Weekly Movie Watch: Salinger, Howard, and JGL

Summer is coming to a close. Soon, the leafs will be turning from green, to red, to a crunchy sound beneath your shoe. But, with the fall of summer and the beginning of autumn comes the most anticipated time of year for film buffs. This isn’t fall or autumn; it’s Oscar season, baby. Here are some films to watch out for in the coming months:

Salinger

• Director: Shane Salerno
• Genre: Documentary; Biography
• Cast: Laundry list of notable celebrities (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Edward Norton, Danny DeVito…etc.)
• Release date: September 6th

Everyone’s read J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, and if you haven’t…then I suggest you do so. Yet, what’s even more curious about this book is the mystery surrounding its author. Salinger is known for his writing, but also for being a recluse, a hermit, and the poster boy for tortured writers around the world. At the height of his popularity in the mid-1960’s, he disappeared and managed to remain a mystery to the public until his death in 2010. He continued to write, but never published his work. This movie attempts to lift the veil and answer some key questions that surround the legend of J.D. Salinger. Watch the trailer here  

Rush

• Director: Ron Howard
• Genre: Drama; Action; Biography
• Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl, Natalie Dormer, Olivia Wilde
• Release date: September 27th

Driven by fear, passion and danger, Rush tells the true story of the intense rivalry between Formula One racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda. A psychological profile of race car drivers constantly battling between the fear of death and the will to win. With Ron Howard at the helm, this film is sure to be a well-executed drama with some thrilling racing scenes. Too bad it won’t be in 3D (not actually, the glasses kind of give me a headache)! Watch the trailer here  

Don Jon

• Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
• Genre: Comedy
• Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore
• Release date: September 27th

 

Written and directed by Mr. Gordon-Levitt himself, Don Jon takes a look into the life of a New Jersey guy with only a few things on his mind: his body, his pad, his ride, his boys, his girls, and his porn. Until, of course, he meets his dream girl and falls in love and has to change his ways and they live happily ever after until the end of time. I know, it sounds pretty lame, but I have an intense man-crush on JGL so I had to include his directorial debut on the list.

Watch the trailer here