Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The end of the year is nigh and movie lovers’ hopes should be high
Hollywood used to save the best for last. The fall movie season was when things got serious, when all the prestige pictures and the intense indie dramas — all those movies that the studios take out ads for in the trades, begging for the consideration of critics and other tastemakers — were released.
This year feels different. I’ve already seen some of the best stuff I’m going to see this year. Chloe Zhao’s The Rider technically came out in 2017 but it has made a lot of 2018 critics’ Top 10 lists, Paul Schrader’s First Reformed is a remarkable comeback from one of the masters of American cinema, Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs, Debra Granik’s Leave No Trace, Andrew Haigh’s Lean on Pete, Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Here, Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, Armando Iannucci’s The Death of Stalin and others have set a high bar. And people tell me it has been a dull year. There’s more to come, and I suspect that some of the movies mentioned below will be pretty good. A lot more will be average. Some might make you want to claw your eyes out with a grapefruit spoon. (Don’t do that, it’s only a movie.) I vouch for nothing I haven’t seen, although I’m happy to repeat any and all rumors.
Dates are tentative and some films may not open in your town at all. So here’s the annual autumnal preview of movies that will probably open before the end of the year (or failing that, early next year before the Oscars telecast).
FRIDAY
A Star Is Born — Another remake of the oftmade 1937 film of the same name, it stars Bradley Cooper as a slipping-down country star and Lady Gaga as the up-and-coming young singer with whom he falls in love. While this could be a disaster, early reactions have been generous. Jason Isbell wrote at least one song for it. So let’s hope. With Andrew Dice Clay, Sam Elliott and Dave Chappelle, who claims this is the first good movie he has ever been in.
The Happy Prince — Rupert Everett directs himself, Colin Firth and Emily Watson in this story about Oscar Wilde’s last days.
Heavy Trip (2018) — Insane-looking (the trailer is available online) Finnish black-metal comedy about the “most unknown heavy metal band in Finland.”
Over the Limit — Documentary about Margarita Mamun, the world’s best rhythmic gymnast, and her psychological struggles.
Venom — Tom Hardy plays the human host to an alien Symbiote who becomes Spider-Man’s arch-enemy. Lots of people are losing their minds over this. A fine cast includes Michelle Williams, Woody Harrelson and Jenny Slate.
OCT. 12
Bad Times at the El Royale — A great trailer and a great cast, but I don’t know anyone who has seen it yet. Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, Nick Offerman and Russell Crowe get up to stuff in a seedy
hotel in Lake Tahoe.
Beautiful Boy — Our critic Piers Marchant saw this at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month. He writes: “Felix Van Groeningen’s Beautiful Boy, based on the dual memoirs by father/ son combo David and Nic Sheff about Nic’s drug addiction and numerous rehabs … is not a standard redemption arc … Van Groeningen, whose previous work includes the good but thoroughly depressing Broken Circle Breakdown, does not play to a crowd. He’s more dour than inspiring, and … instead of heartwarming treacle, we’re subjected to the emotional anguish of a parent who has to learn this is a battle he cannot help his son win directly. The downside of Van Groeningen’s emotionally distant style is we never quite feel the full weight of their loss and pain. It’s more clinically informational than emotionally engaging, which doesn’t allow for deep understanding.” With Steve Carell, Timothee Chalamet and Maura Tierney.
Bigger — The story of fitness/bodybuilding pioneers Joe and Ben Weider, who discovered Arnold Schwarzenegger. Tyler Hoechlin plays Joe, Aneurin Barnard portrays brother Ben, while Australian bodybuilder and YouTuber Calum Von Moger plays Schwarzenegger.
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween — Kiddie comedy-adventure based on R.L. Stine’s 400 million-selling series of books.
First Man — Damien Chazelle’s follow-up to La La Land is a look at Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) and the 1969 Apollo mission to the moon. With Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler.
The Oath — Black comedy about a family divided over a “patriot’s oath” to the government Americans are required to sign by the day after Thanksgiving. Directed by comedian Ike Barinholtz and starring Barinholtz, Tiffany Haddish, John Cho, Carrie Brownstein, Billy Magnussen and Nora Dunn.
OCT. 19
Can You Ever Forgive Me? — Melissa McCarthy stars as Lee Israel, who took to forging and selling letters that appear to have been written by deceased writers, playwrights and actors after her writing career floundered in the 1980s.
The Guilty — This thriller has been selected as Denmark’s entry for the best foreign language film at the Academy Awards; it’s a critical hit (a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing).
Halloween — David Gordon Green’s highly anticipated capper to the John Carpenter series that began 40 years ago returns Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, looking forward to a final confrontation with murderous Michael Myers.
The Hate U Give — Well-received (so far) crime drama based on Angie Thomas’ young adult novel about a black 16-year-old girl, Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg, The Hunger Games), who is drawn to activism after she witnesses the police shooting of a childhood friend. Directed by George Tillman Jr., with Regina Hall and Anthony Mackie.
Mid90s — Jonah Hill makes his writing and directorial debut with this coming-of-age comedy set in ’90s Los Angeles.
Serenity — A noir about a fishing boat captain (Matthew McConaughey) whose ex-wife (Anne Hathaway) tracks him down to ask for his help. With Diane Lane, Jason Clarke, Djimon Hounsou and Jeremy Strong.
What They Had — Bridget (Hilary Swank) goes back to her hometown to care for her Alzheimer’s-suffering mother (Blythe Danner) and ailing father (Robert Forster). Sounds like a 21st-century take on Make Way For Tomorrow. Directed by Elizabeth Chomko. With Michael Shannon.
OCT. 26
Burning — South Korean mystery directed by Lee Chang-dong, based on Haruki Murakami’s short story “Barn Burning.” It’s South Korea’s Academy Awards entry and by all accounts it’s quite good.
Hunter Killer — An American submarine captain and U.S. Navy Seals attempt to rescue a Russian president kidnapped by a rogue general.
Indivisible — Faith-based film that tells the “extraordinary true story of Army Chaplain Darren Turner and his wife, Heather. When war etches battle scars on their hearts, they face one more battle: the fight to save their marriage.”
Johnny English Strikes Again — Rowan Atkinson rides again as the inept Clouseau-ian British agent. Emma Thompson, Olga Kurylenko and Jake Lacy class the joint up.
Stuck — Giancarlo Esposito, Amy Madigan, Ashanti, Arden Cho, Omar Chaparro and Gerard Canonico are six complete strangers who get stuck together on a stalled NYC subway in this pop musical.
NOV. 2
Bohemian Rhapsody — Bryan Singer’s Freddie Mercury bio-pic, which focuses on Queen’s rise through the ’70s and ’80s, is finally here, with Rami Malek as Mercury and Mike Myers (!) as EMI executive Ray Foster.
Boy Erased — Joel Edgerton’s film is based on Garrard Conley’s memoir about growing up gay and the son of a Baptist preacher in a small Arkansas town and having to undergo a church-supported conversion program. Buzz is good and the cast includes Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Edgerton and Russell Crowe.
Nobody’s Fool — Tyler Perry’s film about a woman (Tiffany Haddish) who, just released from prison, realizes her sister might be in an unhealthy online relationship.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms — Directors Lasse Hallstrom and Joe Johnston expand on the ballet, telling the story of young Clara (Mackenzie Foy) as she’s transported to a magical realm of gingerbread soldiers and an army of mice. With Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Morgan Freeman and Matthew Macfadyen.
A Private War — War correspondent Marie Colvin (Rosamund Pike) trots the globe to bring us the latest in conflict in this fact-based film directed by Matthew Heineman (the documentary City of Ghosts). She’s an utterly fearless and rebellious spirit, driven to the front line of conflicts to give voice to the voiceless.
Suspiria — Luca Guadagnino remakes Dario Argenta’s shock classic, at great length. (The film reportedly runs two hours and 32 minutes.) Early reviews are mixed. With Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton.
NOV. 9
The Front Runner — Jason Reitman directs this interesting-sounding story of the fall of presidential candidate Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman) based on Matt Bai’s 2014 book All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid. With Vera Farmiga, Molly Ephraim and Kaitlyn Dever.
The Girl in the Spider’s Web — Hacker/butt-kicker Lisbeth Salander (now played by Claire Foy) and her lover journalist Mikael Blomkvist (now played by Icelandic actor Sverrir Gudnason) find themselves caught in a web of spies, cybercriminals and government corruption.
The Grinch — Yes, Whoville is threatened once again. This 3-D computer-animated film features Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Angela Lansbury and Kenan Thompson in its vocal cast.
Overlord — American paratroopers dropped behind enemy lines on D-Day find they have to fight Nazi-bred zombies as well as Nazis in this war horror drama which may or may not have something to do with J.J. Abrams’ (one of the producers) Cloverfield universe.
Narcissister Organ Player — Narcissister is an American, Brooklyn-based, feminist performance artist, of Moroccan descent. Her work tends to focus on race, gender and sexuality. Apparently this is a movie about her.
Peterloo — Typically cheery Mike Leigh naturalism about the 1819 Peterloo Massacre in which British forces attacked a peaceful pro-democracy rally in Manchester. I love Mike Leigh, but it will be bleak. Probably won’t get here until 2019.
NOV. 16
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald — IMDB says this is: “The second installment of the Fantastic Beasts series set in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World featuring the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander.” Directed by David Yates, stars Eddie Redmayne and Katherine Waterston.
The Last Race — Intriguing-sounding documentary examines small town stock car culture on Long Island.
Widows — Piers Marchant: “Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) returns … with a thriller about four crime-family-connected women — including Viola Davis and Michelle Rodriguez — who must fend for themselves when their partners all get whacked. The only thing that gives me pause here is the screenplay was written by the generally overwrought Gillian Flynn, but it’s based on a BBC TV show of some renown, which gives me hope that it will tamp down some of her more fancifully dark tendencies.”
NOV. 23
Becoming Astrid — Danish director Pernille Fischer Christensen’s bio-pic of Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren, creator of Pippi Longstocking, is, according to Variety, a “gorgeous piece of heritage filmmaking.”
