‘Thor,’ ‘Justice League’ and dramas galore for fall
At first glance, fall is beginning to look a lot like summer.
That is to say we aren’t getting a reprieve from bigbudget superhero movies. Both Marvel Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures/DC Comics will unleash big installments — “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Justice League,” respectively.
Still, this is the time of year when dramas start to arrive, well, dramatically, looking to stir the soul and maybe lay the groundwork for Academy Awards campaigns in the coming months.
So let’s dig into much of what’s coming until the weekend before Thanksgiving.
“Mother” (Sept. 15)
“Mother!” looks to be an artistic slice of horror from director Darren Aronofsky (“Requiem for a Dream,” “Black Swan”). Yes, sometimes the auteur’s avant-garde side can get away from him (cough, “The Fountain,” cough), but there’s no disputing his talents. And given this film’s heavyweight cast — Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer and father-and-son pair Brendan and Domhnall Gleeson — this tale about an uninvited guest who arrives at a couple’s home and stirs up their peaceful existence feels pretty squarely aimed at a mainstream audience. “It is closer to ‘Black Swan’ in spirit than anything I have done in a while,” Aronofsky told Entertainment Weekly.
“Brad’s Status” (Sept. 15)
Ben Stiller is a man having a midlife crisis — he’s toiled at a nonprofit while all these guys he knows from school have had incredibly successful careers — and seems determined to freak out his incredibly smart and talented son (Austin Abrams) as it’s time for the kid to pick a college in this dramedy.
“Kingsman: The Golden Circle” (Sept. 22)
In 2014, British action-spy-comedy mashup “Kingsman: The Secret Service” took the movie-going world by a bit of a surprising storm, so a sequel is anything but a surprise. Although Colin Firth’s character appears to die in the first film, the marketing for “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” isn’t hiding the fact he will be back, as will star Taron Egerton and supporting player Mark Strong. Joining the fun for this adventure that will see our heroes travel to the United States — to join forces with Statesman (a great name for the Kingsman’s American counterparts) in an effort to defeat a group called The Golden Circle — are Julianne Moore, Channing Tatum, Halle Berry and, last but not least, Jeff Bridges. Another important returnee is director Matthew Vaughn (“Kick-Ass,” “X-Men: First Class”), who had his biggest hit with the first “Kingsman” and is largely credited with the film’s great stylistic touches.
“The Lego Ninjago Movie” (Sept. 22)
Considering this animated effort’s predecessors, 2014’s “The Lego Movie” and this year’s “The Lego Batman Movie” and judging from the trailer, it’s hard to see how this won’t be another absurd and absurdly fun crowd-pleaser. Dave Franco provides the voice of Lloyd Garmadon, aka the Green Ninja, whose father is the evil warlord Lord Garmadon (Justin Theroux). Lord Garmadon pronounces his son’s name “La-loyd,” so you get an idea of what tone to expect here.
“Stronger”
This biographical drama is based on the memoir “Stronger,” co-written by Jeff Bauman, who lost his legs in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Jake Gyllenhaal portrays Bauman — who was waiting at the finish line for his runner girlfriend (Tatiana Maslany of “Orphan Black”) — who lost his legs and traveled a painful road to try to walk again. Director David Gordon Green, who has helmed dramas and comedies, has the tall task of finding the right tone that pulls at the heartstrings without overdoing it. Hard to see how this won’t prove to be a powerful story, however.
“Battle of the Sexes” (Septs. 29)
‘Little Miss Sunshine” directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris would appear to have another winner on their hands with this fictionalized account of the 1973 match between tennis stars Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell). The trailer suggests a fun film soaked in 1970s style.
“American Made” (Sept. 29)
The fact that the star (Tom Cruise) and director (Doug Liman) of the terrific 2014 sci-fi drama “Edge of Tomorrow” are back together is enough reason to be interested in “American Made.” A biographical crime film, it is the story of Barry Seal, a former airline pilot who went to work smuggling drugs for the Medellin Cartel back in the ’80s and became an informant for the U.S. government. Liman (“The Bourne Identity,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and, most recently, “The Wall”) isn’t perfect, but he never makes a dud, and Cruise needs a win after American audiences turned up their collective nose this summer at “The Mummy,” which has done better overseas. “Flatliners” (Septs. 29) “OK, now is the point where you say it’s all a joke.” A character says this in the trailer for the new “Flatliners,” which looks to be a remake of — but instead is said to be a sequel to — the 1990 drama about a group of med students who flirt with death and what lies beyond by flatlining and bringing each other back to life before it’s too late. (No joke. They’re doing this.) Although he’s nowhere to be seen in the trailer, Kiefer Sutherland, a star of the original, is said to be reprising the role of Dr. Nelson Wright in this new movie starring Ellen Page, Diego Luna and fresher faces Nina Dobrev, James Norton and Kiersey Clemons.
