In Theaters: HALLOWEEN, WILDLIFE, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? and MID90S

It's a slow week in terms of new wide releases. The only one is the "Halloween" sequel/reboot, which is looking at a $70 million debut at the box-office. Reviews for the film are on the positive side, and the audience reception matches the critical reception, so sky's the limit for this Blumhouse production. Also, "The Old Man & the Gun" and "The Hate U Give" are expanding nationwide this weekend.

In limited release there are some interesting picks, like actor Paul Dano's directorial debut "Wildlife", which stars Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal, the biopic "Can You Ever Forgive Me ? featuring a rare and strong dramatic performance from Melissa McCarthy, and Jonah Hill's directorial debut "Mid90s", which Hill also wrote based on his own teenage experiences.

Synopses, details, critical/audience reception, trailers, and more after the jump.

HALLOWEEN

Official Synopsis

Jamie Lee Curtis returns to her iconic role as Laurie Strode, who comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.

Film Details

• Director: David Gordon Green
  
  
• Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Nick Castle, Will Patton
  
  
• Genre: Horror , Thriller
  
  
• Running Time: 106 min.
  
  
• Rating: R for horror violence and bloody images, language, brief drug use and nudity
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 82% (132 fresh, 29 rotten, score: 7.0/10)
  
• Metacritic: 68 out of 100 (32 positive, 12 mixed, 2 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: 81% (4.2/5 rating from 2,645 users)
  
• Metacritic: 7.7/10 (7 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative).
• IMDb: 7.9/10 (4,396 votes)
  

---

WILDLIFE

Official Synopsis

Elegantly adapted from Richard Ford's novel of the same name, Carey Mulligan (MUDBOUND, AN EDUCATION) delivers one of her finest performances to date as Jeanette, a complex woman whose self-determination and self-involvement disrupts the values and expectations of a 1960s nuclear family. Fourteen-year-old Joe played by newcomer Ed Oxenbould, is the only child of Jeanette (Mulligan) and Jerry (Jake Gyllenhaal)--a housewife and a golf pro--in a small town in 1960s Montana. Nearby, an uncontrolled forest fire rages close to the Canadian border, and when Jerry loses his job--and his sense of purpose--he decides to join the cause of fighting the fire, leaving his wife and son to fend for themselves. Suddenly forced into the role of an adult, Joe witnesses his mother's struggle as she tries to keep her head above water. With precise details and textures of its specific time and place, WILDLIFE commits to the viewpoint of a teenage boy observing the gradual dissolution of his parents' marriage.

Film Details

• Director: Paul Dano
  
  
• Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan, Bill Camp, Ed Oxenbould
  
  
• Genre: Drama
  
  
• Running Time: 104 min.
  
  
• Rating: PG-13 for thematic material including a sexual situation, brief strong language, and smoking
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 97% (67 fresh, 2 rotten, score: 7.8/10)
  
• Metacritic: 82 out of 100 (24 positive, 4 mixed, 0 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: 60% (3.8/5 rating from 652 users)
  
• Metacritic: 6.2/10 (3 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative).
• IMDb: 7.1/10 (960 votes)
  

---

CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?

Official Synopsis

In CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?, Melissa McCarthy stars as Lee Israel, the best-selling celebrity biographer (and cat lover) who made her living in the 1970's and 80's profiling the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, Estée Lauder and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen. When Lee found herself unable to get published because she had fallen out of step with the marketplace, she turned her art form to deception, abetted by her loyal friend Jack (Richard E. Grant).

Film Details

• Director: Marielle Heller
  
  
• Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, Ben Falcone
  
  
• Genre: Biography , Comedy , Drama
  
  
• Running Time: 106 min.
  
  
• Rating: R for language including some sexual references, and brief drug use
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 100% (52 fresh, 0 rotten, score: 8.3/10)
  
• Metacritic: 85 out of 100 (21 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
  
• Metacritic: N/A
• IMDb: 6.7/10 (277 votes)
  

---

MID90S

Official Synopsis

Mid90s follows Stevie, a thirteen-year-old in 90s-era LA who spends his summer navigating between his troubled home life and a group of new friends that he meets at a Motor Avenue skate shop.

Film Details

• Director: Jonah Hill
  
  
• Starring: Sunny Suljic, Katherine Waterston, Lucas Hedges, Na-kel Smith
  
  
• Genre: Comedy, Drama
  
  
• Running Time: 84 min.
  
  
• Rating: R for pervasive language, sexual content, drug and alcohol use, some violent behavior/disturbing images - all involving minors
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 78% (42 fresh, 12 rotten, score: 7.2/10)
  
• Metacritic: 70 out of 100 (15 positive, 6 mixed, 1 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
  
• Metacritic: N/A
• IMDb: 7.5/10 (425 votes)
  

---

Entertainment Factor