Welcome back everyone! Its sad to say that Summer vacation is over with everyone ready to head back to schools, and time for Summer movie season to come to a close. Funny enough I’d say my biggest regret this summer was that I did not do enough movie going as I would have liked since I missed out on a lot of films I was actually really looking forward to (Detective Pickachu, John Wick Ch. 3, Rocketman, etc.) but hopefully I will get around to watching them so I can get some more reviews out. But from the movie I did see it was a pretty good season (well quality wise that is, financially not so much) with movies being about as good as I hoped (Toy Story 4, Hobbs & Shaw Godzilla King of the Monsters), and surprisingly better than expected (Aladdin, Spider-Man Far From Home, the Angry Bird Movie 2). Really the worst movie I saw this summer by default was Men In Black International but even then I still relatively enjoyed it. But now we have the Fall/Winter movie season approaching, and it looks like a very promising slate indeed with a mix of anticipated follow ups, awards contenders, and promising original projects on the horizon. Now without further ado lets take a look at what are my personal most anticipated movies of the Fall/Winter season!
10. Abominable
Dreamworks Animation returns with a brand new original project which will be their last one for awhile as their next three films are all animated comedy sequels (Trolls World Tour, The Croods 2, and The Boss Baby 2). This is also a collaboration between Dreamworks and their China studio, Pearl Studios, and so far it looks really promising. Sure it is a little weird how we’ve been getting all of these yeti related movies recently what with last year’s Smallfoot (which this movie is coming out the exact same weekend that one came out), and this year’s Missing Link all coming out in a short amount of time. Luckily this movie does look different from those other two, and looks to have a familiar yet nice heartwarming story about three kids trying to get a young yeti home with some nice diversity in the cast, and I like the Chinese cultural influences present in the trailer. The thing that really caught my eye for this movie is the animation which just looks gorgeous in certain shots showing off the Yeti’s powers. One of the best things about Dreamworks even in their lesser films, they don’t have a house style used in all of their movies which makes each of their films look unique and that looks to continue here. You can’t really say that Kung Fu Panda looks like Shrek, How To Train Your Dragon looks like Madagascar, Trolls looks like Captain Underpants, and so on and so on. Hopefully this one can be another critical win for the animation studio, and maybe it could be just as good as Smallfoot turned out to be.
9. Gemini Man
Or as I like to call it Old Will Smith vs. Young Will Smith! That seems like a battle for the ages. All jokes aside this is one of the more intriguing releases of the Fall mainly because of the way director, Ang Lee, shot it. From what I hear this film is being screened at 120 FPS which means that everything will look, and feel much more realistic than a normal movie. That should definitely be interesting to watch, and make this film an experience worth seeing on the big screen. It also helps that it looks like a solid original action flick with a strong cast, some cool looking set pieces, and a cool concept that utilizes some impressive de aging technology. I’ve always liked Will Smith as an actor and I’m always curious to see what he does next so I’m hoping this will be another good starring role for him, and even if I’m not too familiar with Ang Lee’s work, from what I’ve heard he’s made some pretty well received movies (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Life of Pi, Brokeback Mountain), and some very divisive movies (Hulk, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk) so no matter how the final product turns out it should be interesting. Whats also interesting is that the idea for this film originated in 1997, and it was stuck in development hell for 20 years with numerous directors being attached at some point, and a lot of well known actors eyed for the lead role (Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, and even Sean Connery among others), and now its finally coming to life. Lets see if the long wait was worth it when this film comes to a theater near you in October.
