It’s more than difficult to come up with such a guide — on what movies are opening in movie theaters this weekend — when the belle of the ball (that is still months away) just dropped a new trailer this week. I, like many of you (I assume/hope), have Star Wars on the brain. Didn’t see it? Here, indulge your dark side.
Anyway, there is still plenty of time between now and then, and a number of great movies coming to cinemas before The Rise of Skywalker arrives on December 20.
Here is what is on the docket this week, with a few horror flicks for your Halloween spirit.
The Current War: Director’s Cut
Opens: 10/25
Director: Alfonso-Gomez Rejon
Writer: Michael Mitnick
Rotten Tomatoes: Current: 69%; Prediction: 60%
Check out the trailer.
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch (Thomas Edison), Tom Holland (Samuel Insull), Matthew Macfayden (J.P. Morgan), Nicholas Hoult (Nikola Tesla), Michael Shannon (George Westinghouse)
Well, this movie is finally here. Originally screened at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the movie got caught up in a rare ownership purgatory, as it was supposed to be distributed by The Weinstein Company, but was held and sold following the recent allegations against Harvey Weinstein.
Two years later, this historical drama about Edison and Westinghouse’s “war of currents” is finally coming to theaters. The initial version that screen at TIFF was loathed by critics, sitting at 31 percent on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing. This director’s cut is apparently better.
VERDICT: See it.
The Lighthouse
Opens: 10/25
*Warning: scary movie
Director: Robert Eggers
Writer: Max Eggers, Robert Eggers
Rotten Tomatoes: Current: 92%; Prediction: 90%
Check out the trailer.
Stars: Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson
Director Robert Eggers is back with his follow up to 2015’s critically acclaimed, The Witch. This one seems to be just as revered, as far as pre-release reviews are concerned, and also appears to be less polarizing among the general audience, as well (for now).
This one is not for everyone. If you like psychological horror, and production company A24’s usual, indie-style flicks, it is right up your alley. If you don’t, maybe stay away.
VERDICT: See it.
Countdown
Opens: 10/25
*Warning: scary movie
Director: Justin Dec
Writer: Justin Dec
Rotten Tomatoes: Current: n/a; Prediction: 22%
Check out the trailer.
Stars: Elizabeth Lail, Jordan Calloway, Talitha Eliana Bateman
“Death? There’s an app for that.”
Um…
VERDICT: Stay away…?
Black and Blue
Opens: 10/25
Director: Deon Taylor
Writer: Peter A. Dowling
Rotten Tomatoes: Current: 59%; Prediction: 54%
Check out the trailer.
Stars: Naomie Harris, Frank Grillo, Tyrese Gibson
This action-thriller about a rookie cop vs. crooked cops looks to be a pretty standard action movie. I like the human and real-to-life elements that seem to be undertoned, and Naomie Harris is a gem; Frank Grillo and Tyrese Gibson are frequent flyers of the genre that I always enjoy.
VERDICT: See it.
Not amused by any of these? Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Joker, Zombieland: Double Tap and The Addams Family are still bouncing around in theaters.
READ MORE: Great Halloween Movies to Watch This October