“Blade Runner 2049”
Harrison Ford follows up his much-ballyhooed return to the world of “Star Wars” and the character Han Solo in 2015’s “The Force Awakens” with “Blade Runner 2049,” which will see him reprise the role of Rick Deckard from another memorable work of science-fiction, director Ridley Scott’s 1982 film “Blade Runner.” However, Ford gets second billing to Ryan Gosling (“La La Land”), who plays a new blade runner, Officer K. We are told Officer K “unearths a longburied secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos.” The cast also includes Ana de Armas, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Lennie James, Dave Bautista and Jared Leto. And, like Ford, talented “Arrival” director Denis Villeneuve is making a quick return to sci-fi, with Scott along as a producer. Villeneuve, whose credits also include “Prisoners” and “Sicario,” is gifted, raising expectations pretty high for this return to the dark, futuristic world of human-like “replicants.”
“The Mountain Between Us” (Oct. 6)
The appealing pairing of Kate Winslet and Idris Elba star in the promising survival tale “The Mountain Between Us.” She is a photojournalist, he a surgeon, and they will need to work together to return to safety following a plane crash in treacherous terrain. (Much of the film was shot in Canada’s Purcell Mountains, and the area looks spectacularly beautiful, if very cold, in the trailer.). Hany AbuAssad (“Omar”) directs.
“Marshall” (Oct. 13)
What do you do when you’ve already portrayed pioneering black baseball player Jackie Robinson and influential singer James Brown? Portraying the lawyer who took on segregated schools and eventually would become the first black justice of the U.S. Supreme Court seems like an impressive-enough choice. Chadwick Boseman (“42,” “Get on Up”) looks to capture the essence of Thurgood Marshall in “Marshall,” which will feature support by Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, Sterling K. Brown (“This Is Us”), Dan Stevens and James Cromwell. Reginald Hudlin (“The Great White Hype,” “Serving Sara”) directs.
“The Foreigner” (Oct. 13)
The trailer for this spy thriller tries to sell the drama, but as it runs its course it makes clear star Jackie Chan will get to use his action chops. In the movie, based on 1992 novel “The Chinaman,” Chan stars as a Londoner whose daughter was killed and who believes Pierce Brosnan’s government official can identify her murderers.
“Only the Brave” (Oct. 20)
Firefighters are celebrated in this dramatization of those who took on the deadly Yarnell Hill fire in Arizona a few years ago. Starring in the film by Joseph Kosinski (“Oblivion”) are Miles Teller, Josh Brolin and Jeff Bridges.
“The Snowman” (Oct. 20)
Winter is here in “Game of Thrones” — and in this fairly creepy-looking suspense thriller from “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” director Tomas Alfredson. The always-solid Michael Fassbender portrays a detective on the trail of an elusive serial killer. The cast also includes Rebecca Ferguson, Val Kilmer and J.K. Simmons, throwing around an accent the likes of which we’ve never heard from the “Whiplash” Oscar winner.
“Professor Marston & The Wonder Women” (Oct. 27)
Now this is pretty good timing. Coming relatively hot on the heels of superhero hit “Wonder Woman” is this promising drama about the comic book character’s creator, Dr. William Moulton Marston (Luke Evans), and the two women who apparently inspired the character: his wife, Elizabeth (Rebecca Hall), and their friend Olive Byrne (Bella Heathcote of “Pride, Prejudice and Zombies”). Expect writer-director Angela Robinson to explore Wonder Woman, her creator and inspirations through a feminist lens.
“Thank You for Your Service” (Oct. 27)
Miles Teller stars as a soldier trying to readjust to family life after serving in Iraq. Look for a more standard examination of the effects of posttraumatic stress disorder than was offered in ambitious but overly weird 2015’s “Man Down.”
“Suburbicon” (Oct. 27)
Sure, as a director, George Clooney is hit (“Good Night and Good Luck”) and miss (“The Monuments Men”). You have to feel good about his latest effort, crime comedy “Suburbicon,” because it is co-written by Joel and Ethan Coen. You would think — and the trailer for the film suggests as much — that Clooney would have learned a few things from the acclaimed directors while starring for them in films that include “O Brother Where Art Thou?” and “Intolerable Cruelty.” (Let’s just forget about last year’s forgettable “Hail Caesar!”). Clooney’s “Ocean’s” franchise co-star Matt Damon is the lead in this tale about an event that stirs up a quiet town, and supporting roles are played by Oscar Isaac and Julianne Moore.
