Image via Complex
Fall's here, which means that Hollywood is set to release the cream of the crop, not just on the money side (the holiday season is very competitive for your dollars) but on the AWARDS SZN side. This is when studios drop what they feel are some of their strongest Oscar contenders; this is far from a game.
That said, there's a large volume of cinema dropping this fall. From DC taking a huge risk with one of their greatest supervillains to Brad Pitt in space to a film-length return to the Breaking Bad universe to two stars going batty in their respective lighthouses. There's truly something for everyone, which might make your movie night decisions much more complicated.
Never fear; that's why we're here. Check out our selections for the most anticipated films hitting theaters this fall.
'Ad Astra'
Director: James Gray
Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland
Studio: 20th Century Fox / Regency Enterprises / Plan B Entertainment
Release date: September 20, 2019
You had us at “Brad Pitt mostly alone in space.” Sent on a mission to figure out what happened to his father (played by Tommy Lee Jones), Major Roy McBride (Pitt) is out to brood in the galaxy, with visuals that, in IMAX, will feel like you’ve entered the most lit planetarium feature ever.
'Rambo: Last Blood'
Director: Adrian Grunberg
Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Adriana Barraza, Paz Vega, Yvette Monreal, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Oscar Jaenada, Joaquín Cosío
Studio: Lionsgate Films / Millennium Films
Release date: September 20, 2019
Looking to follow the success of Rocky’s revival in the Creed series, Sylvester Stallone turns his attention to his next best-known role with Rambo: Last Blood. While Stallone isn’t relinquishing the lead like he did to Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Johnson Creed, he does promise to add the same fresh layer of emotional and psychological depth that allowed the once one-dimensional Ivan Drago to steal the show. With the similarities between hardman Drago and Rambo abound, it will be interesting to see if Stallone can make an entire movie out of the deconstruction of another classic killing machine and keep the winning streak going.
'Between Two Ferns: The Movie'
Director: Scott Aukerman
Stars: Zach Galifianakis, Lauren Lapkus, Ryan Gaul, Jivani Linayo
Studio: Netflix
Release date: September 20, 2019
Netflix brings Zach Galifianakis’ popular Funny or Die interview series Between Two Ferns to the streamer, with a feature-length film that plays off the quirky insanity of the web series, with Galifianakis and company playing wild parodies of their personas. With a cast that features everyone from Awkwafina to Gal Gadot playing themselves, this film is sure to have something for everyone...if they’re trying to laugh, at least.
'The Laundromat'
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Stars: Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas, Jeffrey Wright, Robert Patrick, David Schwimmer, Sharon Stone
Studio: Netflix
Release date: September 27, 2019 (in theaters) / October 18, 2019 (on Netflix)
Steven Soderbergh returns to Netflix after the critically-acclaimed High Flying Bird with a film starring Meryl Streep? Sign us the fuck up. Streep’s character Ellen Martin has a vacation from hell experience, falling into a scheme from the likes of Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas. You might want to read up on the Panama Papers before diving into this one.
'Joker'
Director: Todd Phillips
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy
Studio: Warner Bros. / DC Films / Village Roadshow Pictures / Bron Creative
Release date: October 4, 2019
One of 2019’s most talked-about films is based on a comic book, but this ain’t no MCU/DCEU insanity. From director Todd Phillips comes an off-kilter origin-y story for Batman’s main arch-nemesis, played by the magnificent Joaquin Phoenix. The oft-polarizing reviews out of TIFF and other festivals the film has screened big up Phoenix’s descent into madness, and say the film evokes the old New York/Taxi Driver vibes. It’ll be a wild ride, no matter how things shake out.
'Dolemite Is My Name'
Director: Craig Brewer
Stars: Eddie Murphy, Wesley Snipes, Chris Rock, Craig Robinson, Keegan-Michael Key, Titus Burgess, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Mike Epps, Ron Cephas Jones
Studio: Netflix
Release date: October 4, 2019 (in theaters) / October 25, 2019 (on Netflix)
Netflix is really taking some dope risks, especially when it comes to black entertainment. Rudy Ray Moore, the influential artist who many of your favorites sight as an influence, finally getting a biopic with Eddie Murphy starring as Moore? This is one of those that should be a comedic treat for those who aren’t up on Murphy’s chops (or Moore’s history). Bonus points for Wesley Snipes also being cast. The proper definition of Black Excellence.
'El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'
Director: Vince Gilligan
Stars: Aaron Paul
Studio: Netflix
Release date: October 11, 2019
Everyone has been wondering (hoping? praying?) for a proper return to the Breaking Bad universe (although we’d also hope and pray these folks were consuming the brilliant prequel series Better Call Saul), and out of nowhere, Netflix announced that the highly anticipated film, now titled El Camino, was coming soon. While plot points are scarce, it does seem to follow what happened to Jesse (Aaron Paul) after the events of the finale. Hopefully, he’s found some place safe...or at least been able to have some good moments.
