technology communication: 16 Movies To Watch This Fall

It?s that time of the year again when the days get shorter, kids go back to school, and football dominates the weekend. It?s also time for a new crop of movies to dominate the theaters from September-December. 2012 has been a fantastic year for film, but we aren?t finished yet.

This Fall we?ve got Hobbits, time traveling hitmen, more Lincoln, a disgruntled video game character, and the return of 007. Here are those plus a few other films to put on your calendar.

*All synopsis are courtesy of IMDB*

Looper
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels
Director: Rian Johnson
Synopsis: In 2072, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent 30 years into the past, where a hired gun awaits. Someone like Joe, who one day learns the mob wants to ?close the loop? by transporting back Joe?s future self.
Why I?m Excited: Outside of Lebron James, Joseph Gordon Levitt is having the best year ever. Looper follows JGL?s outstanding performance in The Dark Knight Rises and we?ll see him later this fall in Steven Spielberg?s Lincoln. All he?s missing is an Olympic gold medal.
Looper teams JGL with Bruce Willis (my action hero dad), sci-fi, time travel, and the beautiful Emily Blunt ? that?s a recipe for awesome. If that?s not enough for you, the trailer has enough special effects eye candy to wow any moviegoer. I can?t wait.
9/28

The Master
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Synopsis: A Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future ? until he is tantalized by The Cause and its charismatic leader.
Why I?m Excited: The Master had a buzz since its preproduction stage due to its similarities with Scientology. Paul Thomas Anderson & Co. have insisted The Master is not about Scientology, but that hasn?t stopped people from speculating.
It?s good to see Joaquin Phoenix back acting after his bizarre documentary I?m Still Here. Phoenix is still a superb actor and looks to be bringing his ?A? game in The Master. I?m hoping Hoffman?s performance is somewhere between Owen Davian in MI:3 and Andy in Before the Devil Knows You?re Dead. That would make me happy. Very happy. Scientology parallels aside, The Master looks delightfully creepy.

9/14

Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best
Starring: Ryan O?Nan, Michael Weston, Ariell Kebbel
Director: Ryan O?Nan
Synopsis: A singer-songwriter hits the road with a self-appointed music revolutionary.
Why I?m Excited: Ryan O?Nan wrote, directed, and stars in this comedy about two musicians. Anytime you can mix comedy and music, I?m all in. The quirky/awkward jokes mixed with heartwarming songs should make for a fun film. With all the serious Oscar worthy films, Brooklyn Brothers looks like the perfect change-of-pace film for the fall.
9/21

Argo
Starring: Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, and Bryan Cranston
Director: Ben Affleck
Synopsis: As the Iranian revolution reaches a boiling point, a CIA ?exfiltration? specialist concocts a risky plan to free six Americans who have found shelter at the home of the Canadian ambassador.
Why I?m Excited: A few months ago I talked to someone who I?ll refer to as ?Movie Person Who Sees Movies Early?. When I asked what movie they saw that I should be excited for their response was, ?Argo?.
Ben Affleck may have found his calling as a director. So far his directorial resume includes Gone Baby Gone and The Town. Not too shabby if you ask me. I almost able to forgive him for Daredevil and Gigli. Also, I?m in on any film that?s based on a top secret story from the 1970?s. It?s a history lesson and a spy story all wrapped in one.
10/12

Taken 2
Starring: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Rade Sherbedgia
Director: Oliver Megaton
Synopsis: In Istanbul, retired CIA operative Bryan Mills and his wife are taken hostage by the father of a kidnapper Mills killed while rescuing his daughter.
Why I?m Excited: Bryan Mills is back! He?ll be shooting, killing, talking to people in a low voice, and giving his daughter instructions. Taken was such a great movie, I wouldn?t mind sitting through it again. I?ll watch Liam Neeson in anything that doesn?t involve the words ?Wrath? or ?Titans?. Will Taken 2 be as good as the first? I doubt it. Will it be incredibly entertaining? Yes! Yes! Yes!
10/5

Killing Them Softly
Starring: Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, and Richard Jenkins
Director: Andrew Dominik
Synopsis: Jackie Cogan is a professional enforcer who investigates a heist that went down during a mob-protected poker game.
Why I?m Excited: The gritty trailer with Brad Pitt and his shotgun makes the film look fascinating. To be honest, that?s all I really needed to see. There?s already rumblings about how good this movie is. The Academy may have to make room for this thriller
10/19

Life of Pi
Starring: Suraj Sharma, irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain
Director: Ang Lee
Synopsis: The story of an Indian boy named Pi, a zookeeper?s son who finds himself in the company of a hyena, zebra, orangutan, and a Bengal tiger after a shipwreck sets them adrift in the Pacific Ocean.
Why I?m Excited: It looks like critically acclaimed director Ang Lee is back in his sweet spot with Life of Pi. The film adaptation of the 2001 novel looks like the most visually stunning film of the year. The film Ang Lee once thought was ?unmakeable? is now a reality. The visual effects and gripping story about a boy lost at sea will be enough to get me in the theaters. And I?m secretly hoping for a 3D Bengal tiger attack.

