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Seven festival favorite films to see this fall

by TYLER WILSON/Coeur Voice Contributor
| September 28, 2022 1:00 AM

The most acclaimed titles arising from recent film festivals in Venice, Telluride and Toronto (with New York underway this week) will likely be the movies you keep hearing about as the movie season inches towards the Academy Awards. It’ll take a while for many of these to make it to us regular folks in America, but at least we have a few non-superhero, non-“Avatar” type movies to look forward to this fall.

Here are seven (apparently) must-see movies from the festival circuit:

“The Banshees of Inisherin”

Writer/director Martin McDonagh reunites his “In Bruges” combo of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson for this black comedy about two men who begin an uncomfortable conversation about their friendship. Farrell and Gleeson were arguably never better when they paired for “In Bruges,” though, to be fair, both actors tend to be excellent in everything. McDonagh, for his part, earned some of the best reviews of his already prestigious career at Venice and Toronto. In theaters late October.

“All Quiet on the Western Front”

A German epic based on the esteemed 1929 novel about the horrors of World War I (which was adapted into a Best Picture-winning film in 1930). The graphically violent film earned strong reviews and should be a major contender in the Best International Feature category at the Oscars, if not more categories. Streaming on Netflix on Oct. 28.

“TÁR”

The long-awaited return of “Little Children” filmmaker Todd Field is a sprawling character study about a fictional composer/conductor facing acclaim and controversy. In a bid to claim the title of Greatest of All Time, “TÁR” could be Oscar #3 for star Cate Blanchett. Expanding into theaters in October.

“Women Talking”

The women of a reclusive religious colony come together to discuss how to move forward after rampant abuse is discovered in the community. The latest from filmmaker Sarah Polley, the film boasts multiple standout performances from the likes of Rooney Mara, Jesse Buckley, Claire Foy and Frances McDormand. Coming to theaters in December.

“The Whale”

While the movie itself generated mixed reviews at best, most critics who saw Darren Aronofsky’s claustrophobic drama at Venice and Toronto pegged star Brendan Fraser as the significant favorite for the Best Actor Academy Award. Fraser, a person quite literally loved by almost everyone, plays a 600-pound man who’s trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter. A24 will release the film in theaters in December.

“The Fabelmans”

This coming-of-age drama from Steven Spielberg has been heralded as a fictionalized origin story of sorts for the iconic director, with potent central performances by Michelle Williams and Paul Dano as parents to an aspiring young filmmaker named Steve… err… Sammy Fabelman. With stellar reviews and the usual Spielberg pedigree, “The Fabelmans” currently stands as the frontrunner in the Best Picture race at the Oscars. Expanding wide in theaters on Nov. 23.

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”

A big-budget sequel set to debut on Netflix is usually not the thing you expect to hear critics praise at a film festival. At the recent Toronto International Film Festival, however, Rian Johnson’s highly anticipated “Knives Out” sequel received some of the fest’s best reviews, with several suggesting that it might even be Netflix’s best bet at gold trophies this year. Daniel Craig returns to solve another mystery as Benoit Blanc, this time with a cast of suspects that includes Kate Hudson, Edward Norton and Janelle Monáe. Streaming on Netflix on Dec. 23.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.