Exciting movies? Autumn’s got ’em
Film lovers can look forward to a season with Oscar hopefuls and Halloween picks
Toronto moviegoers should know by now how good they’ve got it.
Thanks to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), they get to be the first audience members for many of the major new movies of the next 12 months, including fall’s buzziest titles.
Plus, there are all those opportunities for acquiring envy-inducing selfies as stars stroll red carpets in the background. Nor is a photobomb by Shia LaBeouf entirely out of the question.
Of course, there are plenty of other reasons to keep heading back into theatres once the festival’s finished, what with many of TIFF’s hottest premieres returning alongside the traditional bevy of likely blockbusters, Oscar hopefuls and other new releases looking for attention.
To get you ready, we present this survey of the most notable movies hitting theatres in the next three months. (Dates of wide release may change, so keep checking the Star’s movie listings.)
IMMINENT FESTIVAL FAVES Mother! ( Sept. 15) Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem What you need to know: This story of a young wife’s descent into paranoia marks director Darren Aronofsky’s return to the fever-pitched psychological-thriller mode of Black Swan, a past TIFF hit that went on to become a commercial smash. Long Time Running (Sept. 14) Stars: The Tragically Hip What you need to know: Fans can relive all the poignancy and power chords of the Hip’s farewell tour thanks to the filmmaking team behind docs like Watermark and Manufactured Landscapes. Battle of the Sexes (Sept. 22) Stars: Emma Stone, Steve Carell What you need to know: Based on the historic tennis battle between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, this sports dramedy has its own allstar matchup with the writer of Slumdog Millionaire and the directors of Little Miss Sunshine. Stronger (Sept. 22) Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Tatiana Maslany What you need to know: Based on Jeff Bauman’s memoir about the tragedy he suffered in the Boston Marathon bombing and his extraordinary recovery, this drama is not only another showcase for Gyllenhaal’s talents — it’s also a chance for Maslany to move beyond Orphan Black. The Florida Project (Oct. 13) Stars: Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Kimberly Prince What you need to know: This portrait of life in a skeezy Orlando motel by Tangerine director Sean Baker earned an early dose of festival buzz when it debuted at Cannes. Suburbicon (Oct. 27) Stars: Matt Damon, Julianne Moore What you need to know: Like his stars, director George Clooney is another TIFF regular whose presence will draw attention to this blackly comedic collaboration with the Coen brothers about troubles in a pictureperfect ’50s town. The Square (Nov. 3) Stars: Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss What you need to know: Swedish director Ruben Ostlund scored Cannes’ top prize for his art-world satire — TIFF audiences will be this continent’s first to learn whether the jurors were wise. Lady Bird (Nov. 10) Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf What you need to know: One of many directorial debuts by actors at the festival, this coming-of-adulthood dramedy teams Brooklyn’s star with the equally splendid Greta Gerwig.
LIKELY BLOCKBUSTERS It (Sept. 8) Stars: Jaeden Lieberher, Bill Skarsgard What you need to know: Shot in Toronto last year, this new adaptation of one of Stephen King’s scariest tales promises to be the ultimate in evil clown cinema. Kingsman: The Golden Circle (Sept. 22) Stars: Taron Egerton, Channing Tatum What you need to know: Director Matthew Vaughn’s 2014 actioncomedy spin on spy-movie tropes was a surprise worldwide smash, which explains why this sequel is slicker, starrier and yet still as British as a pair of wellies stuffed with crisps. Blade Runner 2049 (Oct. 6) Stars: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford What you need to know: No movie this year has inspired such a nerd frenzy as Denis Villeneuve’s belated sequel to Sir Ridley Scott’s futurenoir classic. BTW, it’s 2017 — where the hell are our flying cars? Geostorm (Oct. 20) Stars: Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess What you need to know: Given the state of the world outside of movie theatres, a bombastic environmental-disaster movie may seem as redundant as a political satire. But hey, it’s nice to imagine that we too will be spirited to safety in Gerard Butler’s beefy arms. Thor: Ragnarok (Nov. 3) Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston What you need to know: If anyone can give the Thor franchise a burst of new energy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople director Taika Waititi is a great bet. Justice League (Nov. 17) Stars: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot What you need to know: The heroes of the DC Extended Universe unite to face a common threat: the grouchy fanboys and -girls who demand to be seriously wowed after feeling underwhelmed by Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad.
