Award shows really aren’t my favorite; I find them too long, too embarrassing and too egotistical. The one I often make an exception for is the Academy Awards, though I usually record it and then fast-forward through the icky parts.

The 85th Academy Awards will be on your television beginning at 6 central Sunday, February 24. Hosted by Seth MacFarlane, the show promises to be everything Hollywood. So tune in early for the red-carpet extravaganza, and stay for the top (and last) Oscar of the night, the Best Picture.

This year, nine films are vying for Best Picture: Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook and Zero Dark Thirty.

I’ve seen three so far (Argo, Les Miserables and Lincoln), and hope to see Beasts of the Southern Wild before the 24th. Friends have given good reviews to Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook and Zero Dark Thirty.

The directors of only five of those films are up for an Oscar: Ang Lee for Life of Pi, Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild, Michael Haneke for Amour, Steven Spielberg for Lincoln, and David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook.

 
For both awards, my vote is on Lincoln and Steven Spielberg.

For Best Actor and Best Actress, the nominees are: Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook), Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln), Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables), Joaquin Phoenix (The Master), Denzel Washington (Flight), Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Emmanuelle Riva (Amour), Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild), and Naomi Watts (The Impossible).

Two of the Best Actor nominees are nominated for the first time: Cooper and Jackman. While Phoenix has been nominated twice (Supporting Actor for Gladiator and Best Actor for Walk the Line), he has never won. Day-Lewis has been nominated five times and has two Oscars: for My Left Foot and There Will Be Blood. Washington is the history maker this go-round; this is his sixth nomination – a first for an African American actor – and he has won twice (Supporting Actor for Glory and Best Actor for Training Day).

The ages for the five Best Actress nominees range from 85 (Riva) to 9 (Wallis). While three of the five have been nominated before, none of them have won. Chastain was nominated for a Supporting Actress award for her role in The Help; Lawrence was nominated for Best Actress for Winter’s Bone; and Watts was nominated for Best Actress for 21 Grams.

Riva and Wallis are the oldest and the youngest nominees in the history of the Academy Awards.

My votes go to Day-Lewis for Lincoln and Watts for The Impossible.

  In the supporting categories, the nominees are Alan Arkin for Argo, Robert de Niro for Silver Linings Playbook, Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Master, Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln, Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained, Amy Adams for The Master, Sally Field for Lincoln, Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables, Helen Hunt for The Sessions and Jacki Weaver for Silver Linings Playbook.

All five of the veteran actors have been nominated: de Niro seven times (winning Supporting Actor for The Godfather Part II and Best Actor for Raging Bull); Arkin, a three-time nominee, won for his supporting role in Little Miss Sunshine; Hoffman, nominated three times, has one Best Actor for Capote; Jones, another three-time nominee, won Supporting Actor for The Fugitive; and Waltz won after his first nomination as Supporting Actor for his role in Inglourious Basterds.

For the actresses, again all veterans, Field has been nominated twice and won both times, for Norma Rae and Places in the Heart; and Hunt won for her lead role in As Good As It Gets. For the other three, Adams has been nominated three times (Junebug, Doubt, The Fighter), and both Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) and Weaver (Animal Kingdom) have one nomination.

My votes go to Jones and Field. (Can you tell I’m slightly prejudiced in favor of Lincoln?)

You can join in the voting fun through Facebook or by printing out the ballot from the Academy Awards website. And throw a party while you’re at it.

Whatever you do, have fun!

See ya at the movies!

 November and December found me at the movie theater for Skyfall, Lincoln, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and Les Misérables. And I would recommend any of them. A friend also recommends The Impossible, Silver Linings Playbook and Zero Dark Thirty. Another friend says that Hansel and Gretel isn’t that great, so it might go on the to-rent list.

A few others currently in the theater that you might be interested in: Django Unchained, Gangster Squad, Quartet, Broken City. Oh, and The Last Stand. No, wait, forget that one. Arnold did not do well in his return to the box office. We’ll see how his contemporary Sylvester fares with his new release this weekend.

From my rental list, here are a couple of recommendations: Hugo, Brave, and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.

On to February’s list!

