Brad Pitt heads into space to search for his missing dad in “Ad Astra.”
Bye-bye summer movie season. Now it’s time to shift to thought-provoking Oscar bait for the fall, right?
Not entirely. Hollywood has been bucking tradition in terms of film-release strategies this year. The May-August summer season delivered adventurous, well-made, Oscar-buzzy entertainment (“The Farewell,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “Luce”) among the crowd-pleasing blockbusters (“Avengers: End Game,” “Toy Story 4,” “Lion King”).
And that cracker-jack mix continues in September through the end of November, with serious films cozying up with sequels and remakes. In other words, there is something for everyone. Here’s a look at what’s headed our way (release dates are subject to change).
Send in the clowns
Parents, be a Pennywise smarter and keep the tykes away from “It Chapter Two,” the “grown-up” portion of Stephen King’s doorstopper of a nightmare. (It drops Sept. 6).
Meanwhile, Joaquin Phoenix — who should have copped an Oscar nomination for “You Were Never Really Here” — is both tragic and terrifying as the iconic villain in Todd Phillips’ origin tale “Joker” (Oct. 4) that likewise isn’t for the younger set.
There’s something about sequels
Angelina Jolie chews up the CGI scenery as she rages over a new queen nemesis (Michelle Pfeiffer) in “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” (Oct. 18).
Speaking of queens, Disney won’t let Elsa go. “Frozen 2” (Nov. 22) promises more female empowerment, goofy comedy, catchy tunes, and perhaps a revelation.
He said he’d be back, and sure enough Arnold Schwarzenegger reteams with the original Sarah Connors (Linda Hamilton) and others for more ‘bot and human carnage in Tim Miller’s “Terminator: Dark Fate” (Nov. 1).
[embedded content]
It’s been 37 years since we first encountered that silent killing machine Rambo. He’s (still) mad as hell and taking on a cookie-cutter plot in “Rambo: Last Blood” (Sept. 20).
If Jim Jarmusch’s “The Dead Don’t Die” left you hankering for something funnier, chow down on “Zombieland: Double Tap” (Oct. 18). It reunites a killer cast and a killer director.
Reboots and revisits
In need of a Maggie Smith fix? Aren’t we all? Well, here comes the big-screen version of “Downton Abbey” (Sept. 20).
In Roland Emmerich’s effects-driven remake of “Midway,” (Nov. 8); one can only hope the cast (Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Aaron Eckhart, Patrick Wison) will get a chance to actually act amid the disaster porn the director’s known for.
Also in the redo department, there’s “Charlie’s Angels” (Nov. 15) sporting a cool cast, a feminist ‘tude and a female Bosley played by Elizabeth Banks, who also directs (Nov. 15).
[embedded content]
The “Addams Family” is back, only this time it’s an animated venture that looks finger-snapping good (Oct. 11.)
In Stephen King’s mind-messer “Doctor Sleep,” Danny, the hard-luck little boy from “The Shining,” is all grown up (and played by Ewan McGregor) and ready to deal with a new nasty villain (Nov. 8). Mike Flanagan (“The Haunting of Hill House’s” ) directs.
We’re off to see the biopic
Playing real characters leads to Oscar noms, often wins. Just ask Rami Malek. That streak could continue with Renee Zellwegger, so over-the-top delicious in Netflix’s “What/If,” who looks to generate best-actress talk for “Judy,” a bring-your-hankie portrait of Judy Garland. (Sept. 27).
Even though the recent documentary “Will You Be My Neighbor?” gave us a definitive portrait of iconic TV personality Fred Rogers, Hollywood is serving up “A Beautiful Day in Our Neighborhood” (Nov. 22), based on Rogers’ connection with a journalist in need of comforting words and deeds. Expect Concord native Tom Hanks to wear the red sweater well. Former Alameda resident Marielle Heller (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”) directs.
Race-car-film fans, start your engines. In “Ford v Ferrari,” Christian Bale and Matt Damon portray Carroll Shelby (Damon) and Ken Miles (bale), the duo that sought to unseat the perennial champs, Ferrari, at the legendary Le Mans race (Nov. 15).