8. Spies In Disguise
And we go from one Will Smith movie to another, but this time instead of playing an assassin fighting himself, he’s a spy who gets turned into a pigeon. No seriously that’s the basic premise, and not gonna lie it actually looks like a lot of fun. Sure Will Smith may not have the best track record when it comes to starring in animated movies (as proven by Shark Tale), but he is joined by his co star, Tom Holland, a pretty fun pair if you ask me. Not only that but the film also has a pretty great supporting cast with the likes of Rashida Jones, Karen Gillian, and Ben Mendolsohn (who I’m betting is the villain), the trailers have teased a zany bird comedy in the vein of Storks, and Penguins of Madgascar, and it is based off a very funny, and really clever short film from 2009 titled Pigeon Impossible (clearly something not many people know about judging from trailer reactions). It’s also being made by Fox’s biggest animation division (now just another animation division of Disney) BlueSky, a studio whose work I’ve actually really liked up to this point, and found a bit underappreciated. Sure they’ve made some not so great films like some of the Ice Age sequels but with the exception of Ferdinand which I have not yet seen, I’ve liked to love a lot of their output. Similar to Dreamworks they too do not stick to one specific style of animation, which makes all of their films look unique unto themselves (I mean what other animated feature looks like the Peanuts Movie or Robots), and that seems to be the case with this flick. This is also a different type of flick for them since they never really done a spy action movie before so I’m curious to see how it turns out especially since I am big fan of spy movies. I’m just hoping Disney markets it well so it can be a much needed Fox hit for them.
7. A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
When it comes to the many different styles of animation, I’ve always had a soft spot for good old fashioned stop motion/claymation. Not only is it absolutely visually stunning to watch, but the amount of hard work, and detail that is put into bringing these settings, and characters to life is just breathtaking, and deserving of recognition. Which is why its a real shame they never break out at the box office and end up either end up being moderately successful, disappointing, or even outright flopping (I deeply regret not having seen Kubo and the Two Strings, Early Man, or Missing Link in theaters). But let’s not turn this into a complete rant, and get back to the topic at hand, so one of the more recognizable stop motion animation studios is Aardman, the same studio responsible for such films like Chicken Run, Wallace & Gromit the Curse of the WereRabbit, Flushed Away, the Pirates Band of Misfits, and more. Known for their quirky dialogue, fun British humor, creative stories, and of course beautiful Claymation their one of those studios where I am always excited for what they come up with next, and that’s no different here with Farmageddon. The original 2015 comedic romp was an absolute delight, and had all of the classic Aardman trademarks I just listed above so naturally I am excited for this follow up which looks just to be just as much fun. It looks like Aardman is tackling on Sci Fi with a story that resembles a parody of E.T., with an adorable looking alien to boot, yep I’m sold. As of now the release date is December 13 in the U.S. and I’m praying that it won’t suffer that the same fate as Early Man, and Missing Link, and be a decent hit.
6. Joker
Weirdly enough there’s really only one comic book movie releasing during this season, but its probably the most intriguing one yet this year. Here we have a solo film concerning Batman’s greatest nemesis, and probably the most well known comic book baddie of all time, that is from the look of it not connected to the DC Films continuity, has Joaquin Phoenix as the title character, directed by Todd Phillips of the Hangover trilogy, and looks to be more of a dark crime drama, character study about a man slowly descends into crime, and madness. If that don’t make you more than a little curious I don’t know what will. When this project was first announced naturally a lot people myself included were pretty skeptical about it, but as I started seeing more from the film, and hearing what it was going to be that’s when I oddly started to get a lot more excited for this project. I like the whole unique direction this film is going in, and I am really excited to see what Phoenix brings to the table in term of playing the character as well as the rest of the cast which includes Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro, Frances Conroy, and Brett Cullen among others. I’ve also have really loved the well made, intense, and almost art house like trailers that have done an excellent job of showing what this new interpretation is going to be like. It also makes me wonder that if this film succeeds, will we start seeing more of it’s ilk, like more one off stories concerning popular comic book characters? Whether or not that’s the case this is going to be one hell of a flick to discuss, and judging by early word out of Venice, DC Films might have another winner on their hands to continue their current winning streak.