February 1: Look for a zombie comedy romance (yep, all three) in Warm Bodies (PG-13) starring Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer and John Malkovich. We also have Sylvester Stallone as a New Orleans hitman in Bullet to the Head ( R) teaming with Sung Kang (as a D.C. cop) to take down the person who killed their respective partners – it also stars Jason Momoa and Christian Slater. And in limited release, Stand Up Guys ( R) comes to the big screen with Al Pacino, Alad Arkin and Christopher Walken as old-school con men out for one last hurrah.

February 8: Identity Thief ( R) stars Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy, but I have to ask myself why these two actors would stoop so low? McCarthy steals Bateman’s identity, and he tracks her down on his own. A few laughs, but not one I’ll go see. Side Effects ( R) looks a bit more promising for my tastes: Jude Law as a psychiatrist who’s patient (Rooney Mara) starts exhibiting some strange side effects from prescribed medication. It also stars Channing Tatum and Catherine Zeta-Jones. I do like a psychological thriller.

February 15: Bruce Willis returns as John McClane in A Good Day to Die Hard ( R) as the always-in-the-middle-of-things cop travels to Russia, assuming he’s going to help his wayward son (Jai Courtney) only to discover that Junior is CIA. Is this the series hand-off to a younger generation?

This weekend’s busy. Look for Beautiful Creatures (PG-13), a supernatural thriller (the TV promos look interesting) with an intriguing turn by Emma Thompson as an evildoer. Also stars Alice Englert, Viola Davis, Alden Ehrenreich, Jeremy Irons and Emmy Rossum; based on the books by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Safe Haven (PG-13) is the latest adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks’ novel, and it stars Julianne Hough, Cobie Smulders and Josh Duhamel – tearjerker, I’m sure. Escape From Planet Earth (not yet rated) is sure to pull in the younger crowd; the animated comedy stars the voices of Brendan Fraser, Rob Corddry, Jane Lynch, Jessica Alba, Sofia Vergara and William Shatner, among many.

February 22: Only two movies are scheduled to be released the last weekend of the month. Snitch (PG-13: really?) stars Dwayne Johnson as a father going undercover to save his son from a set-up drug charge. It also stars Jon Bernthal, Susan Sarandon and Rafi Gavron. Dark Skies (not yet rated) is another supernatural thriller (I’ll probably skip this one) about a family faced with a deadly force, starring Keri Russell, Josh Hamilton, Dakota Goyo and J.K Simmons.

A couple of titles caught my eye for March: Oz the Great and Powerful, The Call, Admission, and The Place Beyond the Pines. The first one is probably a must for me, being a native Kansan; The Call stars Halle Berry and the trailers look kind of scary; Admission stars Tina Fey and Paul Rudd and it looks pretty good, but it might be more drama than comedy; and the last one looks a mite depressing but it’s getting good buzz. Stay tuned!

Don’t forget the telecast of the 85th Academy Awards at 6 central Sunday, February 24, on ABC. We’ll talk about the Oscars next week.

In the meantime, see ya at the movies!

A friend asked yesterday what movies I had seen recently. I had to answer, “Not many,” and then she asked what I was looking forward to seeing in the next couple of months. Well, that prompted me to do some movie research for November and December. And I thought I’d share what I found.

First, some of the movies currently in theaters that you might want to check out: Cloud Atlas and Argo. I’m hoping to see both over the next two weekends. I may rent Chasing Mavericks, although the surfing action may need to be seen on the big screen, and Looper. Not much else I want to see at the moment, tho my to-rent list has definitely grown.

So what’s coming in November and December, you ask impatiently. Too many movies, that’s for sure. But it is the holiday season, after all, and studios want to get their films into the theater before the end of the year for Oscar consideration. So we movie-goers are left with a plethora of choices. Sigh. I already have the problem of too many books and not enough time. Now it’s too movies and not enough time.

One thing to share: A friend was recently wearing a T-shirt with a great saying. “Don’t judge a book by its movie.” I laughed, hope you did too.

OK, on to November movies:

November 2: Flight (R) stars Denzel Washington as a pilot who lands a jetliner after an in-air crisis only to face more questions on the ground. It also stars Don Cheadle and John Goodman. Might be a good one to see in the theater, but it also may put me off flying for a very long time. A Late Quartet (R) is about a well-known string quartet with more problems than the audience can see; stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener, Wallace Shawn and Mark Ivanir.

