Grab the popcorn and a pumpkin spice latte, it’s time for this year’s fall movie preview. As the seasons change, so do the movies. Fewer blockbusters make room for smaller films that are vying for Oscars attention helmed by big-named directors including Peter Farrelly, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Ruben Östlund, and Park Chan-wook. Emotional movies are the most anticipated to be released on streaming and in theatres between Labor Day & Thanksgiving. Black Panther sequel, a kaleidoscopic David Bowie documentary, Steven Spielberg’s most personal film to date, a possibly NSFW look at Marilyn Monroe, Olivia Wilde’s much-discussed new thriller, and two very different takes on Pinocchio.
Jesus, Honk. Save your Soul (Sept. 2)
Regina Hall is Regina Hall’s character as the Southern Baptist Pastor who has been disgraced.This Is Us’ Sterling K. Brown) who decides to make an ill-advised documentary to chronicle his comeback, forcing her to reevaluate her faith and her marriage. This satire by Jordan Peele, pokes fun of megachurch culture will air in theatres and be streamed on Peacock.
Disney’s Pinocchio (Sept. 8)
Robert Zemeckis’ live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1940 classic animated film about a wooden boy who comes to life (played by Haunting of Bly manor’s Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) stars Tom Hanks as Geppetto, Cynthia Erivo as the Blue Fairy, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the voice of Jiminy Cricket. You can stream the movie on Disney+.
End of the Road (Sept. 9)
Queen Latifah, a single mother who is willing to go to any length to protect her family’s interests in this Netflix Netflix movie that will have you reconsidering your decision to stay at a motel.
Clerks III (Sept. 13-Sept. 18)
Quick Stop lifers Dante, Randal, Jay, and Silent Bob are all back for the surprisingly emotional third installment of director Kevin Smith’s seminal 1994 film that has the guys making their own low-budget movie to immortalize their convenience store days. Smith suggests fans “bring the tissues” to the limited theatrical run of the heartfelt comedy that features Rosario Dawson, Justin Long, and Ben Affleck.
Get Revenge (Sept. 16)
Riverdale’s Camila Mendes and Stranger Things’ Maya Hawke are two pretty little liars out for revenge against their exes in Netflix’s supremely stylish dark teen comedy from You are a great person’s Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, loosely inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s On a Train, Strangers.
God’s Country (Sept. 16)
A grieving former police officer-turned-professor (played by Thandiwe Newton) finds herself feuding with two local hunters in this politically charged thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until its violent end.
Moonage Daydream (Sept. 16)
Director Brett Morgen’s cosmic freakout of a documentary looks at David Bowie’s life on Mars, Earth, and every other astral plane he graced with his presence before his death in 2016.
You can see how they run (Sept. 16)
It Knives outSaoirse Ronan and Sam Rockwell star in the symphonic murder mystery. They play the roles of two harried detectives who must find the killer of Adrien Brody, an American producer. David Oyelowo and Ruth Wilson are part of this 1950s London-set comedy. The Crawdads sing Wherever the Crawdads Are’s Harris Dickinson.
The Silent Twins (Sept. 16)
Letitia Wright stars alongside Tamara Lawrence in this Charlie Kaufman-esque biopic. This tells the real story of June Gibbons (identical twins) who invented their own method of communication to aid them understand the world around them.
The Queen of Women (Sept. 16)
Viola Davis is the historical hero who tells the story of female fighters who protected the West African kingdom Dahomey during the 18th- and 19th century. Lashana Lynch, John Boyega and Underground Railroad’s Thuso Nokwanda Mbedu also star in the Gina Prince-Bythewood-directed film already drumming up Oscar buzz.
Escape Kabul (Sept. 21)
The HBO documentary offers a harrowing minute-by-minute account of the United States military’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, marking the end of America’s 20-year war with the Taliban. Using never-before-seen archival footage, director Jamie Roberts shows how the plan to airlift American citizens and “at risk” Afghan citizens out of Kabul turned deadly. After the film ends, it follows up by a look at those who could not flee the country almost one year later.
Get to know Cute (Sept. 21)
In this Peacock romcom, Sheila (KaleyCuoco) falls in love with Gary (Pete Davidson). Sheila quickly learns that she can’t move forward in a relationship if she’s always stuck in the past.
Don’t Worry Darling (Sept. 23)
Alice (Florence Pugh) is the picture-perfect ‘50s housewife: adoring husband (played by Harry Styles), an impossibly clean home, and a burgeoning social life in her slightly off-putting new living community. Until Alice stops being a Stepford wife. That’s when things get weird in this mind-bending psychological thriller directed by Olivia Wilde.
A Jazzman’s Blues (Sept. 23)
Tyler Perry’s latest for Netflix is actually the first screenplay he ever wrote, way back in 1995. It’s a star-crossed tale that spans 40 years in the life and love of an aspiring jazz musician, played by Joshua Boone.
