“Mid90s”
Cast: Sunny Suljic, Lucas Hedges
Synopsis: One boy’s coming-of-age in Los Angeles during the tail end of the 20th century, as he struggles with the responsibilities of adulthood and ambles around with his skate rat buddies.
What You Need to Know: Jonah Hill has come along way since his breakout performance in “Superbad.” In fact, his rise from lowbrow comedy darling to Oscar worthy-talent is one of the most understated transformations you will ever see from an actor. With two Academy Award nominations to his name, Hill has long surpassed his days as Seth and is now a force to be reckoned with no matter what role he takes on. Nevertheless, Hill looks to keep the arrow pointing up with “mid90s,” his directorial debut featuring A24 stars Lucas Hedges (“Lady Bird”) and Sunny Suljic (“The Killing of a Sacred Dear”). Taking inspiration from films brimming with grunge-y adolescence like Larry Clark’s “Kids,” Hill’s coming-of-age tale attempts to depict ’90s-era Los Angeles where skating and punk ass kids were the name of the game. Shot on 16mm and at times, super 8, there’s enough here film buffs to excited for while Hill’s name by itself will draw casual audiences.
Release Date: October 19 – Kyle Kohner
“Serenity”
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Diane Lane, Djimon Hounsou, Jason Clarke
Synopsis: The mysterious past of a fishing boat captain comes back to haunt him when his ex-wife tracks him down with a desperate plea for help.
What You Need to Know: No, this is not a remake of the Joss Whedon film nor is it a spinoff to “Interstellar,” but what Stephen Knight’s latest film lacks in sci-fi charm may be amended with sleazy, noir-tinged scandal. While he’s known primarily for his screenwriting — the writer’s scripts range from the David Cronenberg crime thriller “Eastern Promises” to the upcoming “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” — Knight proved he was a capable director with the emotionally riveting, one-man drama “Locke,” although his newest outing seems to shift gears in favor of a more conventional, sultry thriller. Unlike “Locke,” which confined Tom Hardy to a single location and slowly unveiled its narrative in real time, “Serenity” seems entirely devoid of any gimmicks, which considering its basic plot, raises a few red flags in terms of quality. Nevertheless, a cast composed of beautiful people and Knight’s solid resume may be enough to warrant a watch.
Release Date: October 19 – JC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbrOMrjhyvI
“The Hate U Give”
Cast: Regina Hall, Amandla Stenberg, KJ Apa, Russell Hornsby
Synopsis: Starr Carter is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer.
What You Need to Know: Bypassing director George Tillman Jr.’s less than stellar track record, the adaptation of the highly popular Young Adult novel looks promising. With an insanely gifted cast of newcomers and some favorite familiar faces along with a storyline that is painfully and purposefully timely, “The Hate U Give” has the potential to buck the expectations of what constitutes as a YA movie adaptation. Written by Angie Thomas, the book only came out in 2017 but was met with immediate praise and excitement, making its transition to the big screen all the more predicted. However, due to the sensitive topic it addresses and to the fervor that surrounded the novel, writers Tina Mabry and Audrey Wells along with Tillman have a lot resting on their shoulders.
Release Date: October 19 – AJ
“Halloween”
Cast: Judy Greer, Jamie Lee Curtis, Virginia Gardner
Synopsis: Laurie Strode 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: It’s easy to reboot a horror classic (“Friday the 13th,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “A Nightmare on Elm Sreet”) without anyone ever taking notice or really caring at all. While this has also been the case for numerous sequels, detours and reconfigurations through the “Halloween” franchise, devotees to the beloved and groundbreaking 1978 film may finally have a reason to be excited. With the return of the by the butcher knife-wielding, masked murderer, the 11th film of the “Halloween” franchise will disregard all events since ’78 and pick up 40 years after Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode narrowly fled Michael Myers murderous trail on Halloween night—and yes you heard right, Curtis is back. Aside from Curtis’ highly anticipated reprised role, John Carpenter returns to the franchise as producer and composer. In an attempt to bring an outsider’s perspective to the storied but flawed brand, helming the director’s chair is David Gordon Green, who is joined by writer and producer Danny McBride to complete a mini “Pineapple Express” reunion.
Release Date: October 19 – KK
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Richard Grant, Dolly Wells, Jane Curtin
Synopsis: Lee Israel is a best-selling celebrity biographer who made her living in the 1970’s and 80’s profiling the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, Estée Lauder and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen. When Lee found herself unable to get published because she had fallen out of step with the marketplace, she turned 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. Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty share writing credits for the film and between the two of them, the story it’s based on and Heller’s eye for strangely engaging stories, the film looks to be a possible genre-defying surprise of the fall.
Release Date: October 19 – AJ
“Wildlife”
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan, Bill Camp, Ed Oxenbould
Synopsis: A boy witnesses his parents’ marriage falling apart after his mother finds another man.
What You Need to Know: Zoe Kazan is one of the most talented people in show business of the millennial generation. She’s turned memorable performances in “Revolutionary Road,” “In Your Eyes,” “The Monster,” “The Big Sick,” and “Ruby Sparks,” her screenwriting debut. Why is this writing endeavor noteworthy? Well, her parents are famous screenwriters, having previously collaborated on Danny DeVito’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “Matilda,” though they are each successful screenwriters in their own right. Her father, Nicholas Kazan, was nominated for an Oscar for “Reversal of Fortune,” and her mother, Robin Swicord, was nominated for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” “Ruby Sparks” not only solidified her talent as an emerging screenwriter, but it marked her first collaboration with longtime partner Paul Dano. “Wildlife” signifies the couple’s first collaboration on a screenplay, and something tells me that, unlike Kazan’s parents, it won’t be the last script they write together. The film stars Kazan’s good friend, Carey Mulligan, and serves as Dano’s directorial debut. Everyone attached to this project seems to have a great working and personal relationship, including Jake Gyllenhaal and Dano, who previously starred in “Prisoners” and “Okja” together. “Wildlife” is also the first of two films that Dano plans to write and direct about movies. Whether or not Kazan will join him on the next film remains to be seen.