November 9: Skyfall (PG-13), the latest James Bond adventure, brings Daniel Craig back as the suave spy, supported by Judi Dench as M, and Javier Bardem as the latest villain. I just finished watching Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace in preparation. Lincoln (PG-13) also opens this weekend. From director Steven Spielberg, the film stars Daniel Day-Lewis as the 16th president during his Civil War dominated years in office. The movie also stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Hawkes, Walton Goggins, Tommy Lee Jones, Jackie Earle Haley, Sally Field, James Spader, among many.

 November 16: Anna Karenina (R) stars Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Matthew Macfadyen in another sweeping adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s novel of 19th-century Russia. The latest Twilight offering also opens this weekend, but I’m trying to ignore that fact.

November 23: Silver Linings Playbook (R) brings to the screen the novel by Matthew Quick, and the movie stars Bradley Cooper as down-but-not-out Pat who tries to rebuild his life, Jennifer Lawrence as the enigmatic Tiffany, Robert de Niro and Jacki Weaver as Pat’s parents. I think I need to find the book and soon. Ang Lee’s latest, The Life of Pi, also brings a book to life, as this great director takes on the task of translating the best-selling novel by Yann Martel to the big screen. After a shipwreck, a boy is stranded in a boat with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a Bengal tiger – all residents of the zoo run by the boy’s father. Hitchcock (PG-13) stars Anthony Hopkins as the famous director, with Helen Mirren as his wife, and the movie looks at their love story during the filming of the 1959 classic, Psycho. P.S. Scarlett Johansson plays Janet Leigh. Animated superheroes team up to save children’s innocence in Rise of the Guardians (PG) with voices ny Hugh Jackman, Alcec Baldwin, Chris Pine, Isla Fisher, Jude Law and others.

November 30: Killing Them Softly (R) is the latest starring Brad Pitt as a professional enforcer investigating what happened during a mob-protected poker game, and it also stars Ray Liotta, Richard Jenkins, Scoot McNairy, James Gandolfini and Sam Shepard. The only reason I would see California Solo (unrated) is for star Robert Carlyle who was so great in The Full Monty and is terrific in the ABC show Once Upon a Time. The reviews are lackluster so far, so it’ll probably find its way to my to-rent list.

December films:

December 7: Hyde Park on Hudson (R) is the story of Franklin D. Roosevelt, his wife, his mistress, and the King and Queen of England. Not very good reviews at the moment, but the thought of Bill Murray as FDR is intriguing. The film also stars Laura Linney as FDR’s mistress, Olivia Williams as Eleanor Roosevelt, Samuel West as King George VI “Bertie” and Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth. Playing for Keeps (PG-13) is another starring role for Gerard Butler (he also stars in Chasing Mavericks) as he takes on the role of coaching his son’s soccer team as a way to get his life together.

 December 14: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (unrated). Do I need to say anything else? The Peter Jackson-helmed first-in-a-trilogy film stars Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, Ian McKellan returns as Gandalf and 13 dwarves take on the challenge of traveling through Middle Earth.

December 21: Zero Dark Thirty (unrated) is based on the true story of the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and it stars Chris Pratt, Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Taylor Kinney, Mark Strong and Kyle Chandler. Jack Reacher (PG-13) is based on a book from one of my favorite authors, Lee Child, and while I am looking forward to the movie, I am not thrilled with the casting of Tom Cruise as Reacher. Not thrilled at all. So I’m torn on this one, folks.

December 28: Django Unchained (R) from Director Quentin Tarantino stars Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio and Christoph Waltz. Might not be for everyone – a lot of violence is a prerequisite for a Tarantino flick. Les Miserables (unrated) is the latest film version of a cinema and stage classic. This musical version (not all of the previous versions were musicals) stars Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe. This one is a must-see in the theaters.

There are others to keep an eye on too, folks. Wreck-It Ralph, The Man With the Iron Fists, The Impossible, Promised Land, among others. Hold on to your seats, movie-goers! It’s going to be a wild ride until the end of the year!

See ya at the movies!

February is Oscar Time, as Hollywood celebrates everything Hollywood, and the movie-goers have the chance to view the spectacle as it unfolds. Get your Oscar-watching parties planned as the 84th Academy Awards begin at 6 p.m. CT February 26 on ABC.

The 2011 nominees were announced January 24. Of course, there are a lot of categories, but most of us are only concerned with six: Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Achievement in Directing, and Best Motion Picture of the Year.