Catherine Called Birdy (Sept. 23)
Lena Dunham tackles medieval times in this historical comedy based on the 1994 children’s book of the same name. Game of Thrones’ Bella Ramsey plays a cunning 14-year-old girl who does all she can—burning down a house, pretending she has a third ear—to stop her destitute dad (Fleabag’s Andrew Scott) from marrying her off. It will also star Joe Alwyn (with Billie Piper) and be streamable on Amazon Prime Video Oct. 7.
You can read more about The Come Up (Sept. 23)
Sanaa makes her directorial debut in the Paramount+ movie based on Angie Thomas’ novel. The film follows Bri, a talented young rapper (newcomer JamilaC. Gray), as she struggles to become a successful hip-hop artist.
Sidney (Sept. 23)
The Apple TV+ documentary, which will also play in theaters, offers a revealing look at Sidney Poitier—the man, the activist, the late acting legend—through the eyes of those who knew and admired him most. The film’s list of interviewees includes Spike Lee, Robert Redford, Denzel Washington, Barbra Streisand, and Oprah Winfrey, who is a producer on the film.
Blonde (Sept. 28)
Ana de Armas is Marilyn Monroe in Netflix’s controversial NC-17 adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’s novel of the same name, which looks at the legendary blonde’s epic rise and devastating fall.
Bros (Sept. 30)
Billy Eichner stars in the rom-com he also co-wrote, about a man who isn’t looking for love until he meets the “gay Tom Brady” (played by Luke Macfarlane), sending him into a tailspin.
This is the Greatest Beer Run Ever (Sept. 30)
Director Peter Farrelly’s follow-up to 2019 Best Picture winner Green BookThis is an unbelievable, true story about John Donohue (Zac Efron), who was a Marine Corps officer. A drunken dare by a vet, he travels to Vietnam to give beer to his combat buddies. This Apple TV+ comedy for dads that will be loved by all stars Bill Murray and Russell Crowe.
Hocus Pocus 2, (Sept. 30)
Disney+ brings back the Sanderson sisters to reprise their story. The original was a failure for 30 years. Bette Midler (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Kathy Najimy will be back this Halloween to run amuck, amuck.
TÁR (Oct. 7)
Cate Blanchett plays a renowned conductor and composer on the verge of hitting her creative peak, but not without the help of her 6-year-old adopted daughter in Todd Field’s anxiety-ridden first feature since 2006’s Little Children.
Till (Oct. 7)
This much anticipated biopic from director Chinonye Chukwu doesn’t just tell the story of Emmett Till’s lynching. It shows how his mother Mamie Till-Mobley (played by Danielle Deadwyler) fought to make sure the senseless murder of her 14-year-old son wasn’t in vain.
Triangle of Sadness (Oct. 7)
Let Ruben Östlund’s wickedly funny satire of the grossly rich and famous fill the Succession–Your heart will be ripped apart. Woody Harrelson portrays a man who is deranged and takes over a yacht. It ends up on an island where its passengers, privileged ones, are left to survive, without any food, water, or wi-fi.
Decent to Leave (Oct. 14)
South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook’s first film since 2016’s The Handmaiden It is a sinister mystery where a detective falls for the leading suspect in a murder investigation.
Halloween ends (Oct. 14)
It’s Jamie Lee Curtis’ OG final girl Laurie Strode vs. Michael Myers in the third and presumed final installment of David Gordon Green’s take on John Carpenter’s classic slasher saga. Let’s assume it will be a bloody battle to the very end.
The Banshees in Inisherin (Oct. 21)
Writer and director Martin McDonagh’s big-screen follow-up to Three billboards outside Ebbing, MissouriBrendan Gleeson stars alongside Colin Farrell in the role of lifelong friends, whose friendship comes to an abrupt end.
Black Adam (Oct. 21)
Is Dwayne Johnson’s titular superhero the destroyer of this world or its savior? That’s the question at the heart of the DC Universe’s latest blockbuster about a former slave from the ancient city of Kahndaq who is reborn a god with a taste for wickedness.
My policeman (Oct. 21)
Harry Styles is a romantic actor who plays the role of a policeman in this 1950s romance set in England. He’s caught up in a forbidden relationship triangle with his wife.Crown’s Emma Corrin) and a male museum curator (David Dawson). Amazon Prime Video will stream the film Nov. 4, based on the 2012 novel.
The School for Good & Evil (Oct. 21)
From where do the fairy tale villains and heroes come? Director Paul Feig has all the answers in his Netflix adaptation of Soman Chainani’s 2013 fantasy novel, which stars Kerry Washington as the ultimate fairy godmother and Charlize Theron as her evil counterpart.
Paradise Pass (Oct. 21)
George Clooney & Julia Roberts are back in rom-com mode as divorced couples who make a lot of fun to fool their daughter Kaitlyn (played beautifully by Kaitlyn Delver).
Armageddon Time (Oct. 28)
Ad Astra director James Gray’s semi-autobiographical film follows a young boy growing up in Queens, NY in the 1980s. Anne Hathaway and Anthony Hopkins star in the coming-of age story. Succession’s Jeremy Strong.
