October 2008 Movie Releases

October 1
- Ballast (NY)
- Religulous (NY; wide release: October 3)

October 3
- Allah Made Me Funny (limited)
- An American Carol
- Beverly Hills Chihuahua
- Blindness
- Flash of Genius*
- How to Lose Friends & Alienate People**
- Humboldt County (NY, LA)
- Just Buried (limited)
- Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist***
- Rachel Getting Married (NY, LA)

October 8
- RocknRolla (NY, LA, Toronto; wide: October 31)*

October 10
- Ashes of Time Redux (NY, LA)
- Body of Lies**
- Breakfast With Scot (NY, LA)
- Choose Connor (NY)
- City of Ember
- The Express**
- Good Dick (LA; NY, Columbus release: Oct. 17)
- Happy-Go-Lucky (limited; expands: Oct. 17; expands: Oct. 24)
- Nights and Weekends (NY)
- Quarantine

October 17
- The Elephant King (NY)
- Filth and Wisdom (NY; LA release: October 31)
- Mary (NY)
- Max Payne****
- Morning Light
- The Secret Life of Bees
- Sex Drive**
- W.*
- What Just Happened (limited; expands: Oct. 31)

October 22
- Stranded: I Have Come From a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains (NY; L.A. release: November 7)

October 24
- Changeling (limited; wide: Oct. 31)
- Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun (NY)
- Fear(s) of the Dark (limited)
- High School Musical 3: Senior Year
- I've Loved You So Long (NY, LA)
- Let the Right One In (limited)
- Passengers (limited)
- Pride and Glory
- Roadside Romeo (limited)
- Saw V*
- Synecdoche, New York (NY, LA)
- The Universe of Keith Haring (NY)

October 31
- The Haunting of Molly Hartley
- The Other End of the Line (limited)
- Splinter (limited)
- Zack and Miri Make a Porno****

OCTOBER 1st

Ballast [LA/NYC]
Director: Lance Hammer
Stars: Micheal J. Smith Sr., JimMyron Ross, Tarra Riggs (Full Cast)
Studio: Required Viewing
The Plot: A drama set in a Mississippi township, where three people try to reconnect to their respective lives after a young man's suicide.
THE BUZZ: I know the depth of Lance Hammer's narrative, but I won't spoil it for you like others have done in their post-Sundance reviews of the film, which won a best-director award at said festival earlier this year. (It also won for best cinematography, quite a feat considering the production only used available light.) Scoreless and near-silent in nature, Ballast has a legion of supporters (and a few detractors) but I think both sides can agree that Hammer is a unique, European-and-Asian-influenced director who is guaranteed to make a statement with each and every future project. Here's a link to a great interview with the director.

Religulous
Director: Larry Charles
Stars: Bill Maher (Full Cast)
Studio: Lionsgate
The Plot: Atheist Bill Maher looks to understand the beliefs behind different world religions.
THE BUZZ: Bill Maher has embraced controversy all of his career, and I'm primed to see what he and Borat director Larry Charles have created with their guerilla-filmmaking approach to documenting the beliefs and tenets of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, et al. I believe (I bee-LEAVE!) Maher and co. have already gone viral with their intent to expose the truths, untruths, and misconceptions to be found in Vatican City, Jerusalem, Salt Lake City, and elsewhere around the world. However, it remains to be seen if Maher can parlay all the attention into box-office dollars.

OCTOBER 3rd

Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Director: Raja Gosnell
Stars: Drew Barrymore, George Lopez (Full Cast)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The Plot: While on vacation in Mexico, Chloe (Barrymore), a pampered Beverly Hills chihuahua, finds herself lost and in need of assistance in order to get back home. Coming to Chloe's aid is a a macho Chihuahua named Papi (Lopez), a spirit guide (Hayek) who endeavors to help Chloe discover her true heritage.
THE BUZZ: I'm wondering if Disney employees think BHC looks kind of kinda juvenile after the refreshing Enchanted became a worldwide hit and was nominated for 3 Oscars. Chihuahua! Or why the trailer, which reveals nothing about the movie, also doesn't indicate that Drew Barrymore's voice is the star of the show. Chihuahua! Or if Raja Gosnell will ever make a non-syrupy movie. Chihuahua!