Now I enjoy hearing about the Oscars, although I usually don’t watch the entire broadcast. I often record it and then fast-forward through all the boring bits, and the overly embarrassing parts. I do like the opening numbers, the musical numbers, and hearing which film won Best Picture, and I enjoy fast-forwarding through the red carpet arrivals, just for the dresses.

So what’s all the hullabaloo?

There are nine movies nominated for Best Picture: The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, and War Horse.

I’ve seen three of the nine. What about you? While I enjoyed The Descendants, I don’t think it’s Best Picture worthy; likewise with Midnight in Paris and Moneyball. A friend tells me The Help was very good, and I’ve heard good things about Extremely Loud and Hugo. The Artist is a new/old concept for Hollywood: a silent picture shot in black and white, so I’m not sure how that will fare in today’s world of more-is-better attitude. A movie about a horse in World War I seems to be out of the running even before it gets out of the gate, though with Steven Spielberg behind War Horse, it might have a shot, albeit that it’s a dark horse. That leaves The Tree of Life, which by all accounts is too long, more than a bit confusing and depressing. Sounds like a perfect Oscar match, doesn’t it?

Just kidding. I have absolutely no clue as to which film will win the golden statue.

As for Best Director, well, that’s up in the air too. Michel Hazanavicius was nominated for The Artist (he also wrote the original screenplay and is nominated for that as well); Alexander Payne is up for The Descendants; Martin Scorsese for Hugo; Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris (another nominee for original screenplay, as well); and Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life. It’s usually a case of Best Director matching Best Picture, but that’s not necessarily true. My guess, again, just a guess, is Terrence Malick – or maybe Martin Scorsese.

The acting awards are probably the public’s favorite categories. So who’s vying for an Oscar?

In the Best Actress category, Glenn Close was nominated for Albert Nobbs; Viola Davis for The Help; Rooney Mara for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady; and Michelle Williams for My Week With Marilyn.

For Best Supporting Actress, we have Berenice Bejo nominated for her role in The Artist; Jessica Chastain for The Help; Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids; Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs; and Octavia Spencer for The Help.

It would be great if one of the new nominees were to take the prize. I’m rooting for Viola Davis or Michelle Williams, and for Octavia Spencer.

For Best Actor, the nominees are Demian Bichir for A Better Life; George Clooney for The Descendants, Jean Dujardin for The Artist; Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; and Brad Pitt for Moneyball.

For Best Supporting Actor, Kenneth Branagh was nominated for his role in My Week With Marilyn; Jonah Hill for Moneyball; Nick Nolte for Warrior, Christopher Plummer for Beginners; and Max von Sydow for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

I’d vote for Gary Oldman and Christopher Plummer. I’ve seen Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and can attest that Oldman gives a top performance, and I have it on good authority that Plummer is excellent in Beginners.

Always of interest for me are the categories for Cinematography and Costume Design, and I enjoy the music selections too. And while there are five nominees for Original Score, only two Original Songs made the list: Man or Muppet from The Muppets, with music and lyrics by Bret McKenzie; and Real in Rio from Rio, music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown and lyrics by Siedah Garrett. It’ll be fun seeing these two numbers performed, although I’ll probably see them either in YouTube the next day or as I fast forward through the entire, probably too-long broadcast.

However you watch the 84th Academy Awards – whether it’s live or on the DVR or on the computer – remember to add a few new titles to your to-rent list, and enjoy the Hollywood spectacle.

See ya at the movies!

 While fall has not been a good season for movies for me, I’m hoping early winter brings better news.

I decided to wait and rent Real Steel, hope to see The Three Musketeers this weekend, and I’m not sure when I’ll get to Anonymous. I did see Cave of Forgotten Dreams, a documentary on the cave drawings on the walls of Chauvet Cave in southern France. It’s a fascinating look (and the first time a documentary team has been allowed in the cave) at the well-preserved drawings, created at least 32,000 years ago and discovered in 1994 by a group of scientists.  

Shot in 3D, the documentary is slow but visually stunning in its scope. The filmmakers were limited to a three-person crew, only four hours a day for only six days and a battery-operated camera and lights. Visitors are kept to a narrow walkway, must wear sterile clothing over their street clothes, and are not allowed to touch anything. Despite the limitations, Werner Herzog and his crew produced an excellent foray into our past that helps preserve our history and allows us to connect with these long-ago artists.

