In Theaters Now: Drag Me to Hell, Up & Departures

Drag Me to Hell
directed by Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi, the director of the cult classic Evil Dead trilogy and more recently the Spider-man franchise, makes his long-awaited return to horror with this spooky thriller. Starring Allison Lohman, Justin Long and Lorna Raver, this horror flick tells the story of Christine, a loan officer (Lohman) who makes the deadly mistake of being uncommonly ruthless by evicting an old woman (Raver) who is in desperate need of a loan. Christine soon realizes that the old woman has set a curse on her and discovers that, in a few days, she will literally be dragged to hell. Sure the plot seems ridiculous and somewhat recurring for a horror film, but suspense-master Raimi has always been able to create something terrifying out of lackluster plot lines. And for all you Evil Dead fans: This may be the last Raimi horror picture you’ll be seeing for a while since the next two Spider-man entries are supposedly already in the works. Don’t miss your chance to see this one in theaters.

Up
directed by Pete Docter & Bob Peterson
Just when it looked like this could be the year for DreamWorks, Pixar comes Up with this promising tale of a 78-year-old man who ties thousands of balloons to his house in order to explore the untamed South American wilderness. Director Pete Docter hopes that the fifth time will be a charm after his four winless Oscar nominations in everything from best writing (Toy Story, Wall-E) to best animated short (Mike’s New Car) to best animated feature (Monsters, Inc.). Perhaps Bob Peterson, Oscar co-nominee for his Finding Nemo screenplay, is the missing piece of the Oscar-winning puzzle for Docter. The film is also following trend by being available in 3-D in select theaters nationwide. The trailers and early praise from Comic-Con attendees make it pretty clear that Pixar’s not willing to give up its number one spot anytime soon. (Sorry DreamWorks.)

Departures
directed by Yôjirô Takita
Departures, underdog winner of this year’s Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, will finally be release to theaters this week. From acclaimed Japanese Director Yôjirô Takita, Departures is the emotional tale of a cellist who suddenly finds himself unemployed after the dismantling of his orchestra. He returns to his hometown, only to be forced to take the difficult job as an “encoffineer,” a person who assists the recently deceased (or “depahted” as Mark Wahlberg would say), in preparation for the afterlife. Along with its Oscar, Departures earned a number of wins at international film festivals and at the Awards of the Japanese Academy.