Fall 2016’s Most Anticipated Films

By Movie Geeks | October 24, 2016

So many goodies in the cinemas candy store this upcoming Awards Season! Oh,boy, oh boy.

It’s “Good Movie Season” when we get Hollywood heavy-hitters (both top popcorn entertainment and Oscar wannabees), and the best of the film festival circuit, most recently from Toronto. Many films will have an awards qualifying run in 2016 and open officially in 2017.

While we have not seen some of these (although we have seen some trailers), some movies are sure to disappoint. That said, here is WAMG’s list of highly-anticipated films, both big blockbuster entertainment and seriously meaty cinema.

DOCTOR STRANGE – NOV. 4

The Sherlock supreme becomes the sorcerer supreme as one of the founding Marvel comics heroes finally arrives in the Marvel “movie-verse”.

While other Marvel Studios flicks have explored the worlds of hi-tech, Norse mythology, and space opera, director Scott Derrickson guides us through the realms of magic. Most of us really enjoyed Benedict Cumberbatch in BBC’s Sherlock and was blown away by his take on Hamlet (the most original version of the part we’ve ever seen), so we’re eager to see what he does with this character.

Hey, it’s been six months since Steve and Tony faced off, so another trip to Marvel-land is definitely in order!

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY – DEC. 16

Last year movie fans happily returned (in droves) to that “galaxy far, far away”, so a follow-up is no surprise. We’ll have to wait a bit for episode eight, so instead director Gareth Edwards brings us the first live-action Star Wars spin-off, a prequel to the events of episode four. The trailer looks good and the strong female character is a big draw. Plus word is that a certain sith lord will be back on the big screen.

LOVING – NOV. 4

This has been on our most-anticipated list for awhile. It’s a great piece of history and seems like it has potential to be both timely and uplifting serious drama.

From acclaimed writer/director Jeff Nichols, “Loving” celebrates the real-life courage and commitment of an interracial couple, Richard and Mildred Loving (Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga), who married and then spent the next nine years fighting for the right to live as a family in their hometown. Their civil rights case, Loving v. Virginia, went all the way to the Supreme Court, which in 1967 reaffirmed the very foundation of the right to marry – and their love story has become an inspiration to couples ever since.

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM – NOV. 18

Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”) stars in the central role of wizarding world magizoologist Newt Scamander, under the direction of David Yates, who helmed the last four “Harry Potter” blockbusters.

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incidentwere it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM also stars Katherine Waterston (“Steve Jobs,” “Inherent Vice”) as Tina; Tony Award winner Dan Fogler (“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”) as Jacob; Alison Sudol (“Dig,” “Transparent”) as Tina’s sister, Queenie; Ezra Miller (“Trainwreck”) as Credence; two-time Oscar nominee Samantha Morton (“In America,” “Sweet and Lowdown”) as Mary Lou; Oscar winner Jon Voight (“Coming Home,” TV’s “Ray Donovan”) as Henry Shaw, Sr.; Ron Perlman (the “Hellboy” films) as Gnarlack; Carmen Ejogo (“Selma”) as Seraphina; Jenn Murray (“Brooklyn”) as Chastity; young newcomer Faith Wood-Blagrove as Modesty; and Colin Farrell (“True Detective”) as Percival Graves.

The film marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, whose beloved Harry Potter books were adapted into the top-grossing film franchise of all time. Her script was inspired by the Hogwarts textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, written by her character Newt Scamander.

THE FOUNDER

We always thought it was odd that the family that owned McDonald’s had a different name, so we’re hoping that makes for an intriguing story. The strong cast raise hopes for this one. The new “based on true events” flick from SAVING MR. BANKS director John Lee Hancock pulls the curtain back on the “happy meal” kingdom with this look at Ray Kroc, who’s played by “comeback kid” Michael Keaton. Plus, the great Nick Offerman co-stars as one of the McDonald brothers.

NOCTURNAL ANIMALS – DEC. 9

The trailer was intriguing, we have a weakness for good psychological thrillers and hope this film satisfies that craving. Director Tom Ford means it will be a stylish ride, and Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Michael Shannon in the cast are a strong point too.

ARRIVAL – NOV. 11

The trailer makes it look like a thinking person’s science fiction tale. We loved the director Denis Villeneuve’s previous film INCENDIES and liked SICARIO, and this one got a lot critics’ interest at TIFF.

When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team – lead by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) – are brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers – and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA – DEC. 2

After the death of his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler), Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is shocked to learn that Joe has made him sole guardian of his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges). Taking leave of his job, Lee reluctantly returns to Manchester-by-the-Sea to care for Patrick, a spirited 16-year-old, and is forced to deal with a past that separated him from his wife Randi (Michelle Williams) and the community where he was born and raised. Bonded by the man who held their family together, Lee and Patrick struggle to adjust to a world without him.

In his first film since 2011’s acclaimed Margaret, Lonergan once again proves himself a powerful and visionary storyteller as he seamlessly weaves past and present together, crafting a tension-filled tale that deftly eschews sentimentality in favor of penetrating emotional insight and deeply affecting human relationships.

