2018 Nominee Watch – October 26th

We made it to the final weekend of October and Halloween is a little less than a week away. Of course, the big scary release happened last week, so this week we get some different films hitting theaters.

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Hunter Killer
There are some big names here in Gerard Butler (300, London Has Fallen) and Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour, Harry Potter, The Dark Knight) but I can't shake the feeling that I've seen this film before.

There is an obvious association with the classic Jack Ryan film The Hunt for Red October​ even in just the name of the film. Of course it has been visually updated to reflect the changes in technology in the nearly 30 years since that film came out. The antagonists are still the Russians, but this time we are out to save the Russian president (NOT Putin) from a coup within his own ranks.

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Overall, I imagine this will be a fast paced film (with producers coming from the Fast and Furious franchise) but without a lot of substance to back up the action.

​If you're looking for a fun weekend film to escape the everyday life, this may be a good one. But do not look for it to receive any Oscar buzz in 2019.

Indivisible
I had a hard time deciding whether to label this as a war film, a Christian film, or a family drama. Ultimately it appears to fall into all three categories.

This film, based on a true story, features a US Army chaplain struggling to find the balance between taking care of the men he is assigned to protect and supporting his family back home. When presented with the issue of multiple divorces among the troops, he is forced to try and help the men who may not want his help.

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Just based on the trailer, I feel like this film might be overacted in some areas. It comes across more as a lifetime movie from Saturday afternoon than a major theatrical release.

Because it doesn't necessarily know what genre it fits into, I fear it will not do well with any of the audiences it hopes to capture. We've seen these stories before, so don't expect to see this one at the Oscars.

Johnny English Strikes Again
I think I saw the first Johnny English film back in 2003, but if you asked me to remember any of the plot points, I wouldn't be able to. Maybe it's just that I'm no longer in the target demographic, but the base humor of this film seems a little stale at this point, having been made famous by Rowan Atkinson's previous installments as the same character as well as his Mr. Bean films.

Chances are if you've seen either of the two previous films, you know what you're in for here. There will be some laughs and maybe some inappropriate jokes, but I doubt there will be any sweeping surprises in the plot.

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If you're looking for a few laughs this weekend, this will likely be your best bet, but don't expect any Oscar nominations for Atkinson and company.

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Stuck
The release date on this is back in 2017, but that was for the original release at the Newport Beach Film Festival in April of last year. But what is Stuck?

Believe it or not, it's a musical about a group of six subway passengers who get (you guessed it) stuck on the train during an emergency. They come from all different backgrounds with stories, prejudices, and assumptions about each other.

Now, is this going to be the next Les Misérables, Cats, or Miss Saigon? Probably not, but it's an interesting set up, especially given the world we live in today.

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Usually I would say a film like this stands little chance of any Oscar nominations, but since it is a musical with original music, I do think there is a good chance for a nomination in either the Best Original Song or Best Original Score categories. If you watch the trailer to the end, you'll hear a song which sounds like it is being sung by the entire main cast. I could definitely see this being performed at the Oscar ceremony in February next year.

Limited Releases

• 1985 – A young man returns home for Christmas and struggles with his sexuality and the loss of friends.
• Air Strike – WWII action film about the air war over Japan starring Bruce Willis and Adrien Brody.
• Border – A romantic thriller about a border agent who falls for a stranger.
• A Bread Factory, Part One: For the Sake of Gold – A couple struggles to keep their local arts center open.
• Burning – South Korean film about a young man who falls into riches.
• The Fog – Re-release of John Carpenter's classic 1980 film, just in time for Halloween.
• Glass Jaw – A famous boxer loses everything when he is sent to prison and fights to get back to prominence when he is released.
• Killer Kate! – Four women alone for the weekend fall victim to a group of rampaging killers, forcing one to return the favor.
• Late Life: The Chien-Ming Wang Story – Documentary look at Taiwanese pitching phenom Chien-Ming Wang.
• London Fields – Nicola Six is a woman who can get men to do whatever she wants, but struggles to find true love.
• Maria by Callas – Documentary film about the legendary Greek/American opera singer Maria Callas.
• Monrovia, Indiana – Documentary look at the daily goings on of Monrovia, Indiana.​

• The School – Psychological thriller about a woman searching for her missing son.
• Senso – A troubled Italian Countess betrays her nation in favor of an affair with an Austrian soldier.
• Silencio – A powerful stone from outer space gives the holder the ability to turn back time.
• Solis – An astronaut is trapped in an escape pod headed straight for the sun.
• Suspiria – Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey) and Tilda Swinton star in a story about a mysterious dance company. (Amazon)
• Trust Machine: The Story of Blockchain – Documentary look at blockchain, the technology behind cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
• Viper Club – Story about a nurse who fights to free her son who was kidnapped by terrorists demanding ransom. (YouTube Original)
• Entanglement – A man who attempted suicide struggles to find his place in time and space. Starring Tom Middleditch (the guy from the Verizon commercials) (October 31st)
• Unlovable – A young woman who struggles with a sex addiction meets an unlikely individual to support her. (November 1st)