'Gemini Man'
Director: Ang Lee
Stars: Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong
Studio: Paramount Pictures / Skydance Media / Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Release date: October 11, 2019
After Will Smith genie’d it up in Disney’s live-action Aladdin remake, his next trick is to battle...himself. Cinema master Ang Lee is back with Gemini Man, a tale in which the 50-ish retiring Henry (Smith) is being pursued by a 20-ish clone of himself, named Junior (also Smith). Instead of just de-aging Smith via CGI, Lee basically created a full CGI character, bringing a real sense of art to what could be seen as another big action film. With Smith’s history in the mainstream, it’s an awesome way to look back at the Will we grew up with battling the Will we know today.
'Zombieland: Double Tap'
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Rosario Dawson, Zoey Deutch, Luke Wilson
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Release date: October 18, 2019
Zombieland was an early boon for Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who later helped bring Deadpool to the big screen (and subsequently murder the box office). Ten years after its success, we’re given a sequel that promises to build on the zombie-killing mayhem and hilarity that the first delivered, full cast intact. Dope flick for Halloweentime.
'The Lighthouse'
Director: Robert Eggers
Stars: Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson
Studio: A24
Release date: October 18, 2019
Never in a 100 years did we think we’d be here for a black-and-white horror flick starring Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson as two lighthousekeepers slowly going insane. Thing is, A24 has a stellar track record, so if they are into it, we’re here for it. Might not be for the easily scared, though.
'Doctor Sleep'
Director: Mike Flanagan
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Carl Lumbly, Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind, Bruce Greenwood, Jocelin Donahue, Alex Essoe, Cliff Curtis
Studio: Warner Bros. / Intrepid Pictures
Release date: October 30, 2019
Our guy Stephen King has already had one adaptation go out sad this fall movie season, but we're *cautiously* optimistic that the next inspiration from the Maine horror maestro will do the trick. A sequel to The Shining is near the top of the Why Would You Ever Even Attempt This reboot/revival folder, and yet, with Mike Flanagan behind the boards this project inspires more curiosity than it does apprehension. Flanagan’s Haunting of Hill House for Netflix was one of last year’s most pleasant surprises; he’s slowly but surely becoming something of a horror maestro himself. With Ewan McGregor as a grown-up Danny Torrance, called upon to protect a precocious, powerful girl from forces of darkness, Flanagan may be more suited than most to do justice to a tale of generational family scars heightened by the supernatural.
'The Irishman'
Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci
Studio: Netflix
Release date: November 1, 2019 (in theaters) / November 27, 2019 (on Netflix)
Scorsese back with a Netflix bag, bringing Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci into the same flick? That sentence has had fans of the iconic filmmaker’s next project hype for the last few years. The Irishman about Frank Sheeran, a hitman for the mob who is reflecting on his life of crime, including the role he played in the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. Scorsese reportedly spent a good amount of money on de-aging technology for this flick; there’s no telling how he was able to utilize the tech for his latest vision.
'Terminator: Dark Fate'
Director: Tim Miller
Stars: Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, Diego Boneta, Edward Furlong
Studio: Paramount Pictures / Skydance Media / 20th Century Fox / Tencent Pictures
Release date: November 1, 2019
There is absolutely no reason to believe that this Terminator sequel, after a string of truly abominable ones across the last sixteen years (OK, Rise of the Machines isn’t awful but it’s hardly great) will be the exception. But it has two of our favorite trends right now going for it. The first: originators returning to a wayward franchise to right the ship. James Cameron isn’t directing this, unfortunately—he’s still dicking around making seven more Blue Pocahontas movies—but he is producing and guiding it, which is more involvement than the series has seen from him this century. And, Dark Fate—which boasts the return of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor—is employing the Donald Draper Franchise Revival Strategy of forgetting all the trash in between it and the last great movie (in this case, T2) ever happened. Still, the trailer didn’t exactly erase all of my fears either. This one’s a toss-up but it if it’s bad, for the love of God just dead the series then.
'Harriet'
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn, Janelle Monáe
Studio: Focus Features
Release date: November 1, 2019
Cynthia Erivo, who made fans of us for her performances in two of 2018’s most talked-about films: Widows and Bad Times at the El Royale. Those, plus her time spent on the stage in A Color Purple has Erivo on the fast track to Hollywood stardom, but her biggest challenge has to be bringing the story of Harriet Tubman to the screen. Wielding firearms and helping slaves escape to freedom, Erivo is a talented choice for this important feature. Lemmons, who brought us the classic Eve’s Bayou, is at the helm of what could be what feels like the largest moment in her career as a filmmaker.
