September 2007 Forecast

by Marty Doskins

September 7, 2007

Jason Bateman really struggled when security carted him off the Fox lot.

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Westerns don't make that many appearances in the theaters, but this month we've got two to choose from, as well as the usual potpourri of other genres thrown into the mix. It's kind of a blah month since the summer frenzy is over, but that's not gonna stop me.

Here's my top 10 for September 2007.

1. The Kingdom

The studio has put together a pretty good combination in cast and crew. We start with very successful director Peter Berg. He's made some pretty good career decisions, including The Rundown and Friday Night Lights. Follow that up with cast members including Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner. Both of them are very popular on their own and the studio is hoping for magic when they are put together in an action flick on the screen. I think these three big parts should make a pretty successful opening weekend.

2. Resident Evil: Extinction

This is another sequel in the successful movie and video game franchise. I think the biggest plus with this film is that Milla Jovovich is still starring in it. Usually you would have some nobody that looks similar to the original star take over the main role and release it as a direct-to-home video selection. There are enough fans of the video games and previous movies that this should do well.




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3. 3:10 to Yuma

Here's the first of the two westerns this month. This is a remake of a classic 1957 Glenn Ford film. You know that no one is going to know this is a remake so this film will have to stand on its own. While westerns have had a rough go of it in recent years, this one has tried it best to succeed. Having Russell Crowe and Christian Bale as the leads is probably a good place to start. Crowe is already an established actor and Bale is now finally beginning to climb as a star since playing the title character in Batman Begins. Any other month, some big blockbusters would have outshined this film. However, it should get some definite attention with the weak films we're seeing this month.

4. Good Luck Chuck

The main thing this film has going for it is its female lead, Jessica Alba. Her co-star, Dane Cook, seems more of an afterthought. The studio still hadn't seen the numbers from Employee of the Month when they hired Cook and are probably wishing they had thought of someone else. The other problem with this film is that it's a romantic comedy that's being released in September. If the studio thought it had a better chance, we probably would've seen it in one of the previous three months. Summer is definitely the time for lighter fare from the studios. As with 3:10 to Yuma, this film would've been buried if not for the mediocre September releases.


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