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Director: Peter Sollett
Stars: Michael Cera, Kat Dennings (Full Cast)
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE)
The Plot: Nick (Cera) asks Nora (Dennings) to pretend to be his girlfriend for 5 minutes so he won't have to feel as awkward around his ex-g.f., who just walked into the club where Nick's band is playing ... with a new guy. But when the fake couple decides to kiss, sparkage occurs, leading to a first date which seems to span all of New York City.
THE BUZZ: Wow, a mainstream movie set in NYC's queercore punk scene? Those Weitz brothers (producers Chris and Paul) sure know how to work the studio system, even if their last teen-skewing comedy, Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas, didn't get much attention. Bickford couldn't boast Michael Cera in a starring role, however, or a long-awaited second film from a promising indie director (Peter Sollett turned heads back in '02 with Raising Victor Vargas). Assuming Sollett knows how to handle an awkward boy, a hot girl, and lots of swearing and cool music, we can see the iPod generation embracing this as their own sort of High Fildelity. (Look at that, not one mention of Juno.)

Blindness
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Stars: Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Gael García Bernal (Full Cast)
Studio: Miramax Films
The Plot: A thriller set in a city that is suffering from an epidemic of sudden blindness, where only one woman (Moore) remains able to see as the rest of her society is pushed to its limits.
THE BUZZ: Hmm, more like Deafness, in terms of the level of hoorahs ready to greet Fernando Meirelles's adaptation of José Saramago's seemingly unfilmable novel. When the film's Cannes premiere came and went without un certain regard, I thought distributor Miramax might pull a Harvey Weinstein and re-edit the picture for its general release. But it looks like the studio is ready to take the hit for this one while they mount awards campaigns for Doubt and possibly The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Meirelles can withstand the potential bomb while he considers Love's Labors Lost as his next project, and all eyes are on Ruffalo's other two 2008 movies, Reservation Road (this year's All the King's Men?) and The Brothers Bloom. Julianne Moore, meanwhile, continues to recede into the true-indie world, which serves her better.

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
Director: Robert B. Weide
Stars: Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst, Megan Fox (Full Cast)
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
The Plot: British journalist Sidney Young (Pegg) crosses the pond for a new job with a high-profile New York magazine, though he soon learns the bridges he burned on his way to the top can only lead to his downfall.
THE BUZZ: This comedy is based on the first memoir by former Vanity Fair contributor Toby Jones, and if there's anyone would can make the snide, self-deprecating Brit palpable, it's Simon Pegg, who is having the opposite real-life experience from Jones as he becomes an NY/LA darling with a slate of upcoming movies (which includes Paul, a Brits-in-USA comedy he's writing with Nick Frost). We Americans love to watch people fail, so I wonder if the producers here have already optioned Jones's The Sound of No Hands Clapping, his follow up to How to Lose Friends that chronicles his failed attempt to segue from the writing desks at Vanity Fair to the pitch meetings of Hollywood. Helping to ratchet up the awkward moments here is director Robert B. Weide, one of the guys behind "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

The Express
Director: Gary Fleder
Stars: Rob Brown, Dennis Quaid, Clancy Brown (Full Cast)
Studio: Universal Pictures
The Plot: A drama based on the life of Ernie Davis (Brown), a high school football standout who is recruited by Syracuse University, where he becomes the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy.
THE BUZZ: The Express's seemingly artful blend of archival and recreated footage might help erase the memory of recent clunker pigskin movies (Leatherheads, We Are Marshall). Casting Dennis Quaid as a coach is always the right decision, and surrounding him with the phenomenally talented Clancy Brown ("Carnivàle") and Rob Brown (Coach Carter) is a good way to get men (and women?) into theaters.