'Marriage Story'
Director: Noah Baumbach
Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta
Studio: Netflix
Release date: November 6, 2019 (in theaters) / December 6, 2019 (on Netflix)
Noah Baumbach directs Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as a married couple going through a messy separation and divorce. Not the most welcoming description of a film, but there’s a feeling that their performances will have people talking for months, breaking down the issues each bring to the relationship.
'Honey Boy'
Director: Alma Har'el
Stars: Lucas Hedges, Shia LaBeouf, Noah Jupe, FKA Twigs, Natasha Lyonne, Maika Monroe, Martin Starr
Studio: Amazon Studios
Release date: November 8, 2019
Honey Boy could’ve been a self-indulgent mess. The script is essentially an autobiography from Shia LaBeouf, concerning his tense upbringing with his father while coming of age as a teenager on the set of Even Stevens—and the ways in which the psychic scars from that period laid the path for his troubled adulthood. To make matters even more uncomfortably personal, Shia is playing his own dad, a charming, insecure, committed, abusive man who can oscillate from levity to violence in a seamless split second. (Noah Jupe and the ever-ubiquitous Lucas Hedges play Shia, respectively.) Under the careful eye of director Alma Har’el, the film—which is more of a two-act, two-set play than it is a decades-spanning biopic—really works. It’s a therapy session, sure, but a palpable, relatable one. It’s a look into the dark history of one of our generations most gifted, tormented performers—and hopefully a balm for his family to put their collective demons at bay. In the end, the healing is transcendent.
'Charlie's Angels'
Director: Elizabeth Banks
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, Ella Balinska, Elizabeth Banks, Sam Claflin, Noah Centineo, Jonathan Tucker, Djimon Hounsou, Patrick Stewart
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Release date: November 15, 2019
The Charlie’s Angels films of the early 2000s are, to be quite frank, classics. Goofy, totally inconsequential, at times even bizarre (hello, Crispin Glover) time capsules of the aughts? Sure. But fun, incredibly charming, with three of that era’s top talents firing all cylinders on the A-List offensive, and for what it’s worth, some genuinely entertaining action sequences. Charlie’s Angels is a property that’s begging to be rebooted in today’s IP-thirst climate—it’s a premise that makes itself suitable for endless reboots, even—and yet we really don’t know if they can recapture and update the same magic that auteur McG bottled almost 20 years later. The cast is strong, and Elizabeth Banks seems committed. We'd love for this to be great and not reminiscent of a failed ABC pilot from the turn of the decade, be it the actual Charlie’s Angels brick in 2011 or anything else that tried to replicate the sexy badass women kick ass and take names premise without the brand name. What’s the key factor that makes it work sometimes while it sinks others? It’s hard to say, but the aughts movies weren’t just flashy and “fun”... there was real quirk at work, like bad guy Sam Rockwell dancing to Pharoahe Monche, or Justin Theroux in a ridiculous Irish accent. Or, Crispin Glover. Let’s see how interesting Elizabeth Banks can get with it.
'Ford v Ferrari'
Director: James Mangold
Stars: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal, Caitriona Balfe, Tracy Letts, Josh Lucas, Noah Jupe, Remo Girone, Ray McKinnon
Studio: 20th Century Fox / Chernin Entertainment
Release date: November 15, 2019
Fast cars and movie stars put butts in seats. If that’s not enough to get you to go and see Ford v Ferrari, then look no further than its two phenomenal trailers. Coming in at just under five minutes, the story of how Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles produced a car for Ford to steal the trophy at the 1966 Le Mans away from the seemingly invincible Ferrari in a legendary showdown, packs more character development, snapping dialogue, and breakneck action than most films manage in their full 120 minute runs. Honestly, if the Oscar’s created a category for trailers alone, it wouldn’t even be a competition.
'A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood'
Director: Marielle Heller
Stars: Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Cooper
Studio: TriStar Pictures / Tencent Pictures
Release date: November 22, 2019
If 2018’s documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor left you wanting more Mr. Rogers in your life, you’re in luck. A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood enlists the perpetually family-friendly Tom Hanks to don the characteristic cardigan as he inhabits the role of the children’s show host. Looking to shed further light on not only the actions but also the motivations of one of television’s most genuine personalities, it’ll be interesting to see the differences between the documentary and the portrayal. One thing’s for sure though, if the movie is half as much fun as Hanks appears to be having acting in it, it’ll be well worth the admission.