MORE OSCAR HOPEFULS Victoria & Abdul (Sept. 29) Stars: Dame Judi Dench, Ali Fazal What you need to know: Reprising her Oscar-nominated role as Queen Victoria from 1997’s well-loved Mrs. Brown, Dench hopes to find a similarly winning chemistry with Fazal as the royal’s servant. The Mountain Between Us (Oct. 6) Stars: Kate Winslet, Idris Elba What you need to know: Another TIFF premiere, this adaptation of Charles Martin’s story combines two awards-ceremony regulars in a snowy story of survival. Marshall (Oct. 13) Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad What you need to know: After sterling performances in 42 and Get On Up, Boseman may get his best chance yet for an Oscar statuette by playing the first African-American Supreme Court Justice. Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House (Oct. 13) Stars: Liam Neeson, Diane Lane What you need to know: This weighty Watergate drama may be hampered with the movie season’s least catchy title, but the four Oscars for All the President’s Men still bode well for its fortunes. Roman Israel, Esq. (Nov. 10) Stars: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell What you need to know: Washington’s first screen endeavour since his much-acclaimed adaptation of Fences is a legal thriller by screenwriter turned director Dan Gilroy ( Nightcrawler).
THRILLERS American Made (Sept. 29) Stars: Tom Cruise, Sarah Wright What you need to know: On a career slide after misfires like The Mummy and whatever that last Jack Reacher movie was called, Cruise has a decent shot at reversing direction with his latest, the juicy true-life tale of a drug-smuggling pilot turned DEA informant. Flatliners (Sept. 29) Stars: Ellen Page, Diego Luna What you need to know: The Brat Pack chiller about med students obsessed with near-death experiences gets a hip, Toronto-shot update that wouldn’t be complete without a role for Kiefer Sutherland. The Foreigner (Oct. 13) Stars: Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan What you need to know: Playing a man hunting for the terrorists who killed his daughter, Chan teams up with the former Bond and his GoldenEye director Martin Campbell for a not-so-secret mission to drum up big box office on both sides of the globe. The Snowman (Oct. 20) Stars: Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson What you need to know: The newest adaptation of another grisly thriller by Jo Nesbo puts Fassbender on the trail of a serial killer. Death wears a puffy parka. Murder on the Orient Express (Nov. 10) Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Johnny Depp What you need to know: Agatha Christie’s mystery about the perils of locomotive travel gets a deluxe revamp, with Branagh promising a darker, “scarier” take than viewers may expect from the many other screen incarnations.
IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN Woodshock (Sept. 29) Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Joe Cole What you need to know: In what may be the season’s most unexpected movie debut, the sisters behind the fashion line Rodarte follow Tom Ford into the film world for this psychotropic thriller. Happy Death Day (Oct. 13) Stars: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard What you need to know: Horror king Jason Blum makes his usual seasonal appearance with a slasher-flick throwback by Paranormal Activity vet Christopher B. Landon. Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (Oct. 20) Stars: Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis What you need to know: It’s Madea’s world — you’re just living in it. Jigsaw (Oct. 27) Stars: Mandela Van Peebles, Laura Vandervoort What you need to know: Dormant since 2010’s Saw 3D, the Saw horror franchise restarts its body count.
COMEDIES AND KID STUFF The LEGO Ninjago Movie (Sept. 22) Stars: Dave Franco, Justin Theroux What you need to know: The LEGO movie franchise continues its rampage. And you thought Denmark seemed so nice and harmless. My Little Pony: The Movie (Oct. 6) Stars: Emily Blunt, Kristin Chenoweth What you need to know: Twilight Sparkle leads a new effort to protect Equestria from forces that hate cuteness. ABad Moms Christmas (Nov. 3) Stars: Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell What you need to know: Arriving a year after moviegoers went wild for moms gone wild, this seasonally themed sequel ups the ante with Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines and Susan Sarandon as even wilder grandmoms. Daddy’s Home 2 (Nov. 10) Stars: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg What you need to know: The season’s other big comedy sequel also introduces a multi-generational aspect, with Mel Gibson and John Lithgow joining Ferrell and Wahlberg’s alpha-male faceoff.
Also out this fall: Home Again ( Sept. 8), American Assassin (Sept. 15), All I See Is You (Sept. 15), Brad’s Status (Sept. 15), Beach Rats (Sept. 22), The Time of Their Lives (Sept. 22), Loving Vincent (Oct. 6), Lucky (Oct. 6), Unarmed Voices (Oct. 6), Rebel in the Rye (Oct. 6), BPM: Beats Per Minute (Oct. 13), Goodbye Christopher Robin (Oct. 13), 78/52 (Oct. 13), 6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain (Oct. 13), Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (Oct. 13), Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton (Oct. 20), Ex-Libris: The New York Public Library (Oct. 20), Breathe (Oct. 20), Human Flow (Oct. 20), Only the Brave (Oct. 20), Same Kind of Different As Me (Oct. 20), Thank You for Your Service (Oct. 27), Faces Places (Oct. 27), God’s Own Country (Nov. 3), The Killing of a Sacred Deer (Nov. 3), Novitiate (Nov. 10), The Man Who Invented Christmas (Nov. 10), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Nov. 10), The Star (Nov. 17), Wonder (Nov.17) and Sweet Virginia ( Nov.17).