October’s Top Movies

Alice Through the Looking Glass

In “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” the all-star cast from the 2010 blockbuster is back with Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter who’s desperately searching for his family; Anne photo for Alice Through the Looking GlassHathaway as Mirana, the kind, mild-mannered White Queen; Helena Bonham Carter as Iracebeth, the short-tempered, big-headed Red Queen; and Mia Wasikowska as Alice, the heroine at the heart of the story. Sacha Baron Cohen joins the ensemble as Time, a magical being that is part human, part clock, and the late Alan Rickman — to whom the film is dedicated — is the voice of Absolem, the blue Monarch butterfly who metamorphosed from the blue caterpillar in “Alice in Wonderland.” Alice returns to the whimsical world of Wonderland and travels back in time to help the Mad Hatter.
Vitals: Director: James Bobin. Stars: Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Sacha Baron Cohen, Rhys Ifans, Matt Lucas, Lindsay Duncan, Leo Bill, Geraldine James, Andrew Scott, Richard Armitage, Ed Speleers, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall.
2016, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 113 min., Adventure, Box office gross: $76.846 million, Disney. Extras: “A Stitch in Time: Costuming Wonderland.” Blu-ray adds Music video: “Just Like Fire” by P!nk; “Behind the Music Video”; “Behind The Looking Glass” featurette; “Time On …” discussion with the unpredictable and witty Sacha Baron Cohen; “Alice Goes Through the Looking Glass: A Scene Peeler” side-by-side comparison of raw production footage and final scenes,; “Alice Goes Through Time’s Castle: A Scene Peeler”; “Characters of Underland” featurette; commentary with director James Bobin; deleted scenes.
2 stars
Available: 10/18.
 

Café Society

A shining gem amongst all the drek of this year’s remakes and reimaginings. Woody Allen’s latest bout of nostalgia — a witty, literate, loving, good natured and bittersweet look photo for Café Societyat life, love, dreams and aspirations — is set in the 1930s and follows Bronx-born Bobby Dorfman (Jesse Eisenberg), the son of a jeweler, who travels to Hollywood and gets a job as an assistant to his uncle Phil (Steve Carell), a hot-shot Hollywood talent agent. He immediately is stricken with Phil’s unpretentious secretary, Vonnie (Kristen Stewart), and while she has feelings for him, the love affair ends abruptly. Heart-broken, Bobby returns to New York, where he rejoins his colorful Bronx family, where he takes over his older, gangster brother’s night club, eventually turning it into a Cafe Society success. It’s a simple tale but Allen wrings the most out of his dialogue and screenplay, and gets wonderful performances from Eisenberg, Carell and Stewart. It’s altogether charming and vivacious — and the cinematography, by the great Vittorio Storaro — is stunning. A delightful romp for the 80-year-old director. Vitals: Director: Woody Allen. Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Steve Carell, Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively, Jeannie Berlin, Parker Posey, Corey Stoll, Ken Stott.
2016, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 96 min., Romantic Comedy, Box office gross: $7.543 million, Lionsgate.
Extras: “On the Red Carpet” for the film’s premiere, photo gallery.
3 stars
Available: 10/18.
 

Ghostbusters

Re-imagining of the 1984 Ivan Reitman film. The team of four dynamic women Ghostbusters, photo for Ghostbustersalong with Chris Hemsworth, prepare for an epic battle in Manhattan as mischievous ghouls descend on Times Square. Theatrical version and Extended Edition (Blu-ray and digital) features more than 15 minutes of never-before-seen film footage.
Vitals: Director: Paul Feig. Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, Chris Hemsworth, Charles Dance, Ed Begley Jr.
2016, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 116 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $121.984 million, Sony.
Extras: Three making-of featurettes: “Meet the Team,” “Visual Effects: 30 Years Later,” “Slime Time”; filmmaker commentaries; “Jokes a Plenty: Free for All”; photo gallery. Blu-ray adds four deleted scenes; two gag reels; five “Jokes a Plenty” alterate takes reel; two additional featurettes: “Chris Hemsworth is ‘Kevin'” and “The Ghosts of Ghostbusters”; 11 additional deleted, extended and alternate scenes available with Ultraviolet download.
3 stars
Available: 10/11.
 

Ice Age: Collision Course

Latest in the animated “Ice Age” franchise. Scrat’s epic pursuit of the elusive acorn photo for Ice Age: Collision Coursecatapults him into the universe where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that transform and threaten the Ice Age World. Now Buck, Manny, Ellie, Sid, Diego and the rest of the herd must work together on a journey to exotic new lands filled with nonstop action and colorful new characters in order to survive the global Scrat-tastrophe!
Vitals: Director: Mike Thurmeier, Galen T. Chu. Stars: Voices of Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Simon Pegg, Keke Palmer, Wanda Sykes, Jennifer Lopez.
2016, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 94 min., Family, Box office gross: $56.673 million, Fox.
Extras: Seven featurettes, image gallery.
2 stars
Available: 10/11.
 

Independence Day: Resurgence

Twenty years after the mysterious aliens nearly wiped out humankind, they’re back with a photo for Independence Day: Resurgencevengeance in this sequel to the original 1996 blockbuster hit. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth developed a vast defense program to protect the planet, led by brilliant scientist David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum). But nothing could prepare the planet for a new invasion of unprecedented scale — an invasion led by an alien ship 3,000 miles wide. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can save the world from extinction. Vitals: Director: Roland Emmerich. Stars: Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Vivica A. Fox, Brent Spiner, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe, Sela Ward.
2016, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 120 min., Science Fiction, Box office gross: $102.315 million, Fox.
Extras: Eight deleted scenes with audio commentary by Roland Emmerich, “The War of 1996,” “It’s Early, ABQ!,” “Another Day: The Making of Independence Day: Resurgence,” gag reel, commentary by Emmerich, concept art, theatrical trailers and TV spot.
3 stars
Available: 10/18
.