'Knives Out'
Director: Rian Johnson
Stars: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, Christopher Plummer
Studio: Lionsgate
Release date: November 27, 2019
One symptom of the franchise program slowly eclipsing the film industry is the way in which talented, would-be auteurs get swallowed up into the studio ecosystem and lending their talents to revitalizing the same stories we’ve already seen. But, the most ambitious of the new jacks are instead treating it like a Masters Degree: direct a franchise to box office success, graduate, and use that credit and clout to forge forward creating originals studios feel safe risking budget on because there’s a “name” attached. It’s what we’ve seen Nolan do post-Batman, and now the great Rian Johnson (Looper, your favorite episodes of Breaking Bad) is aiming to do the same post-Star Wars. Knives Out seems like it’s Clue with a bunch of A-listers, but the fun each and every one of them had is palpable from the trailer and the early reports from TIFF is the rest of the movie keeps that momentum going and the audience guessing. A fun ride, not based on anything or starring any characters from a universe? More of this, please.
'Queen & Slim'
Director: Melina Matsoukas
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Chloë Sevigny, Flea, Bokeem Woodbine, Indya Moore
Studio: Universal Pictures
Release date: November 27, 2019
Director Melina Matsoukas and writer Lena Waithe really picked a bold story for their first feature-length film. Examining the topic of the relationship between the police and African Americans, we are taken on a journey with two people who, after a boring date, end up getting into an altercation during a traffic stop that ends with a police officer dead. Their cross-country trip and the people they encounter are the meat of this tale, which looks as beautiful as anything Melina has worked on over the years, showing her as a director who should be in-demand today.
'The Two Popes'
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce
Studio: Netflix
Release date: November 27, 2019 (in theaters) / December 20, 2019 (on Netflix)
One of 2019’s surprises could be Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce starring as two popes in Netflix’s The Two Popes. There’s a lot of talk around this film, which is a comedy that examines the relationship between Pope Benedict XVI and the future Pope Francis. Might not be your cup of tea, but feels like something that might be good to have seen once AWARDS SZN rings around.
'Jumanji: The Next Level'
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Awkwafina, Ser'Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, Morgan Turner, Alex Wolff, Danny Glover, Danny DeVito
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Release date: December 13, 2019
Bringing The Rock and Kevin Hart in to revamp the Jumanji franchise was a rousing success, to the tune of $962 million made at the box office. The whole squad returns for another journey, this time bringing everyone from Awkwafina to Danny DeVito along for the ride. Don’t sleep; this could be a solid competitor for the holiday season box office battle.
'Black Christmas'
Director: Sophia Takal
Stars: Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Brittany O'Grady, Lily Donoghue, Caleb Eberhardt, Cary Elwes
Studio: Universal Pictures / Blumhouse Productions
Release date: December 13, 2019
The cult-favorite Black Christmas gets a 2019 remix from Blumhouse. With technology being so advanced from the ‘70s, the story of a stalker calling you from inside the house could fly, so the company who’s raked in the dough baking some of your biggest horror films to hit the theaters switched the narrative up a bit. It might not be for those who loved the original, but it is a horrific holiday season fright-fest.
'Uncut Gems'
Director: The Safdie brothers
Stars: Adam Sandler, Lakeith Stanfield, Idina Menzel, Judd Hirsch, Eric Bogosian
Studio: A24
Release date: December 13, 2019
We love when an A-lister who has long sold out, or uh, more generously, “stopped challenging themselves” suddenly gets dragged back into the game by an exciting creator. In this case, we have Adam Sandler, making his first non-brain cell killing Netflix “comedy” in years, and the Safdie Brothers, the junior NYC-grit auteurs who last gave us the deliciously seedy Good Time. And that’s really all we need to know. Sandler’s character looks like a sleazeball, and the plot concerns the diamond district and we think Kevin Garnett? We don’t even need to see a trailer; this looks best served cold.
'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'
Director: J. J. Abrams
Stars: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, Carrie Fisher, Ian McDiarmid
Studio: Lucasfilm / Bad Robot
Release date: December 20, 2019
It’s a mark to how badly the creative team behind the Rey-era Star Wars films fumbled the bag that the messaging behind Rise of Skywalker—you know, the idea that this is closing out a nine-film saga—barely lands. We liked Last Jedi more than a core quotient of the incel internet (and some other, non-maladjusted people who just found it stupid) but we can’t defend it that much. Same goes for Force Awakens from our guy JJ, which was essentially just New Hope fanfic. Maybe a marathon is all that's needed to get in the LucasFilm Christmas spirit, but either way this will be interesting nonetheless, if for no other reason than to clock just how much of Rian’s mythology throat-clearing in Last Jedi JJ will “course-correct.” We don’t care who Rey’s parents are, we just want a reason to actually care about these people for once.