Must see fall movies
After this summer, we've seen entire cities destroyed by giant monsters, zombie hordes and careless superheroes. Time for some disaster-free drama!
With any luck, the fall movie season will provide a plentiful helping of films that will clear our palettes of the bloodless mass-destruction that befell many blockbusters this summer.
September Dramas
While not usually a haven for quality theater experiences, this month's slate of serious movies show some promise. Ron Howard takes a character-focused look at Formula One racing in the 1970s ("Rush," Sept. 27), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt makes his directorial debut where he plays a playboy swayed by the affections of Scarlett Johansson ("Don Jon," Sept. 27). Hugh Jackman hunts for his missing daughters in the already well-reviewed "Prisoners" (Sept. 20). And watch for a Video On Demand release of the comedy "Enough Said," featuring one of the last James Gandolfini performances we're gonna get.
Believe the hype on "Gravity"
OK, so there's a little disaster this fall season. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are astronauts stranded in open space in the much-anticipated visual spectacular from Alfonso Cuaron ("Children of Men"). The movie has earned jaw-dropping reactions from everyone who has seen it on the festival circuit. Oct. 4.
Tom Hanks back to the Oscars
Ever since his string of Oscar-winning (and nominated) performances in the '90s, Tom Hanks has been jumping around all sorts of genre projects. Expect "Captain Phillips," about the ship captain captured by Somali pirates in 2009, to be noticed by Oscar voters again. It's directed by Paul Greengrass, the man behind the (good) "Bourne" movies and one of the last decade's best movies ("United 93"). Oct. 11.
More big name Oscar hopefuls
You should know the name Chiwetel Ejiofor by now, but if you don't, the historical drama "12 Years a Slave" should do the job. It follows Ejiofor as a free black man in 1841 kidnapped by a ruthless slave owner.
Benedict Cumberbatch, fresh off major villainy in "Star Trek Into Darkness," will explore a more complex moral compass as Julian Assange in "The Fifth Estate," Robert Redford is adrift at sea alone in "All Is Lost," and Michael Fassbender plays a shady lawyer in "The Counselor," a movie written by "No Country for Old Men" author Cormac McCarthy and directed by Ridley Scott.
Only "The Counselor" has a wide release, with the others slated for limited October runs. Expect eventual expansion, or fingers crossed, Video on Demand releases.
Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio together again
In their latest collaboration "The Wolf of Wall Street," DiCaprio plays an early '90s Wall Street hustler. By the looks of its awesome trailer, we're also getting another memorable Matthew McConaughey oddball in a supporting role. Nov. 15.
More crazy Joaquin Phoenix
The less he cares about his public image, the better his performances. In "Her," the latest kooky experiment from Spike Jonze ("Being John Malkovich"), Phoenix plays a man who falls in love with a computer operating system (think Siri), voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Nov. 20.
Yes, there are still some blockbusters
Chances are, all the films listed above won't make a fraction of what even one of these movies are expected to gross - so buy your tickets early for "Ender's Game" (Nov. 1), "Thor: The Dark World" (Nov. 8) and "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" (Nov. 22).
Or just do what I'm going to do - wait a few weeks for them to hit the discount theater. My ears need an extended break from the summer noise.
Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com