Rachel Getting Married [NYC]
Director: Jonathan Demme
Stars: Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Debra Winger (Full Cast)
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
The Plot: Kym (Hathaway), who has been in and out of rehab for the last decade, reunites with her family for her sister Rachel's (DeWitt) wedding. Can she keep it together for the weekend?
THE BUZZ: Anne Hathaway continues her smart, measured approach to leading-lady status with an indie-minded drama, her first such endeavor since 2005's Havoc. I just watched the trailer (now conveniently located just over this rambling text) and I feel like this could be one to watch come award-nomination time. A young actress in ascent, stretching her range, coupled with sure-to-be-stellar performances from Rosemarie DeWitt (from TV's "Mad Men") and Debra Winger (last seen in another indie black comedy, Eulogy). This is A.H.'s Girl, Interrupted, her Pieces of April, and the difference is: she'll probably score her first Oscar nod here ...

Flash of Genius
Director: Marc Abraham
Stars: Greg Kinnear, Lauren Graham, Alan Alda (Full Cast)
Studio: Universal Studios
The Plot: Once Robert Kearns (Kinnear) discovers that new cars are coming equipped with intermittent windshield wipers -- a technology Kearns invented, patented, and unsuccessfully tried to sell -- he launches a landmark lawsuit against the U.S. automotive industry.
THE BUZZ: This true story might make for a killer HBO movie, but a feature film? Seems hard to market to general audiences, especially during a busy awards-baiting month such as this. One has to imagine that producer-turned-director Marc Abraham has the clout to see a big push from Universal as his first film enters Oscar chase; the studio has revealed the first trailer, and it looks like the film will hit all the appropriate notes, but I'm still uncertain its appeal is broad enough to remain in focus for too long.

An American Carol
Director: David Zucker
Stars: Kevin P. Farley, Kelsey Grammer, Leslie Nielsen (Full Cast)
Studio: Vivendi Entertainment
The Plot: An anti-American filmmaker who's out to abolish the July Fourth holiday is visited by three ghosts who try to change his perception of the country.
THE BUZZ: Former liberal David Zucker believes that it's "almost illegal" to make a conservative film in Hollywood today, so he's used his decades of influence to skewer the Michael Moore set as the presidential and Oscar races shift into fifth gear. The problem here: Looks like Zucker has had to dumb down his political satire in order to entice the movie-going masses, because Carol looks tepid in comparison to his YouTube salvos that even stupefied the GOP two years ago (remember this?). Plus, those Disaster Movie wanks pretty much ruined the spoof genre for a few years. Do you want to know more about Zucker and his "Friends of Abe?" Then go here.

OCTOBER 10th

Quarantine
Director: John Erick Dowdle
Stars: Jennifer Carpenter, Steve Harris, Columbus Short (Full Cast)
Studio: Screen Gems
The Plot: What happened to the people who were locked inside an apartment building by a CDC-issued quarantine? The only evidence left after the quarantine has been lifted is a videotape shot by a TV reporter (Carpenter) and her cameraman (Harris) who were investigating the initial 911 call ...
THE BUZZ: Is this the next attempt to create a Cloverfield-like hit? Insiders are beginning to think so, since this latest viral outbreak looks like a few clips from Quarantine, the remake of [Rec], Spanish filmmaker Jaume Balagueró's international horror hit that wasn't even given a proper U.S. release in favor of a rushed-into-production remake by director John Erick Dowdle (whose other recent film, The Poughkeepsie Tapes, is being held captive by MGM). You'll recognize star Jennifer Carpenter as the titular Emily Rose or as Dexter's sister. We have the first trailer online, while Yahoo! has the second ...

Body of Lies
Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong (Full Cast)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
The Plot: In Jordan, an ex-journalist (DiCaprio) working to locate an Al Qaeda leader for the CIA faces pressure from an agent (Crowe) for whom failure is not an option.
THE BUZZ: Ridley Scott gets his war on again, with a screenplay by William Monahan (his first credit since The Departed, and perhaps an effort to erase the memory of his previous collaboration with Scott). I wonder if this one is being positioned as Oscar bait, because it looks more like Hollywood's savvy attempt to finally profit from this gosh darn war. Do you think Crowe and Monahan teased Scott and DiCaprio on the set for not having any Oscars? Another question: Did the first trailer engage you, or leave you feeling like you don't have any idea what the movie's about? If you feel confused by it all, good luck with the second trailer.

