Movie Releases, 9/8

A combination of Highlander and The Lost Boys...from the makers of Underworld...it's The Covenant. Director Renny Harlin, who has reverted strictly to the B-movie after his disaster Cutthroat Island, takes on this story about four powerful teenagers from several supernatural families who need to stop the rogue colleague who wants to break the rules of said families and go around causing mischief and mayhem. The movie has been desperately selling itself on the crazy bobbleheaded mouths-sewn-up ghouls that show up in the trailer, as well as that scene where a car runs into a big huge truck, explodes into a million pieces, and then magically forms back together again.

Ben Affleck, who disappeared for awhile after a rough stretch, returns as former Superman George Reeves, who was murdered in one of those classic Hollywood who-done-its, in Hollywoodland. The movie explores his affair with Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), who was wife of MGM exec Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins), and its possible cause for his murder. I don't think this is going to be as good as next week's The Black Dahlia, which explores this same territory in a more hard-boiled thriller type of manner. This looks like a biopic in the same vein as Auto Focus, which has its fans.

Tony Jaa's The Protector does open wide this weekend. I previously mentioned a limited release date in August, but that was wrong. Anyway, martial arts action galore from the man who is going to take over the throne for these kinds of pictures.

The limited releases; check local listings, many of these could be moved around.

Sherrybaby, which is getting star Maggie Gyllenhaal all sorts of raves, where she plays a single mother who gets out of prison to reunite with her young daughter, while trying to stay clean on the other side. So there will be a lot of drug use, acting out, and adult situations for Oscar bait. I can almost guarantee that Gyllenhaal's performance is great, but the movie isn't. But I'll give it a try.

Also, I found this release interesting: I Trust You to Kill Me. This is a documentary concerning Kiefer Sutherland's band Rocco Deluca and the Burden. Sutherland is the band's road manager, and the movie covers their tour through Europe.