“Gemini Man”
Cast: Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Benedict Wong, Clive Owen
Synopsis: Henry Brogan is an elite assassin who becomes the target of a mysterious operative who can seemingly predict his every move. To his horror, he soon learns that the man who’s trying to kill him is a younger, faster, cloned version of himself.
What You Need to Know: No Ang Lee fan enjoys the moment where the director’s larger than life visions don’t pan out the way he imagined. Alas, it would seem with “Gemini Man” and his last film “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” he’s two for two in terms of emphasizing style over substance, perhaps. Starring Will Smith in what, ideally, would have been a role to again revitalize his career and remind people that he isn’t just a charismatic performer on and off screen but also an immensely talented actor, this two-hander has the potential to not quite fall perfectly into place. If this film doesn’t work, maybe it’s time for Lee to step away from technological extravagance and lean more personal and intimate again – not all of them can match the surprising success of “Life Of Pi.”
Release Date: October 11
“The Lighthouse”
Cast: Willem Defoe, Robert Pattinson
Synopsis: A hypnotic and hallucinatory tale of two lighthouse keepers on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.
What You Need to Know: How to describe as hypnotically beguiling as “The Lighthouse?” The second film from “The Witch” filmmaker Robert Eggers, the director once again leans into his intrigue of surface-level tragedies spoken in old English tongue, but where “The Witch” crawled itself closer to horror, “The Lighthouse” instead highlights some surrealist humor instead with two stunning performances by Willam Defoe and Robert Pattinson. The film premiered at this year’s Cannes with our critic calling it “brilliant” and going on to write, “…Eggers prefers to let us go gently, deliciously mad along with his doomed duo, with the ravenous seagulls wheeling in the sky, the sea beating ceaselessly on the rocks and our timbers shivering in exquisite uncertainty until the last.”
Release Date: October 18
“Jojo Rabbit ”
Cast: Taika Waititi, Roman Griffin Davis, Scarlett Johansson, Thomasin McKenzie
Synopsis: A World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler, Jojo must confront his blind nationalism.
What You Need to Know: Depending on who you ask, Taika Waititi’s latest film follow his blockbuster debut with “Thor: Ragnarok” is either a tremendous success in displaying humanism and warmth in a tale as bleak as they get, making humor out of the horrific with the intent to strip power from some of history’s greatest villains, or a film that cheapens real atrocities with flippant, even ignorant humor, in a world where bigotry and the violence it ignites looms large. Regardless of what side you fall on, Waititi remains, at the very least, a vibrant voice in film determined to tell original stories. Our critic who saw it at the Toronto International Film Festival wasn’t a huge fan, writing, “Waititi’s plea for tolerance comes from a place of extreme privilege, betraying his status as a rich person far removed from the stakes of such discord.”
Release Date: October 18
“The Laundromat”
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Gary Oldman, Meryl Streep, Jeffrey Wright
Synopsis: When her idyllic vacation takes an unthinkable turn, Ellen Martin (Academy Award winner Meryl Streep) begins investigating a fake insurance policy, only to find herself down a rabbit hole of questionable dealings that can be linked to a Panama City law firm and its vested interest in helping the world’s wealthiest citizens amass even larger fortunes.
What You Need to Know: While we’ve all learned to no longer buy any proclamations from director Steven Soderbergh of retirement. This year has already driven that point home with not one but two films. The first at the start of the year and also a Netflix property, “High Flying Bird,” is one of the year’s best; clever, taut and paced perfectly, the film flew under the radar due to an early in the year release. “The Laundromat” with bigger stars attached, is hoping to be another hit, with someone of Meryl Streep’s caliber attached. Written by Scott Z. Burns (“Side Effects,” “Contagion,”) our critic enjoyed it, calling it “sly and cheerful” and crediting much of the fun to the cast themselves.
Release Date: October 18
“Lucy in the Sky ”
Cast: Natalie Portman, Jon Hamm, Dan Stevens
Synopsis: Lucy Cola is a strong woman whose determination and drive as an astronaut take her to space, where she’s deeply moved by the transcendent experience of seeing her life from afar. Back home as Lucy’s world suddenly feels too small, her connection with reality slowly unravels.
What You Need to Know: Following the downright hideous reviews for Noah Hawley’s (“Legion” and “Fargo”) “Lucy in the Sky,” it’s almost embarrassing to admit that I’d found the trailers very engaging. What on earth might I have possibly missed? In fairness, the cast is an all-star one led by Natalie Portman who has had a stellar couple of years. And the director is coming off of some of the most hotly discussed series of the decade. Adding to the intrigue, the film is based on a true story. All of this should lead to at least a watchable film but no, according to our critic, we should walk far, far away from the theater playing this one, calling it “…a wildly misbegotten mess, a goulash of incongruent tones and unclear motives…”
Release Date: October 4