“Thor: Ragnarok” (Nov. 3)
Even if you haven’t been blown away by the trailers for “Thor Ragnarok,” you have to believe it will be better than the extremely bleh Alan Taylor-directed 2013 solo-Thor adventure, “Thor: The Dark World.” With any luck, this third adventure for Marvel Studios’ Thor (Chris Hemsworth) will be more in line with 2011’s largely entertaining “Thor.” While Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster doesn’t appear to be anywhere around for this adventure directed by Taika Waititi (“What We Do in the Shadows”), expect a big scoop of Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner and his huge, green, Hulk-ing alter ego. Also in the mix are, of course, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, and newcomers to the Marvel Cinematic Universe played by Cate Blanchett and Jeff Goldblum. You shouldn’t worry too much about the Asgardian god of thunder — Thor will be back for summer 2018’s highly anticipated “Avengers: Infinity War.”
“A Bad Mom’s Christmas”
Expect some holiday raunch in this holidaythemed sequel to 2016 comedy hit “Bad Moms.” Stars Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn are back to mom it up, as is writingdirecting tandem Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the men behind the “Moms.”
“The Star” (Nov. 10)
Ever wish the story of the first Christmas were told humorously AND from the point of view of a donkey? Then this animated Christian comedy is for you.
“Murder on the Orient Express” (Nov. 10)
We think of fall as a time when original stories come to the screen, but summer doesn’t have the exclusive rights to remakes. Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel “Murder on the Orient Express” gets its fourth screen (two big, two small) adaptation, this one directed by Kenneth Branagh. Branagh also is in front of the camera in this take on the trainset murder-mystery, as are Judi Dench, Willem Dafoe, Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Josh Gad, Michelle Pfeiffer and Daisy Ridley.
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Nov. 10)
As odd as it sounds, writer-director Martin McDonagh (“In Bruges,” “Seven Psychopaths”) may succeed in finding humor in a tale of a woman (Frances McDormand) frustrated because her daughter’s murder hasn’t been solved by the local authorities of the titular town. Anyway, that’s the vibe you get from the profanity-packed red-band trailer for the film, which also features Woody Harrelson, John Hawkes, Peter Dinklage and Sam Rockwell.
“Justice League” (Nov. 17)
It’s nice that everybody liked this summer’s “Wonder Woman,” even if it’s a bit overrated. It won’t matter much if this big comingtogether of heroes in the DC Extended Universe is a dud. And given that, like 2013’s “Man of Steel” and last year’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” it is directed by Zack Snyder, it’s very much a concern. (It must be noted that after the sad death of his daughter, Snyder left the post-production phase of the film in the hands of Joss Whedon, who directed the first two “Avengers” movies for Marvel Studio and thus knows something about big superhero movies.) DC Comics and Warner Bros. are being a little coy about Henry Cavill’s Superman being resurrected for the film (spoiler alert: he will be), but the advance footage otherwise emphasizes the fact that we’ll get Ben Affleck’s Batman, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, Ezra Miller’s Flash and Ray Fisher’s Cyborg as a team that will take on Ciaran Hinds’ Steppenwolf. Also popping up will be familiar faces that include Amy Adams’ Lois Lane, Jeremy Irons’ Alfred Pennyworth and Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor.
“Last Flag Flying” (Nov. 17)
The trio of Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell and Laurence Fishburne should be enough to pique your interest for the latest work from writer-director Richard Linklater. The three gents once were Marines together, and they reunite after one of their sons is killed. Interestingly, the film is co-written by Darryl Ponicsan and can be viewed as a sequel to 1973’s “The Last Detail,” based on Ponicsan’s 1970 novel of the same name.
“Roman Israel, Esq.” (Nov. 17)
Denzel Washington plays this legal drama’s namesake attorney, who unexpectedly finds himself leading his law firm and discovers some not-so-great things the entity has been doing. Dan Gilroy (“Nightcrawler”) directs.
“Wonder” (Nov. 17)
It probably would be wise to bring the tissues — for tears of sadness AND joy — for “Wonder,” a family comedy-drama about a boy with facial deformities trying to fit in at school and, if at all possible, make some good friends. Jacob Tremblay, of “Room” fame, portrays the child, while Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson play his loving parents. The charming trailer hits you at the end with a schoolmate asking Tremblay’s August “Auggie” Pullman if he’s ever thought of getting plastic surgery, and Auggie replies, “Dude, this is AFTER plastic surgery. It takes a lot of work to look this good.”