Weekend Movie Preview: 'Tusk,' 'This Is Where I Leave You' Hit Theaters Sept. 19

This weekend promises thrills, chills and laughs as some big names grace the big screen. Among the highlights of this mid-September movie weekend are a military thriller, a comedic horror movie from “Clerks” director Kevin Smith, and a much-anticipated ensemble dramedy.

“Tusk,” Kevin Smith, Director

Wallace Bryton, played by a mustachioed Justin Long, goes missing when he ventures to Manitoba backwoods to interview mysterious seafarer Howard Howe for his podcast. His best friend Teddy and girlfriend Allison then go searching for him in this thriller, peppered with dark humor, which was well-received at the Toronto Film Festival. “I don’t want to die in Canada!” Bryton cries out in a phone call to his friends while trapped at Howe's. Also starring Michael Parks, Haley Joel Osment and Genesis Rodriguez.

“This Is Where I Leave You,” Shawn Levy, Director

In the comedy "This Is Where I Leave You," starring Tina Fey and Jason Bateman and based on Jonathan Tropper's well-received novel, four adult siblings comply with their dying father's wish to return to their childhood home and live under the same roof for a week upon his death. Hijinx, naturally, ensue. Todd McCarthy of the Hollywood Reporter calls it "a naughty comedy for the masses," and although the New York Daily News calls the film "formulaic," it's praised for its "appealing cast members." Also starring Jane Fonda, Rose Byrne, Connie Britton and Adam Driver (of "Girls" fame).

“The Guest,” Adam Wingard, Director

"Downton Abbey" star Dan Stevens leads this stalker thriller about a soldier who travels to see the Peterson family, claiming to be a friend of their son Caleb, who died in action. After Stevens ingratiates himself into their home, bodies start dropping. With Sheila Kelley and Maika Monroe.

“The Maze Runner,” Wes Ball, Director

In "The Maze Runner," based on the popular young-adult dystopian novel by James Dashner, a group of teenage boys wake up in a giant maze with no memory of their lives before. They must join forces with fellow “runners” if they want to escape. Starring Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Will Pulter and Thomas Brodie-Sangster.

“A Walk Among the Tombstones,” Scott Frank, Director

Matt Scudder (Liam Neeson) is an ex-NYPD cop now working as a private investigator in this revenge thriller, based on a novel by Lawrence Block. Hired by a drug kingpin (Dan Stevens) to find the men who kidnapped and killed his wife, he must track them down before they kill again. Variety's Andrew Barker calls the film "too formally well-crafted to be dismissed, but too straightforward and uncurious to be particularly exciting or insightful," while Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times calls it a "stylish and smart thriller."