This Week In Movies: ‘Jack Reacher 2,’ ‘Ouija 2,’ ‘Moonlight’

It’s mid-October and award-like films are being released left and right. Moonlight is one of them. This film adds to a growing rise in magnificent stories deriving from Black America but without the cliches and stereotypes. The narratives seem to embrace black culture on black terms as opposed through a white lens. Luke Cage, Atlanta, Insecure, Kicks and now Moonlight celebrate the authenticity of the black condition through conviction and empowerment of their history and I for one am caught up in it. Tom Cruise is still beating up the bad guys in his return to the Jack Reacher role which was dealt unfortunate cards back in 2012. This time Cruise will have the full attentiuon of movie-goers of the character and the plot appeal in Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. The first was completely underrated. Also Universal pushes out Ouija 2, a sorry excuse for a horror sequel (just out to make a buck), Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot try to make fool us with bad chemistry in Keeping Up With The Joneses and many more movies you should check out here on this list. Listen to our podcast for our in-depth reviews of this week’s releases and more. What movie will you watch? 

INDIE & LIMITED RELEASES

Moonlight (R, 1hr 50m, Drama)
Director: Barry Jenkins
Cast: Mahershala Ali, Shariff Earp, Duan Sanderson, Alex R. Hibbert
Synopsis: A timeless story of human connection and self-discovery, Moonlight chronicles the life of a young black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.

American Pastoral (R, 2hr 6m, Crime Drama)
Director: Ewan McGregor
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Connelly, Dakota Fanning, Peter Riegert
Synopsis: In 1968, a hardworking man, who’s been a staple in his quaint community for years, watches his seemingly perfect middle class life fall apart as his daughter’s new radical political affiliation threatens to destroy their family.

The Handmaiden (2hr 24m, Drama, Romance)
Director: Chan-wook Park
Cast: Min-hee Kim, Kim Tae-ri, Jung-woo Ha, Jin-woong Jo
Synopsis: Six recent college graduates put everything on the line to start their own businesses in Detroit.

31 (R, 1hr 42m, Horror)
Directors: Rob Zombie
Cast:  Malcolm McDowell, Richard Brake, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Sheri Moon Zombie
Synopsis: Five carnival workers are kidnapped and held hostage in an abandoned, Hell-like compound where they are forced to participate in a violent game, the goal of which is to survive twelve hours against a gang of sadistic clowns.

We Are X (R, 1hr 33m, Documentary, Music)
Director: Stephen Kijak
Cast: Yoshiki, Toshi, Pata, Hiroshi Morie
Synopsis: A documentary film about the legendary Japanese rock band X JAPAN.

I’m Not Ashamed (PG-13, 1hr 52m, Drama)
Director: Brian Baugh
Cast: Masey McLain, Ben Davies, Cameron McKendry, Terri Minton
Synopsis: Based on the inspiring and powerful true story and journal entries of Rachel Joy Scott- the first student killed in the Columbine high school shooting in 1999.

WIDE RELEASE

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (PG-13, 1hr 58m, Action, Thriller)
Director: Edward Zwick
Cast: Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders, Danika Yarosh, Ninja N. Devoe
Synopsis: Jack Reacher must uncover the truth behind a major government conspiracy in order to clear his name. On the run as a fugitive from the law, Reacher uncovers a potential secret from his past that could change his life forever.

Ouija: Origin of Evil (PG-13, 1hr 39m, Horror)
Director: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Henry Thomas, Elizabeth Reaser, Doug Jones, Kate Siegel
Synopsis: In 1967 Los Angeles, a widowed mother and her two daughters add a new stunt to bolster their seance scam business and unwittingly invite authentic evil into their home. When the youngest daughter is overtaken by a merciless spirit, the family confronts unthinkable fears to save her and send her possessor back to the other side.

Keeping Up with the Joneses (PG, 1hr 41m, Action, Comedy)
Director: Greg Mottola
Cast: Gal Gadot, Isla Fisher, Zach Galifianakis, Jon Hamm
Synopsis: A suburban couple becomes embroiled in an international espionage plot when they discover that their seemingly perfect new neighbors are government spies.

Boo! A Madea Halloween (PG-13, 1hr 43m, Comedy, Horror)
Director: Tyler Perry
Cast: Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis, Patrice Lovely, Yousef Erakat
Synopsis: Madea winds up in the middle of mayhem when she spends a haunted Halloween fending off killers, paranormal poltergeists, ghosts, ghouls and zombies while keeping a watchful eye on a group of misbehaving teens.