Movies I Want to See This Fall

By Thomas Willett

As far as movies go, it has been quite a mediocre year. I will admit that there have been some stellar films, but as a whole, there hasn’t been too much that has grasped me in the way previous years do. However, with the past few weeks bringing us ParaNorman, Premium Rush, and Lawless, there is still some hope that we’re gearing up for the best time of year. That’s right. We’re in the final stretch. We’re in the Fall season when we get serious about movies.

What makes the Fall season probably my favorite time of year, besides cold weather, is that this is prime time to begin discussing Oscars. All of the big movies will make the scene in the next four months, and we will be talking about them all the way through March when we know what the Best Picture is. I am not denying that there are going to be a few clunkers during this period, but the expectations are going to be higher. After all, these movies could probably win awards, or at very least, get a Golden Globe nomination for Comedy or Musical (don’t underestimate a category whose previous nominees included Alice in Wonderland).

I decided to give an inflated list of anticipated movies, if just because it was hard to boil down the next four months into ten, or even twenty, positions. For the most part, these are movies that I am confident that I want to see. Sure, some don’t have trailers just yet, but the cast or premise grabs me in an interesting way. Also, I expect that a few that I overlooked will make surprise appearances further down the line. I mean, I didn’t consider the Artist to be on the list until the buzz built around it.

But I am looking forward to the upcoming months, if just because all of the movies that I have been promised are finally here. Or at very least we have some more great chances to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt win over America’s hearts.

Here they are:

1. The Master (9/14)

Oscar Potential: Acting, Writing, Directing, Best Picture

There is something haunting about the trailers that I have seen for the Master. Like director Paul Thomas Anderson’s movies, they grow on you. I am even surprised that this is my most anticipated movie of the rest of the year, if because I didn’t expect it to be. However, my love of Joaquin Phoenix probably has fuelled that and I cannot deny a cast that includes Amy Adams, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Laura Dern, and Breaking Bad actor Jesse Plemons. For those complaining that it doesn’t feel like There Will Be Blood, be thankful for that. With a score by Johnny Greenwood, I am expecting this to be an ominous character study of how a parody of “Scientology” will mess with your mind. That is the least that we can expect from the guy who made pornography into an epic drama with Boogie Nights.

2. Looper (9/28)

Oscar Potential: Editing, Special Effects

I will not lie, the trailer looks really, really cool. Also, this is the third film from Rian Johnson, a director whose catalogue features some ambitiously original movies. They may have been on a lower scale that what we will see here, but knowing that Johnson was behind this vehicle was enough incentive for me to buy a ticket to this movie. I could try and sell you on a time travel movie with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis, but that will do you no good. Just look at the trailer, see that it is directed by Rian Johnson. If that name doesn’t excite you, go out and rent Brick or the Brothers Bloom.

3. This Is 40 (12/21)

Oscar Potential: None

I know that the Judd Apatow-produced Bridesmaids managed to make Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, but that felt more because they were recognizing that women were funny. The director form of Apatow stands less of a chance, even though this feels like his most James L. Brooks-style movie to date. It has a lot of people I like in the movie and it would be a waste to name them all. How about the ones that haven’t been in the trailer: Lena Dunham and Chris O’Dowd. Even if they are walk on roles for five seconds, that sounds like an amazing group of people to have walk on. My worry is that Apatow is graduating to over dramatic styling over his sentimental comedy, which makes this one of my most reserved anticipations for an Apatow-directed film to date.

4. Django Unchained (12/28)

Oscar Potential: Writing, Editing

I may have reservations for this film as well because the trailers look kind of cheesy, but come on. It is Quentin Tarantino. He always makes entertaining films, even if they aren’t great. I cannot even fault the appearance of Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson and Leonardo Di Caprio in there. Of course, I haven’t seen enough to spoil the movie for me, which should make the experience fun. It should also be interesting from a technical level, as this is the first Tarantino movie to be released since the unfortunate passing of Editor Sally Menke, who has shaped a lot of the editing that we associate with Tarantino.

5. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (12/14)

Oscar Potential: Writing, Editing, Directing, Special Effects

The trouble with the trailers is not that they give anything away, but they don’t need to exist. All they do is reassure me that the Hobbit looks like Lord of the Rings. I am proud to say that it still does, and director Peter Jackson’s original trilogy remains a significant part of my younger cinema experiences. Even if this movie doesn’t live up to par, I will be excited to see how Jackson transforms the world after being away for so long. My only issue is that the films he has done following Return of the King is King Kong (ambitious but little else) and the Lovely Bones (gazebo paradise, little else). He hasn’t tarnished his imagery too bad, but I worry that if this movie isn’t as good as I hope, that we will be forced to sit through two more years of mediocre movies and no brilliant new Jackson film.

6. Argo (10/12)

Oscar Potential: Writing, Acting

This film caught me by surprise. I knew that it existed, but it wasn’t until I saw the trailer set to Aerosmith’s “Dream On” that I began to find myself in awe. I found director Ben Affleck’s previous film the Town to be really solid and I have no doubt that he will continue to make good movies. However, I felt that the story that is about “making a movie that never happened” seems genius, especially since it is historical. However, my delusional hope is that Bryan Cranston will get a Best Supporting Actor nomination. The trailer does little to argue either way, but if anything, this is his best chance this year at one (see also: Rock of Ages, Total Recall, John Carter, and Red Tails). I also just hope that we underestimated Affleck and that he is actually pretty good when you put him behind the camera as well as in front.

7. Les Miserables (12/14)

Oscar Potential: Writing, Directing Acting, Editing, Best Picture, Costume

This trailer has made me feel all queasy in a theater twice this year. I have felt moved listening to Anne Hathaway belt “I Dreamed a Dream” over old timey images. If a trailer can do that for me, I am sold on trying to sit through this in one piece. I know that it is a famous musical and the director previously did the King’s Speech, but somehow the combination feels like it might work. I am just now contemplating whether to go in with fresh eyes or hear a few alternative versions first. I am convinced that this will get big traction come Oscar season, maybe even top prize (though of course, I could disagree if it won).

8. Smashed (10/12)

Oscar Potential: None

Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you Aaron Paul the actor from Breaking Bad. He doesn’t star in too many movies (see: Van Wilder), yet he remains my favorite (currently living) character on the AMC show and I will support him wherever he goes. In this movie, Paul is an alcoholic in a relationship with Mary Elizabeth Winstead. I know little about this film other than it is a drama, but I am convinced that Paul will blow it away. I would love for this to be his breakthrough to other movies, but he has stated that he doesn’t want to be a big name, which is simultaneously admirable and sad that we’ll never see the Cranston vs. Paul summer extravaganza with five movies each in three months.

9. Lincoln (11/09)

Oscar Potential: Acting, Directing, Editing, Best Picture, Score

Matt has been hyping this movie so much on the basis that Daniel Day Lewis will win Best Actor that I almost forgot that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is also in there. I am a little more hesitant to see this movie, if just because director Steven Spielberg’s previous period piece War Horse managed to make the story into a sappy and wrought tale about a boy who loves a horse. I know that President Lincoln is a different story entirely, but I worry that with a John Williams score, this will come across really sappy. Still, Lewis and Levitt in one movie together sounds like a powerhouse to me.

10. Wreck-It Ralph (11/02)

Oscar Potential: Animated Feature

I don’t care much for video games, but the story that features voice work from Jane Lynch, Sarah Silverman, John C. Reiley, and Jack McBrayer sounds like a fun romp through a million video game jokes. While I doubt that it will get traction, as it isn’t a Pixar film, I do hope that the people that brought us the entertaining Bolt still has some magic in them to bring this story to life and transcend the audience, who probably will not laugh at the QBert joke because they get it, but because he is kind of funny sounding.

11. Seven Psychopaths (10/12)

Oscar Potential: None

I was watching Breaking Bad last week, and I saw a trailer that made me say “What the hell is this?” This was that trailer, in which you pin what seems like every actor that is even remotely crazy: Woody Harrelson, Collin Farrell, Christopher Walken, and even Tom Waits; and they fight each other over a kidnapped dog. Trust me, the trailer looks more amazing than that sounds, and I am convinced that this could be one of the funnier things that I have seen in the past few months. It looks highly entertaining, and I could use a companion guilty pleasure to double feature with Premium Rush.

