The weekend of September 18 brings an unusually varied group of new theatrical releases, ranging from zombies and stop-motion sheep to Depression-era gold smuggling and a very dark classroom comedy. Horror fans have the biggest opening in Zach Cregger’s new Resident Evil, while families get another beautifully handmade adventure from Aardman. Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe headline The Weight; Saoirse Ronan takes a sharp turn into black comedy with Bad Apples.
Resident Evil
The weekend’s most conspicuous new arrival is Resident Evil, filmmaker Zach Cregger’s complete reinvention of the long-running video-game franchise. Rather than continuing any of the previous films, Cregger and co-writer Shay Hatten have created a new story centered on Bryan, played by Austin Abrams, an ordinary medical courier whose seemingly routine assignment turns into a night-long fight for survival when a viral nightmare erupts around him. Zach Cherry, Kali Reis and Paul Walter Hauser round out the principal cast.
Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom
At the opposite end of the spectrum is Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, the third theatrical feature built around Aardman’s perpetually resourceful flock. Directors Steve Cox and Matthew Walker send Shaun into monster-movie territory when the Farmer accidentally destroys the flock’s pumpkin patch just before Halloween. Shaun’s attempt to repair the damage through some ill-advised experimentation creates a much larger problem: the Farmer disappears and reports spread of a hairy beast roaming the woods around Mossingham. Justin Fletcher again voices Shaun, with John Sparkes as both the Farmer and Bitzer, while Kate Harbour and Nina Sosanya are among the supporting voice cast.
The Weight
For something far darker and more adult, The Weight places Ethan Hawke in the Oregon wilderness during the depths of the Great Depression. Hawke plays Samuel Murphy, a desperate widower separated from his daughter and imprisoned in a brutal work camp. Russell Crowe appears as Warden Clancy, who offers Murphy the possibility of early release if he will take part in a dangerous mission to transport illegal gold across the wilderness. What begins as a chance at freedom becomes a test of loyalty, survival and just how far a man will go to get back to his child. Julia Jones, Austin Amelio and Avi Nash are also in the cast, with Padraic McKinley making his feature directing debut.
Bad Apples
Bad Apples gives Saoirse Ronan one of the strangest premises of the weekend. She plays Maria, a primary-school teacher pushed to the breaking point by Danny, a violently disruptive pupil whose behavior threatens both her classroom and her career. After an encounter spirals out of control, Maria accidentally ends up confining Danny in her home. Then she notices something uncomfortable: with him gone, her class suddenly begins to thrive. What follows is a black comedy about desperation, institutional failure and the morally disastrous temptation to leave a bad situation exactly as it is. Jonatan Etzler directs from a screenplay by Jess O’Kane, with Eddie Waller, Nia Brown, Jacob Anderson, Rakie Ayola and Robert Emms in supporting roles.
Overall, Resident Evil looks like the major attraction this weekend and the easiest recommendation for adult audiences who enjoy horror. Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom appears to be the most reliably delightful choice, especially for families, while The Weight should appeal to viewers who miss sturdy, old-fashioned adventure dramas. Bad Apples is the oddball selection—the movie most likely to provoke an argument afterward—which is sometimes reason enough to see it.
Check in tomorrow at The Hollywoodland Revue for my profile of Kevin Brownlow, the pioneering film historian, author, archivist and preservationist whose lifelong devotion to silent cinema helped rescue countless films—and the reputations of the artists who made them—from obscurity.
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