Depression-era bootlegging draws the attention of director John Hillcoat and musician/screenwriter Nick Cave, who last worked together of The Proposition.  

Jake Schreier’s feature debut, scripted by comic writer-actor Christopher D. Ford jumps a step into the future where Frank (Frank Langella), an aging jewel thief, is forced to accept a robot caretaker (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) from his son (James Marsden), but before long Frank and the robot are planning a heist together.  

At the very least, audiences should thank their lucky stars that this latest supernatural thriller from Danish director Ole Bornedal contains no paranormal “found footage,” which makes this tale about a young girl (Natasha Calis) who picks up an heirloom at a yard sale somehow linked to devious spirits an old school fright fest.  

Unlike the action junkies chopping up the battles to pile on more frames helter-skelter, Tony Scott would actually slow the moments down, to let us see the beauty of stillness before the clash. He gave us a chance to breathe and steady ourselves.  

As summer winds down, students head back to school, football fans flex their tailgating muscles, fashionistas break out new wardrobes and TV people prepare for the return of fall favorites. Here’s a peek at what’s to come this season.  

Can you really trust a horror film with a PG-13 rating? Here’s another spook story — this time a college experiment goes awry, unleashing a dangerous spirit — that we’re supposed to believe can scare us to death without truly going dark and gruesome.  

A former getaway driver (screenwriter and co-director Dax Shepard) in witness protection has to high tail it on his own, with his girlfriend (Kristen Bell) in tow, once his old gang (led by a dreadlocked Bradley Cooper) comes a-knocking, seeking a secret stash of money from their last heist.  

Writer David Koepp steps behind the camera to capture the visceral thrills and adventures of an NYC bike messenger (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) assigned to deliver a package that a certain cop (Michael Shannon) doesn’t want to see make it to its destination in time.  

Sometimes a story taps into a primal human desire, a need so intrinsic that it makes belief come to life. Screenwriter (and director) Peter Hedges, working from a story conceived by Frank Zappa’s son, Ahmet, dares to make audiences hope and believe in something so real with The Odd Life of Timothy Green.  

When IFC took on Bullet in the Face (10 p.m. Thursday and Friday), the network embraced the campy side of action favorites to present an explosive, comedic television event.  

Round two of the 1980s action hero retirement road show features full-on supporting roles for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis, but Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham are still the least expendable players in the game.  

Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee) really sees dead people and they happen to be his only friends in the world. The pre-teen years sure can be a drag, but when a return of the living dead threatens to take over an entire community, it’s up to Norman and a ragtag crew of friends and family to set things straight.  

Lauren Greenfield’s documentary tracks the construction of the biggest private residence in America, billionaire David Siegel’s 90,000-square-foot behemoth inspired by the Palace of Versailles. The Queen of Versailles is an intimate, often engrossing tale that just happens to be an apt metaphor for a worldwide realignment.  

American Idol winner Jordin Sparks toplines this remake about three sisters who form a girl group back in the 1960s that sets them on the road to fame and fortune, but threatens to tear them apart.  

For Ruby Sparks, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine) tag team with first-time screenwriter and co-star Zoe Kazan to tell the incredible story of Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano), a young author who finds himself struggling to complete the follow-up to the debut novel that made him one of the brightest literary stars of the late 20th century.