Unfortunately, I also saw rentals of Going the Distance and Limitless. I will never get those four hours back. Darn.

So what does November hold at the box office?

As I mentioned last time, there are a few movies I’m looking forward to this month and in December. Opening November 4, Tower Heist, rated PG 13, stars Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Alan Alda, Casey Affleck and Matthew Broderick (looks fun, and I could a good laugh); A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas, rated R, stars Kal Penn, John Cho and Neil Patrick Harris in another excellent adventure (which I will avoid at all costs); The Son of No One, rated R, stars Channing Tatum, Al Pacino and Juliette Binoche in a cop drama (looks interesting, tho I have my doubts); and Killing Bono, rated R, a limited release starring Ben Barns and Robert Sheehan as brothers out to make a name for themselves (not on my radar).

Opening November 11, Immortals, rated R, starring Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke and John Hurt (don’t bother); J. Edgar, rated R, starring Leonardo DiCaprico, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts and Jeffrey Donovan (may be a rental in the far distant future); Jack and Jill, rated PG, starring Adam Sandler as both an advertising executive and his identical twin sister, and Katie Holmes as his wife (no way); London Boulevard, rated R in limited release and also on Video on Demand, starring Colin Farrell, Kiera Knightley and Ray Winstone (a probable rental in the near future).

Arriving in theaters the weekend of November 18 are The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, rated PG-13 (no, just no); Happy Feet Two,  rated PG, starring the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams and Pink, among others (a very definite maybe – and I really need to add some laughter to my life); The Descendants, rated R and in limited release, starring George Clooney and Judy Greer (it’s a new role for Clooney, that of a father with two daughters; might be worth the look).

For the holiday weekend, opening November 23 are Hugo, rated PG, starring Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz and Christopher Lee (looks intriguing and fun); The Muppets, rated PG, starring all the Muppets and humans Amy Adams and Jason Segel (nope, not for me); A Dangerous Method, rated R, starring Michael Fassbender as Carl Jung, Viggo Mortensen as Sigmund Freud and Kiera Knightley in a based-on-true-events telling of a case involving both psychology pioneers (this one is a definite must-see for me); Arthur Christmas, rated PG, starring the voices of James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent and Bill Nighy (I don’t think so); and The Artist, rated PG-13, starring John Goodman, Malcolm McDowell, Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo (a look at 1927 Hollywood; I’ll keep this one in mind).

My Week with Marilyn , rated R, opens in limited release on November 25 and stars Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne and Kenneth Branagh (I may rent this one at some point).

Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher and Jim Broadbent as Denis Thatcher.
Photo Credit: Alex Bailey / Courtesy Pathe Productions Ltd.

Please indulge me while I repeat a few movies I’m looking forward to in December: Ticker Tailor Soldier Spy (a remake starring Gary Oldman with great buzz); Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (highly anticipated sequel to the Robert Downey Jr./Jude Law classic detective tale); The Iron Lady (Meryl Streep as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher); The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (an American adaptation of the bestselling Swedish novel); Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (could Tom Cruise be turning the reins of this franchise over to Jeremy Renner?); The Adventures of Tintin (an animated version of the classic book series); We Bought a Zoo (Matt Damon as a dad who moves his young family to the country); and In the Land of Blood and Honey (a look at romance during the Bosnian War, directed by Angelina Jolie).

Anything on your movie radar for November and December?

Have a great holiday season, at home and at the movies!

While I have a few movies on my October to-see list, I kind of doubt I’ll see many in the theaters. Economics and time. Sigh.

September started out with a viewing of The Debt (well acted and produced, but fairly depressing), rentals In the Valley of Elah, I Am Number Four and Beastly (well-acted with Tommy Lee Jones, but depressing; interesting sci-fi premise but the execution just wasn’t there; another interesting premise without the acting/writing to back it up), a new rental of Changeling (again worth seeing but it’s not a feel-good movie, folks) and Easy A (fun, breezy and a good laugh), and a Netflix viewing of The Devil’s Arithmetic (well done, again not a feel-good movie though it ended on an upbeat).

Oh, my, my movie viewing definitely needs to have a few comedies added to the mix.

