Films to see in 2011: September

I was rather disappointed to have nothing to recommend out of the August slate. Both "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and "The Help" were better than I expected, and I suppose "My Idiot Brother" looks delightful enough. I guess if you still haven't seen anything from August, those are the three I'd suggest. However, now we're on to September, which has burgeoned into an amazingly successful slate in the past few years. Last year we were supplied with both "Easy A" and "The Town", and I think I remember liking "The American" more than the critics did. It didn't quite deserve the bashing it got.

As for this year, successful films seem to be much more widespread. It's not going to be all shelled out in one weekend, which I really do prefer it that way. Things start out in a really obligatory pattern, and I'm not sure why September usually kicks off with below-standard horror flicks. Do not expect me to spend any time or effort on "Shark Night 3D" or "Apollo 18", and I won't expect you to either. I saw a trailer for "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star" in theaters, and I wanted to run as far away from that place as I could. It didn't put me in the right mood for "Bad Teacher" either. Or maybe it did. I'm not sure.

Things do pick up from there, although I still have no intention towards "Warrior", one way or another. It looks like they're milking the formula once again. I don't consign to Sarah Jessica Parker, nor do I consign to her latest film "I Don't Know How She Does It". "Straw Dogs" seems like your typical remake. "Abduction", "Dolphin Tale", "Killer Elite", and "What's Your Number?" all look dreadful. "Dream House" might be an interesting popcorn horror film, but not more than that. And "Moneyball" looks somewhat uninspired, and actually kind of boring. If you think I skipped a few films, you might want to continue to my top three films for this month, after the jump.

3. "Contagion"

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

The man is in the news way too often about his potential retirement from filmmaking, which I'm just not expecting to happen at all. He's hardly in the news enough for his films, and that may well change when "Contagion" hits. I'm not ballooning my expectations, because there's quite a bit that could go wrong here. It could be silly, and it could be stupid, but I have to have faith that it won't. This is perhaps the most effective horror film to come along in while, in a mainstream sense, because it preys on that basic fear that something unavoidable could go wrong. My only fear is that the all-star cast may be squandered do to the worldwide scope of the film. You've gotta take risks with this things.

2. "50/50"

Directed by Johnathon Levine

So a comedy produced by Seth Rogen ranks higher with me than an intense thriller from a proven director? Well I'm naturally quite fond of Rogen, even if he quite often has led me awry, but what has me so interested in this is the feel of it. It's very hard to take on this brand of tragicomedy, but I feel like tragic instances are the most ripe for comedic intervention. That's largely how I made it through a tough summer. And that's not even to start with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is no longer one of the up-and-coming Hollywood big-shots. He has arrived, and I have faith in him to not lead us astray.

1. "Drive"

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

Not only is "Drive" my most anticipated pic of September, it's the film I have the most heated interest in for the rest of the year. Sure, you could so easily balk at the simplicity of the premise, or even the high-octane action focus of it. I personally refuse to, because every bit of footage I've seen from it is intoxicating. We've barely scratched the surface of the performances, which I hear are spectacular from all involved. I'll admit that I'm naturally not a huge fan of action, but if it proves to be exciting, visceral, emotional, purposeful, and pushing the bar, I'm totally in.