In Theatres
Your monthly guide to new releases
By Ingrid Randoja
October 3
BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA
In this talking-critters comedy Chloe the pampered pooch (voice of Drew
Barrymore) is left stranded in Mexico by her dogsitter (Piper Perabo),
so Chloe’s true love, Papi (George Lopez), must travel south to rescue
his canine sweetheart.
FLASH OF GENIUS
Set in 1960s Detroit, this based-on-a-true-story drama focuses on engineer and part-time inventor Bob Kearns (Greg Kinnear), who creates the intermittent windshield washer blade. He’s convinced the big automakers will pay handsomely for the patent, but instead they steal his idea, leaving Bob no choice but to sue them for money, and more importantly, recognition.
NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST
Sometimes the best nights out are the ones in which all your plans go awry. That’s the premise behind this smart teen comedy about shy, heartbroken Nick (Michael Cera), who hooks up with the usually level-headed Norah (Kat Dennings), and together they roam the streets of New York looking after their crazy friends and searching for the location of a secret concert.
BLINDNESS
When an epidemic renders people blind, the government quarantines the afflicted inside an inhumane prison. A sighted woman (Julianne Moore), who pretends to be blind so she can care for her stricken husband (Mark Ruffalo), becomes the voice of reason inside the brutal jail. See Julianne Moore and Don McKellar interview here.
ROCKNROLLA
Mr. Madonna — a.k.a. director Guy Ritchie — returns to his filmmaking roots with this grisly gangster flick set in London. Gerard Butler plays One Two, a mobster whose old-school criminal boss (Tom Wilkinson) sets off a turf war with the Russian mafia.
RELIGULOUS
Prepare for the cinematic equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel when acerbic stand-up comedian and cultural commentator Bill Maher sits down to talk with devoted religious types from around the world. The documentary’s title (a combination of “religious” and “ridiculous”) should give you a sense of what Maher thinks of people who are stone-cold certain about their beliefs. See Bill Maher interview here.
HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS & ALIENATE PEOPLE
British journalist Toby Young’s memoir about his failed stint as a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and his inability to score with Manhattan hotties becomes a movie starring Young look-a-like Simon Pegg as the obnoxious Brit. Young manages to anger his Sharps magazine boss (Jeff Bridges doing his best impersonation of Vanity Fair head honcho Graydon Carter) and fails to hook up with a supermodel (Megan Fox). But at least he’s got his gal-pal (Kirsten Dunst) to help him through the hard times.
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Anne Hathaway stretches her acting wings to play the mentally unstable Kym, who’s been in and out of rehab for the past decade and shows up for her sister Rachel’s wedding. Director Jonathan Demme’s bittersweet ode to the dysfunctional family also stars the seldom seen Debra Winger as Kym’s mother, and Mad Men’s Rosemarie DeWitt as Rachel.
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The Express
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October 10
THE EXPRESS
This football bio-pic recounts the achievements of Syracuse University
running back Ernie Davis (Rob Brown), the first African-American player
to win the NCAA’s Heisman Trophy (awarded to the most outstanding
collegiate player), which he did in 1961. Dennis Quaid checks in as
Davis’ coach, Ben Schwartzwalder.
CITY OF EMBER
Some 240 years ago the Earth’s surface became uninhabitable, so humans
were forced to move to the underground city of Ember. However, the
city’s generator was built to last only 220 years, and now Ember’s only
source of power is failing. It’s up to two teens (Saoirse Ronan and
Harry Treadaway) to find a way out. |
QUARANTINE
A reporter (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman (Steve Harris) tag along with an L.A. firefighting crew when it’s dispatched to an apartment building. Inside they find a murderous mutant, but before they can escape the situation the building is put under quarantine, trapping all the residents and the TV crew inside.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
Robert De Niro plays a desperate movie producer and Bruce Willis is a portly version of himself in this self-referential comedy about making a movie in Hollywood.
BODY OF LIES
Leonardo DiCaprio stars as CIA operative Roger Ferris, who’s sent to Jordan to track an Al-Qaeda terrorist. But Roger doubts his manipulative superior (Russell Crowe) has his best interests at heart, and thinks he could be using him as a pawn for some other secret operation. Directed by Ridley Scott.
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Max Payne
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October 17
MAX PAYNE
Reeling from the murder of his family and partner at the hands of
drugged-out killers, a very angry Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg) joins the
DEA to hunt down those responsible for their deaths. This shoot-’em-up
flick is based on the long-standing videogame and was filmed in
Toronto.
PASSCHENDAELE
Paul Gross spent a decade trying to make this drama inspired by his
grandfather’s experiences during World War One. Gross, who wrote and
directed the film, plays soldier Michael Dunn, a member of Canada’s
10th Battalion, who’s sent to fight the Germans in the trenches
outside the Belgian village of Passchendaele. (The 1917 battle took the
lives of more than half-a-million soldiers from both sides.) Caroline
Dhavernas plays a nurse and Gross’ love interest. See Caroline
Dhavernas interview here. |
October 24
CROSSING OVER
Harrison Ford plays an Immigration Agent coping with the failing system. He’s joined by castmates Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta and Sean Penn in an extended cameo.
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Pride and Glory
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PRIDE AND GLORY
When four New York cops are gunned down, an honest police officer
(Edward Norton) is on the hunt for those responsible and discovers his
brother (Noah Emmerich) and brother-in-law (Colin Farrell) — both cops
— were involved.
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR
This third HSM film (and first on the big screen) focuses on East
High’s seniors (including Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens) singing and
dancing their way through prom, graduation and one final stage
extravaganza. See Zac Efron interview.
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN 3D
The stop-motion classic returns for its annual Halloween stint at 3D theatres across the nation.
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PASSENGERS
A therapist (Anne Hathaway) is brought in to counsel five survivors of a plane crash, some of whom remember an initial explosion, which the airline says never happened.
CHANGELING
Angelina Jolie is 1920s single mom Christine Collins, whose son, Walter, disappears. Months later the police return Walter, but Christine knows it’s not him, and when she says so, is locked away in a mental institution.
SAW V
The franchise that kick-started the torture-porn genre releases its fifth film of the series. (Did you really think there was a finite number of ways to hack off limbs?)
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Zack and Miri Make a Porno
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October 31
ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO
Writer/director Kevin Smith brings his singular brand of potty-mouth
dialogue to this comedy about platonic pals Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri
(Elizabeth Banks), who decide the fastest way to earn some cash is to
make a porno film together. Staying platonic friends just got a whole
lot harder.
THE HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY
Spend Halloween with 17-year-old
Molly (Haley Bennett), whose demented mother tried to kill her. Molly
relocates to a new high school, but images of her mother, and voices in
her head, lead her to believe her soul belongs to the devil and he’s
coming to get what’s his.
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SPECIAL EVENTS ON THE BIG SCREEN
WWE-PAY-PER-VIEW
No Mercy
Sun., Oct. 5, 8 p.m. ET
Wrestlers from WWE’s Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands collide inside Portland’s Rose Garden Arena.
Metropolitan Opera
Salome (Strauss)
Sat., Oct. 11, 1 p.m. ET
Long Way Down
Wed., Oct. 15, 7 p.m. local time
Join Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman for their follow-up to Long Way Round. This time they ride their motorcycles to the southern tip of Africa. Director David Alexanian presents this exclusive director’s cut at select Cineplex theatres for one night only.
Bowfire
Wed., Oct. 29, 7 p.m. local time
Canadian fiddlers play an eclectic concert.
Go to Cineplex.com for participating theatres and to buy tickets.