In Theaters: September 21, 2018

I like this whole omitting the R-rated films thing.  So much simpler.

There is only one non-R wide release this weekend.

The House With A Clock In Its Walls

When I first heard the title I totally thought it was another lame horror movie.

This actually looks pretty good.  Like, if I had kids and I could afford it I would take them to see it.  That's how good it looks.  Jack Black is as charismatic as ever, and who can argue with Cate Blanchett?

The House With A Clock In Its Walls is about a boy taken in by his uncle (Black (I mean, his uncle is played by Jack Black, not his uncle is black)), and it turns out his uncle is a warlock, and their neighbor (Blanchett) knows magic too.  The previous owner of the house put a clock in its walls, and nobody knows what it does, but the previous owner was notoriously evil.

The House With A Clock In Its Walls is rated PG for thematic elements including sorcery, some action, scary images, rude humor and language.

P.S. I just noted this was directed by Eli Roth.  He has more horror street cred than James Wan.  This guy is legit.  Him directing this is very reminiscent of when Martin Scorsece directed Hugo in 2011, which was another noted genre departure of a director to do a children's movie.

      Big Shot Critic

In Theaters: September 14, 2018

I have considered essentially pushing my politics on my readers and just excluding R-rated movies, since I personally never watch them.  Let's just see how this goes.

There are four wide releases this weekend.  We're only gonna talk about one.

Unbroken: Path to Redemption

I'll give you one guess who DIDN'T direct this film.  That's right.  Angelina Jolie.

The Christian movies strike again.  What is this, the third weekend in a row?  Even if it isn't, it feels like it.  This is the first I've heard of the Christian genre co-opting an existing property.

2014's Unbroken (directed by Angelina Jolie and starring NOT the same guy as the main character) was not a Christian movie.  It was the true story of a guy who became a great runner, ran in the olympics, went off to war, and had a rough time in a Japanese prison camp in World War II.

Unbroken: Path to Redemption is about the same man after he gets home, and the wrestles he has with his faith in God and PTSD, among other things it seems.  I just confirmed this is also based on the true story of this guy's life.

Unbroken: Path to Redemption is rated PG-13 for thematic content and related disturbing images.

      Big Shot Critic

In Theaters: September 7, 2018

There are three wide releases this weekend.

God Bless the Broken Road

Another Christian movie.  This time it's from the director of God's Not Dead and God's Not Dead 2.  So this is the top tier of Christian movies.

God Bless the Broken Road is about a woman whose husband dies while on a tour of duty.  She struggles to support her little family, she struggles a little later with the prospect of a new romance, and most centrally she struggles with her faith in God.  The acting looks bad, but besides that this looks like one of the best Christian movies we've seen yet.  It looks watchable, and that's high praise from me to a Christian movie.

God Bless the Broken Road is rated PG for thematic elements and some combat action.

The Nun

They've got the whole reversed "N" thing going on, but as far as I know there is no connection or affiliation with Nine Inch Nails.

Here we have another top contender in an overall low-quality genre.  The Nun lists James Wan as a producer, and that alone is enough to make it worth considering.  But really that means that it's probably not completely terrible.  That's the best I can say.

As they're so keen to let you know in the advertising, it is part of the Conjuring universe of films.

The Nun is rated R for terror, violence, and disturbing/bloody images.

The trailer had a jump scare that actually got me.  A horror trailer jump scare hasn't got me since the Deliver Us From Evil trailer more than four years ago.

Peppermint

Woman's husband and daughter are murdered.  Justice is hampered by corrupt cops and judges.  Woman disappears for five years.  Woman comes back as female version of The Punisher and kills the three gang members that killed her family (the trailer shows that she succeeds in this).  Then she seems to just keep on killing people that she thinks deserves it.

*shrug*

I don't doubt Jennifer Garner's performance, but I doubt pretty much everything else.

The She-Punisher, I mean Peppermint is rated R for strong violence and language throughout.

      Big Shot Critic