This Week In Movies: ‘Fury,’ ‘Dear White People,’ ‘Birdman’

We’re in the middle of October and films are beginning to become better. Some of the most compelling pieces are Brad Pitt’s war movie Fury (interested to know if it will be a Monuments Men failure or an Oscar buzz piece of cinema), Mexican director Jorge R. Gutierrez animation The Book Of Life (which has Guillermo del Toro on board as producer), plus the aspiring Best Pic Birdman from another Mexican director in Alejandro González Iñárritu. In Dear White People, this witty, smart film which tackles racism and prejudice, is easily one of the more interesting films to see this week. After the jump, you’ll see a list ranked by order of my interest.

Here is the full list of all the films coming out this week including all of their trailers. Hope you find something of your liking!

17. A Matter Of Faith (PG, 1hr 29m, Drama)
Director: Rich Christiano
Cast: Jordon Trovillion, Jay Pickett, Harry Anderson, Clarence Gilyard, Chandler Macocha, Barrett Carnahan
Synopsis: A young Christian woman goes to college and begins to drift away from the faith.

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16. Watchers of the Sky (2hrs, Documentary, Biography, History, News)
Director: Edet Belzberg
Synopsis: Four modern stories of remarkable courage while setting out to uncover the forgotten life of Raphael Lemkin, the man who coined the term ‘genocide’. Inspired by Samantha Power’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, ‘A Problem From Hell’, ‘Watchers of the Sky’ traverses time and continents to explore genocide and the cycle of violence.

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15. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (R, 90m, Horror, Thriller)
Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Cast: Addison Timlin, Veronica Cartwright, Anthony Anderson, Travis Tope
Synopsis: 65 years after a masked serial killer terrorized the small town of Texarkana, the so-called ‘moonlight murders’ begin again. Is it a copycat or something even more sinister? A lonely high school girl, with dark secrets of her own, may be the key to catching him.

14. Housebound (NR, 1hr 47m, Comedy, Horror)
Director: Gerard Johnstone
Cast: Morgana O’Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Glen-Paul Waru, Cameron Rhodes, Millen Baird
Synopsis: Kylie Bucknell is forced to return to the house she grew up in when the court places her on home detention. However, when she too becomes privy to unsettling whispers & strange bumps in the night, she begins to wonder whether she’s inherited her overactive imagination, or if the house is in fact possessed by a hostile spirit who’s less than happy about the new living arrangement.

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13. The Golden Era (NR, 2hr 57m, Drama, Romance)
Director: Ann Hui
Cast: Wei Tang, Shaofeng Feng, Zhiwen Wang
Synopsis: The Golden Era is a 2014 Chinese-Hong Kong drama film directed by Ann Hui and starring Tang Wei and Feng Shaofeng. Tang portrays Xiao Hong, while Feng plays Xiao Jun; both are two of the most important writers in 20th century China.

12. The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya (PG, 2hr 17m, Animated, Art House/Foreign)
Director: Isao Takahata
Cast: Aki Asakura, Yukiji Asaoka, Takeo Chii, Isao Hashizume, Hikaru Ijuin, Takaya Kamikawa
Synopsis: A tiny nymph found inside a bamboo stalk grows into a beautiful woman whom many desire.

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11. Default (1hr 30m, Suspense/Thriller)
Director: Simon Brand
Cast: David Oyelowo, Katherine Moennig, Jeanine Mason, Stephen Lord
Synopsis: A Somali pirate leader demands to be interviewed by a famous American journalist.

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10. Young Ones (R, 1hr 39m, Action/Adventure, Drama)
Director: Jake Paltrow
Cast: Michael Shannon, Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Synopsis: In a future where water is scarce, a farmer (Michael Shannon) hopes to rejuvenate his parched soil.

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9. Felony (1hr 45m, Suspense/Thriller)
Director: Matthew Saville
Cast: Jai Courtney, Melissa George, Joel Edgerton, Sarah Roberts, Tom Wilkinson
Synopsis: A decorated cop tries to hide his involvement in a traffic accident that left a boy in a coma.

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8. Camp X-Ray (R, 117 min, Drama)
Director: Peter Sattler
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Peyman Moaadi, Lane Garrison, Tara Holt
Synopsis: Kristen Stewart stars as a new guard at Guantanamo Bay, where she gets to know one of the detainees (Peyman Maadi) on a far more personal level than she could even have anticipated.

7. Rudderless (R, 1hr, 45m, Drama)
Director: William H. Macy
Cast: Selena Gomez, Jamie Chung, Billy Crudup
Synopsis: A grieving father finds his now-dead son’s demo tapes and forms a band in hope of finding peace.

6. Listen Up Philip (1hr 49m, Psychological Drama)
Directors: Alex Ross Perry
Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Elisabeth Moss, Jonathan Pryce, Krysten Ritter, Josephine de La Baume, Dree Hemingway
Synopsis: When Philip’s idol Ike Zimmerman offers his isolated summer home as a refuge, Phillip finally gets the peace and quiet to focus on his favorite subject — himself.

5. Dear White People (R, 1hr 46m, Comedy, Drama)
Director: Justin Simien
Cast: Taylor James Williams, Tessa Thompson, Teyonah Parris, Brandon P. Bell, Kyle Gallner, Malcolm Barrett
Synopsis: A biracial student (Tessa Thompson) tries to shake up race relations at her Ivy-League college by forcing her traditionally black residence hall to diversify.

4. Birdman (R, 1hr 59m, Comedy, Drama)
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Cast: Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts
Synopsis: A movie about the theater. A washed-up actor, whose most-famous role was a superhero, makes a Broadway bid for glory.

WIDE RELEASE

3. The Best Of Me (PG-13, 1hr 58m, Drama, Romance)
Director: Michael Hoffman
Cast: James Marsden, Michelle Monaghan, Luke Bracey
Synopsis: Dawson and Amanda, two former high school sweethearts, find themselves reunited after 20 years apart, when they return to their small town for the funeral of a beloved friend. Their bittersweet reunion reignites the love they’ve never forgotten.

2. The Book Of Life (PG, 1hr 25m, Action/Adventure/Animated)
Director: Jorge R. Gutierrez
Cast: Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Ron Perlman, Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Kate del Castillo, Hector Elizondo, Danny Trejo, Ana de la Reguera, Plácido Domingo
Synopsis: Manolo, a conflicted hero and dreamer, sets off on an epic quest through magical, mythical and wondrous worlds in order to rescue his one true love and defend his village.

1. Fury (R, 2hr 14m, Action/Adventure/Drama)
Director: David Ayer
Cast: Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña
Synopsis: April, 1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European Theatre, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy commands a Sherman tank and her five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Out-numbered, out-gunned, and with a rookie soldier thrust into their platoon, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany.