Sgt. Angle Reporting for Duty!

As the summer of 2010 winds down, and the ever-constant barrage of mediocre movies continue to churn their way out of Hollywood, we’re left with only the annual “awards season” crop of movies to look forward to. But wait! Fall approaches, and with the changing leaves comes a fresh start to your cinematic experiences. Below is a short list of some goodies to keep your eye out for before the expected “great films” start to be bandied and tooted by mass amounts of critics everywhere.

The American — Anton Corbijn follows up numerous music videos for Depeche Mode, as well as his first feature, Control, with this art-house thriller about an assassin who hides out in Italy for one last job. Said assassin is played by George Clooney in another in a line of “subtle, quiet” roles akin to his parts in Syriana and Michael Clayton.

Never Let Me Go –Based on what has been called one of the best English-language novels of the last 100 years, written by Kazuo Ishiguro, this is an eerie tale, fitting for screenwriter Alex Garland to adapt (28 Days Later, Sunshine). NLMG is about a British boarding school’s young inhabitants who discover love and friendship before facing the harsh reality of their own existence. Telling you more just might spoil the true reveal. This is also Mark Romanek’s first film since the creepy One Hour Photo. Here’s hoping he can keep his expert, careful visual style with an even bigger budget and covering a larger span of time.

The Town - Based on a novel by Chuck Hogan, this is the movie that has a heist shoot-out scene that is being called — by anonymous sources who have collapsed under pressure exerted by the Sgt. — better than the one in Heat.

I was not a large fan of Gone Baby Gone, Ben ‘FFlick’s first directorial effort. The movie had its’ faults and cliched moments which weakened the emotional impact. But he showed potential, and the previews for The Town have been nothing but great so far. Plus, you have a cast that includes Jon Hamm and Jeremy Renner, so it can’t be all bad.

Buried - An hour and a half, alone in a box with Ryan Reynolds. If this poster is any indication, we’ll be getting a suspense-filled, Hitchcock-like tale about an American contractor in Iraq who is kidnapped and buried alive in a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone to seek help, we are handed an apparent adrenaline rush of action in limited space. Lionsgate plucked this up at Sundance earlier this year, and it’s about time the film has reached public consumption.

RED — Adapted from the Warren Ellis comic, Bruce Willis plays a former black ops agent whose relaxed, retired lifestyle is threatened by an assassin. Willis wrangles his former team together for one last effort to survive the threat and reclaim his idyllic living arrangement. Helen Mirren plays his handler, and other actors you’ll see include Mary Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, and John Malkovich. The director is Robert Schwentke, whose other credits include The Time Traveler’s Wife, Flightplan, and the pilot for “Lie to Me”. The Red panel at SD Comic Con KILLED with the crowd. Will the excitement spill over to general audiences?

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Woody Allen’s latest about life and love for a pair of couples with anxieties. Cast this time around includes Anthony Hopkins, Josh Brolin, Naomi Watts, Antonio Banderas, and Freida Pinto.

I’m Still Here — Casey Affleck directs this “documentary” about Joaquin Phoenix’s bizarre attempt to leave the acting world and become a rapper.

I Spit on Your Grave — Remake of the horror, slasher, gross-out revenge cult film of the same title about a woman who is raped and brutalized who takes revenge on the jerks herself.

The Social Network — Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher’s intriguing tale about the start of Facebook.

What movie are you most looking forward to this fall??

You are dismissed!

Sgt. Angle