RocknRolla [limited]
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Idris Elba (Full Cast)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
The Plot: In London, a real-estate scam puts millions of pounds up for grabs, naturally attraction the attention of some of the city's scrappiest tough guys (Butler, Elba) its more established underworld players (Wilkinson), and others -- all of whom are looking to get rich quick.
THE BUZZ: Is Guy Richie back? Will he still be married by the time his fifth movie is released this fall? Will Warner Bros. handle it, or will it ultimately be distributed by someone else? These are the questions overlapping one another while Richie tries to keep his cool as the pressure builds around his career and his family life. Back in his criminal element, with a formidable cast that includes Thandie Newton, Jeremy Piven, and Ludacris, I'm thinking Richie could be in for his biggest international success to date. ("International" being the keyword, since there's a severe chance this scam could be bungled by Hollywood types.)

City of Ember
Director: Gil Kenan
Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Toby Jones, Bill Murray (Full Cast)
Studio: Fox-Walden
The Plot: For generations, the underground City of Ember has been the only light in an otherwise dark world. But when the city's generator begins to fail, teenagers Lina (Ronan) and Doon (Treadaway) desperately race to help their fellow citizens escape before the lights go out permanently. To do so, they will have to search Ember high and low for clues that will unlock the ancient mystery of their city's origins.
THE BUZZ: After Monster House, I am totally on board with anything Gil Kenan brings to the big screen. I have to think Kenan and Fox-Walden are hoping to turn Jeanne DuPrau's novels into a franchise (the fourth book, The Diamond of Darkhold will be released this August), but we all know how spotty the adaptations of young-adult fantasy books have been post-Harry Potter. If Ember can meet or surpass the successes won by Bridge to Terabithia and The Spiderwick Chronicles, perhaps we will see The People of Sparks in 2010 or a year later. While we ponder that, check out the first trailer on Yahoo!

Happy-Go-Lucky [limited]
Director: Mike Leigh
Stars: Sally Hawkins, Alexis Zegerman, Samuel Roukin (Full Cast)
Studio: Miramax Films
The Plot: A look at a few chapters in the life of Poppy (Hawkins), a cheery, colorful, North London schoolteacher whose optimism tends to exasperate those around her.
THE BUZZ: Though it feels like a perfect summer movie, undoubtedly there's a motive behind Miramax's decision to release Mike Leigh's latest during the quote-unquote serious-movie season -- even though Poppy has already enchanted her native UK and come out there on DVD. Last time through, Leigh scored 3 Oscar nominations for Vera Drake, and though I don't think H-G-L was conceived as awards bait, it's made the European Film Academy's shortlist this year, and something tells me it's going to get a royal push from M's Hollywood offices. Funny, considering the dramatic crux here arrives when Poppy has an encounter with a male driving-school instructor, that causes a gentle rift between her and her housemate.

Nights and Weekends [NYC]
Director: Greta Gerwig Joe Swanberg
Stars: Greta Gerwig, Joe Swanberg (Full Cast)
Studio: IFC Films
The Plot: A young couple (Gerwig and Swanberg) face the tension that begins to appear in their long-distance relationship as they shuttle back and forth between New York City and Chicago.
THE BUZZ: The mumblecore movement categorized by recent movies such as Old Joy and The Puffy Chair sees its volume dial turned up a few notches with the latest no-budget film from Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig (LOL, Hannah Takes the Stairs). The narrative begins with the dissolution of their relationship, then picks up a year later. Interspliced is plenty of nudity to keep you engaged if your own personal long-distance partner makes you attend a showing of this film; it'll provide a kind of distraction when and if you catch yourself wondering what exactly you are doing at this particular point in your life, with the particular person next to you.

