3 To See In October

It's always difficult to decide which films you want to see out of this month, mostly because the films that inhabit it are either half-assed attempts at Oscar drama or even more assed attempts in the horror genre. Luckily, next weekend offers us the two top films of the month right up front. That leaves the rest of the batch to fight over the number 3 spot. I'm immediately not going to go with many of the horror films out this month, because I don't really see anything interesting in Saw 3D, Paranormal Activity 2, or My Soul To Take. Discarding the misguided attempts at awards season success (Conviction, Hereafter), we are left with very few candidates.

3. Secretariat

I'm almost in a death match with this film, because of what people are hyping it up to be. Suddenly with last year's nomination of The Blind Side, people keep searching for some inspirational family film to fill that tenth spot this year. The Best Picture category should be filled with only the best films of the year, and I know this isn't going to cut it. All the same, it looks like the sort of inspirational film like The Blind Side that could bring audiences in to see it. On a depressing weekend, I'd consider seeing this film. I don't think it's going to be the greatest horse race film ever made, but it looks nice enough.

2. Let Me In

We don't have to wait long for the two films I'm most looking forward to this month. The American remake of the Swedish horror-classic Let The Right One In has been debated much over the past few months. I chalk that up to Matt Reeves being hired to direct, which many were hesitant to at first. I must admit that "from the director of Cloverfield" doesn't sound like it bodes well for us. However, it seems that this film offers Reeves the perfect catalyst to break out as one of the greatest new directors currently at work. At any rate, I'd rather see this story in a language I can actually comprehend. How dare a film urge me to read by putting subtitles in it? If I wanted to read, I'd just go home and... read.

1. The Social Network

Definitely the top film of the month, and perhaps my most anticipated film of the fall season, it seems like a match made in heaven to team David Fincher up with Aaron Sorkin. So far, all the reviews for this film are not only good, but near perfect across the board. When normal critics start bringing up complex themes, such as man's place in the universe or something else confusing like that, regarding the Facebook film, you know you're in for something you haven't seen before. Add in the best young actors in the new wave of modern cinema, right along with one-of-a-kind cinematography, and you have one of the top contenders in this year's Oscar season.