“Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile”
Shawn Mendes voices a CGI crocodile name Lyle in this family comedy based on the book series. But maybe the bigger headline is that Javier Bardem plays his best friend, a top-hat-wearing eccentric named Hector P. Valenti, which means we get to see some primo Bardem/CGI action. Said singing crocodile lives in the New York City home that belongs to a family played by Constance Wu, Scoot McNairy, and Winslow Fegley, as part of this movie based on the books by Bernard Weber.
Release Date: October 7 via Sony.
“Tár”
We don’t get a lot of movies about composers/conductors, and writer/director Todd Field seems ready to push back against that with “Tár,” about Lydia Tár. Cate Blanchett stars in the movie as the German musical powerhouse, who is sure to become even more celebrated after this project’s release. Not for nothing, this is also Field’s first movie since 2006’s “Little Children,” raising the anticipation that we are going to be treated to a project that has long been considered. Mark Strong, Julian Glover, Nina Hoss, Sydney Lemmon, and Noémie Merlant also star.
Release Date: October 7 via Focus Features.
“Triangle of Sadness”
The big Palme d’Or winner at the Cannes Film Festival this year was Ruben Östlund’s biting class satire “Triangle of Sadness,” starring Harris Dickinson, the late Charlbi Dean (R.I.P.), Dolly de Leon, and Woody Harrelson. It’s said to be a divisive film, but Östlund (of “Force Majeure” and “The Square”) skewering of affluent, white privilege and shallow modern culture, has still provided a lot of sharp and incisive laughs so far.
Release Date: October 7 via Neon.
“Halloween Ends”
It’s still kind of amazing how serious David Gordon Green has been about making John Carpenter’s “Halloween” his own expression, leading to this third and supposedly final installment of his now-trilogy that previously included “Halloween” and “Halloween Kills.” Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie Strode in this movie bound to take place shortly after the polarizing ending of “Kills”; maybe this one will help make up for the shortcomings in the other movies. Additional cast members include Kyle Richards, Will Patton, Andi Matichak, Rohan Campbell, and Nick Castle as the almighty “The Shape.”
Release Date: October 14 via Universal.
“Stars at Noon”
Claire Denis premieres her second movie this year stateside (after “Both Sides of the Blade”) with “Stars at Noon,” which has an A24 distribution after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival this past summer. Based on the book by Denis Johnson, this movie tells of the romance between an English businessman (Joe Alwyn) and an American woman (Margaret Qualley) in 1984 Nicaragua. If that’s not enough, the movie also has appearances from John C. Reilly and Benny Safdie, the latter playing a character named “CIA Man” (read our review).
Release Date: October 14 via A24.
“Till”
Co-writer/director Chinonye Chukwu takes on the heart-wrenching story of Emmett Till with her latest film, her follow-up to her 2019 Sundance breakout “Clemency.” Jalyn Hall stars in the movie as Till, the Black teenage boy who was lynched in 1955, and whose death inspired courageous action against the courts by his grieving mother, Mamie Till-Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler). It’ll be interesting to see how this one handles such difficult subject matter, but we’re hopeful it’s as sensitive and righteous a tribute as possible. Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett, Whoopi Goldberg, Sean Patrick Thomas, John Douglas Thompson, and Gem Marc Collins also star.
Release Date: October 14 via United Artists.
“The Good Nurse”
Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne star in this thriller from director Tobias Lindholm, based on the book The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber. In it, a nurse (Chastain) tries to investigate whether some patient deaths are the work of a colleague, an eerie scenario and one that we’re sure Chastain & Redmayne will make a feast out of. Produced by Darren Aronofsky, the movie also stars Nnamdi Asomugha, Kim Dickens, Malik Yoba, Alix West Lefler, and Noah Emmerich.
Release Date: In select theaters on October 19 via Netflix and available for streaming on October 26.
“The School of Good and Evil”
The latest from director Paul Feig is an adaptation of the book series The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani, about two friends who attend an enchanted school that prepares heroes and villains. The ensemble cast catches our eye alone: the film says Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Yeoh, Sofia Wylie, Kit Young, Patti LuPone, Rachel Bloom, Peter Serafinowicz, Rob Delaney, and Cate Blanchett.
Release Date: October 19 via Netflix.
“The Banshees of Inisherin”
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson play two friends who go through some type of breakup in “The Banshees of Inisherin,” the latest from writer/director Martin McDonagh (“Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri.”) Given McDonagh’s proven history with dialogue, character, and human conflict, it’ll be interesting to see what he does with this premise, which is filled in by a limited cast that includes Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan, and Pat Shortt.
Release Date: October 21 via Searchlight Pictures.
“Black Adam”
Unless Warner Bros. Discovery pulls another one of their common goofs, we can expect to see Dwayne Johnson blast his way into the DC Cinematic Universe with this highly anticipated superhero story, directed by his “Jungle Cruise” collaborator, Jaume Collet-Serra. Here, Johnson plays a figure who was empowered and imprisoned by Egyptian gods and now has electricity, super strength, and snazzy spandex. Johnson is joined in the movie by Sarah Shahi, Pierce Brosnan, Noah Centineo, Aldis Hodge, and Viola Davis, returning as Amanda Waller from “The Suicide Squad.”
Release Date: October 21 via Warner Bros.