Moneyball was on the docket for the first weekend of October. Well acted, an interesting storyline (based on true events), but I found it too slow to really be good. It was entertaining, I just wish the editing had been tighter – shaving off five or 10 minutes might have been a good idea.

On to October!

Real Steel , rated PG 13, opens October 7. Starring Hugh Jackman and Evangeline Lilly, takes a science-fiction look at the future of boxing. I like the trailers, so I suspect I’ll break down and see this one in the theaters.

Also opening this weekend are The Ides of March, rated R, a political thriller starring George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman; in limited release, Dirty Girl, rated R, about two high-school runaways and starring Juno Temple, Jeremy Dozier and Milla Jovovich; and Blackthorn, rated R and also in limited release, with Sam Shepard as Butch Cassidy, now James Blackthorn, longing for home.

Opening October 14: The Thing, rated R, a slight prequel to the other movies of the same name but the same premise and starring Joel Edgerton, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ulrich Thomsen; Footloose, rated PG, a remake of the Kevin Bacon classic (why oh why?); The Big Year, rated PG, a bird-watching comedy starring Jack Black, Owen Wilson and Steve Martin; Texas Killing Fields, rated R and in limited release, looks at a true-crime story and stars Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chloe Grace Moretz and Jessica Chastain; Trespass, rated R and in limited release before it goes to DVD, starring Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman as a couple held hostage; and Father of Invention, rated PG-13 and in limited release, is a comedy about an eccentric inventor (Kevin Spacey).

October 21 brings Paranormal Activity 3 to the theaters (not yet rated), along with The Three Musketeers, rated PG 13, a steampunk version starring Logan Lerman as the young D’Artagnan, and Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson and Luke Evans as the older legends; Margin Call, rated R, a look at investment banking starring Zachary Quinto, Stanley Tucci and Kevin Spacey; and in limited release Martha Marcy May Marlene, rated R, which focuses on a young woman (Elizabeth Olsen) trying to re-assimilate to the world after time with an abusive cult.

For October 28, watch for Anonymous, rated PG-13, a period political thriller starring Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave and David Thewlis and looking at who really wrote Shakespeare’s plays. This one’s on my radar.

Also opening the last weekend of the month are Puss in Boots, rated PG, a prequel for the cat from Shrek, with the voices of Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek and Zach Galifianakis; In Time, rated PG-13, a science-fiction thriller starring Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy that asks the question of what do you do when you have to buy time to stay alive; The Rum Diary, rated R, stars Johnny Depp as a journalist in Puerto Rico during the 1950s; and Like Crazy, rated PG 13, a cross-continent romance between Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin.

Only a few for me to see in October; I’ll try to see Real Steel, The Three Musketeers and Anonymous, and maybe Margin Call. As for November, keep a look out for Tower Heist (looks funny, although I’m not a Ben Stiller fan), My Week With Marilyn (buzz is high for Michelle Williams’ performance as Marilyn Monroe), J. Edgar (Oscar buzz already for Leonardo DiCaprio as FBI’s J. Edgar Hoover), Happy Feet Two (more animated fun), The Descendants (George Clooney as a dad trying to hold it together after learning of his wife’s infidelity), Hugo (a young boy ponders the mystery left to him by his father), A Dangerous Method (Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud and the birth of psychoanalysis – the trailers look better than it sounds), and The Artist (a glimpse into the 1927 Hollywood of silent films).

And looking toward the holiday season, I have on my wish list: Ticker Tailor Soldier Spy (a remake starring Gary Oldman with great buzz), New Year’s Eve (another romantic comedy from Garry Marshall), Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (highly anticipated sequel to the Robert Downey Jr./Jude Law classic detective tale), The Iron Lady (Meryl Streep as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher), The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (an American adaptation of the bestselling Swedish novel), Misson: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (could Tom Cruise be turning the reins of this franchise over to Jeremy Renner?), The Adventures of Tintin (an animated version of the classic book series), The Darkest Hour (sci-fi tale of an alien invasion set in Russia), We Bought a Zoo (Matt Damon as a dad who moves his young family to the country), and In the Land of Blood and Honey (a look at romance during the Bosnian War, directed by Angelina Jolie).

So there you have it, a slow movie season in October, with a bit more in November and a whole lot to see in December. Can we keep up?! LOL.

See ya at the movies!