12. Beauty Is Embarrassing (9/07)

Oscar Potential: Documentary

I am such a late bloomer, but it was only last year that I finally watched Pee-Wee’s Playhouse in its entirety. I know that it sounds pathetic, but on top of a great performance by Paul Reubens, I just admired the staging and artwork. This is essentially one of the greatest kid’s shows of all time, and it teaches kids about art in such a subliminally awesome way. From what I gather, this is a documentary about the people behind the art in that show as well as in everything that is even remotely weird. It also includes interviews with personal favorites Matt Groening and Mark Mothersbaugh. At the very least I am hoping for an inspirational tale along the lines of Being Elmo, which deserves more credit that it got.

13. Rise of the Guardians (11/23)

Oscar Potential: Animated Feature

I haven’t really paid attention to promotion for this movie, but I have been perplexed by it ever since it sounded like the Avengers of fairytale lore. I am a sucker for certain genre characters getting satirized in cartoons (see: ParaNorman, Monsters vs. Aliens), and this looks like it could be up there. My mother, who saw a rough edit, has shared that it is actually pretty dark, which may sound like a turn off to some, but was one of the biggest selling points for me. Here’s hoping that at very least, this is good counterbalance to the macabre vibe that the rest of the year’s slate will take with Hotel Transylvania and Frankenweenie, which look mediocre at best.

14. Nobody Walks (10/12)

Oscar Potential: None

Of every person who came out of Juno, I have been rooting for Olivia Thirlby to catch up to Ellen Page, or even Michael Cera. She seemed to stick around, making solid Indies like the Wackness. This year, she will be in Dredd, so no luck on making it big there. However, this small story starring John Krasinski sees Thirlby in a romantic angle involving some type of artistic bent. It is a simple tale only made more intriguing by the fact that it is co-written by Lena Dunham. I am curious to see how she does not writing for herself, as that is all that I’ve seen from her. I just hope that the Thirlby/Dunham mash-up produces something inspired, or at very least, continues to provide faith that Thirlby is an often under looked performer.

15. The Man with the Iron Fists (11/02)

Oscar Potential: None

Producer Quentin Tarantino presents a movie directed by Wu Tang Clan rapper RZA in which he films some literal off the wall action with lots of swords, eyes popping, and some guy turning gold. Did I mention that the soundtrack features new Black Keys music? Okay, throw in Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu, and at very least, I feel like I am going to have a fun, unadulterated afternoon. It may not be great, but who cares as long as it is fun.

16. The Guilt Trip (12/28)

Oscar Potential: None

It has been awhile since we’ve seen Seth Rogen as an actor (okay, since Take This Waltz). While I haven’t seen anything from this movie that co-stars Barbara Streisand, Adam Scott, and Collin Hanks, I am convinced that this could be one of those light comedies that old people enjoy. Of course, just the potential that Rogen and Scott are in a movie together is promise enough for me that this movie stands a chance at being enjoyable.

17. Nature Calls (11/09)

Oscar Potential: None

This honestly sounds like a parody of Moonrise Kingdom, but with a better than expected cast. Patton Oswalt and Johnny Knoxville play scout masters who escape camp to watch a TV marathon. This could either be really crass or really fun. I am just a firm believer that Oswalt is an underrated performer, especially after Young Adult. Along with Rob Riggle, I am expecting this to be one of those average comedies that in a few years will be definitive of its time, but not distinctive in many ways, like majority of Dan Aykroyd in the late 80’s.

18. End of Watch (9/21)

Oscar Potential: None

I don’t have anything against Jake Gyllenhaal or Michael Pena, but this movie kind of feels like the prequel to Rampart in which good cops go corrupt. I have no idea what to expect besides typical procedural style suspense, but the trailers are making this look like an intense exploration of an underground drug ring. It could be good if they pull it off right. Also, I hope that the brief glances we get in this trailer of Anna Kendrick means that she isn’t being type-casted as an airheaded teenager. I kind of believe that she is above that at this point. Here’s hoping for a fun cop movie.

19. On the Road (12/21)

Oscar Potential: None

I know that I have come across as very much against Jack Kerouac on the show. In reality, I just cannot make it through this particular book because it is about alcoholism and being lazy, two things that I despise in humans. However, depending on how the people behind this approach it, it could be a more effective movie. At very least I am hoping that this provides another example of why I think that Kristen Stewart is a good actress who sadly gets a bad rap because of her terrible blockbuster performances. I mean, it worked in Into the Wild didn’t it? Here’s hoping that an ensemble cast that includes Kristen Dunst, Steve Buscemi, Amy Adams, and Terrence Howard manages to bring some life to the story.

