It’s the (second) most wonderful time of the year – Fall Movie Season! Each year, I’m not entirely sure the season will deliver until I do some digging and drum up a whole host of films I want to see every weekend through the end of the year. 2015 is proving to be no exception, starting with October.
October 2
The Martian – I almost caught this one at TIFF, but couldn’t get it into my schedule so it’s top of the list for Fall’s big releases. Ridley Scott returns to form in a film I’ve read described as “a love song to science.” Though the ads have me singing a Les Miserables ballad each time I see them, I’m way more pumped about this flick than the musical’s hackjob of an adaptation a few years ago. Watch the trailer
He Named Me Malala – I actually did sneak time to see this one at TIFF, so great is my admiration for this young woman. Though the film isn’t perfect – docs are a hard artform to construct well – it is a lovely portrait of an advocate who refuses to be a victim and will change the world (more than she has already). Watch the trailer
Sicario – The title is the slang term for a hitman, a word I only learned when I recently binged all of Netflix’s new series Narcos (for which Wagner Moura should win an Emmy). Emily Blunt goes action in this crime thriller about an FBI agent enlisted in taking out a drug lord. Watch the trailer
October 9
The Walk – A narrative adaptation of a real-life event, Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Philippe Petit, the guy who walked a tight-wire rope between the Twin Towers. It’s films like this that are the reason IMAX theaters exist: sweeping spectacles with eye-popping perspectives and (forgive the pun) tension. Watch the trailer
Pan – The good news is this is the latest film from one of my favorite working directors, Joe Wright. The bad news is, Mr. Wright’s been on a less-than-hot streak lately and Pan appears to be no exceptions, “the Peter Pan origin story no one ever asked for.” I’ll still see it for the style if not the story. Watch the trailer
October 16
Truth – The ever-impressive Cate Blanchett turns in two awards-worthy performances this season, the first being in this biopic of journalism heavyweight Dan Rather (played by Robert Redford). The TIFF buzz was strong on this one, so I’m looking forward to a dramatic couple hours in the theater with this one. Watch the trailer
Room – When awards buzz is already swirling about a film’s 8-year-old co-star, you know you’re in for something special. The story about a woman and her child held captive and making their escape, word is it’s an entirely original, gripping story impeccably executed. Sign me up. Watch the trailer
Bridge of Spies – Tom Hanks. Steven Spielberg. The Coen Brothers. The CIA and the Cold War. Watch the trailer
Crimson Peak – Haven’t Tom Hiddleston and Mia Wasikowska already done a movie together? No? Because it’s basically a casting dream, those gorgeous faces. Guillermo del Toro works his creepy magic with a cast that includes Jessica Chastain and Charlie Hunnam, too. Watch the trailer
Beasts of No Nation – While I’m not going to check this one out in theaters, Netflix is clearly taking their production game to the next level with this big-budget feature about child soldiers in Africa. Watch the trailer
October 23
Steve Jobs – There have been a few attempts at telling the story of Steve Jobs since his untimely passing, including a joke of a portrayal by Ashton Kutcher. This time around, Aaron Sorkin, Danny Boyle and Michael Fassbender take on the icon, so it’s gotta be good. Right? Watch the trailer
Jem and the Holograms – Ok, let’s be honest: I have no real interest in seeing this movie. Except that when I was like five or six I had a Jem birthday party and I still remember the cake and how great the whole thing was. How one can make a Jem movie without the earrings is beyond me, but I’m willing to give it a look. Watch the trailer
Rock the Kasbah – Bill Murray can pretty much do no wrong, am I right? His latest looks completely absurd, but also fun and silly and, you know, why not? Watch the trailer
Suffragette – I really, really, really want this one to be good. A well-done, female-driven historical drama is not exactly box office catnip – if a cast including Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter can’t make magic happen, what can? Watch the trailer
October 30
Our Brand is Crisis – The story everyone’s heard on this one is how the lead role was supposed to be for George Clooney, and how Sandra Bullock, who ended up in the role instead, knocks the thing out of the park. Originally a documentary, the film follows a hard-edged political operative who finds herself running the campaign of a South American candidate. Watch the trailer
I’ve purposefully omitted Freeheld (horrible reviews) and Burnt (Bradley Cooper? Ugh.). I didn’t say this was a comprehensive preview, just one of the films I’m interested in seeing.