Obvious Oscar hopefuls
Adaptations of award-winning literary works are tricky to pull off well (“Bonfire of the Vanities,” anyone? ANYONE?) But let’s have a little faith in filmmaker John Crowley (“Brooklyn”), who seems ideal for transferring Donna Tartt’s twisty/artsy epic “The Goldfinch” to the screen (Sept. 13).
Edward Norton adapted, directed and stars in the literary detective novel “Motherless Brooklyn” (Nov. 1).
Sci-fi doesn’t get usually much Oscar love, but with a cast that boasts Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones and Ruth Negga, the space drama “Ad Astra,” directed by James Gray, could change all that (Sept. 20).
[embedded content]
Acting fireworks are destined to go off in “The Good Liar,” a Hitchockian twister focusing on the duplicitous online dating habits of a wealthy woman (Helen Mirren) and a guy (Ian McKellen) with secrets and bad intentions galore (Nov. 15).
Ripped from the headlines
“The Report” (Oct. 14) — starring Annette Bening, Jon Hamm and Adam Driver — covers the U.S.’s extreme interrogation tactics deployed in the aftermath of 9/11.
“Official Secrets” (Sept. 6) focuses on a whistleblower (a fierce Keira Knightley) who risked it all to reveal a U.S. plan to blackmail opponents of the Iraq War.
Best of the lot
There’s a lot of promising flicks out there, but these are my fall must-see picks.
“The Lighthouse”: Robert Eggers (“The Witch”) avoids the sophomore slump with a surreal black-and-white psychological teardown of two Maine lighthouse-bound characters (Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe) in the 1890s (Oct. 18).
“Jojo Rabbit”: If any filmmaker can pull off a satire with a boy imagining Hitler as his invisible sidekick, it would be the wacky Taika Waititi (“Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” “Thor: Ragnarok”). Set during World War III, the tricky material finds the kid doubting his own thoughts when his mom hides a Jewish girl in their home (Oct. 18).
“Queen & Slim”: A couple on their first date (Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith) go on the lam after being pulled over by a cop in Melina Matsoukas’ (HBO’s “Insecure”) drama. The trailer had me biting my nails (Nov. 27).
“Honey Boy”: In case you haven’t heard, this is the year of Shia LaBeouf. No, really. He wrote and stars in this semi-autobiographical story about the tortured relationship between a father (LaBeouf) and his son (Lucas Hedges) (Nov. 15).
“Parasite”: One of our best living filmmakers — Bong Joon Ho — maneuvers into the Lynchian dark side of the ‘burbs with a tale of two families — one rich, one poor — and how their intermingling produces horrific results (Oct. 11).
“Pain & Glory”: It’s always a pleasure to watch a Pedro Almodovar film, even when he’s not at his best. Critics claim the director of “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” IS at his best again in this artsy existential look at a filmmaker taking risks in his twilight years. Antonio Banderas stars and is earning raves (Oct. 11).
“Harriet”: Kasi Lemmons directs Cynthia Erivo in a biography of the American hero, Harriet Tubman, who helped slaves gain freedom via the Underground Railroad (Nov. 1).
“Knives Out”: Filmmaker Rian Johnson can spice up any genre to make it refreshing and original. Here the “Brick”/“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” director sleuths his way into Agatha Christie territory and tears it up with an A-list cast playing family members and friends with ulterior motives (Nov. 27).
“Ms. Purple”: Justin Chon follows up his explosive black-and-white award winner “Gook” with a family drama built around a messy sister-brother relationship. The advance reviews hail it as another triumph from one of our best new directors (Sept. 20).
“The Irishman”: Martin Scorsese throws Netflix back into best picture Oscar discussion with a crime epic anchored around a Mafioso (Robert De Niro) who knows a thing a two about what happened to Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). Release date TBA.
“Gemini Man”: The first trailer underwhelms but the second one has us ready to buy tickets for this action film from Oscar winner Ang Lee. Will Smith doubles down, facing off with his younger self/older self in a hitman thriller (Oct. 11).
Let’s block ads! (Why?)