20. Killing Them Softly (10/19)

Oscar Potential: Acting

The trailer doesn’t sell me too much besides one scene in which a bunch of people enter a trailer and bust out the other side, all in one shot. It looks really cool, and so does Brad Pitt. I don’t have much to say on it other than I am hoping for some gritty, dramatic violence or something that will make this overeager title seems somewhat appropriate. Otherwise, great cast with James Gandolfini, Ray Liotta, and Richard Jenkins that will hopefully bring some chaos to what feels like the typical movie mobster cast.

21. Cloud Atlas (10/26)

Oscar Potential: Writing, Editing

At close to three hours reportedly, this could either be the great epic of the year, or one of the most pretentious movies. If you have seen the six minute trailer, you will know that a lot goes on here with the likes of Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Keith David, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, and so much more. I cannot really even sum up the plot that well. However, I am one of those people that thinks that this looks cool and may see it if the reviews are positive. Otherwise, this looks just like Life of Pi from afar. Finally, I am not the most opposed to the Wachowski’s previous film Speed Racer, though my love of it on a campy, surreal level is not one that I hope to translate to a three hour movie like this.

22. Flight (11/02)

Oscar Potential: Editing, Writing

If you thought that Denzel Washington couldn’t stop a train, evacuate a train, or even break out of a safe house, then you are wrong. I know that Washington is pretty much the typical tough man role these days, but something about pairing him with Robert Zemeckis seems promising. The fact that Zemeckis is not doing motion capture animation right now is also very pleasing. I am hoping that we get the director I really enjoyed behind films like Cast Away. If we can turn a plane crash into something as beautiful as Tom Hanks stuck on an island, I am all on board. He has a technical skill that when focused works wonders. With a cast that also includes John Goodman and Don Cheadle, this could be a surprisingly good drama.

23. The Inbetweeners Movie (9/07)

Oscar Potential: None

I am mostly curious to see this because I really dug the show when it first premiered on BBC America a few years back. I didn’t love it, but it was funny enough that I am probably going to rent this when it hits DVD. For those that want to catch up on the show, it is currently available on Netflix on Demand.

24. Hyde Park on Hudson (12/7)

Oscar Potential: Acting

Is this a movie with Bill Murray as Franklin Delano Roosevelt? That sounds pretty great and a good combat to Daniel Day Lewis’ Lincoln. Too bad the trailers that I’ve seen don’t really sell me on this being more than a really dry story in which Murray as Roosevelt seemed like a better idea on paper. Of course, there is chance that it could be good because of Murray and a cast that includes Olivia Coleman. However, if you had to see one presidential movie this year, my money is still on Lincoln.

25. This Must Be the Place (11/02)

Oscar Potential: None

Sean Penn plays an old rocker who goes on a search for someone who wronged his father during World War II. I am pretty sure that his outfit is supposed to be a bastardized Robert Smith of the Cure. I also don’t understand anything that he says in the trailer, but the weird concept alone lets this one slip into my list because it also features Frances McDormand, Judd Hirsch, and music by David Byrne of the Talking Heads. This sounds like one of those trippy indie dramadies that may not live up to the premise, but will at least show some spunk. That is, if Penn actually manages to break out of the mumblecore setting that the trailer has him in.

There you have it. This has been 25 films that I am looking forward to in the Fall season. I am sure that we’ll see some unexpected films overpower certain titles, but for now, these are the films that I am most looking forward to. Is it a good selection? Am I overlooking anything? Do note that I am not the action lover, so Taken 2 and Skyfall are not on here because I felt wrong representing them over more personal picks. Do you agree that the Master is going to be great and make everyone love Joaquin Phoenix again? Why not drop me a line and let’s get a dialogue going.

You can read Thom’s blog every Wednesday and hear him on Nerd’s Eye View every Tuesday and Thursday at nevpodcast.com. Send your thoughts to nevpodcast@gmail.com. You can also read Thom’s movie reviews for Cinema Beach at cinemabeach.com.