Extract
directed by Mike Judge
Writer-director Mike Judge has a history of creating cult classics like Office Space and Idiocracy. Although his movies don’t tend to do that well at the box office, their video sales are very successful. Time will only tell if Extract will see the same fate. With a comedic all-star cast that includes “Arrested Development”‘s Jason Bateman and “SNL”‘s Kristen Wiig, Extract portrays a flower-extract plant owner with a myriad of problems. Veteran actor Ben Affleck, takes a supporting role in the film, as it kind of seems like he’s still trying to make up for Gigli. But really, it is a film we’ve all been waiting for, because there just haven’t been enough movies about flower-extract plant owners.
Gamer
directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor
In the world of Gamer there exists a new form of entertainment and a warped sense of human rights: Death row inmates are controlled by other people in an online video game. If they survive 30 rounds, they are freed. Once you suspend the disbelief that gamers are indirectly killing people and that Nintendo might one day have enough power to free death row inmates, the action seems promising. Suspension of disbelief seems to be a necessity in enjoying the films of writer-director team of Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine, who brought you the movie with the tagline “He was dead… but he got better” (Crank: High Voltage). This also seems to be a whirlwind year for Gerard Butler who has starred in The Ugly Truth and will be starring in Law Abiding Citizen.
Carriers
directed by Àlex Pastor and David Pastor
The Spainish Pastor brothers have teamed up to write and direct Carriers, a film about a deadly contagious disease that is slowly killing off the entire human race. The cast consists of that dude from Star Trek (Chris Pine), the girl from “Brothers & Sisters” (Emily VanCamp) and that girl from Coyote Ugly (Piper Perabo), along with Christopher Meloni. The movie puts a new spin on the running from disease movie, putting more of an emphasis on the moral dilemmas that come from trying to survive.
All About Steve
directed by Phil Traill
All About Steve is all about how Mary (Sandra Bullock) follows Steve (Bradley Cooper) around after a first date, because she thinks they are meant to be. But will he figure that out before it’s too late? Of course he will, otherwise we’d be really mad at you, Phil Trail. Bullock and Cooper are both coming off pretty massive summer hits (The Proposal and The Hangover, respectively), but it really doesn’t look like this one’s going to cap off the summer on a high note for the two stars.
No Impact Man: The Documentary
directed by Laura Gabbert & Justin Schein
This doc, being distributed by Oscilloscope Laboratories, founded by Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, is about a New York family who gives up their life of high consumption for a year, decision spearheaded by father (and co-producer) Colin Beavan. Honesty is always important in a documentary and Michelle Conlin (co-producer and wife of Beavan) is not shy about how little she wants to give up the conveniences of consumption, making this a film to which anyone can relate. Even after being wildly popular at Sundance, most Americans will have to consume quite a bit of gasoline in order to see this film in theaters, as it will only be playing in New York City and Los Angeles for the first week.
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