21 Anticipated Films For Fall/Winter 2016
With the summer movie season about to end next month, I guess it is time to look forward to films that will be release later this year. Whether they are blockbusters, indie or star studded, these are the ones I am looking forward to. Note that some of these could be delayed for a couple of months. Feel free to comment on my choices and tell me what I should have added.
21. Desierto (October 14th)
Acclaimed Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron produces his son's,
Jonas, thriller about a crazed vigilante hunting Mexican migrants across the
border. Gael Garcia Bernal stars as one of the migrants while Jefferey Dean
Morgan portrays the gun toting vigilante.
The film's themes of immigration and justice seem relevant
today and let's hope Cuaron can help his son break into the family business
while staying original.
20. Passengers (December 21st)
Mortem Tyldum follows up "The Imitation Game" with this science fiction love story starring two big names, Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. The film follows the two characters as they accidentally wake up from hibernation on board a space vessel. The ship is headed to a far away planet that will take about 90 years and I'm guessing the film will follow the two as they try to kill time and fall in love.
I am excited for this because I love science fiction and the premise sounds original. The script has been floating around for awhile with Keanu Reeves and Rachel McAdams originally set to star. Though, I did hear the film might get delayed due to problems with the special effects.
19. The Handmaiden (October 14th)
Park Chan-Wook has directed an interesting number of films from the Vengeance trilogy that included "Oldboy" and his last film "Stoker" all deal with dark subject matter. Based on a historical crime novel "Fingersmith" by Sarah Waters, Wook translates the tale from Victorian England to 1930's Korea where a con man hires a female pickpocket to be the maid of a wealthy heiress in order to steal from her estate.
The film's premise has me intrigued and it's erotic thriller themes harbor back the films of Brian DePalma and Paul Verhoven. Wook's previous films proves he is a master of the genre.
18. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (November 11th)
Ang Lee's previous film, "Life of Pi", combined live action and CGI that became a visual cinematic drama. Based on a novel of the same name, the film follows a young soldier's victory tour while he remembers what really happened during the war.
Lee has assembled an ensemble cast that includes Vin Diesel, Chris Tucker, Steve Martin, Kristen Stewart, Tim Blake Nelson, Garret Hedlund and many more. Unknown actor Joe Alwyn will portray the title character. Like "Life of Pi", Lee will be shown in 3D but will be shot at 120 frames per second.
17. Nocturnal Animals (December
9th)
Tom Ford's follow up to his 2009 film "A Single Man"
stars Amy Adams as a woman who gets her ex-husband's new novel as Jake
Gyllenhaal plays a character in the novel. Both characters face paranoia
amongst themselves.
While the story may sound complicated, it also makes me want to go
see it more. "A Single Man" was a well shot film and may lightning
strike twice for Ford, who has a very good eye for storytelling.
16. Sully (September 9th)
Clint Eastwood directs Tom Hanks as Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the airline pilot who was hailed a national hero after crash landing the disabled plane into the Hudson River. Saving all lives on board, it was deemed the "Miracle on the Hudson" by the media.
Eastwood still proves at the age of 86 that he can direct and Hanks seems to be casted well as Sully. It would be interesting to see what happened after the crash and the investigation that went on.
15. Allied (November 23rd)
Robert Zemeckis has an interesting career of hits and misses. This is the man that brought us "Back to the Future", "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and "Forest Gump". After his motion capture films were not received well, he returned to live action filmmaking with "Flight". "Allied" is set during WWII as Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard as spies on assignment in Casablanca.
The trailer for this just got released and I am intrigued with the project as I will watch anything set during the Second World War. This marks Pitt's third WWII film (fourth if you count "Seven Years in Tibet'.) and his previous ones were well received.
14. The Accountant (October 14th)
Continuing on his comeback streak, Ben Affleck headlines this action thriller that also has dramatic elements. He plays an accountant with highly math skills and tries not to socialize with others. Also, he is a freelance assassin with J.K. Simmons playing the agent in charge of catching him. Anna Kendrick, Jon Bernthal, Jeffery Tambor and John Lithgow co-star in the film.
The trailer does a great job of showing and not tell, letting the viewer see what is going on. Let's hope the film plays out well by the fall.
13. The Magnificent Seven (September 23rd)
Based on the classic 1960 western, which itself was based on Akira Kurosawa's influential "Seven Samurai". "Training Day" director Antoine Fuqua assembles the seven with Denzel Washington as the team leader. Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onfrio, Lee Byung-hun, newcomers Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Martin Sensmeier sling their guns for good when a mining town is taken over by a corrupt land baron.
I am truly excited for this mainly because I am a western fan and it has been steady following "True Grit" and "Django Unchained" being on the big screen. Plus, I like the fact they are taking the title of the film and making their own new version instead of copying it.
12. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children. (September 30th)
Eva Green plays the title character who is a headmistress at a gifted school where the students have strange powers. She employs a 16 year old boy to work at the school and is given the task of protecting the children when they are under attack.
Tim Burton is a director I have admired when I was growing up. His first two "Batman" films, "Beetlejuice" and "Edward Scissorhands" were gems of my childhood. This film seems to be a return form of his earlier work and a dash of X-Men. While it is based on a young adult novel, Burton's themes are in there and we could well see a franchise grow.