My movie watching in August was downgraded to practically non-existent. Books took center stage (I’m currently trying to catch up with Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon series – on Borderline at the moment, and I have Deborah Harkness' debut novel, A Discovery of Witches, waiting in the wings).

Netflix provided The Invisible (yawn), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai in the 8th Dimension (a 1984 camp-fest with a lot of familiar faces – it was fun), and the wrong Changeling (I could have sworn I selected the right one! Sigh). I have In the Valley of Elah (starring Tommy Lee Jones) waiting in my DVD player.

I also rented Arthur (the remake with Russell Brand and Helen Mirren – not that good, tho Mirren was terrific as always) and Paul(raunchy, fun, but ultimately not that great).

I did see Captain America, and it’s worth the trip to the theater, tho it might already be gone from most cineplexes.

Other August films I thought I might see – I’ll add The Help, One Day, Fright Night, Conan the Barbarian and Griff the Invisible to my to-rent list. The others, I’m ignoring.

Now on to September!

The Debt opens this weekend, and stars Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, Sam Worthington and Jessica Chastain. Rated R, the film takes place during two different time periods, following a Mossad secret mission during the 1960s, and how that event affects the participants today. I’m hoping to see The Debt this weekend – I’ll let you know.

Also opening over the Labor Day weekend: Apollo 18, rated R, shot in the style of The Blair Witch Project, the tagline says it all “There’s a reason we’ve never gone back to the moon”; and A Good Old-Fashioned Orgy, rated R, follows the misadventures of a group of friends, now in their 30s, attempting to capture the care-free feelings from high school.

For the weekend of September 9, we have Contagion opening. Rated PG-13, the movie stars a host of familiar faces, including Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, John Hawkes and Jude Law. Too scary for me – I’ll pass. Also opening is Warrior (more my speed), rated PG-13 and starring Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte and Joel Edgerton, which pits two brothers against each other in the extreme fight scene.

One of the films I’m looking forward to this month opens September 16: Drive, rated R, stars Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Ron Perlman and Bryan Cranston. Gosling is a stuntman moonlighting as a driver for those with criminal intentions. Looks intense. Also opening this weekend are I Don’t Know How She Does It, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear and not yet rated; and Straw Dogs, starring James Marsden and Kate Bosworth in this remake of the 1971 film.

September 23 brings another movie I’m anticipating: Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Robin Wright. The baseball movie (tho it’s about more than just the sport) is based on a true story and is not yet rated. The weekend also finds opening Abduction, rated PG-13 and starring Taylor Lautner as a young man who discovers he was abducted as a baby; Machine Gun Preacher, rated R, starring Gerard Butler as a former biker who finds God and then goes to the Sudan to fight for children being forced to become soldiers (it’s based on a true story); Killer Elite, rated R, which stars Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert De Niro; and Dolphin Tale, rated PG, starring Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Harry Connick Jr. and a dolphin without a tail.

For the last weekend of month, we can find in the theater: 50/50, rated R and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen in a film penned by Rogen’s friend Will Reiser (JGL’s character is based on Reiser and Rogen plays a version of himself); Dream House, rated PG-13, a horror flick starring Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz (the romance began here); What’s Your Number, rated R, starring Anna Faris, Chris Pratt, Chris Evans, Ryan Phillippe and Joel McHale in a comedy about finding true love; Margaret, rated R, starring Anna Paquin, Matt Damon and Mark Ruffalo, is an indie originally shot in 2005 and just now being released; Take Shelter, rated R, with Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain about a man who thinks he may be going insane; and Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, rated R, which stars Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk as two mountain vacationers pitted against a group of college kids (while I love Tudyk, I’m going to skip this one).

For October, keep an eye on Real Steel (sci-fi with Hugh Jackman and robots!), The Ides of March (political thriller with Ryan Gosling – busy guy), Footloose (a remake – I have no idea why), The Three Musketeers (another tale of the sword – looks good), The Rum Diary (Johnny Depp’s latest), Anonymous (period piece about who really penned Shakespeare’s plays) and Safe (Jason Statham – do I need to say more?). And for November, watch for Tower Heist (even with Ben Stiller this looks good); Happy Feet 2 (happy!); Hugo (the trailers look great): Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (remake alert); The Descendants (lastest from George Clooney); and The Artist (look back at 1927 Hollywood).

What do you recommend? See ya at the movies!