FALL MOVIE PREVIEW
Calendar has so many high-quality films, a list of top 10 wasn’t quite big enough
It wasn’t so long ago that September and October were dumping grounds for movies, with a few Oscar-caliber releases trickling in around mid-November.
You can slink back to the theaters again, lovers of fine cinema and haters of angry birds and suicide squads. This year, it seems as if the fall movie season has attracted an entire year’s worth of the highest-quality directors, actors and movie releases. It’s possible for three weeks to pass without seeing a single sequel. Has October become the new December?
For this year’s Chronicle fall movie preview, we looked at all the available trailers for film releases between now until Nov. 11, weighed the advance buzz, considered past history and picked the 11 films that have the most promise.
(Full disclosure: The choices leaned toward nerd-friendly, crowd-pleasing filmmaking and away from foreign and ultraindie cinema. We’re still craving a little action after that lackluster summer …)
We’ve also chosen an MVP for each film release — a director, actors or a wild card.
“The Light Between Oceans” came out on Friday, Sept. 2, just missing our early cutoff. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” and other movies opening on Nov. 19 or later will be included in our holiday movie preview.
SULLY (SEPT. 9) MVP: Tom Hanks with a white mustache is the best Tom Hanks.
Analysis: Clint Eastwood directs the story of Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, his inspiring job of landing a disabled jet on the Hudson River, and the subsequent accusations and attacks on his reputation. (We honestly don’t remember hearing a word of negativity directed toward the man, but it’s a movie.) This seems like another score for Tom Hanks’ agent — finding a character that has synergy with the actor’s likable/upstanding/conflicted everyman persona. Eastwood has been hit and miss since about “Gran Torino” in 2008. We still think this is the safest movie to watch with your great-aunt in late 2016.
SNOWDEN (SEPT. 16)
MVP: Oliver Stone, back in conspiracy mode.
Analysis: Stone has either been cashing in (“Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”), taking detours (“Savages”) or just plain disappearing in recent years. “Snowden” rockets him back to his 1990s “JFK”/“Nixon” fighting weight. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the traitor/patriot who leaked classified documents to the news media. We’re guessing Stone leans toward the latter interpretation, which is fine. We’re a better country when Oliver Stone seems a bit crazy, tackling a controversial subject that jabs at conservatives and tests the conspiratorial tolerance of progressives.
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (SEPT. 23)
MVP: Denzel, who has ascended to one-word name status, like Shaq, and Cher, and Jesus.
Analysis: This is a remake of a remake, which somehow makes it a little less egregious, even though both were classics. Antoine Fuqua is taking the “Silverado”-“Young Guns” approach, compensating for the modern moviegoers’ lack of interest in Westerns by ramping up the wisecracks and use of gunpowder. The cast is a who’s who of guys you’d want to have a beer with, including Chris Pratt as a gambler, Ethan Hawke as a sharpshooter, Vincent D’Onofrio as a tracker and Denzel Washington, who would also be great as Hannibal in an “A-Team” remake of a remake.
MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN (SEPT. 30)
MVP: Whoever gives Tim Burton his weed. Analysis: This is the most excited we’ve been for a Tim Burton movie since “Ed Wood.” The trailer looks excellent — appropriately creepy and unpredictable and wondrous — featuring supernatural outcast children and a new child who must save them. Eva Green is their headmistress, and Terence Stamp and Judi Dench add some good vibes to the cast, while the visual effects look seamless in service of the story. One more positive: Johnny Depp appears to be nowhere near this Tim Burton film, which is probably good for both of them.
THE BIRTH OF A NATION (OCT. 7)
MVP: Jackie Earle Haley Analysis: The Nat Turner-led slave rebellion of 1831 is covered in this biopic, which received very positive reviews coming out of Sundance. Parker stars, directs, produces and co-wrote the screenplay. Made with a $10 million budget, the film has a fantastic cast of underrated actors, including Armie Hammer, Penelope Ann Miller and Aja Naomi King. The resurrection of Jackie Earle Haley continues — after disappearing for most of the 1990s, he’s now been nominated for an Oscar in “Little Children,” was the best thing in “Watchmen” and has a small part here.
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN (OCT. 7):
MVP: Emily Blunt Analysis: Emily Blunt looks alternately forlorn and terrified as a woman who witnesses a horrible crime — or did she? — in this suburban murder mystery. Blunt makes bad movies better (“The Wolfman”), is the usually best thing about decent movies (“Edge of Tomorrow”) and deserves more really good movies (“Looper”). Hopefully this is one of the latter. The trailers make it look like this year’s “Gone Girl” — a twisting, outrageous, sexually complicated thriller.
THE ACCOUNTANT (OCT. 14)
MVP: Ben Affleck’s pocket protector Analysis: We can’t tell if this love child of “A Beautiful Mind” and “The Bourne Identity” is going to be good, or ridiculously and memorably bad. We’re betting on Ben Affleck’s recent track record, with an Oscar winner (“Argo”), a very well-executed Michael Mann knockoff (“The Town”) and a pretty decent turn as Batman. Affleck is the titular accountant, who is on the spectrum, in love and embroiled in a dangerous game with criminals and the military. Gavin O’Connor, who made the underrated mixed martial arts film “Warrior,” is the director.
DOCTOR STRANGE (NOV. 4)
MVP: The Marvel Comics licensing department Analysis: Benedict Cumberbatch plays Stephen Strange, a surgeon who gets in a car accident, loses function in his hands, and gains the ability to unleash the special effects from Christopher Nolan’s “Inception.” Like the cast of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” this Marvel Comics character runs in different circles from Iron Man, Captain America and the X-Men — which will hopefully allow the comic to adopt its own look and vibe without the Falcon or Colossus appearing for no good reason. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen and Tilda Swinton complete the highbrow cast.
LOVING (NOV. 11)
MVP: Chief Justice Earl Warren Analysis: Jeff Nichols (“Take Shelter,” “Midnight Special”) is a wonderful choice to bring something special to the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial married couple in the 1950s and 1960s who took their right to wed to the Supreme Court. Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga should be excellent as the Lovings, and Nichols has never made anything besides interesting, thoughtful and complicated films. Michael Shannon, who has been a good-luck charm for Nichols, appears as well.
FALL MOVIE PREVIEW
ARRIVAL (NOV. 11)
MVP: Forest Whitaker, Forest Whitaker and Forest Whitaker.
Analysis: The immensely talented — if always a little flawed — Denis Villeneuve takes on this extraterrestrial close-encounter drama, with Amy Adams playing a linguist who tries to communicate with the alien landing pods. The trailers have a strong “Contact” vibe, which is a very good thing. Screenwriter Eric Heisserer (using Ted Chiang source material) taps into very timely political tensions. And let’s add another MVP chant for Whitaker, who since they flew him in for games at Ridgemont High, has never ceased to make a bad movie a little bit watchable, or a good movie better.
BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK (NOV. 11)
MVP: Ang Lee
Analysis: Lee’s first film since “Life of Pi” in 2012 features Joe Alwyn as a returning Iraqi war veteran who has mixed feelings as he is celebrated at a Dallas Cowboys game on Thanksgiving Day. Based on a novel by Ben Fountain. Kristen Stewart, Garrett Hedlund, Vin Diesel, Tim Blake Nelson and Steve Martin round out the deep cast. Lee’s films are well constructed while never falling into a pattern, and he has a sterling track record. Even Lee’s less-than-great films (“The Hulk,” “Taking Woodstock”) were still well shot and watchable.