It’s almost that time again, time to exhume your knit sweaters and add a couple sprinkles of pumpkin pie spice to your morning cup of coffee. You’ve weathered this summer’s big budget action films and now it’s time for movies with a little more nuance to offer.
That’s not to say this summer didn’t give us some variety to enjoy. Sinners offered blood soaked thrills and chills with a thought provoking point of view. Materialists presented a unique twist on classic rom-coms. And How to Train Your Dragon showed us that live-action adaptations can embrace the same heart and sincerity of their animated counterpart.
But for movie lovers, there’s nothing quite like a Fall movie release. Studios have been holding onto their Oscar-worthy pictures for just the right time to amaze academy voters. Autumn is often dubbed the “spooky season”, with many horror releases hitting screens in the lead up to October’s end. There will still be big budget blockbusters to look forward to this fall as the release of Wicked: For Good looms ever nearer. There is a lot to keep track of this time of year, so here is a quick list of this season’s most exciting pictures coming to theaters.
A quick list of this season’s most exciting films
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
When strangers Sarah (Margot Robbie) and David (Colin Farrell) meet through a surprising twist of fate, they are given the chance to re-live important moments from their respective pasts and possibly alter their futures. Boasting striking visuals and soaring romance, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey promises a sci-fi fantasy adventure delivered in the meditative, philosophical tone director Kogonada (After Yang) is known for.
From what we can see so far, Sony Pictures is selling us an earnest romantic comedy with a quirky and imaginative twist. However, given Kogonada’s tendency towards the introspective, it’s safe to assume A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is aiming for something deeper and more profound. Fans of romance and fantasy should find plenty here to enjoy. See it in theaters September 19.
Sony Pictures releases A Big Bold Beautiful Journey with Colin Ferrell and Margot Robbie
HIM
A promising young football player (Tyriq Withers) is taken to the edge of his limits when he’s invited to train at the remote compound of an aging star athlete (Marlon Wayans). Taking aim at the severe mental and physical toll the world of professional football has on the players who carry the billion dollar industry on their broken backs, HIM drags audiences down a disorienting rabbit hole in the quest for greatness at any cost.
Writer-director Justin Tipping’s latest picture touts an electrifying performance from Wayans and a producer credit from master of horror Jordan Peele. While this has caused some confusion online about whether or not this will be a Jordan Peele film, from the looks of it the movie bears Peele’s signature mark of shocking terror mixed with biting social commentary. Horror fans will not want to miss this one. See it in theaters September 19.
Universal Pictures releases Him with Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers
One Battle After Another
Gun fire and explosives are delivered alongside a playful comedic tone in Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film starring Teyanna Taylor and Leonardo DiCaprio as ex-revolutionaries turned parents who must reunite with former comrades to rescue their daughter from an old enemy (Sean Penn).
Loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, One Battle After Another is part dark comedy, part political thriller that looks to capture the revolutionary spirit of our time in a way that doesn’t take itself too seriously. A fun yet hopefully satisfying ride for fans of Anderson’s previous work (Boogie Nights, Punch Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood). In theaters September 26.
Warner Bros releases One Battle After Another with Teyanna Taylor as Perfidia
The Smashing Machine
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson undergoes a complete transformation to tell the story of mixed martial arts & UFC fighter Mark Kerr. Written and Directed by Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems), The Smashing Machine hinges its bets on lead performances from Johnson alongside co-star Emily Blunt as Kerr’s wife Dawn Staples.
Recalling performance driven sports films of the past, one can’t help but be reminded of Robert Deniro completely losing himself in his portrayal of Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull (1980). The question is, will Johnson be able to pull off the same level of believability? Fans of great on-screen performances might want to keep The Smashing Machine in mind this fall. In theaters October 3.
A24 releasesThe Smashing Machine with Dwayne Johnson
Bugonia
Bees, conspiracy theories, aliens, and CEO kidnappings – a chaotic mess that can only make sense in the hands of Greek auteur director Yorgos Lanthimos. Bugonia is the story of two conspiracy theorists (Jesse Plemmons and Aidan Delbis) who kidnap a high powered CEO (Emma Stone), convinced she is an alien who will destroy the planet. Well known for his absurdist black comedies laced with societal critique, Lanthimos is slated to direct this remake of the 2003 Korean cult classic Save the Green Planet! with Emma Stone and Jesse Plemmons starring.
This will be Lanthimos’ fourth collaboration with Stone after their previous critically acclaimed projects The Favorite (2018), Poor Things (2023), and Kinds of Kindness (2024). The production has been a passion project of producer fellow auteur filmmaker Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar), who started working on this Americanized remake in 2020 at the height of the Korean film market’s popularity. But with names like Lanthimos, Aster, and screenwriter Will Tracey (Succession, The Menu), Bugonia will be anything but a paint by numbers film for general audiences. In theaters October 3.
That’s not all! Look out for special screenings near you!
Focus Features releases Bugonia with Emma Stone
Don’t miss Bethesda Row Cinema’s line-up of alternative content this September and October. For the month of September they’re celebrating film anniversaries, with movies hitting their 30th, 40th, and 50th anniversaries! See it on the big screen: Nashville (1975), Airplane! (1980), Better Off Dead (1985), Cinema Paradiso (1990), and Clueless (1995).
October they’ll be showing spooky-season favorites: Friday the 13th (1980), The Monster Squad (1987), Sleepy Hollow (1999), and The Ring (2002). Visit LandmarkTheatres.com to learn more.
