The 50 Most Anticipated Films Of The Fall Season

“The Girl On The Train”
Director: Tate Taylor (“The Help”)
Cast: Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Haley Bennett
Synopsis: An alcoholic woman becomes fixated on a young women, only to become a prime suspect when she is murdered.
What You Need To Know: There’s no point making mid-budget movies, they say. No one goes to see thrillers for grown-ups, they continue. To which we say: “Gone Girl.” David Fincher’s adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s best-seller is one of the darkest and most uncompromising mainstream movies of recent years, and still proved a giant hit, taking nearly $400 million worldwide, and just as “The Girl On The Train” followed Flynn’s literary success, a movie adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ novel hopes to cash in on the success of the earlier movie. Director Tate Taylor might not have the A-list cred of a Fincher, but anyone who saw his “Get On Up” knows he’s a talented guy, and he’s assembled a killer cast here, not least the plum starring role that Emily Blunt’s long deserved, one that should finally get her some awards attention. Trailers make this look like an artful throwback to the heyday of the 90s thriller, and should fill a hole that the studios rarely even attempt to deal with.
Release Date: Oct 7th

“Voyage Of Time”
Director: Terrence Malick (“The Thin Red Line”)
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt
Synopsis: Documentary tracing the universe from its birth to its eventual death.
What You Need To Know: Even by the standards of the… unhurried Terrence Malick, “Voyage Of Time” has a long gestation period, beginning as a project called “Q” in the 1970s that investigated the origins of life on earth. That film mutated into both “Tree Of Life” and this, Malick’s first documentary, which has been actively ticking along since the late 2000s at least. Set to be released in two very different versions — a short IMAX one narrated by Brad Pitt, and a feature-length one with Cate Blanchett’s voice that will premiere at Venice — it’s essentially Malick’s take on the epic nature documentary, mixed with the dawn of time segment of “Tree Of Life,” and should be a visual stunner like nothing else that comes this year (and potentially an audio pleasure too: it marks the first reteam of Ennio Morricone and Malick since “Days Of Heaven”). Even some Malick die-hards were frustrated by “Knight Of Cups,” but this should satisfy fans much more, all being well.
Release Date: Oct 7th

“The 13th”
Director: Ava DuVernay (“Selma”)
Synopsis: Documentary tracking the mass incarceration of African-Americans.
What You Need To Know: After breaking out to the mainstream in a huge way with the extraordinary “Selma,” Ava DuVernay became one of the hottest directors around, and will soon start filming on her big-budget adaptation of “A Wrinkle In Time.” But that’s not technically her follow-up to “Selma” — this is, a documentary that the director has been quietly working away on, and was announced as the surprise opener to this year’s New York Film Festival, the first ever non-fiction film to do so. With contributions from everyone from Angela Davis to Newt Gingrich, this promises to tackle an utterly vital issue, going, as the press release puts it, from “The Birth Of A Nation” to “Black Lives Matter,” and we’re excited to see DuVernay move her considerable skills back into the non-fiction arena, especially with subject matter like this.
Release Date: Oct 7th, when it’ll both hit theaters and premiere on Netflix.

“The Accountant”
Director: Gavin O’Connor (“Warrior”)
Cast: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Cynthai Addai-Robinson
Synopsis: An autistic accountant who helps launder money for some of the world’s most dangerous people takes on a new case that might be his most dangerous yet, inside a robotics company.
What You Need To Know: The Ben Affleck comeback seems pretty bulletproof at this point: even the worst superhero movie of the year and that film where he tried to feed Justin Timberlake to alligators don’t appear to have harmed the star’s credibility. So we assume the incredibly dumb premise of his latest thriller, “The Accountant,” won’t bring him down either, particularly with his latest directorial effort “Live By Night” hitting in January. The autistic accountant/assassin idea never fails to make us laugh, and Affleck seems a bit miscast on the surface, but this attracted a pretty impressive cast, and we’ve heard some good buzz on it. It’s the kind of film that we’d like to see more of, so hopefully Gavin O’Connor (who came a bit of a cropper with “Jane Got A Gun” earlier in the year, but was hardly entirely responsible for that one) has made this more than just a silly-sounding logline.
Release Date: Oct 7th

“The Handmaiden”
Director: Park Chan-Wook (“Oldboy”)
Cast: Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Kim Tae-ri, Cho Jin-woong, Moon So-ri
Synopsis: A con man hires a young pickpocket to become the maid of a wealthy heiress, only for the thief and the aristocrat to fall in love.
What You Need To Know: While he always retains a certain Park-ish quality to his work, it’s always hard to predict what Park Chan-Wook is going to do next: he’s gone from demented revenge actioner with a side of Greek tragedy, to quirky sci-fi, to Hitchcockian melodrama. His latest is another curve, while still feeling a like a good fit: an adaptation of Sarah Waters’ Victorian erotic lesbian literary potboiler “Fingersmith,” with the setting moved to Japanese-occupied Korea. And as our Cannes review revealed, while there are a few “missed opportunities,” it’s mostly a triumph, with a “visceral filmmaking glee on display throughout,” and the film ultimately proving to be “deliriously fun and terminally silly” (that’s very much a compliment). If you love cinema, you should love Park Chan-Wook, and with his latest in his top tier, it should be high on your list for the season ahead.
Release Date: Oct 21st.

