I enjoyed checking out the list of movies that would be coming up for this year's fall film season. As expected, most of the list is comprised of award season contenders, but I was glad to find out that I ended up with a few titles that were more commercial fare or could be categorized as popcorn film fare. While I appreciate the efforts of the industry's top filmmakers, their usual themes for the season can be downright too serious and oftentimes require emotional or mental preparation (tear-jerkers, depressing, brain teasers, etc.), so a little bit of lightness will definitely be appreciated.
I'd discuss my picks at length, but I'm in the midst of checking out the trailers for the new TV series this upcoming season, since I still don't know which titles to include in my TV series picks for fall.
But I am expressing particular excitement for Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity (have you seen the nail-biting "Detached" trailer?!) and the film adaptation of Orson Scott Card's Enders Game. :)
Again, the dates listed below are the US release dates. Film buffs in the Philippines can check Click the City for local listings. All movie posters and images are from IMDB.
September 6
Riddick
Cast: Vin Diesel, Karl Urban, Katee Sackhoff, Jordi Molla
Left for dead on a sun-scorched planet, Riddick finds himself up against an alien race of predators. Activating an emergency beacon alerts two ships: one carrying a new breed of mercenary, the other captained by a man from Riddick's past.
September 13
Insidious: Chapter 2
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey, Lin Shaye
The haunted Lambert family seeks to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world.
The Family
Cast: Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, Michelle Pfieffer, Dianna Agron
The Manzoni family, a notorious mafia clan, is relocated to Normandy, France under the witness protection program, where fitting in soon becomes challenging as their old habits die hard.
September 20
Prisoners
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo
When Keller's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?
September 27
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
Cast: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Will Forte, Neil Patrick Harris
Flint Lockwood now works at The Live Corp Company for his idol Chester V. But he's forced to leave his post when he learns that his most famous machine is still operational and churning out menacing food-animal hybrids.
Rush
Cast: Daniel Bruhl, Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde, Natalie Dormer
A spectacular big-screen re-creation of the merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
Don Jon
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza
A New Jersey guy dedicated to his family, friends and church develops unrealistic expectations from watching porn and works to find happiness and intimacy with his potential love.
October 4
Gravity
Cast: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Eric Michels, Basher Savage
A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space.
Runner Runner
Cast: Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Mackie
When a poor college student who cracks an online poker game goes bust, he arranges a face-to-face with the man he thinks cheated him, a sly offshore entrepreneur.
October 11
Captain Phillips
Cast: Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Addirahman
The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.
Machete Kills
Cast: Danny Trejo, Alexa Vega, Mel Gibson, Jessica Alba
The U.S. government recruits Machete to battle his way through Mexico in order to take down an arms dealer who looks to launch a weapon into space.
The Fifth Estate
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Bruhl, Carice van Houten, Alicia Vikander
A dramatic thriller based on real events, The Fifth Estate reveals the quest to expose the deceptions and corruptions of power that turned an internet upstart into the 21st century's most fiercely debated organization.
Romeo & Juliet
Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Douglas Booth, Ed Westwick, Damian Lewis
When the star-crossed lovers of two enemy families meet, forbidden love ensues.
October 18
Carrie
Cast: Chloe Grace Moretz, Julian Moore, Ansel Elgort, Judy Greer
A re-imagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White, a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother, who unleashes telekinetic terror on her senior prom after being pushed too far at her senior prom.
12 Years a Slave
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Kenneth Williams, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt
In the pre-civil war United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold to slavery.
October 25
The Counselor
Cast: Brad Pitt, Goran Visnjic, Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem
A lawyer finds himself in over his head when he gets involved in drug trafficking.
November 1
Ender's Game
Cast: Asa Butterfield, Abigail Breslin, Harrison Ford, Hailee Steinfeld
70 years after a horrific alien war, an unusually gifted child is sent to an advanced military school in space to prepare for a future invasion.
About Time
Cast: Domhall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Lydia Wilson
At the age of 21, Tim discovers he can travel in time and change what happens and has happened in his own life. His decision to make his world a better place by getting a girlfriend turns out not to be as easy as you might think.
November 8
Thor: The Dark World
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christopher Eccleston, Anthony Hopkins
Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.
November 15
The Wolf of Wall Street
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, P.J. Byrne, Jon Favreau, Spike Jonze
Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.
The Book Thief
Cast: Sophie Nelisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Ben Schnetzer
While subjected to the horrors of WWII Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Under the stairs in her home, a Jewish refuge is being sheltered by her adoptive parents.
November 22
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Katniss Everdeen and Peta Mellark become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem.
November 29
Frozen
Cast: Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, Idina Menzel, Alan Tudyk
Fearless optimist Anna teams up with Kristoff in an epic journey, encountering Everest-like conditions and a hilarious snowman named Olaf in a race to find Anna's sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom in eternal winter.
Oldboy
Cast: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Samuel L. Jackson, Sharlto Copley
Obsessed with vengeance, a man sets out to find out why he was kidnapped and locked in solitary confinement for 20 years without reason.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Cast: Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Terry Pheto, Robert Hobbs
A chronicle of Nelson Mandela's life journey from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.
December 6
Inside Llewyn Davis
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund
A week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961.
December 13
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch
The Dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf has successfully escaped the Misty Mountains, and Bilbo has gained the One Ring. They all continue their journey to get their gold back from the dragon, Smaug.
American Hustle
Cast: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence
The story of a con artist and his partner in crime, who were forced to work with a federal agent to turn the tables on other cons, mobsters, and politicians - namely, the volatile mayor of impoverished Camden, New Jersey.
December 20
Anchorman: The Legend Continues
Cast: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell
With the 70's behind him, San Diego's top rated newsman Ron Burgundy returns to take New York's first 24-hour news channel by storm.
The Monuments Men
Cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray
In a race against time, a crew of art historians and museum curators unite to recover renowned works of art stolen by Nazis before Hitler destroys them.
Saving Mr. Banks
Cast: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson
Author P.L. Travers reflects on her difficult childhood while meeting with filmmaker Walt Disney during production for the adaptation of her eponymous novel.
Her
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson, Rooney Mara
A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly-purchased operating system that's designed to meet his every need.
December 27
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Cast: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Patton Oswalt
An office worker who lives inside fantasy worlds where he gets to live an adventurous life while romancing his co-worker sets off a global journey to fix things when both of their jobs are threatened.
47 Ronin
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ko Shibasaki, Tadanobu Asano
A band of samurai set out to avenge the death and dishonor of their master at the hands of a ruthless shogun.
Jack Ryan: Shadow One
Cast: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh
Jack Ryan, as a young covert CIA analyst, uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack.
Happy viewing!!Labels: Fall, Film, Must-Watch
