Coming to Theaters Near You: 'Steve Jobs,' 'Room,' 'The Last Witch Hunter' and More

– By Beau Behan, Film Critic

Looking for something new at the movie theater? Here are this week’s new releases.

“Jem and the Holograms”

“Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension”

“Rock the Kasbah”

“Room”

“Steve Jobs”

“Suffragette”

“The Last Witch Hunter”

“Truth”

“Steve Jobs” (Nationwide, Oct. 23)

WATCH the above movie review and find out why “Steve Jobs” deserves an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.

R, 122 min, Biography, Drama

Director: Danny Boyle

Writers: Aaron Sorkin (screenplay), Walter Isaacson (book)

Stars: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels

Directed by Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”), “Steve Jobs” is not a biopic. Rather, it is an “impressionistic portrait” of the brilliant technologist according to the film’s screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin (“The Social Network”).

The movie stars Michael Fassbender in the title role; Seth Rogen as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak; Kate Winslet as the former Mckintosh marketing chief, Joanna Hoffman.

“Jem and the Holograms” (Nationwide, Oct. 23)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

PG, 118 min, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy

Director: Jon M. Chu

Writer: Ryan Landels

Stars: Aubrey Peeples, Stefanie Scott, Aurora Perrineau, Hayley Kiyoko, Ryan Guzman

As a small-town girl catapults from underground video sensation to global superstar, she and her three sisters begin a one-in-a-million journey of discovering that some talents are too special to keep hidden. In “Jem and the Holograms,” four aspiring musicians will take the world by storm when they see that the key to creating your own destiny lies in finding your own voice. – Universal Pictures

“Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension” (Nationwide, Oct. 23)

WATCH the above movie trailer

R, 88 min, Horror

Director: Gregory Plotkin

Writers: Jason Pagan, Andrew Deutschman

Stars: Chris J. Murray, Brit Shaw, Ivy George

The discovery of a video camera leads to strange events in a family’s new home. – Paramount Pictures

“Rock the Kasbah” (Nationwide, Oct. 23)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

R, 100 min, Comedy, Music

Director: Barry Levinson

Writer: Mitch Glazer

Stars: Bill Murray, Leem Lubany, Zooey Deschanel

A has-been rock manager from Van Nuys, California stumbles upon a once-in-a-lifetime voice in a remote Afghan cave in “Rock the Kasbah,” a dramatic comedy inspired by stranger-than-fiction, real-life events and directed by Oscar winner Barry Levinson. Richie Lanz (Bill Murray), dumped and stranded in war-torn Kabul by his last remaining client (Zooey Deschanel), discovers Salima Khan (Leem Lubany), a Pashtun teenager with a beautiful voice and the courageous dream of becoming the first woman to compete on national television in Afghanistan’s version of “American Idol.” Richie partners with a savvy hooker (Kate Hudson), a pair of hard-partying war profiteers (Danny McBride and Scott Caan) and a hair-trigger mercenary (Bruce Willis) and, braving dangerous cultural prejudices, manages his new protegee into becoming the “Afghan Star.” – Open Road Films

“Room” (Limited, Oct. 23; Nationwide, Nov. 6)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

R, 118 min, Drama

Director: Lenny Abrahamson

Writers: Emma Donoghue (novel and screenplay)

Stars: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers

“Room” tells the extraordinary story of Jack, a spirited 5 year-old who is looked after by his loving and devoted Ma. Like any good mother, Ma dedicates herself to keeping Jack happy and safe, nurturing him with warmth and love and doing typical things like playing games and telling stories. However, they are trapped in a windowless, 10-by-10-foot space, which Ma has euphemistically named “Room.” As Jack’s curiosity about their situation grows, and Ma’s resilience reaches its breaking point, they enact a risky plan to escape, ultimately bringing them face-to-face with what may turn out to be the scariest thing yet: the real world. – A24

“Suffragette” (Limited, Oct. 23; Nationwide, Nov. 20)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

PG-13, 106 min, Drama, History

Director: Sarah Gavron

Writer: Abi Morgan

Stars: Carey Mulligan, Anne-Marie Duff, Helena Bonham, Meryl Streep

A drama that tracks the story of the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal State. These women were not primarily from the genteel educated classes, they were working women who had seen peaceful protest achieve nothing. Radicalized and turning to violence as the only route to change, they were willing to lose everything in their fight for equality - their jobs, their homes, their children and their lives. Maud was one such foot soldier. The story of her fight for dignity is as gripping and visceral as any thriller, it is also heart-breaking and inspirational. – Focus Features

“The Last Witch Hunter” (Nationwide, Oct. 23)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

PG-13, 106 min, Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Director: Breck Eisner

Writers: Cory Goodman, Matt Sazama

Stars: Vin Diesel, Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood

The modern world holds many secrets, but the most astounding secret of all is that witches still live amongst us; vicious supernatural creatures intent on unleashing the Black Death upon the world. Armies of witch hunters battled the unnatural enemy across the globe for centuries, including Kaulder, a valiant warrior who managed to slay the all-powerful Queen Witch, decimating her followers in the process. In the moments right before her death, the Queen curses Kaulder with her own immortality, forever separating him from his beloved wife and daughter in the afterlife. Today Kaulder is the only one of his kind remaining, and has spent centuries hunting down rogue witches, all the while yearning for his long-lost loved ones. However, unbeknownst to Kaulder, the Queen Witch is resurrected and seeks revenge on her killer causing an epic battle that will determine the survival of the human race. – Summit

“Truth” (Limited, Oct. 23; Expanding Oct. 30)

Watch the above movie trailer.

R, 121 min, Biography, Drama

Director: James Vanderbilt

Writers: James Vanderbilt (screenplay), Mary Mapes (book)

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford, Dennis Quaid

On the morning of September 9, 2004, veteran CBS News producer Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchett) believed she had every reason to feel proud of a broadcast journalism job well done. By the end of the day, Mapes, CBS News, and the venerable CBS News anchor Dan Rather (Robert Redford) would be under harsh scrutiny. – Sony Pictures Classics

RELATED

VIDEO REVIEW: Is the iNigma of “Steve Jobs” Worthy of an Oscar Nomination?

• Michael Fassbender portrays the famous Apple co-founder in the impressionistic “Steve Jobs.”

Coming to Theaters Near You: “Freeheld,” “Bridge Of Spies,” “Steve Jobs,” and More

• Your guide to movies with a theatrical release on Oct. 16, 2015