“A Monster Calls”
Director: Juan Antonio Bayona (“The Impossible”)
Cast: Lewis MacDougall, Liam Neeson, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell
Synopsis: A boy attempting to deal with his mother’s terminal illness accidentally summons a tree monster, who says he will tell him three stories.
What You Need To Know: We weren’t really fans of his second feature “The Impossible” due to its impossibly Euro-centric take on the Indian Ocean tsunami, but nevertheless between the filmmaking displayed there and in his breakthrough “The Orphanage,” we’ll always be interested in what Juan Antonio Bayona is up to. And doubly so when it’s as intriguing as “A Monster Calls.” Based on the prize-winning novel by Patrick Ness (who expanded on an idea from his friend, writer Siobhan Dowd, when she was unable to complete it due to terminal cancer), it’s a mix of magic realism and wrenching drama, with Liam Neeson playing a tree monster opposite Oscar nominee Felicity Jones and newcomer Lewis MacDougall, and with a inventive visual approach that’s an extended post-production process. We’ve been hearing good buzz on this one for a while: we’ll see when it premieres at TIFF whether the buzz is accurate (and with Bayona landing the job directing “Jurassic World 2,” we imagine it would be).
Release Date: December 23rd

“American Pastoral”
Director: Ewan McGregor
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Connelly, Dakota Fanning, Uzo Aduba, David Strathairn
Synopsis: A former high-school athlete sees his life fall apart when his daughter falls into political terrorism.
What You Need To Know: From a distance, “American Pastoral” looked like a classic vanity project: an actor making their directorial debut with a book they presumably really love, with themselves in the lead role. Usually that sort of thing isn’t very good, but the closer it gets, this adaptation of Philip Roth’s beloved novel, which marks Ewan McGregor’s first film as director (in fairness, he only stepped up after Phillip Noyce dropped out), looks like it could be the one to buck the trend. As an actor who’s worked with everyone from Danny Boyle to Roman Polanski, McGregor appears to have picked up a trick or two, and the trailer is remarkably visually striking stuff (Anton Corbijn DP Martin Ruhe is the man who shot it), and captures the mood of the book surprisingly well. We’ve heard some good buzz on this for a while, and with “Indignation” and (in a way) “Listen Up Phillip” coming closer than ever to being good Phillip Roth adaptations, we’re open to the idea that this could be one of the most pleasant surprises of the fall.
Release Date: Oct 21st

“Moonlight”
Director: Barry Jenkins (“Medicine For Melancholy”)
Cast: Trevante Rhodes, Naomie Harris, Andre Holland, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monae
Synopsis: In Miami, a young man named Chiron must get through his rough upbringing and his dawning sexuality.
What You Need To Know: A24 have, in only a few short years, built up an impressive reputation as a true home for unconventional, interesting independent film, and have managed to make financial successes out of difficult-seeming movies like “Ex Machina,” “Swiss Army Man,” “The Witch” and “The Lobster.” Given their mostly excellent taste, that “Moonlight” is the first film they’ve actually backed from a script stage, and that they teamed up with Brad Pitt’s Plan B to do so, should put it on your radar even if you’re not familiar with the work of its director Barry Jenkins, whose excellent 2008 debut “Medicine For Melancholy” is terminally underseen. This is an adaptation of a play by Tarell Alvin McCraney, and Jenkins has a killer cast assembled including Naomie Harris and “The Knick” breakout Andre Holland, though at this point, little’s known about it beyond that. But A24 seem confident, with a prime awards season release date. This year’s “Precious,” perhaps?
Release Date: Oct 21st

“Doctor Strange”
Director: Scott Derrickson (“Sinister”)
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen
Synopsis: When surgeon Dr. Stephen Strange loses the use of his hands in an accident, he travels to the East in search for a cure, and becomes a disciple of the mystic arts, becoming the superhero Doctor Strange.
What You Need To Know: After a couple of mild disappointments in a row with “Age Of Ultron” and “Ant-Man,” Marvel bounced back in a big way with “Civil War,” arguably the best film of the dozen or so that they’ve made so far. Can “Doctor Strange” keep it up? The mystical adventure has easily the best cast on paper of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far with Benedict Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg and Amy Landecker among those joining the cast listed above — and some impressive behind-the-scenes collaborators, including Michael Giacchino’s first Marvel score. But while we’ve enjoyed glimpses of footage so far well enough (Ejiofor’s wi-fi line in the most recent trailer is an excellent joke), we’re yet to be convinced that director Scott Derrickson has got a vision for this beyond ‘I got a Christopher Nolan boxset for Christmas.’ Can it find an identity for itself beyond that? We’ll find out in a few months.
Release Date: Nov 4th

“Hacksaw Ridge”
Director: Mel Gibson (“Apocalypto”)
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Hugo Weaving, Sam Worthington, Vince Vaughn, Teresa Palmer
Synopsis: The true story of Desmond T. Doss, the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor after saving the lives of 75 of his comrades in the Battle of Okinawa.
What You Need To Know: Not long after the release of Mel Gibson’s last movie as director, “Apocalypto” ten years ago, the filmmaker’s personal life blew up and consistently overshadowed his work: the actor was arrested for drunk driving, separated from his wife, was accused of domestic violence by a subsequent girlfriend, and said some vile things on leaked audio recordings. Subsequent comeback attempts have faltered, but “Hacksaw Ridge,” which he directed, could be the one to do it. Gibson’s always been a talented director, particularly when it comes to action, and this WW2 drama seems to deliver on both that front and the religious links that saw “Passion Of The Christ” be such a hit. With Venice and TIFF premieres already lined up, it has the potential to break through with critics (if Andrew Garfield’s Forrest Gump-ish accent is more convincing in the film than in the trailer, anyway), but will they, and audiences, be ready to forgive the director?
Release Date: Nov 4th