By Chris Kavan - 10/08/10 at 10:28 AM CT
Don't ask me why the releases are so crowded this week. Granted, quite a few of them are limited releases, but still - the second week in October? Really? Anyway, I'm going to go out on a limb and say The Social Network will still dominate, but if you're looking for something new, these are your best bets:
1) Secretariat - Granted, Disney always seems to put an extra saccharine layer over their "based-on-a-true-story" films, but then again, it's Disney. Another feel-good story plus animals? It's a win-win for families. Still, I don't know how much appeal the Triple Crown has to your everyday viewer.
2) Buried - If nothing else, I get to watch Ryan Reynolds squirm for his life. The premise looks intriguing, but I'm not convinced Reynolds can pull off a one-man show. Still, out of all the thrillers that are coming out, I think this has the most promise but I don't expect huge numbers.
3) Life As We Know It - To me it looks like yet another bland, romantic comedy but depending on how audiences feel it could open to decent numbers or could struggle to break the top 10. I haven't been impressed by the ad blitz, but I'm sure people out there want this kind of film. We'll see if this can break the rom-com mediocrity that has run for quite some time now.
4) My Soul to Take - Wes Craven returns to his roots, but from what I've seen I can't say this looks to be anything more than a generic horror film. Might be a good Halloween rental next year, but I don't see anything to get excited about.
5) Loads of Limited Releases - If you happen to live in or around a big city, look for the releases of the Edward Norton / Robert De Niro crime drama Stone, the ensemble comedy It's Kind of a Funny Story with Zach Galifianakis, Jim Gaffigan, Keir Gilchrist and many more, the ultra-violent remake I Spit On Your Grave, making sure we don't forget about torture porn and the dry, British wit of Tamara Drewe with Gemma Arterton in the title role.
Lots of new films to choose from, but I don't see anything that will blow away the box office. For information on all the new releases, visit the FilmCrave New Movie Releases page.