OCTOBER 17th

W. [limited]
Director: Oliver Stone
Stars: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Ioan Gruffudd (Full Cast)
Studio: Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment
The Plot: Texas Governor, George W. Bush, follows in the footsteps of his father, former President George H.W. Bush, in the wake of a controversial election to lead the United States of America.
THE BUZZ: People love him, people hate him. And we're just talking about the director. Whatever your take is: Stone's the perfect choice to bring this biopic to life. As for Mr. Bush, we're pretty sure this film will get a higher approval rating than he does. Not that that's saying much. But, with an all-star cast including the red-hot Brolin as the man-in-charge and Mr. Fantastic as Teflon Tony, this one's got our vote based on curiosity alone.

Sex Drive
Director: Sean Anders
Stars: Josh Zuckerman, Clark Duke, Amanda Crew (Full Cast)
Studio: Summit Distribution
The Plot: High school senior Ian (Zuckerman) "borrows" his brother's beloved '69 GTO and recruits his best friends (Duke and Crew) on a road trip from Chicago to Knoxville in order to hook up with a babe he met online.
THE BUZZ: Director Sean Anders has one cult film under his belt (Never Been Thawed) and he's writing the proposed Meatballs remake (boo, hiss), but here he's offering a sex comedy that is an homage to everything between Fast Times and American Pie. While I don't think Judd Apatow needs to be looking over his shoulder, this is the kind of movie that we all dismiss until it pulls down big DVD numbers. You might remember star Josh Zuckerman as Hot Wheels from Feast (and he's also in the sequel); meanwhile, only Seth Green could truly turn a role as an Amish farmer into something that looks worth catching (and we hear his character throws a mighty rave).

Morning Light [limited]
Director: Paul Crowder Mark Monroe
Stars: Chris Branning, Kate Theisen, Chris Schubert (Full Cast)
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
The Plot: Fifteen young sailors are chosen for a six-month training in order to compete in one of the most challenging open-ocean sailing races in the world.
THE BUZZ: So many of us have OD'ed on nasty reality shows ... this documentary is an antidote. Although that bearded dude in the trailer looks like troubllllllllle ... like the guy who'd steal your passport from the hostel. See? I'm ruined by "Big Brother."

Max Payne
Director: John Moore
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Beau Bridges (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
The Plot: Coming together to solve a series of murders in New York City are a DEA agent (Wahlberg) whose family was slain as part of a conspiracy and an assassin (Kunis) out to avenge her sister's death. The duo will be hunted by the police, the mob, and a ruthless corporation.
THE BUZZ: Director John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines) is back in his element after stinking up the big screen with a pair of woeful remakes earlier this decade. But don't video-game adaptations seem so boringly retro in 2008, the year of the superhero? Ditto the normally bankable Mark Wahlberg, who managed to make a worse film than Rock Star this past summer. I think Sony should put Quarantine back in this slot to take on Payne (Screen Gems, Sony's lower-budget distribution arm, pushed up their buzzing horror remake's release date once Payne staked out the 17th for his assault).

The Secret Life of Bees
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Stars: Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah (Full Cast)
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
The Plot: South Carolina, 1964: A fateful incident inspires young Lily Owens (Fanning) to flee her abusive household with Rosaleen Daise (Hudson), the only parental figure she's ever known, in tow. Together, the duo travel to the fictional town of Tiburon, where they are taken in by an eccentric trio of beekeeping sisters, and Lily begins to piece together the secrets of her deceased mother's past.
THE BUZZ: No buzz jokes, please. Love & Basketball filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood adapted and directed Sue Monk Kidd's highly regarded novel, and the timing for her film could not be better, since I expect it'll appeal to mother-daughter duos (similar to Twilight moms and their progeny) in this femme-friendly year. Plus, could one of the Boatwright sisters find themselves nominated for Oscar?

What Just Happened? [limited]
Director: Barry Levinson
Stars: Robert De Niro, John Turturro, Stanley Tucci (Full Cast)
Studio: Magnolia Pictures
The Plot: A comedy that chronicles two weeks in the life of a fading Hollywood producer (De Niro) who's having a rough time trying to get his new picture made.
THE BUZZ: Aside from good-humored as-themselves appearances from Bruce Willis and Sean Penn, critical reaction has been less than favorable to Barry Levinson's movie version of the Hollywood-insider novel by Art Linson (who adapted his own material for the big screen). Put another way: WJH? was not supposed to end up at an indie distributor such as Magnolia (no offense, dudes) but that's what happened months (and months) after two splashy festival dates (first Sundance, then Cannes) didn't yield a U.S. distributor.

