“The Kindergarten Teacher”
Cast: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gael Garcia Bernal
Synopsis: Forty years old, stuck in Staten Island and married to a sweet, but oblivious, husband with kids that largely ignores her, Lisa Spinelli spends her days teaching Kindergarten with growing numbness. When she discovers that a five-year-old in her class may be a poetic prodigy, Lisa becomes fascinated—then obsessed— as she struggles to protect him from neglectful parents and a plagiarizing babysitter.
What You Need to Know: The greatest aspect of Sara Colangelo’s “The Kindergarten Teacher” (only her second feature film to date) is that it gives the mightily talented and almost always underrated Maggie Gyllenhaal a leading role to take ownership of and, by all accounts, does wonders in her performance. Based on the 2014 Israeli film of the same name, the film tackles the “prodigy child” story from a fresh lens as it’s told through the eyes of Gyllenhaal’s Lisa. (Read our review)
Release Date: October 12 on Netflix
“Halloween”
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Nick Castle
Synopsis: Jamie Lee Curtis returns to her iconic role as Laurie Strode, who comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.
What You Need to Know: Your excitement over David Gordon Green’s continuation of John Carpenter’s 1978 classic film may vary according to how much of a purist you are. Fans have been burned before my increasingly silly sequels but with Green’s take that sees Jamie Lee Curtis back in the lead, they can rest assured as many of the more ridiculous bits of the post “Halloween” mythology have been blinked away, replaced with a film that’s deeply haunting, brutal and shares the spirit of the original. Michael Meyers returns as one of the most formidable and chilling monsters around and Curtis and co-star Judy Greer are reportedly terrific in this passion project film. Having seen it at TIFF, our critic said, “On paper, this 2018 reimagining doesn’t need to exist, but moviegoers should be glad that it does.”
Release Date: October 19
“Wildlife”
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Jake Gyllenhaal,
Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old Joe is the only child of Jeanette and Jerry a housewife and a golf pro in a small town in 1960s Montana. Nearby, an uncontrolled forest fire rages close to the Canadian border, and when Jerry loses his job, and his sense of purpose, he decides to join the cause of fighting the fire, leaving his wife and son to fend for themselves. Suddenly forced into the role of an adult, Joe witnesses his mother’s struggle as she tries to keep her head above water.
What You Need to Know: By adapting Richard Ford’s short novel, actor-turned-director Paul Dano makes his debut with “Wildlife” with a pair of seasoned performers in Jake Gyllenhaal and, especially, Carey Mulligan. A coming-of-age family drama, “Wildlife” is a showcase both for the lead actress in what many have said is her best performance to date as well as Dano’s work as director, whose style is pointed and controlled. It debuted at this year’s Sundance and has made the festival rounds since, continuing to stun as it makes it way towards Oscar potential. Our critic who saw it back in January said, “Dano’s way of seeing the world through the lens of a movie camera makes him a talent to watch in the future…”
Release Date: October 19
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Richard Grant, Dolly Wells, Jane Curtin
Synopsis: Celebrity biographer Lee Israel makes her living profiling the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, Estee Lauder, and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen. When Lee is no longer able to get published because she has fallen out of step with current tastes, she turns her art form to deception, abetted by her loyal friend Jack.
What You Need to Know: With her 2015 film “The Diary of a Teenage Girl,” director Marielle Heller proved her ability to delicately straddle the line of dark comedy with a topic that tackled female sexuality with wit and tension. With her upcoming film, she has put a highly recognizable comedic face at the core with Melissa McCarthy playing the leading role. Based on Lee Israel’s biography, McCarthy has demonstrated her ability to bring poignancy to all of her larger than life roles in the past but with “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” she’s being given even more room to play with what lies in her arsenal of talents. Our critic called it an “unexpected gem,” writing that it “…feels real and lived in. The filmmaker ensures the drama never feels studio slick and never glosses over Lee’s faults (or, more importantly, crimes).”
Release Date: October 19