5. Ad Astra
Now we head into the top 5 where you will start to see a lot of adult driven studio programmers with well known directors (at least in the film bubble they are well known), and A-list casts. What can I say, I can be a sucker for these types of movies and its one of the reasons why I was excited for a lot of 20th Century Fox’s projects last year, and this year now that their owned by Disney they only have two such films coming out one of them being Ad Astra which looks pretty darn great. I’m big fan of anything Sci Fi, and judging by the trailers this feels like something in vein of Gravity or Interstellar, and this looks to be a visually stunning, and thought provoking experience as we follow Brad Pitt’s character through the cosmos to find his missing father in order to save the world. I’m also of course excited to see Brad Pitt in the leading tole as well as a supporting cast that has Liv Tyler, Ruth Negga, Donald Sutherland, and Tommy Lee Jones as the protagonist’s missing father. It’s also directed by James Gray director of such acclaimed yet also divisive films such as We Own the Night, the Immigrant, and the Lost City of Z. I have yet to have seen any of these films but I am hoping to check them out before this movie’s release because I am curious as to the polarizing audience reactions to them. Who knows it may even be a potential awards season contender, and could give Gray his first nomination for best director at the Oscars or even Brad Pitt can get nominated twice with this, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood under his belt this year.
4. Frozen II
To be honest when Disney announced they were making a Frozen sequel I wasn’t too excited about. Now don’t get me wrong, I do not think Frozen is a bad movie at all! In fact its actually really good, and I’ve grown to appreciate it more over time. It’s just that compared to some of the other movies Walt Disney Animation Studios has put out in this decade (Zootopia, Wreck It Ralph, Tangled, Moana, etc.) its probably the weakest, and I felt it works fine as a one off, and didn’t really thought a sequel was necessary. That is until that first teaser for this movie dropped. It was then that I started to realize that maybe a Frozen sequel ain’t a bad idea at all. Not only could it improve upon the original, but it can also expand upon this world, explore new ideas, and concepts, answer some questions about Elsa’s powers, and where they came from, and develop these characters even more. I can’t believe I thought of this only after the teaser came out! I’m loving the darker, higher stakes direction the film seems to be taking and the animation once again looks spectacular especially with that new Autumn theme present. The marketing has also done an excellent job of not showing too much from the movie, but showing just the right amount to get us excited. I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being a huge improvement over the first one, and after how amazing Lego Movie 2, How to Train Your Dragon the Hidden World, and Toy Story 4 turned out (not to mention how big of an improvement Angry Birds 2 was compared to the first), I have reason to believe this will be another animated sequel that knocks it out of the park.
3. Ford v. Ferrari
Now we have Fox’s other big Awards season contender this time based off of the true story of the efforts of automotive designer Carroll Shelby, and race car driver, Ken Miles, to build a car for Ford Motors that could beat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. Once again I really am a sucker for these types of star studded biopics helmed by a great director, and this looks no different. I’m not going to say I’m the biggest car racing fan, but I have always appreciated it, and I do like movie that involve racing, and this movie looks to look into both the actual racing, and the business side of things which I like. I’m also not too familiar with this story in particular so I’m excited to see if this movie brings it too life in a way that’s faithful to the event without being a long history lesson. But of course there’s James Mangold, director of Walk the Line, and Logan, whose movies I really like, and I can already tell the craftsmanship on display here is going to be great. Couple in a fantastic first trailer that plays great on a big screen and that teases beautiful cinematography, and well written dialogue, not to mention acting power houses, Matt Damon, and Christian Bale, playing the two leads, and well its not hard to see why I’m excited for this one to race into theaters come November 15th.
