It's Halloween weekend and Hollywood is moving over to make room for more Saw. Horror's number one sick and twisted games franchise has performed admirably at the box office for the past two Halloweens, and there's nothing to stop Saw III from dominating in its third. With Saw IV already in the rusty sharp pipe for next year, it's becoming a Halloween tradition.
With nothing to challenged it, the box office winner this weekend will almost certainly be Saw III, but there's more out there to see than just cheap, disturbed thrills.
Here's our usual look at what's opening this Friday in theaters around the country:
Expanding
Running with Scissors moves out from the nation's coasts to a wider 586 run. The new comedic drama from Ryan Murphy tells the story of the son of an alcoholic father (Alec Baldwin) and an unstable mother (Annette Benning) handed off to his mother's therapist.. The film follows him as he spends his adolescence in the strange and weird household household of Dr. Finch (Brian Cox).
Limited Releases(Opening in fewer than 500 theaters.)
It's a controversial weekend for limited releases. The heavily shunned Dixie Chicks get a chance to whine about their predicament in the new documentary Shut Up and Sing, opening in 4 theaters. The hotly debated George Bush snuffing flick Death of a President arrives, it'll show up in 91 theaters. But the arthouse powerhouse with the biggest buzz is the Brad Pitt/Cate Blanchett movie Babel, opening on 7 screens. The film's getting stellar reviews (though not from me), and tells the disjointed story of different people around the world speaking different languages and in their own unique ways screwing up.
Catch A Fire (Opens in 1,305 theaters.)
Tim Robbins and Derek Luke star in a movie about a husband pushed too far. Based on the life of real life hero Patrick Chamusso, Catch A Fire tells his story in the middle of South African apartheid. When Patrick is arrested and charged with sabotage, he leaves his family and joins a group of freedom fighters to bring change to South Africa. The critical consensus on Catch A Fire is good, and if you're looking for another movie about how much Africa sucks, then this is the place to spend your weekend. But who wants to think on Halloween?
Saw III (Opens in 3,211 theaters.)
Drop your brain out the bottom of your trouser leg on your way in, and brace yourself for America's new Halloween staple. In this latest Saw installment, the sadistic killer crazy Jigsaw from the previous movies returns to test yet another batch of victims in semi-creative, and totally sick ways. It doesn't matter whether or not Saw is any good, it's a horror movie and this is Halloween. Even if you're not interested in the ever-growing gore genre the rest of the year, this is the season to give it a shot. It's like singing Christmas Carols at Christmas. Everyone knows the songs are bad, but tis the season. Give in and start singing.
STILL IN THEATERS AND WORTH YOUR TIME: The Departed, The Prestige
