Fall movie preview

Grace McQuade

BY GRACE MCQUADE

While it’s always sad to see the summer come to an end, fall brings many delights – from scenic foliage and harvest festivals, to holidays around the hearth and, for movie lovers, the prime season of the year when Oscar contenders hit the screen leading up to the much-anticipated film award season that kicks off in January with the Golden Globes.

September has already ushered in box office draws, including an adaptation of the Stephen King horror novel “It,” the Darren Aronofsky thriller “Mother!” starring Academy favorite Jennifer Lawrence, and the big screen showdown between tennis greats Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carrell) in “Battle of the Sexes.”

The first signs of autumn have also brought thrills with the superhero flick, “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” the martial arts spectacular, “The LEGO Ninjago Movie,” and the return of Tom Cruise as a high-flying pilot in “American Made,” as well as chills with Jake Gyllenhaal playing a man who lost both legs in the 2013 Boston marathon in “Stronger,” a revival of the 1990 Kiefer Sutherland cadaver classic “Flatliners,” and a story of a woman besieged with paranoia in “Woodshock.”

There is still much more movie mania in store over the coming months with a lineup of Hollywood heavyweights that includes Harrison Ford, Jeff Bridges, Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Julianne Moore, Kevin Costner, Frances McDormand, Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Idris Elba, Cate Blanchett and Ryan Gosling – all leading up to the big fall film season finale when The Force will be with us once again.

So grab your popcorn and get ready for the following motion pictures heading to theatres soon.

OCTOBER

“Blade Runner 2049”: (Oct. 6; R; sci-fi thriller): The long-awaited sequel to “Blade Runner” brings back Harrison Ford as the missing Rick Deckard and Ryan Gosling as the rookie blade runner in search of him.

“The Mountain Between Us”: (Oct. 6; action/adventure/drama): Kate Winslet and Idris Elba star as plane crash survivors forced to make their way through an icy wilderness to survive.

“The Foreigner”: (Oct. 13; action thriller): Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan lead this thriller about a father grieving after his daughter dies in a terrorist attack.

“Goodbye Christopher Robin”: (Oct. 13; PG; biography/family/history): Domhnall Gleeson and Margot Robbie star in this biopic about A.A. Milne, who created the Winnie the Pooh stories.

“Breathe”: (Oct. 13; PG-13; biography/drama/romance): Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy star in this true story about polio-stricken Robin Cavendish, who remains determined to help the disabled.

“Only the Brave”: (Oct. 20; PG-13; biography/drama): Josh Brolin, Miles Teller and Jeff Bridges play the Granite Mountain Hotshots, real-life firefighters who fought a 2013 Arizona blaze.

“Wonderstruck”: (Oct. 20; PG; drama/family/mystery): Simultaneous stories about a midwest boy and a girl in New York 50 years prior starring Julianne Moore, Oakes Fegley and Michelle Williams.

“The Snowman”: (Oct. 20; crime/drama/horror):  Michael Fassbender plays a detective on the hunt of the Snowman Killer, a serial killer who strikes on the first snowfall of winter.

“Suburb icon”: (Oct. 27; R; crime/drama/mystery): Matt Damon and Julianne Moore star as a couple who get caught up in the dark side of 1950s suburban life.

“Thank You for Your Service”: (Oct.27; R; biography/drama/war): Miles Teller portrays a soldier dealing with PTSD after returning home from the Iraq war.

NOVEMBER

“A Bad Moms Christmas”: (Nov. 3; action/adventure/comedy): Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn are back playing bad moms – this time dealing with the stresses of the holiday season.

“Thor: Ragnarok”: (Nov. 3; action/adventure/fantasy): Chris Hemsworth, Cate Blanchett and Mark Ruffalo lead the cast in this new Marvel adventure as Thor takes on Hulk.

“Roman Israel, Esq.”: (Nov. 10; crime/drama): Denzel Washington stars in this drama as a Los Angeles lawyer who takes on a life-changing case with ethical dilemmas attached.

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”: (Nov. 10; comic drama): Frances McDormand plays a mother who takes bold moves when there are still no suspects in her daughter’s murder.

“Murder on the Orient Express”: (Nov. 10; crime/drama/mystery): Kenneth Branaugh, Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer star in this remake of the Agatha Christie novel about a murder on a lavish train ride.

“Justice League”: (Nov. 17; action/adventure/fantasy): Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot are back as Batman and Wonder Woman as they team up for the first time to battle evil forces.

“Wonder”: (Nov. 17; PG; drama): Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson star in this heartwarming story about a boy with facial differences who attends a mainstream school for the first time.

“Coco”: (Nov. 22; animation/adventure/comedy): Alanna Ubach, Benjamin Bratt and Edward James Olmost lend voices to this animated feature, an extraordinary journey through the Land of the Dead.

“Darkest Hour”: (Nov. 22; biography/drama/history): Gary Oldman stars as Winston Churchill during the early days of World War II.

“Molly’s Game”: (Nov. 22; biography/drama): Jessica Chastain plays an Olympic skier involved in the high-stakes world of poker in this drama that also features Idris Elba and Kevin Costner.

DECEMBER

“Wonder Wheel”: (Dec. 1; PG-13; drama): From writer/director Woody Allen, the story of a middle-aged carousel operator and his wife in 1950s Coney Island with Kate Winslet leading an all-star cast.

“All the Money in the World”: (Dec. 8; crime/mystery/thriller): Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Spacey and Michelle Williams star in this thriller involving the 1973 kidnapping of J. Paul Getty’s grandson in Rome.

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”: (Dec. 15; action/adventure/fantasy): Perhaps the most eagerly-awaited film of the season, this second installment in the Star Wars sequel trilogy stars Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Laura Dern, Mark Hamill and the late Carrie Fisher in her last film role as these interstellar heroes continue the epic journey that began “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.”

With early winter releases including the Will Smith fantasy-crime drama “Bright” (Dec. 22), Alexander Payne’s dramedy “Downsizing” (Dec. 22) with Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig, an untitled Paul Thomas Anderson film starring Daniel Day Lewis in what may be his final film, and the Christmas day release of “The Greatest Showman,” a musical drama inspired by the life of P.T. Barnam that stars Hugh Jackman, the rest of this year’s films should keep movie fans enthralled through the start of red carpet season and ending with the final statues presented at the 90th Academy Awards in 2018.

Share this Article