Phone Jane (Oct. 28)
After struggling to get an abortion, ‘60s housewife Joy (Elizabeth Banks) joins the Jane Collective, an underground abortion counseling service, to help fight for women’s rights. This timely movie, set just before Roe v. Wade, marks the director’s debut. Carol Screenwriter Phyllis Nagy.
The Christmas Season is Here (Nov. 10)
’Tis the season for a Netflix holiday rom-com starring Lindsay Lohan as a spoiled heiress suffering from amnesia.
Wakanda for Ever: Black Panther (Nov. 11)
King T’Challa is gone and the women of Wakanda (played by Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, and Lupita Nyong’o) must figure out how to move forward in this emotional sequel to Black Panther which comes two years after Chadwick Boseman’s death.
Fabelmans (Nov. 11)
Steven Spielberg tackles his own coming-of-age in post World War II-era Arizona in the semi-autobiographical drama that stars Seth Rogen, Michelle Williams, and Paul Dano.
The Son (Nov. 11)
Florian Zeller’s follow-up to 2020’s The FatherHugh Jackman portrays a dad in the film, who after unexpectedly reconnecting with his teenager son, begins to question his relationship with his father.
Menu (Nov. 18)
Nicholas Hoult and Anya Taylor Joy play the roles of a couple that travels to a restaurant owned by Ralph Fiennes. The celebrity chef’s tasting menu features many surprises, making it a dark comedy about how the wealthy might actually eat.
These are the People we Hate on Weddings (Nov. 18)
Claire Scanlon is the director of Get it up comes the Amazon Prime Video comedy about two struggling siblings (Kristen Bell and Ben Platt) who don’t quite fit in at the lavish European wedding of their über-wealthy half-sister.
She spoke. (Nov. 18)
Fans of Spotlight, This drama examines the state of New York. Times Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, investigative journalists (played in part by Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan), broke Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct story. This was the catalyst for the #MeToo movement.
Bones, All (Nov. 23)
Timothée Chalamet reunites with his You can call me by my nameDirector Luca Guadagnino directed this romantic road trip about two lovers who are cannibals.
Devotion (Nov. 23)
Maverick is the Top Gun’s Glen Powell and Loki’s Jonathan Majors feel the need for speed in this Korean War epic that is based on the true story.
Nanny (Nov. 23)
Anna Diop portrays a Sengalese woman who is undocumented and takes up a caregiver job for wealthy Manhattan families in the hopes of having a child. But soon she finds herself in an impossible situation. Nikyatu Jusu’s surreal directorial debut is available to stream Dec. 16 on Amazon Prime Video.
Strange World (Nov. 23)
This animated Disney film is neon-soaked and features a group of Disney explorers that discover a mysterious world filled with unknown creatures. They must put aside their differences to save the world. The sci-fi film features the voices of Jake Gyllenhaal and Lucy Liu as well as Gabrielle Union and Jaboukie Young White.
Amsterdam (TBD)
Margot Robbie and Christian Bale star as the three main suspects in this 1930s crime thriller loosely inspired from real events. Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert De Niro, Zoe Saldaña, and Taylor Swift round out the cast of David O’Russell’s follow-up to 2015’s Joy.
The Good Nurse (TBD)
Jessica Chastain plays a nurse who becomes suspicious of her colleague Eddie Redmayne’s involvement in mysterious deaths. She sets off to find the truth. Scarier still is that Netflix’s thriller is based in fact on real events.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (TBD)
Expect del Toro’s stop-motion animated version of the classic children’s fairy tale to be more Brothers Grimm than Walt Disney. Expect to see familiar faces in the Netflix film, including Ewan MacGregor (Tilda Swinton), Christoph Waltz and Cate Blanchett. Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard all play a role.
The Luckiest Woman Alive (TBD)
The Netflix film based on Jessica Knoll’s 2015 best-selling novel stars Mila Kunis as a woman whose dark past catches up with her after a true-crime documentary delves into a shocking incident that took place at her high school.
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone (TBD)
Stephen King isn’t always a fan of the movies based on his work, but he gave the Netflix adaptation of his short story about a young boy (played byIt’s Jaeden Martell) who communicates with his deceased neighbor (Donald Sutherland) through a disconnected cell phone two thumbs up.
Spirited (TBD)
Ryan Reynolds adds his musical twist to Ebenezer Crooge with this new musical rendition Christmas Carol Apple TV+, which also features Will Ferrell and Octavia Scott.
Noon: The Stars (TBD)
Maid’s Margaret Qualley plays an American journalist stranded in Nicaragua during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Claire Denis-directed update on Denis Johnson’s 1986 novel of the same name.
Wendell & Wild (TBD)
What’s this? It Nightmare Before Christmas director Henry Selick’s first movie since 2009’s Coraline The animated Netflix movie reunites Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael Key as the demon brothers that escape the Underworld.
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