Release Date: October 19 – AA
“Burning”
Cast: Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, Jong-seo Jun
Synopsis: “Burning,” tells the story of three individuals and a mysterious incident they experience. Jongsu bumps into an old friend, Haemi, on a part-time delivery job. Haemi asks Jongsu to take care of her cat while she leaves on a trip to Africa. When she returns, Haemi introduces Jongsu to Ben, a man she met in Africa. One day, Ben and Haemi pay Jongsu a visit, and Ben reveals his secret interests to Jongsu.
What You Need to Know: While knowledge of director Lee Chang-dong’s previous work may allow you to have a greater context to his upcoming work, it matters little with the buzz surrounding it is so enthusiastically voluminous with more than one critic calling it a masterpiece. For those who are aware of Chang-dong’s prior films, it’s well known that easy access happiness is far from his line of interest, rather, pulling from trauma, human spirit (good and bad) and circumstantial loss to make up the backbone of his film. All three stars including “The Walking Dead” alum Steven Yeun (who needs a starry leading role by now) reportedly deliver stunning work. Our critic after seeing it at this years Cannes Film Festival said “Simmering with ambiguity, ‘Burning’ plays its staging, writing, dialogue, acting, music, everything with carefully calibrated minimalism, but in turn it makes some grandiose of statements.”
Release Date: October 26th [our review] – AJ
“Climax”
Cast: Sofia Boutella (“Atomic Blonde”) and a cast of professional dancers
Synopsis: A party descends into delirium and nightmarish madness over the course of one wintry night when a dance troupe discovers they’ve been pounding cups of sangria laced with potent LSD.
What You Need to Know: How do you top a 3D softcore porno that saw jizz flying at the screen in stereoscopic visuals at the screen (that was admittedly, melancholy and tender in the end)? If you’re enfante terrible and provocateur Gaspar Noé (“Irreversible,” “Enter the Void,” the aforementioned “Love”), you don’t so much try and top yourself, but return to your roots of strobing lights and dance party madness elements of which featured in “Irreversible and much of “Enter The Void”). “Climax” doesn’t sound like it has much of a plot, and our review from Cannes described it as an “orgy of sex, drugs, horror, and death” so, in that regard, it may not be for everyone. But Noé films are always a shocking experience and it sounds like he takes the viewer on a wild trip this time.
Release Date: TBD late September/early October [our review] – RP
NOVEMBER
“Suspiria”
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth, Jessica Harper, Chloë Grace Moretz
Synopsis: A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic director, an ambitious young dancer, and a grieving psychotherapist. Some will succumb to the nightmare. Others will finally wake up.
What You Need to Know: A remake of Dario Argento‘s 1977 giallo masterpiece “Suspiria” has been in the works for ten years. Initially, David Gordon Green was attached for seven years; however, he dropped out in 2015 because his vision for a remake was more expensive than the typical budget for studio horror movies allowed for. Of course, Argento was notoriously close to the project, and wouldn’t let somebody remake it without his creative input. Eventually, Argento had to remove himself from the remake altogether. It’s hard watching your babies grow up, isn’t it? Luca Guadagnino took over the project, and stripped the film of its giallo guise, ridding it of its vibrant color palette. Guadagnino gave audiences at Cinemacon a small preview of his vision, which had some critics walking out and some trying not to throw up their lunch. This included a clip of a woman being manipulated by actor Dakota Johnson’s dance, as though she were a voodoo doll. With each dance move, Johnson’s Susie Bannion, originally played by Jessica Harper, who also has a role in the film, slowly kills the dancer until she is a twisted bundle of bones, muscles, tendons, and skin, torn apart while urinating, bleeding, and spitting. So, that’s what audiences are in for. Hey, Guadagnino has to do something bold to upstage the original, which famously boasts the most violent murder scene of all time. Apparently, it was just as difficult on the cast as it was for Cinemacon audiences, especially for Johnson, who had to seek therapy after filming. Brace yourselves.
Release Date: November 2 – AA
“The Other Side of the Wind”
Cast: John Hutson, Peter Bogdanovich, Oja Kodar, Bob Random, Susan Strasberg
Synopsis: Orson Welles’ uncompleted film stands as a satire on the creative process, told through the lens of a mockumentary about the filming of a Michelangelo Antonioni movie.
What You Need to Know: Well, there’s a new Orson Welles film coming out this year. That might be all any of us really need to know to be convinced to watch this film. It took a village to get this one to print, but after years and years of folks passing this one around like a lost curio, Netflix stepped in and pushed it home. When a composing legend like Michel Legrand is willing to step in and do the music in his latter 80s, that signifies how special a moment this is. We’re going to see the final-final work of a Mount Rushmore face of the cinema, and if you’re lucky, you’ll get to eschew watching this at home and catch it at your local arthouse. Either way, we get another Welles, and that should be enough to get your rightly excited.
Release Date: November 2 – CW
