Fall movie preview: September

Having just returned from vacation, having played catch-up at work, and having noticed that it's now officially September, it's time to start the fall movie preview - even if it's officially still summer.

As always, each film gets a prospect grade, which goes like this.

A = Woohoo!
B = Cool
C = Eh.
D = *Mumble, grumble, gripe*
F=  #$!%!@$

Here's how September looks:

SEPTEMBER 3

The American: If George Clooney toplines a film, I'm automatically there. Even when he kinda-sorta misses (e.g. The Men Who Stare at Goats) he at least misses in an interesting way. Those expecting a Bourne-style thriller may be disappointed; this feels much more low-key and European. In fact, I've heard it resembles the work of Antonioni, which to me is not entirely a good thing -  much of his work strikes me as self-important. Still, this is one of the top picks for the month, kinda by default. PROSPECT: B

Going the Distance: On again/off again couple Drew Barrymore and Justin Long hook back up and - meh, can't find much of a reason to care. PROSPECT: C

Machete: The trailer from Grindhouse sprouts into a full-length movie. Looks rollicking enough, and I'll probably check it out, but Rodriguez's endless genre riffing is starting to feel a bit stale. PROSPECT: B

SEPTEMBER 10 

Resident Evil: Afterlife: I liked the first Resident Evil well enough, but not well enough to muster much interest in the sequels. PROSPECT: C

SEPTEMBER 17

Devil: This jeopardy in-an elevator thriller actually looked fairly intriguing until seven unlucky words popped up onscreen: "From the Mind of M. Night Shyamalan." What was once promising has become a total buzzkill.     I don't care if he didn't direct, his name has become a liability. Crowd in big cities have reportedly jeered when seeing Shyamalan's name - but it was happening in Dayton, Ohio too. Unless the reviews direct me otherwise, count me out. PROSPECT: D

Easy A: Teen comedies don't typically ring my bell, but this one has a funny premise (girl repeatedly fakes losing her virginity) and has a very appealing lead actress: Emma Stone, who was delightful in Superbad, The House Bunny and Zombieland, among others. Count me in. PROSPECT: B

The Town: I suppose one could say this looks a little too much like director Ben Affleck trying to be like Marty, but so what? The trailer is dynamite, and so is the cast. This is the movie I most want to see in September.  PROSPECT: A

SEPTEMBER 24

Legend of the Guardians - The Owls of Ga'Hoole: Gesundheit. And yeah, it looks like Happy Feathers as opposed to Happy Feet. But I am most intrigued by the director credit: Zack Snyder, that "visionary" who made 300 and Watchmen, but I won't hold the latter against him. PROSPECT: B

Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps: Maybe money never sleeps, but the quality of Oliver Stone's movies has sort of been snoozy lately. Still, a sequel is more than a little timely, and he has an excellent cast. Let's just hope he doesn't give Mr. LaBeouf an excuse to bad-mouth the movie months down the line. PROSPECT: B

You Again: Certainly has a likable roster of actors, including Sigourney Weaver, Kristen Bell and the ubiquitous Betty White, but I have no read on this one. PROSPECT: C