What’s on the big screen this fall
Here’s everything you need to know before you head to the movie theatre this fall.
SEQUELS
(Oct. 6): Ridley Scott’s quintessential scifi thriller had brains and action, and remains a favourite of Gen-X Quebec director Denis Villeneuve, who was just 15 when it came out in 1982. All of which bodes well for him making the sequel. And
(Dec. 15) will no doubt feature more Luke Skywalker, but also a sad farewell to Princess Leia, given Carrie Fisher’s death last December.
(Nov. 3) lets Chris Hemsworth and the rest of the Marvel gang answer the question: What’s a Ragnarok? Not to be outdone, DC brings (Nov. 17), the next instalment in its cinematic universe. New to this one: Aquaman! And
(Sept. 22) proves you can be a spy even with a name like Gary “Eggsy” Unwin.
(Dec. 22) confirms what the movies already told us; you can’t keep a good Bella down. (Nov. 10) asks: What if John Lithgow were Will Ferrell’s dad? And
updates the 1995 Robin Williams original.
BASED ON A TRUE STORY
Heroes and anti-heroes dominate the true stories this fall. In
(Sept. 29), Tom Cruise plays Barry Seal, CIA operative and drug smuggler in the 1980s. In
(Oct. 27), a group of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq struggle to rejoin society.
(Oct. 20) follows firefighters battling a 2013 blaze in Arizona. And (Sept. 22) features Jake Gyllenhaal as Jeff Bauman, who lost his legs in the Boston Marathon bombing.
Moving to politics, (Oct. 13) tells the story of the first African-American Supreme Court Justice. Steven Spielberg’s
(Dec. 22) stars Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep (how have these two not worked together before?) as journalists on the trail of the Pentagon Papers in 1971. (Oct. 13) features Liam Neeson as Deep Throat of Watergate fame. And slightly less current,
(Sept. 29) gives us the story of the friendship between the British Queen and an Indian servant.
Now, sports. (Sept. 22) replays the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell). (Oct. 20) tells us about big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton. And
(Nov. 22) features Jessica Chastain as Molly Bloom, poker magnate.
Finally, the arts. (Oct. 6) covers the life and death of Vincent Van Gogh. In
(Dec. 25), Hugh Jackman plays P.T. Barnum. And in
(Sept. 15) codirectors Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier cover the last tour of The Tragically Hip.
FOR THE KIDS
Animated antics include (Nov. 17), about a donkey’s role in the first Christmas; (Nov. 22), a Pixar production about a boy’s journey through the land of the dead; (Dec. 15), based on the beloved children’s book by Munro Leaf; and
(Sept. 22), whose title says it all. In the realm of live
(Nov. 17) stars Jacob Tremblay as a kid with a “facial difference” trying to fit in at a new school; and
(Oct. 13) tells the story of Winnie the Pooh author A.A. Milne and his son, Christopher Robin Milne. action,
FEAR AND LOATHING
Horror goes analogue in (Dec. 1), in which an old camera kills anyone whose picture it takes. Other old-school frights include
(Sept. 29), a remake of the 1990 movie in which medical students flirt with the afterlife; (Sept. 8), based on the 1986 novel by Stephen King; (Oct. 27), latest chapter in the 13-year-old franchise; and
(Dec. 8), a monster movie from Guillermo Del Toro, set in the 1960s.
There’s also (Oct. 20), a murder mystery that should not be confused with the charming 1982 animated short;
(Oct. 13), best described as murder meets
(Oct. 27), the latest oddity from Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos; and Darren Aronofsky ’s (Sept. 15), which stars Jennifer Lawrence and looks too creepy for words.
ROMANCE
(Sept. 8) stars Reese Witherspoon as a single mom who meets three young filmmakers and impulsively invites them to move in with her. (Sept. 22) stars Joan Collins and Pauline Collins (no relation) in a wacky road-trip comedy. And
(Dec. 8) features love in Italy in the summer of 1983.
THE REST
Several fall titles are based on novels: (Sept. 15), starring Dylan O’Brien, is adapted from one of the Mitch Rapp series by the late Vince Flynn.
(Oct. 6) is a romancedisaster flick featuring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba stuck on a mountain.
(Oct. 13), with Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan, is based on David Marconi’s 1992 novel
that name change was probably a good idea. And
(Nov. 10) is just the latest adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1934 whodunit. Last but by no means least,
(Sept. 22) tells of a young man trying to navigate his way into adulthood; Denzel Washington plays an idealistic defence attorney in (Nov. 3); a nun in training struggles with her faith in the 1960s in (Nov. 10); the Getty kidnapping case from the 1970s inspired Ridley Scott’s (Dec. 8); George Clooney returns to the director’s chair with (Oct. 27), from a script by the Coen brothers; (Oct. 6) presents an image of people on the margins of society; Alexander Payne’s (Dec. 22) imagines a world where luxury living is available for those willing to shrink themselves; and
(Oct. 13) stars Frances McDormand in a dark comedy about a woman seeking resolution in the murder of her daughter.