2. Knives Out
What do we have here? Another adult driven studio programmer with a talented director, and A-list cast! Seriously, Hollywood is going out of their way to makes these movies even though its been proven that its a coin toss as to whether audiences will show up or not. But again lets avoid turning this into a rant, and focus on the movie at hand. So we have a brand new murder mystery directed by none other than Last Jedi director himself, Rian Johnson. Your either really excited for this movie or are going to boycott it immediately (seriously even if you don’t like the Last Jedi don’t do that). I remember when everyone was excited about what Johnson would do next, but now after that eighth Star Wars episode it feels like you get a lot of skepticism every time his name is said. While it may not be my favorite Star Wars movie, I still find it to be a really great, and fun adventure that attempts to take risk for the franchise but if you didn’t like it that’s totally okay but one thing you cannot deny was the level of craftsmanship Johnson brought to that film, and that looks to be on full display here as well. It’s not every day you get to see an old fashioned murder mystery like this, and I am most definitelt curious to see what Johnson brings to this genre after tackling a crime drama with Brick, a time traveling action flick with Looper, and of course a big Sci Fi, fantasy adventure with the Last Jedi. Say what you will about his work but there’s no denying he likes to try new things. And how could we not mention the cast with Daniel Craig (sporting a southern accent), and Lakeith Stanfield as the detectives on the case of Christopher Plummer’s death, and a (literal) murderers row of big names including Chris Evans (playing delighfully against type after seeing him as Captain America for so long), Michael Shannon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collete Katherine Langford, and more. All in all this looks to be a fun who dunnit that it’ll keep us guessing, and I’m optimistic that will Johnson deliver when this flick comes out in November.
and my number one most anticipated movie of the Fall/Winter season is…
Star Wars the Rise of Skywalker
This will probably not be a surprise to those who’ve read my blog long enough to know that Star Wars is my favorite franchise. In fact I was thinking of doing the same thing I did for Endgame, and not include it on a most anticipated list because it would be too obvious, but with the hate the Star Wars franchise has been getting by the very toxic fandom, I wanted to give it some support. I remember not giving a crap about what all of those fans had to say and was just thrilled about the stories, and characters of Star Wars. I also remember when everyone was excited about Star Wars when the Force Awakens came out, and how big of an event it was. Now it almost feels like anything to do with Star Wars is going to be fought over (you know its bad when the freaking Lego games are the only Star Wars related thing that doesn’t cause a mass debate, wait actually Clone Wars, and Rebels can fall into this category too). It’s just disheartening to see my favorite franchise have to do with this, and now I’ve become a lot more supportive torward Star Wars than I have ever been before so of course I am excited to see how it all comes to an end (well the Skywalker saga at least). I’ve really enjoed the new cast, and cannot wait to see them on one last adventure together, and I’m also curious to see how Carrie Fisher’s unfortunately premature death is handled here, and how a certain big bad returns from the dead. I’ve liked the marketing so far, JJ Abrams seem confident in what he’s got, and there’s really not much else to say except I can’t wait! This is going to be one emotional ride, and I am ready to see how the saga comes to close on December 20th.
And those were my ten most anticipated movies of the Fall/Winter season everybody! But before we wrap up, I’d like to give a shout out to some honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the cut so without further ado…
It Ch.2 – Might come off as a shock to some that this is not on here. That’s because I have yet to have seen the first It, but my friend is a Stephen King fan, and I’ve started to get into the other works so hopefully I’ll check it out soon. This one also just looks like a really good horror flick with some creepy visuals, and a great cast with the likes of James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and Bill Hader among others.
The Goldfinch – WB has had a pretty miserable summer espicailly when it comes to movies primarily aimed at adults (RIP the Kitchen, and Blinded By the Light), so can this pretty good looking adaptation of the acclaimed best selling novel starring Ansel Elgort, and Nicole Kidman end being a modest success? I’m sure their praying yes.
Hustlers – STX making another female ensemble flick in the vein of their recent hit, Bad Moms. Seem to be based off a true story and the cast has me curious, so could be fun.
Rambo Last Blood – Have never seen a Rambo movie, but it seem that this flick is going to be the last one, and something akin to a Rambo version of Logan. I mean I like Sylvester Stallone, and the action here looks insanely gory so we’ll see though I do need to catch up with the other flicks first.
Promare – Technically I don’t know how wide this anime film by Trigger is going to go, but I decided to mention it here because I am fan of the studio’s output, and this just looks insanely weird, with their trademark fast paced animation, and unique artstyle. Sign me up.
