's a lot I miss about Blockbuster. One thing in particular - walking down the aisles and seeing recognizable actors on the cover of a movie I never heard of. Some of them were just a quick cash grab for the star and were so-so at best but some were pretty fun. The Hitman's Bodyguard looks like one of those fun movies. Starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, this film would probably be at your local Redbox had the wonders of comic book movies not shot these two to a whole new level of stardom. When hitman Jackson has to testify at the International Court of Justice (I'm not sure that's a real thing) he is assigned the world’s best bodyguard, Reynolds. Judging by the trailer the two use profanity and bicker as much as they shoot at people. This looks like a fun goofy film and I'm glad they still make stuff like this. 

I'm always interested when an actor tries their hand at writing. It's even more interesting when it actually goes well. Taylor Sheridan was a character actor who had a few film roles and some arcs on Sons of Anarchy and Veronica Mars. Then after a 5 year hiatus from acting he came back as a screenwriter with the hit thriller Sicario (which I kinda liked) and then a year later Hell or High Water (which I really liked) and this year he's trying his hand at writing and directing with Wind River. Starring not one, not two, but three actors from the world of Marvel - Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlett Witch), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) and Jon Bernthal (The Punisher) appear in this one. Olsen plays a young FBI agent sent to investigate a murder on a Native American reservation and needs help from the local game tracker, Renner. Judging from his past works things are going to get violent and twisty. 

The Conjuring is based on two real life paranormal investigators. That was their job. Whether you believe in ghosts and hauntings is up to you, but in this film universe it's all real. So is the killer doll, Annabelle, who got her own spinoff in 2014, and since a killer doll is just so dang scary and people wanted more, we now have Annabelle: Creation. I didn't see the first one but so far this one is getting some pretty good reviews and, honestly, I find killer dolls to be absolutely terrifying. This one seems to be a prequel to what was already a period piece, so I'm not even sure when this is set, but it's about a doll maker who, after losing a child, opens his house to a recently closed orphanage. And that's when the doll maker’s most cherished item, Annabelle, begins acting up. Creepy.