OCTOBER 24th

High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Director: Kenny Ortega
Stars: Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale (Full Cast)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The Plot: As seniors in high school, Troy (Efron) and Gabriella (Hudgens) struggle with the idea of being separated from one another as college approaches. Along with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical to address their experiences, hopes and fears about their future.
THE BUZZ: Here's the dirty little secret of the HSM flicks -- they're actually not half bad, executed with solid professionalism, boundless enthusiasm, and wholeheated willingness to embrace a world of 'dances 'n songs!' (here's a question: does the Generation HSM even know who Xander from "Buffy" is?). It's an immersive musical sensibility that recent big-screen musicals like Dreamgirls and Chicago shied away from with their jazz hands wide open. But will what looks great on TV transfer to the big screen? It's kind of beside the point -- the audience is built-in, with wallets already open, as the Hannah Montana concert movie proved. First Showing has the first trailer ...

Changeling [limited]
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Angelina Jolie, Colm Feore, Amy Ryan (Full Cast)
Studio: Universal Pictures
The Plot: 1920s Los Angeles: A woman (Jolie) who is reunited with her missing son is subsequently committed to an insane asylum when she begins to question whether the boy is her child. Ultimately bringing her case to the city council, she begins to pick apart a conspiracy that reverberates throughout the city.
THE BUZZ: This is the higher-profile project from Clint Eastwood this year (Gran Torino, meanwhile, is shaping up as some sort of spin on Tokyo Drift -- for serious) and it's definite awards-bait in the vein of L.A. Confidential and Chinatown, because we all know how much the Academy likes Angelina when she's been institutionalized. Cinematical has great things to say about Eastwood, Jolie, Amy Adams, and the rest of the talented cast and crew after seeing its Cannes debut.

Saw V
Director: David Hackl
Stars: Scott Patterson, Costas Mandylor, Tobin Bell (Full Cast)
Studio: Lionsgate
The Plot: Forensics expert Hoffman (Mandylor) goes on the hunt in order to prevent being identified as the newest person to carry on Jigsaw's legacy.
THE BUZZ: The fifth installment of the Jigsaw legacy has wrapped production under the direction of David Hackl (the production designer/trap master who has been with the franchise since the second chapter), and details have spilled like so much blood. Official Saw is the best place to go for updates and first looks; our message boards are the place to be if you want to read long theoretical strings about how Rigg will be the new Amanda. We hear there are two twists at the end here, so while you keep your eye on Hoffman, you might just want to keep Rigg in check as well.

Passengers
Director: Rodrigo García
Stars: Anne Hathaway, Patrick Wilson, David Morse (Full Cast)
Studio: Columbia Pictures
The Plot: A grief counselor (Hathaway) working with a group of plane-crash survivors finds herself at the root of a mystery when her clients begin to disappear.
THE BUZZ: By cribbing a bit from Lost and setting this mystery in the Pacific Northwest (forever made creepy by Twin Peaks), suddenly I'm primed for the strange thrills in store for Ms. Hathaway, Mr. Wilson, and their ace supporting cast. But I have to admit: As much as I'm looking forward to Hathaway exploring the genre, you know one of the reasons Sony is keeping this PG-13 is to not alienate the youngsters that love their Prada Princess; we wish she was allowed to wade out in deeper, murkier territory.
Pride and Glory
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Stars: Edward Norton, Colin Farrell, Noah Emmerich (Full Cast)
Studio: New Line Cinema
The Plot: A family of prominent New York City cops is shaken to its core when one brother (Norton) uncovers a scandal at his sibling's precinct.
THE BUZZ: For those of us who have been tracking this film through its initial production and subsequent re-shoots, this October 2008 release date is a relief on the one hand and somewhat distressing news on the other. Perhaps Gavin O'Connor's first excursion into dark territory doesn't look as good on film as it does on paper? Still, Edward Norton and Colin Farrell -- I'd buy one of their table reads on DVD.

