Even with seven of the top 10 May - August films grossing over $200 million each, it wasn't enough to provide growth over 2013, and for most billion-dollar businesses, no growth equals failure.
Fortunately moviegoers like you and me can judge films solely on quality, not quantity. And by that regard, the summer of 2014 was a banner year. Sure, there were a few early disappointments (Spider-Man 2, Godzilla) but once July hit, the great films wouldn't stop coming: Snowpiercer, Begin Again, Boyhood, Life Itself and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to name a few. It was like November decided to jump its place in line and start releasing Oscar hopefuls without authorization. Crazy.
Well, now it's fall, the stars have once again realigned and quality movies have remembered their place and dutifully returned to the proper season on the calendar. As usual, the studios will throw over 100 of them at us from now through Christmas. Below are five of my favorites.
Gone Girl: I finally read Gillian Flynn's 2012 bestselling thriller about a wife who goes missing and the shroud of suspicion that slowly envelops her strangely indifferent husband and I have to admit: I found both spouses to be a pair of unlikeable, narcissistic nuts you wouldn't want to revisit again in your lifetime (the author's goal, I'm sure). That said, I'm a huge fan of director David Fincher, and the twists and turns found in the book were tailor-made for his unique cinematic talents. Let's say I'm curious enough to get to a theater opening week. (Oct. 3)
Birdman: Michael Keaton plays a former movie superhero (sound familiar?) who attempts a comeback by staging his own Broadway play with the likes of Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Amy Ryan and Emma Stone. Ok, so it's not going to open at number one, but if you like all the actors involved, not to mention unusual character studies, as I do, then this one looks to be worth seeking out. And it opens on my birthday, what more of a sign do you need? (Oct. 17)
St. Vincent: Bill Murray plays a crusty old guy who befriends a divorcee (Melissa McCarthy) and begins looking after her 12-year-old son. Bill Murray as an after-school caregiver? I'm in. (Oct. 24)
Foxcatcher: Bennett Miller (Capote, Moneyball) directs this real-life murderous tale of Olympic wrestlers (Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo) and their wealthy, controlling sponsor (Steve Carell). Carell is virtually unrecognizable and quite creepy in the trailer I saw. And Miller has proven to be very adept at turning factual accounts into extremely engaging, Oscar-worthy films. (Nov. 14)
Inherent Vice : I wasn't a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, didn't like the pallid story or the disengaging characters. But I respect the man behind Boogie Nights and There Will Be Blood enough to forgive and forget and follow him back into the trenches. For this one, Anderson returns to his beloved '70s L.A. for a noir-ish tale of corruption and cover-ups. With the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro along for the ride, let's hope this is a return to form for the talented auteur. (Dec. 12)
Five More That Should Be On Your Radar: The Equalizer(Sept. 26), Interstellar (Nov. 7), Exodus: Gods and Kings ( Dec. 12), Big Eyes (Dec. 25), Unbroken (Dec. 25)