The Addams Family – While an animated Addams Family reboot does have a lot of potential, and the characters are perfectly cast I’ve become a little unsure about this one. The animation seems a bit low budget, and that last trailer really has me worried this is just going to be one of those films trying to be “hip, and cool” for the kids. Still I’m hoping the marketing isn’t indicative of the film itself, and admittedly the trailers did have some good jokes.
Maleficent Mistress of Evil – Not a fan of the original, really only liked the visuals, and Jolie’s performance, and that’s pretty much it. This one seem like more of the same with our title character becoming bad again even if she turned good at the end of the last one. Maybe it could improve upon the original but to be honest it looks like another Alice Through the Looking Glass to me.
Zombieland 2 Double Tap – I really like the first Zombieland as I thought it was a really fun horror comedy with a great, and memorable cast of characters whom I am excited to see return in this long belated follow up. While that first trailer was just okay, I’m still hoping this will be just as funny, and heartfelt as the original (plus Bill Murray returning as zombie with Dan Akyroyd what could go wrong with that).
Terminator Dark Fate – Ah, terminator, the franchise that just won’t die won’t it. Seriously after two failed attempts to reboot the franchise why even bother with another one. But maybe the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton as Sarah Conner, James Cameron back as a producer, and Tim Miller as the director will make the third time a charm. If not then I think it would be time to shut Sky Net down once and for good.
Doctor Sleep – A sequel to reportedly both the book, and the movie of the Shining. That’s enough to make me curious in this thing, as well as a creepy trailer, and a cast comprised of Ewan McGregor, and Rebecca Ferguson.
Last Christmas – Paul Feig is another director whom I like a lot, and I’m glad to see him branch out into different genres like mystery with A Simple Favor, and now romantic comedy with this film. It looks pretty good so far with a soundtrack comprised of the music of George Michael, and two wonderful actors in the form of Emilia Clarke, and Henry Golding. Seems like the perfect movie for the holiday season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it end up over performing financially when it comes out.
The Good Liar – Nice old fashioned thriller directed by Bill Condon starring Ian Mckellen as a con artist Helen Mirren as the woman he falls for. Looks handsomely made and has two legendary actors in it, so should be solid.
Charlie’s Angels – Not too familiar with the property in question but I like the cast, and it could be fun, though it is a little annoying seeing that trailer every time I go to a movie.
21 Bridges – This is the third time this Russos Brothers produced action flick starring Chadwick Boseman has been pushed back which is more than a little disconcerting but still hoping for the best for this STX release.
A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood – Never really watched Mister Rogers Neighborhood as a kid, but I am aware of the impact he made on people’s lives so lets see if this feature film can bring that same magic to life with Tom Hanks as the man himself.
Queen & Slim – Looks like another powerful racial drama with two talented leads in Daniel Kaluuya, and Jodie Turner-Smith, and a director known for music videos so that should help give the film a unique flair.
Jumanji the Next Level – Really liked Welcome to the Jungle, and the trailer for this one had a lot of laugh out loud moments, though I’m worried that Sony rushed this one out judging by how its production started, and ended this year. Still what could go wrong with The Rock, and Kevin Hart impersonating Danny Devtio, and Danny Glover.
Cats – As someone not too familiar with the Broadway sensation that trailer was um well… interesting. While the designs look pretty horrifying, and uncanny I do like the cast and maybe it will look better on the big screen? One things for sure though, the internet is going to have a field day with this film.
My Hero Academia Heroes Rising – Almost made the list if it weren’t for the fact I have no idea when this will come to the States. But I love the anime, and I am curious to see how this will serve as an end point as the creator has said.
Little Woman (2019) – Greta Gerwig returns after Lady Bird to direct yet another adaptation of the classic story. With a big cast, and an awards friendly release can she do anything new to this story that’s been told again, and again numerous times?
Well that’s a wrap everyone! Now tell me what are your most anticipated films of Fall, and why? Maybe out lists are similar? Maybe their totally different? Either way if you have something to share please do so, and let the Fall/Winter season commence!
Leave your thoughts down below in the comments, and see you guys later!
Review Time 