11. The Girl on the Train. (October 7th)
While I have not read the novel it is based on, the trailer for the film reminded me a bit of Alfred Hitchcock. A woman on the train (Emily Blunt) witnesses the disappearance of a woman whom she has been obsessing while commuting to work It also co-stars Justin Theroux, Haley Bennett, Luke Evans, and Allison Janney.
With it's themes of obsession and voyeurism, it truly has strains from Hitchcock. It also reminds me of "Gone Girl", another thriller based on a best selling novel.
10. Hacksaw Ridge (November 4th)
Say what you want to say about Mel Gibson but the man has talent, both in front and behind the camera. He directs this true WWII tale of an American soldier who receives the Purple Heart for his effort. Due to his religious belief, the soldier never fired a weapon. Andrew Garfield stars as the man with Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, Hugo Weaving and Teresa Palmer.
The film also reunites Gibson with his "Braveheart" writer Randall Wallace who wrote the screenplay. While Gibson's drunken comments made him a persona non grata, do not let that get in the way of his artistic vision.
9. Doctor Strange (November 4th)
While I have enjoyed the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I feel that I know what I am going to watch. Growing up reading comics, Doctor Strange, or "Sorcerer Supreme", was an interesting character for Marvel. A surgeon turned sorcerer of magic who can travel to other dimensions. It is safe to say that Benedict Cumberbatch is the perfect actor to play this character based on the photos and trailers released.
Co-starring Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen, and Tilda Swinton, the trailer promises new things coming to the MCU.
8. The Birth of a Nation (October 7th)
Actor Nate Parker makes his writing/directing debut about real life slave Nat Turner who led a rebellion in 1831. Parker portrays Tuner and the trailer promises nothing will be held back.
The film made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival where it has been received praise. A trailer for the film was released back in April and it was also well received leading to be an early awards contender.
7. Assassin's Creed (December 21st)
A criminal is saved from execution when a mysterious organization sends him into the Spanish Inquisition to relive his ancestor's memories.
While I have not played the games, I am aware of the story and it intrigues. I like the mixture of science fiction and historical fiction that the film will bring. Michael Fassbender not only stars but produces the adaptation bringing his "MacBeth" director Justin Kurzel on board. Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson and Michael K. Williams also star in the film. The tone of the film has been described as having elements of "The Matrix" but I hope it is just a pinch of it.
6. La La Land (December 4th)
Damien Chazelle's follow up to "Whiplash" is a musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone playing two people who fall in love in Los Angeles. Stone plays an aspiring actress working at a coffee shop while Gosling is a jazz pianist playing at dingy bars.
While I have seen a few musicals, I am excited to see Chazelle's continued theme of music but in a different context. J.K. Simmons also stars in this,, reuniting him with the director that got him an Oscar.
5. Silence (TBD, Winter 2016?)
I am excited with the announcement that Martin Scorsese's long awaited passion project is headed to the big screen. Based on a historical novel, the film follows two Jesuit priests (Played by Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) who travel to Japan in the 17th century, where they face persecution after trying to find their mentor.
Though I am not a religious person, I do enjoy the historical background and Japanese culture. While there are images on the web, a trailer has not been released. Who knows though, it could be released any day.
4. In a Valley of Violence (October 21st)
Ti West steps back from his horror roots (highly recommend "The House of the Devil" and "The Innkeepers") and goes to the old west. Ethan Hawke stars as a drifter who goes into town and faces problems with the townspeople. John Travolta, Karen Gillan and Taissa Farmiga co-star in the film as the residents of the town.
The sad thing about the film is it's getting a VOD release rather than a theatrical release, which it deserves. It should be interesting to see what West can do with the western genre.
3. A Monster Calls (October 21st)
Spanish director J.A. Bayona's debut "The Orphanage" carefully blends tragedy and horror while "The Impossible" is a well crafted survival drama that proved his artistic skill. Here, he tells the story of a young boy who has to deal with both bullying and his mother's terminal illness. He then encounters the "monster", a humanoid tree, who takes him on a ride that will seem to change his life.
The film stars Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, Toby Kebbell and Liam Neeson, who lends his voice to the title character, star in the film. I am excited for the film because I enjoy the theme of escaping into a fantasy.
2. Rouge One: A Star Wars Tale. (December 16th)
Set between "Revenge of the Sith" and "A New Hope", a group of Rebels is charged with stealing plans for the Death Star. While set in the same universe, the film will focus more on the Rebellion efforts to defeating the Empire.
Growing up, I was introduced to the original trilogy and I will always have fond memories of watching them. While a lot of people (including me) were disappointed with the prequels, last year's "Episode VII" proved a return form to the franchise. With "Godzilla" helmer Gareth Edwards on board, he describes the tone of the film as being a war film. That alone and the trailer released can confirm that I will show up opening night. Edwards assembles stars such as Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Forest Whitaker, Riz Amhed and Ben Mendelsohn for the film.
1. Arrival (November 11th)
When aliens land on Earth, the government enlists the help of an expert linguist (Amy Adams) and a scientist (Jeremy Renner) to determine if the aliens seek peace or violence.
French Canadian Denis Villeneuve has become one of my favorite filmmakers of the past five years. "Incendies", "Prisoners", "Enemy" and "Sicario"have all been both cerebral and entertaining, with the latter being my second favorite film of last year. The genre shift to science fiction seems to be a small exercise as he is currently filming the "Blade Runner" sequel. Either way, it should be a cinematic experience worth checking out.
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