11/21

Wreck-It Ralph
Starring: John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer, Jayne Lynch, Sarah Silverman
Director: Rich Moore
Synopsis: The bad-guy character in a classic game who longs to be a hero brings trouble to his entire arcade after sneaking into a new first-person shooter game and unleashing a deadly enemy.
Why I?m Exited: You know who?s more excited than me? 11 year old me. He?s pumped and telling people Wreck-It Ralph is his favorite movie. The who?s-who of video games in the hands of Rich Moore (Simpsons, Futurama) has the potential to be hilariously entertaining. I?m looking forward to all the cameos as Ralph jumps from game to game ? especially Q*Bert.
11/2

Silver Linings Playbook
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro
Director: David O Russell
Synopsis: After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.
Why I?m Excited: Two of Hollywood?s darlings team up for an unusual love story about two people dealing with mental illness. The two of them can do no wrong ? Bradley Cooper continues to be one of the hardest working men and Hollywood and Jennifer Lawrence is putting people on notice that she?s more than just a pretty face. The two of them are an unlikely paring, but I like it.
11/21

Lincoln
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, David Srathairn, Sally Field, John Hawkes, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Director: Steven Spielberg
Synopsis: The sixteenth President of the United States guides the North to victory during the Civil War.
Why I?m Excited: Sadly, there are no zombies, but it looks like they?ll be a lot of Civil War footage in this film. It?s amazing how much Daniel Day-Lewis looks like Abe in the teaser posters for the film. Seeing Daniel Day-Lewis in a stovepipe hat might give me goose bumps. I?m hoping to learn more about Lincoln like he really enjoyed skeeball or he was Honest-ish Abe.
11/9

Skyfall
Starring: Daniel Craig, Helen McCrory, Javier Bardem
Synopsis: Bond?s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her.
Why I?m Excited: I love James Bond. I?ve loved James Bond ever since I saw Moonraker as a kid. I even love Daniel Craig as a more broodish Bond. This is the film I?m most excited to see this fall. What?s not to like? It?ll have Bond girls, gadgets, cars, tuxedos, and big action scenes. The trailer is fantastic and Javier Bardem looks like a madman with his boy band hair.

And there?s this exchange:
[Bond tied to a chair]
Bond: Everybody needs a hobby
Raoul Silva: What?s yours?
Bond: Resurrection.

11/9

Flight
Starring: Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Bruce Greenwood, Don Cheadle
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Synopsis: An airline pilot saves a flight from crashing, but an investigation into the malfunctions reveals something troubling
Why I?m Excited: This is Zemeckis first live action film since 2000?s Castaway. Before that he had What Lies Beneath, Contact, and Forrest Gump. In the words of Larry David, ?Pretty, pretty good.? I would?ve seen anyone in a film from Zemeckis but Flight has the Denzel and Don Cheadle combo ? not to mention the breathtaking shot of Denzel saving the plane from crashing.
11/2

Jack Reacher
Starring: Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall, Rosamund Pike, Werner Herzog
Director: Christopher Mc Quarrie
Synopsis: A homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper who shot five random victims. Based on a book in Lee Child?s crime series.
Why I?m Excited: Tom Cruise running. Tom Cruise beating people to a pulp. Tom Cruise doing his own stunts. Tom Cruise driving fast. Tom Cruise doing more running.
12/21

Zero Dark Thirty
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Synopsis: A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy SEAL Team 6 in May, 2011.
Why I?m Excited: I love everybody involved in this project. Is it too soon? Maybe. Will it be cool to have Kyle ?Coach Taylor? Chandler back in my life? Absolutely. If Bigelow can bring the same intensity she brought in The Hurt Locker, we?ll be in for a treat.
12/9

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis
Director: Peter Jackson
Synopsis: A curious Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, journeys to the Lonely Mountain with a vigorous group of Dwarves to reclaim a treasure stolen from them by the dragon Smaug.
Why I?m Excited: It?s the Hobbit. That is all.
12/14

Django Unchained
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Synopsis: With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.
Why I?m Excited: Two words: Leonardo DiCaprio. If there?s one thing Tarantino does well it?s villains. I think he?s going to bring the best out of DiCaprio as the evil plantation owner Calvin Candie. I?m sure the rest of the cast will bring it, but I?ve got my Oscar nomination ready for Leo.
12/25