 

The Infiltrator

Based on a true story, Federal agent Robert “Bob” Mazur (Bryan Cranston) goes deep photo for The Infiltratorundercover to infiltrate Pablo Escobar’s drug trafficking scene plaguing the nation in 1986 by posing as slick, money-laundering businessman Bob Musella. Teamed with impulsive and streetwise fellow agent Emir Abreu (John Leguizamo) and rookie agent posing as his fiancé Kathy Ertz (Diane Kruger), Mazur befriends Escobar’s top lieutenant Roberto Alcaino (Benjamin Bratt). Navigating a vicious criminal network in which the slightest slip-up could cost him his life, Mazur risks it all building a case that leads to indictments of 85 drug lords and the corrupt bankers who cleaned their dirty money, along with the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, one of the largest money-laundering banks in the world.
Vitals: Director: Brad Furman. Stars: Bryan Cranston, John Leguizamo, Diane Kruger, Benjamin Bratt, Yul Vazquez, Olympia Dukakis, Elena Anaya, Jason Isaacs, Amy Ryan.
2016, CC, MPAA rating: R, 127 min., Drama, Box office gross: $15.252 million, Broad Green Pictures.
Extras: Audio commentary with director Brad Furman and Bryan Cranston, deleted scenes, two featurettes: “The Three Bobs” and the three-part “How to Infiltrate.”
3 stars
Available: 10/11.
 

The Legend of Tarzan

It has been years since the man once known as Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård) left the photo for The Legend of Tarzanjungles of Africa behind for a gentrified life as John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, with his beloved wife, Jane (Margot Robbie) at his side. Now, he’s been invited back to the Congo to serve as a trade emissary of Parliament, unaware that he is a pawn in a deadly convergence of greed and revenge, masterminded by the Belgian, Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz). But those behind the murderous plot have no idea what they are about to unleash.
Vitals: Director: David Yates. Stars: Alexander Skarsgård, Samuel L. Jackson, Margot Robbie, Djimon Hounsou, Jim Broadben, Christoph Waltz. 2016, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 135 min., Action Adventure, Box office gross: $124.051 million, Warner.
Extras: “Tarzan Reborn,” “Battles and Bare Knuckled Brawls,” “Tarzan and Jane’s Unfailing Love,” “Creating the Virtual Jungle,” “Gabon to the Big Screen,” “Stop Ivory” PSA.
2 stars
Available: 10/11.
 

Lights Out

When Rebecca left home, she thought she left her childhood fears behind. Growing up, she photo for Lights Out was never really sure of what was and wasn’t real when the lights went out … and now her little brother, Martin (Gabriel Bateman), is experiencing the same unexplained and terrifying events that had once tested her sanity and threatened her safety. A frightening entity with a mysterious attachment to their mother, Sophie (Maria Bello), has reemerged. But this time, as Rebecca gets closer to unlocking the truth, there is no denying that all their lives are in danger … once the lights go out
Vitals: Director: David F. Sandberg. Stars: Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Batema, Billy Burke, Alexander DiPersia, Maria Bello.
2016, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 81 min., Horror, Box office gross: $58.889 million, Warner.
Extras: Deleted scenes.
2 stars
Available: 10/25.
 

The Purge: Election Year

The third chapter in the thrilling franchise. It’s been two years since Leo Barnes (Frank photo for The Purge: Election YearGrillo) stopped himself from a regrettable act of revenge on Purge Night – the one
night a year when all crime is legal. This year, the annual ritual comes at the eve of a heated presidential election with the nation deeply divided between those who are pro-­ and anti-­Purge. As head of security for Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), Leo’s mission is to protect her during her controversial and contested run for president. But when a betrayal forces them onto the streets of Washington, D.C. on the one night when no help is available, they must stay alive or both be sacrificed for their sins against the state.
Vitals: Director: James DeMonaco. Stars: Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell, Mykelti Williamson.
2016, CC, MPAA rating: R, 99 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $78.845 million, Universal.
Extras: Deleted scenes, “Inside the Purge” featurette, “Character Spotlight: Leo.”
3 stars
Available: 10/04.
 

Swiss Army Man

Hank (Paul Dano) is stranded on a deserted island, having given up all hope of ever making photo for Swiss Army Manit home again. But one day everything changes when a corpse named Manny (Daniel Radcliffe) washes up onshore. The two become fast friends, and ultimately go on an epic adventure that will bring Hank back to the woman of his dreams.
Vitals: Director: Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan. Stars: Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe.
2016, CC, MPAA rating: R, 97 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $4.121 million, Lionsgate.
Extras: Q&A with the filmmakers, ‘Swiss Army Man: Behind the Scenes” featurette, ‘Making of Manny” featurette, deleted scenes, commentary.
2 stars
Available: 10/04.
 

X-Men: Apocalypse

Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X-Men universe, amassed the photo for X-Men: Apocalypsepowers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.
Vitals: Director: Bryan Singer. Stars: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Jennifer Lawrence, Evan Peters, Oscar Isaac, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Alexandra Shipp.
2016, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 144 min., Action Science Fiction, Box office gross: $154.985 million, Fox.
Extras: Deleted and extended scenes, gag reel, a wrap party video, commentary by Singer and screenwriter Simon Kinberg, a behind-the-scenes documentary, photo gallery.
2 stars
Available: 10/04.
 

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