September 2015 Watchlist

Article by Gabe Zia
Summers, over. It's a bummer, sure, but what's not a bummer at all is the fact that now we can move on to the Oscar bait season. This is my personal favorite part of any yearly movie calendar, simply because this is when the films trying to win an oscar come out. Say what you will about the Academy awards, but they are an important event. So, today we're starting the oscar month with September, the month in which every film is either kind of oscar bait, a half decent action film that didn't make the cut for summer blockbuster, and usually one or two gems. Aside from TIFF 2015, there really isn't too much this month.

September 18th

Black Mass

The story of Whitey Bulger, one of the most infamous crime lords in US history is being brought to life in the upcoming crime thriller, Black Mass. The film stars Johnny Depp as Whitey, and by god, he looks terrific. Depp has done a few quirky roles in the past (in the same way Jordan Belfort ripped off a few people), and although I wouldn't say this is "quirky", it's certainly not normal. From the makeup, to the voice, to the way he's portraying this character, Black Mass is looking to be one of the earlier oscar bait films of the year.

September 25th

Sicario

I've been waiting to see this movie for so long now, ever since it premiered at Sundance I heard great things about it. The reason for my excitment is simply that Denis Villeneuve is behind it. If you don't know who that is, he directed Prisoners, Enemy, and Incendies, all of which are amazing films. I say amazing also noting that they're all deeply emotionally and psychologically disturbing, so I expect nothing less from Sicario.

Before I Wake

Before I Wake is an odd film for me. Normally, I'd avoid a movie like this as if it were the plague. However, it has two really good things going for it. One: A fantastic director, the same man who directed Oculus, a film I very much loved. Two: Real creativity in a horror film! Sure, the initial premise is fairly common, some foster parents adopt a creepy kid and he has a secret. However, he's not satan, and he's not being possessed. Instead, the premise is that whenever he's asleep, his dreams literally come to life, including his nightmares.

September 30th

The Walk

Anyone who's seen Man on Wire (or just knew about this story) may know about Philippe Petit, the French high-wire artist who decided to have a line of wire across the towers of the world trade center. I'm interested in this film for a number of reasons, but the main one is that I want to see how Joseph Gordon-Levitt does with this role. The kind of genius/madman role isn't always easy, so I want to see how this will go.

Best of August 2015: The Gift

Not only was The Gift the biggest surprise of the year, but it has been the biggest surprise - to me at least - in years. I went into this film with low expectations, mainly due to it's marketing campaign, and came out astonished. The Gift is more than just a really excellent thriller, it's a powerful movie, with fantastic performances all around, and an amazing story. The characters are excellently written, and outstandingly performed, and the way this story plays out is fantastic. If you haven't seen The Gift already, go see it. It's well worth it.