September comes crashing in, likely still blisteringly hot outside, and it carries with it a smattering of different film genres to sate even the pickiest of appetites. (A reminder: this is my birthday month, so please send gifts!)
First up, Kevin Smith returns to the characters that made him a household name with Clerks III. The third and final installment in the franchise we never knew could have this kind of longevity, Randal (Jeff Anderson) and Dante (Brian O’Halloran) set out to make a movie based on their lives at the Quick Stop – right after Randal has a heart attack and decides to turn his life around. The trailer is brimming with references to Smith’s own work and life, so the meta aspect of the film is riiiight at the edge of overdoing it. Smith’s track record in recent years has been unfortunately poor, so maybe returning to his roots will bring some of that magic back on Sept. 13.
If you’d rather see a mystery comedy with a huge cast, check out See How They Run. Written by Mark Chappell (The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret), the plot concerns an American film producer who comes to London to adapt a play, when, all of a sudden, his crew members start getting murdered one by one. It stars Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan as two detectives trying to solve the mystery, with Adrian Brody, Ruth Wilson and David Oyelowo, among others, rounding out the cast. The trailer has some good jokes and dry wit, so it should be a fun murder to try and solve. It releases Sept. 16.
For something off the wall and psychological, make sure to see Blonde. Starring Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe, the film is adapted from the Joyce Carol Oates book of the same name – which the author insists is historical fiction, not a biography. Monroe’s life was full of twists and turns, highly publicized marriages and a troubled private life, portions of which will no doubt be covered in the film. Written and directed by Andrew Dominik (Killing Them Softly), it releases to Netflix on Sept. 23.
For your straight-up horror choice, you do not want to miss Smile. The premise revolves around random people seeing a horribly traumatic event – invisible to anyone else – before becoming locked into a creepy, unhinged smile and dying a week later. The trailer is genuinely uncomfortable and full of, frankly, the worst smiles this writer has ever witnessed. It looks to be a perfect film to lead into the spookiest month of the year when it comes out on Sept. 30.
Lastly, a movie released back in May that I want to spotlight. Titled The Roundup, this South Korean crime action film is a thrilling ride following Detective Ma Seok-do and his crew as they attempt to the stop criminals from murdering tourists. There’s a good dose of comedy to go along with the grim police work and wonderful action – I highly recommend it. Find it on a variety of streaming platforms.
Drew Joseph Allen
