Welcome to September. While this year’s ninth month is the most promising one in some time, the first weekend certainly doesn’t have much to offer.
Remember that ‘Hitman’ sequel that Fox released a few weeks ago? You know, the one that came out several years after the previous installment and no one asked for nor saw? Well, Europacorp has decided to do the same with the ‘Transporter’ franchise – and the star power is now severely lacking without Jason Statham’s involvement. Someone named Ed Skrein has taken over the Frank Martin role in ‘The Transporter Refueled‘. Still transporting unknown objects for a lot of money, in this round, Frank has to out-do a Russian kingpin and several gorgeous siren-like assassins in France. With Luc Besson returning as a writer, it’s fair to expect lots of high-octane and silly over-the-top car stunts. ‘Refueled’ is kicking off on a surprisingly high screen count at 2,800 locations.
The other big release of the week got a Wednesday head start and kicked off on 1,960 screens. ‘A Walk in the Woods‘ is an adaptation of travel writer Bill Bryson’s non-fiction book about hiking the Appalachian Trail as an old man alongside an unlikely long-lost friend. Robert Redford stars as Bryson and a very grungy Nick Nolte co-stars as the travel companion. With the combination of the great pairing of Redford and Nolte and a nice little screenplay, it’s like a playful blend of ‘Wild‘ and ‘The Bucket List‘. The older you are, the more ought to enjoy ‘A Walk in the Woods’. Being a bit of an old soul myself, I found it entertaining.
The only other new release this week is a romantic comedy that has already seen plenty of success during its VOD run and at a couple of film festivals, but now takes to a limited number of screens for some theatrical revenue. ‘Before We Go‘ marks the directorial debut of Chris Evans, who also stars in the film. The simple story follows his character as he tries to help a beautiful woman (Alice Eve) get home to Boston from Manhattan after missing the last train of the night. Still buzzing, this appears to be the best option of the week.