Creed II — Ryan Coogler has moved on, so Steven Caple Jr. picks up the story of boxer Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) as he prepares, under the tutelage of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), to fight the son of Ivan Drago.
The Favourite — Yorgos Lanthimos’ new movie is set in 18th-century England, with ailing Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) occupying the throne while her close friend Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) governs the country. Likely to be one of the best-reviewed films of the year, though it might not be Lanthimos’ commercial breakthrough.
Green Book — For some reason, the idea of Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali in a Peter Farrelly comedy set in the ’60s appeals to me. Reviews have been pretty mild, but it also has Linda Cardellini going for it.
Ralph Breaks the Internet — Of course he does. A sequel to Wreck-It Ralph. Expect it to be the same movie. Ralph and Vanellope, now friends, discover a Wi-Fi router in their arcade, leading them into a new adventure.
Robin Hood — Who says there are no original ideas in Hollywood? Taron Egerton, Ben Mendelsohn, and Jamie Dornan star in this story of a crusader returned to England who discovers the crown to be corrupt.
Second Act — A box store worker (Jennifer Lopez) moves on up when she’s mistaken for a hotshot mergers and acquisitions consultant.
Shoplifters — Hirokazu Koreeda’s film won the Palme d’Or at last spring’s Cannes. Piers Marchant has seen it, and raves: “The film suggests the idea of family comes much more from the heart than the blood, but the director still afflicts his characters with complicated, not entirely selfless motives. By the end, with authorities restoring things to conventional order, we are left to wonder if this outcome is in anyone’s best interest. The film ends with Yuri, now restored to parents who still don’t care that she exists, playing by herself again. Her plaintive expression in the film’s last frames will haunt you for days.” Good enough for me.
NOV. 30
Anna and the Apocalypse — Campy horror musical comedy about a Yuletide zombie apocalypse that threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven.
DEC. 7
Ben Is Back — “And you’re going to be sorry, hey la, hey la ….” No, just being silly. This stars up-and-coming Lucas Hedges as a young man who gets in trouble and comes back home to his mom (Julia Roberts) and stepfather (Courtney B. Vance).
Capernaum — Well-reviewed Lebanese drama written and directed by Nadine Labaki. Anticipated in some quarters.
Mary Queen of Scots — Prestige picture alert! Directed by Josie Rourke, written by House of Cards creator Beau Willimon and based on John Guy’s biography My Heart Is My Own: The Life of
Mary Queen of Scots, this stars Saoirse Ronan as the young Queen and Margot Robbie as her cousin Queen Elizabeth I. The film is set during the 1569 conflict that roiled their two countries. Jack Lowden, David Tennant, Joe Alwyn, Martin Compston, Brendan Coyle and Guy Pearce round out the cast. This One’s For the Ladies
— Documentary about black exotic dancers and the underground culture that envelops them. OK.
The Silence — Horror film with Stanley Tucci, Miranda Otto and John Corbett. Can’t say much more other than it concerns a deaf teenager and a bunch of mutated bats called Vesps.
Under the Silver Lake — Ambitious Los Angeles-set neo-noir has received mixed reviews so far. It’s about a man (Andrew Garfield) who embarks on a surreal quest after a mysterious woman (Riley Keough) suddenly disappears.
DEC. 14
Mortal Engines — Dystopian fantasy set in a world where cities rove on wheels, devouring the resources of smaller, weaker towns. Hugo Weaving is in it. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse — Cartoon Spidey hops dimensions. Phil Lord and Nicolas Cage are involved so, hey, maybe not awful.
Vice — Adam McKay recounts the story of Dick Cheney (Christian Bale), with an emphasis on how the most powerful vice president in U.S. history transforms the world. Strong cast includes Amy Adams and Steve Carell.
DEC. 21
Alita: Battle Angel — “Alita: light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Ah-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth.” Wait, sorry. This is a Robert Rodriguez movie based on a Japanese magna.
Aquaman — Jason Momoa gets his stand-alone Justice League superhero feature as Arthur Curry, who discovers he’s the heir to the Kingdom of Atlantis. Supposedly dark, broody and directed by horror maven James Wan.
Bumblebee — Travis Knight directs this touching story of 18-year-old Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld ), who in 1987 discovers her beat-up yellow Volkswagen Beetle has a secret. I have to say that, of all the Transformer storylines, this is the one I’m most interested in.
Cold War — Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski won best director at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival for this fast-paced (85 minute), lean romance shot in luminous black-and-white.
Mary Poppins Returns — And she’s got an Uzi. (Not really, I don’t think.)
Welcome to Marwen —A shattered man (Steve Carell) meticulously builds a miniature World War II village in his yard to help in his recovery in this Robert Zemeckis fantasy based on the acclaimed 2010 documentary Marwencol.
DEC. 28
Destroyer — Already people are asking me if this Nicole Kidman showcase will open here. I believe it will. Kidman plays an undercover cop in moral and existential crisis when she’s revisited by her painful past. Directed by Karyn Kusama.
On the Basis of Sex — Another stand-alone superhero movie for a Justice Leaguer. This one stars the ever-fetching Felicity Jones as the ever-fetching Ruth Bader Ginsburg.