As you can probably tell from the image above, some much-loved actors as well as Ethan Hawke (sorry!) are in films we’re looking forward to seeing that bypassed cinemas and head straight to home video in September. Matt Damon, Michael Shannon, James Franco, Winona Ryder, Sigourney Weaver, Elizabeth Olsen and Robert De Niro make appearances, alongside some glaciers and an early effort from a man who went on to make a movie with puppets.
Drama, horror, documentary, possibly horribly-bad horror-drama and lowbrow comedy – what’s not to love about this month on your couch?
Promised Land
In a Nutshell: Matt Damon flexes his screenwriting muscles again, this time with the help of John Krasinski (Away We Go). Damon also stars, re-teaming with director Gus Van Sant (after 1997’s Good Will Hunting) for this drama about the conflict that emerges when a natural gas company wants to tap into a small town’s natural resources.
The Buzz: 51% on Rotten Tomatoes from 144 critics. Variety’s review describes Promised Land as “a quietly absorbing if finally somewhat dubious drama” while Hollywood Reporter reckons it “hits some narrative and character bumps in the second half that weaken the impact of this fundamentally gentle, sympathetic work”.
Reason to Watch: To see Matt Damon stick it to the man.
Released: Wednesday Sept 4th.
The Iceman
In a Nutshell: One of Hollywood’s most chilling actors, Michael Shannon (Man of Steel, Boardwalk Empire) is well-cast in this true tale about workaholic contract killer Richard Kuklinski. The mafia hitman is claimed to have killed over 250 people over the course of his 35+ year career, with potential on-screen victims (based on the cast list) including James Franco, Chris Evans, David Schwimmer, Winona Ryder and Ray Liotta.
The Buzz: 68% on Rotten Tomatoes from 117 critics. Many single out Shannon’s unnerving performance for praise, laying compliments on thick – “mesmerizing portrayal” (New York Times); “Shannon could be looking at an Oscar nomination. His performance is that stone-cold good” (TIME Magazine); “Shannon moves through The Iceman like a shark” (New York Daily News).
Reason to Watch: Michael Shannon takes 35 years to kill fewer people than the entire collateral damage of his fight with Superman.
Released: Wednesday Sept 4th.
Sinister
In a Nutshell: Ethan Hawke moves into a murdered family’s home and gets creeped out, along with the audience, when he discovers a box of home movies that hint at the existence of an evil supernatural force. Hint at it? OK, there is one, and it’s going to do its best to scare the bejesus out of you.
The Buzz: 64% on Rotten Tomatoes from 129 critics. The words “effective” and “enjoyable” get tossed around frequently about Sinister, with some of those who dug the film describing it as “an undeniably scary movie” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times) and saying it “scares with an absolute relentlessness” (The AV Club).
Reason to Watch: Because it looks scary as f–k.
Released: Wednesday Sept 11th.
Chasing Ice
In a Nutshell: A National Geographic photographer heads to the Arctic in order to document the effects of climate change, using time lapse photography to capture multi-year record of the impact of humanity on glaciers.
The Buzz: A whopping 96% on Rotten Tomatoes from 68 critics. While there’s a troubling environmental message at the heart of Chasing Ice, critical praise is concentrated more on the film’s impact on your eyeballs – “visually breathtaking” (Variety); “visually spectacular” (Total Film); “makes a compelling environmental case without sacrificing beauty” (Hollywood Reporter).
Reason to Watch: Because making people feel guilty about wrecking the planet didn’t stop it from winning Audience Award (Documentary) at SXSW, and the Cinematography Award at Sundance.
Released: Thursday Sept 12th.
Red Lights
In a Nutshell: Tom Buckley (Cillian Murphy) and Dr. Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) are paranormal researchers who specialise in sniffing out fraudsters and exposing their trickery, leaving no tea leaf reader safe. Legendary psychic Simon Silver (Robert De Niro) is mere spoon-bender though, and when he comes out of retirement after 30 years, Buckley may have bitten off more than he can chew – or comprehend. Elizabeth Olsen co-stars.
The Buzz: 29% on Rotten Tomatoes from 86 critics. Oh boy, the reviews are not kind – so bad that we’re actually intrigued as to how much of a mess Red Lights is. “One of the worst movies of this or any other year” says Richard Roeper, “one of the most preposterous and incoherent films of 2012…” reckons the New York Post, and most encouragingly The Wrap says “fans of all-star catastrophes are advised to see it early and often”.
Reason to Watch: Oh boy, this is going to be terrible. Where do we sign up?
Released: Wednesday Sept 25th.
Reissue of the Month: Orgazmo
In a Nutshell: In the same year that South Park kicked off, its co-creator Trey Parker wrote, directed and starred in this Mormon porno comedy. If you’re still reading, good for you. This low-budget tale is centred around Joe (Parker) who preaches the Book of Mormon while struggling to save enough money to pay for his wedding. Through coincidence and some sweet fighting moves, Joe finds himself starring as the titular hero of a porno called Orgazmo – only the dramatic scenes, mind, with a stunt c–k coming in to do the hard work. When Joe’s fiance falls into the clutches of the porn industry, used as leverage for him to make more films, he teams up with his on-screen sidekick to make Orgazmo a real-life hero.
The Buzz: 47% on Rotten Tomatoes from 32 critics. We’re not sure what the critical reaction will add, but how about starting with Roger Ebert, who gave the film half a star out of four and called it “callow, gauche, obvious and awkward, and designed to appeal to those with similar qualities”. Variety, on the other hand, loved it: “massively inventive and spiked with perversely wicked humor, Orgazmo is a delightful movie that showcases the multiple talents of Trey Parker”.
Reason to Watch: Because it’s “delightful”? No, probably because you love immature humour. Or are callow, gauche, obvious and awkward.
Released: Wednesday Sept 25th.
