With the summer movie season ending, the competition still seems to be fierce looking into the early fall releases, with few surefire hits on the schedule. Still, there seems to be a good variety of options for viewers. Here’s a few of the notable releases for September. October’s offerings will be coming in a few weeks.
SEPTEMBER
“Extract”
Starring Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, J.K. Simmons, David Koechner, Clifton Collins Jr. and Ben Affleck
Directed by Mike Judge
The writer and director of “Office Space” returns to the workplace with a comedy about a frazzled boss (Bateman) dealing with a potentially unfaithful wife (Wiig) and problems at his flavor extract company. If the finished product matches the portion I saw Judge screen at a film festival in March, this should be great. (Sept. 4)
Official Web site
“All About Steve”
Starring Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper, Thomas Haden Church, Ken Jeong
Directed by Phil Traill
Well, what do you know? It’s Sandra Bullock and another romantic comedy. This one has her as a crossword puzzle maker convinced that she’s met the man of her dreams (Cooper). She then sets out to essentially stalk him across the country to prove they belong together. Coming off of Bullock’s success with “The Proposal,” this could turn out to have been a good decision by 20th Century Fox to have delayed this movie’s release from its original spot in March. (Sept. 4)
Official Web site
“I Can Do Bad All by Myself”
Starring Tyler Perry, Taraji P. Henson, Adam Rodriguez, Brian White, Mary J. Blige
Directed by Tyler Perry
It would be hard to find a busier filmmaker than Perry, who is churning out movies at a steady clip, while also overseeing a pair of TV shows and his own production studio. His popular Madea character is back for some comic relief in this release, but the film would seem to have more dramatic overtones. (Sept. 11)
Official Web site
“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”
Starring the voices of Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Bruce Campbell
Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller
The popular children’s book gets a big screen adaptation that could only really be done in CG, as a live-action version featuring gigantic and copious amounts of food falling from the sky wouldn’t have played well. Kids should eat this up (pun intended). (Sept. 18)
Official Web site
“Jennifer’s Body”
Starring Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons, Amy Sedaris
Directed by Karyn Kusama
This horror/thriller hybrid should also have some dark humor contained, as it comes from Diablo Cody, the Oscar-winning writer of “Juno.” Fox plays a high school cheerleader who becomes possessed, causing her to have the desire to off her male classmates. Seyfried is a friend who takes on the task of stopping her. Hopefully, Cody can bring some creativity to what seems to be a stale premise. (Sept. 18)
Official Web site
“The Informant!”
Starring Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Reuniting with one of his “Oceans 11” franchise stars (Damon), Soderbergh helms this darkly comic story about a corporation’s vice president who turns whistleblower for the government about reported wrongdoings. The trailer is great, and Damon would seem to be demonstrating he can headline a comedy just as well as an action film (the “Bourne Identity” series). (Sept. 18, limited)
Official Web site
“Love Happens”
Starring Aaron Eckhart, Jennifer Aniston, Dan Fogler, Judy Greer and Martin Sheen
Directed by Brandon Camp
A widower (Eckhart) becomes a self-help guru about dealing with loss, but realizes through a developing relationship with a florist (Aniston) that he maybe hasn’t worked through the death of his wife. This is certainly a bit of a treacly premise for a movie, but the two leads are eminently likeable, so that can’t hurt its chances. (Sept. 18)
Official Web site
“Fame”
Starring Kay Panabaker, Naturi Naughton, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally, Bebe Neuwirth
Directed by Kevin Tancharoen
With the gigantic success of a show like “American Idol,” it was only a matter of time before Hollywood decided to throw some young talent on the screen in a big musical. Hence the remake of the 1980 film, which was a hit itself, garnering six Oscar nominations. Prepare to have that catchy title song stuck in your head all over again. (Sept. 25)
Official Web site
“The Invention of Lying”
Starring Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Rob Lowe and Tina Fey
Directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson
Having starred in the little seen and underrated “Ghost Town” last fall, Gervais is yet to catch on in movies as he has on television (the original BBC series of “The Office” and HBO’s “Extras”). But that could very possibly change with this comedy starring him as a man living in a world where everyone tells the truth. One day, he decides to lie, and things start changing rapidly. (Sept. 25)
Official Web site
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