Synecdoche, New York [limited]
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams (Full Cast)
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
The Plot: A theater director (Hoffman) struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.
THE BUZZ: The indie-movie business is hurting, and now no one knows this better than Charlie Kaufman, the still-celebrated screenwriter who encountered a frosty environment when his directorial debut screened as Cannes this year. Synecdoche sold two months after the festival ended (the so-so reception couldn't have helped the matter, just so we're clear here), and two other highly anticipated Cannes premieres, Che and Two Lovers, which have yet to find U.S. distribution. Us? We're primed for the picture, which has been described by many as a story you have to see more than once in order to take it all in. Sounds perfect to us, since it's not like we walked out of the theater knowing what to do with our hearts after seeing Eternal Sunshine for the first time. More on this one when a trailer is finally released. P.S. Whoever first said that Focus Feature should have snapped this one up is right on the money.

OCTOBER 31st

The Haunting of Molly Hartley
Director: Mickey Liddell
Stars: Haley Bennett, Chace Crawford (Full Cast)
Studio: Freestyle Releasing
The Plot: Molly Hartley (Bennett) looks to put her troubled past behind her with a fresh start at a new school, where she sparks with one of the most popular students (Crawford). But can her secrets stay buried, especially as she learns more about the horrific truth that awaits her once she turns 18?
THE BUZZ: The presence of "Gossip Girl"'s Chace Crawford might help attract an audience that would otherwise pass on this low-budget thriller, which marks producer Mickey Liddell's directorial debut and his first teen-skewing project since Go. Really, though, is this truly anything more than ultimate slumber-party fodder? MTV just posted the trailer, which fuels our suspicion that the movie might make for a fun night in with Serena van der Woodsen -- but a theatrical release? Not so much. XOXO

Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Director: Kevin Smith
Stars: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks (Full Cast)
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
The Plot: Lifelong platonic friends Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Banks) look to solve their respective cashflow problems by directing and starring in their own adult film.
THE BUZZ: Two of the busiest actors in L.A. get down for Kevin Smith and his legion of sex-hungry fanboys who probably won't take the second to realize that Elizabeth Banks and the slimmed down Seth Rogen look more like sister and brother than potential soulmates. As the f-word pings around theaters in THX, look for Banks to pull a Heigl and outshine her male counterpart; meanwhile here's hoping Kevin S. pulls away from Harvey W. and makes Red State his follow-up project.

Splinter [limited]
Director: Toby Wilkins
Stars: Shea Whigham, Jill Wagner, Paulo Costanzo (Full Cast)
Studio: Magnet Releasing
The Plot: An ex-con and his girlfriend dupe a young couple into driving them to Mexico, though the trip is beset with troubles, namely, a parasite that prey on humans and turns its victims into deadly hosts. Now holed up in a remote gas station, can the unlikely alliance outlast their attacker?
THE BUZZ: The first movie from visual-effects vet Toby Wilkins has earned a limited Halloween release, which is more you can say about his in-production, direct-to-DVD project, The Grudge 3. Horror-loving insiders love the movie, and here's what else I know: It's not long before one of the quartet pushes up daisies, violently. We're expecting the trailer for this one any day now ...

The Other End of the Line [limited]
Director: James Dodson
Stars: Jesse Metcalfe, Sara Foster, Anupam Kher (Full Cast)
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
The Plot: An employee at an India-based call-center (Foster) travels to San Francisco to be with a guy (Metcalfe) she has fallen for over the phone.
THE BUZZ: Producer Ashok Amritraj has a mixed track record here in the U.S., with plenty of hits and misses during his nearly 25 years in the business. This romantic comedy is an experiment; Amritraj wants to see if he can successfully import some Indian stars to America, and vice versa. While I feel like the former landscaper's physique will turn heads in any country, I don't think it's going to be on display in this good-natured affair. Ditto Metcalfe's lesser-known co-star, Sara Foster, who looks like a supermodel from yesterday (but, you know, updated for today) without the résumé to back it up (yet).