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Evocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie
Who: Morton Downey Jr., Gloria Allred, Michele Bachmann, Glenn Beck, Pat Buchanan, Herman Cain, Chris Elliott, Sally Jessy Raphael, Al Sharpton, Alan Dershowitz, Victoria Jackson
What: A documentary about the loudmouthed, chain-smoking 1980s tv talk show host who was deliberately antagonistic toward his guests and helped influence later talk show style.
When: September 3rd - DVD and online on demand
Why: I'd almost forgotten about Morton Downey Jr., but considering he was such a fixture in New York and paved the way for shock-jock shows, watching this would serve as a good reminder of that history.

From Up on Poppy Hill
Who: Masami Nagasawa, Sarah Bolger, Junichi Okada, Anton Yelchin, Keiko Takeshita, Gillian Anderson, Yuriko Ishida, Christina Hendricks, Rumi Hiiragi, Aubrey Plaza, Jun Fubuki, Alex Wolff, Takashi Naitô, Beau Bridges
What: A Japanese animated drama from director Goro Miyazaki
When: September 3rd - DVD and online on demand
Why: Goro Miyazaki is the son of Hayao Miyazaki, the director of Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo. Hayao also wrote the screenplay for From Up on Poppy Hill, so if you're a fan of those animated films, this is likely one you'll be interested in as well.

The Iceman
Who: Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Chris Evans, Ray Liotta, James Franco, David Schwimmer, Robert Davi, Stephen Dorff
What: This crime thriller stars Michael Shannon as a mafia hitman during the 1970s. Based on the true story of Richard Kuklinski, who claimed to have killed over 100 people from the 1950s to his arrest in 1986, all while his wife (portrayed here by Ryder) and children never had a clue. Ray Liotta plays his mob boss.
When: September 3rd - DVD and online on demand
Why: Michael Shannon appeared as the villain in this year's Superman reboot, but there was something a little too introverted about his performance to serve that film well. But that quality seems perfect for a hitman who needs to blend in among family life while being a killer away from home. Reading about the movie led me to watch the HBO documentary interviews with Kuklinski. He got the moniker "The Iceman" because he froze a corpse to hide its time of death, but what's notable about Kuklinski is that he just didn't care about death, and that icy mentality was what made him so prolific while hiding in plain sight.

The Lords of Salem
Who: Sheri Moon Zombie, Bruce Davison, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Judy Geeson, Meg Foster, Patricia Quinn, Ken Foree, Dee Wallace, Maria Conchita Alonso, director Rob Zombie
What: A horror film set in modern Salem, Massachusetts, starring Sheri Moon Zombie as a DJ who comes across a record by a band that brings back a witch's coven from the 1690s.
When: September 4th - DVD and online on demand
Why: Rob Zombie previously directed House of 1000 Corpses and its sequel, and the 2007 remake of Halloween and its sequel.

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