It was on lots of critics “best” lists for TIFF, so we’re interested. Casey Affleck won particular praise for his performance. Who isn’t a sucker for those New England accents?

ALLIED – NOV. 23

In a story that sounds like a tribute to the Hitchcock classic NOTORIOUS, Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard find romance while modeling spectacular 1940’s fashions and thwart the Axis. And the return of director Robert Zemeckis makes this thriller a must see.

MOONLIGHT – NOV. 11

Based on the way this one won critics’ hearts at TIFF, we’re really looking forward to seeing this African American family drama, which follows a young black man as he grows to adulthood in Miami.

From writer/director Barry Jenkins and starring Trevante Rhodes, Naomie Harris, Andre Holland, and Mahershala Ali.

SILENCE

Basically because it is Martin Scorsese but also because the story of missionaries in 17th century Japan sounds intriguing.

20TH CENTURY WOMEN

A comedy from director of BEGINNERS, which we loved, plus a great cast with Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, Elle Fanning, and Billy Crudup.

JACKIE – DEC. 2 Select Theaters

JACKIE is a searing and intimate portrait of one of the most important and tragic moments in American history, seen through the eyes of the iconic First Lady, then Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (Natalie Portman). JACKIE places us in her world during the days immediately following her husband’s assassination. Known for her extraordinary dignity and poise, here we see a psychological portrait of the First Lady as she struggles to maintain her husband’s legacy and the world of “Camelot” that they created and loved so well.

FENCES – DEC. 25

A great play by August Wilson, and with Denzel Washington directing, we are hoping for a strong film version as well.

LION – NOV. 25

Five year old Saroo gets lost on a train which takes him thousands of miles across India, away from home and family. Saroo must learn to survive alone in Kolkata, before ultimately being adopted by an Australian couple. Twenty five years later, armed with only a handful of memories, his unwavering determination, and a revolutionary technology known as Google Earth, he sets out to find his lost family and finally return to his first home.

GOLD – DEC. 25

GOLD is the epic tale of one man’s pursuit of the American dream, to discover gold. Starring Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey as Kenny Wells, a prospector desperate for a lucky break, he teams up with a similarly eager geologist and sets off on an amazing journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. Getting the gold was hard, but keeping it would be even harder, sparking an adventure through the most powerful boardrooms of Wall Street. The film is inspired by a true story. Directed by Oscar winner Stephen Gaghan (TRAFFIC, SYRIANA), the film stars Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey (INTERSTELLAR, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET) and Golden Globe nominees Edgar Ramirez (HANDS OF STONE, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN) and Bryce Dallas Howard (JURASSIC WORLD, PETE’S DRAGON).

HACKSAW RIDGE – NOV. 4

Director Mel Gibson returns to the director’s chair with HACKSAW RIDGE – the extraordinary true story of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) who, in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, saved 75 men without firing or carrying a gun. He was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon, as he believed that while the war was justified, killing was nevertheless wrong. As an army medic, he single-handedly evacuated the wounded from behind enemy lines, braved fire while tending to soldiers and was wounded by a grenade and hit by snipers. Doss was the first conscientious objector awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Opening in theaters November 4, we’re counting on this one to be an Awards Season contender.

THE COMEDIAN

Academy Award winner Taylor Hackford’s comedy, THE COMEDIAN will have an awards qualifying run in 2016 in New York and Los Angeles and open officially in 2017. Written by Art Linson, THE COMEDIAN stars Academy Award winner Robert De Niro, Leslie Mann, Edie Falco, Harvey Keitel, Danny DeVito, Patti LuPone and Veronica Ferres.

An aging comic icon, Jackie (Robert De Niro) has seen better days. Despite his efforts to reinvent himself and his comic genius, the audience only wants to know him as the former television character he once played. Already a strain on his younger brother (Danny DeVito) and his wife (Patti LuPone), Jackie is forced to serve out a sentence doing community service for accosting an audience member. While there, he meets Harmony (Leslie Mann), the daughter of a sleazy Florida real estate mogul (Harvey Keitel), and the two find inspiration in one another resulting in surprising consequences.

LA LA LAND – December

WHIPLASH director Damien Chazelle’s follow-up flick is an all singing, all dancing musical epic that pairs Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling for a third time on screen. Let’s hope Oscar winner J.K. Simmons gets in on the toe-tappin’ fun!

MOANA – NOV. 23

After three years, Disney Animation Studios finally gives us another big cartoon musical feature. It features songs from the FROZEN folks along with Broadway sensation Lin-Manual Miranda. And Dwayne Johnson voices a Samoan demi-god, who will hopefully croon a tune!

PATRIOTS DAY

An account of the Boston Marathon bombing, PATRIOTS DAY is the powerful story of a community’s courage in the face of terror.

In the aftermath of an unspeakable attack, Police Sergeant Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg) joins courageous survivors, first responders and investigators in a race against the clock to hunt down the bombers before they strike again. Weaving together the stories of Special Agent Richard DesLauriers (Kevin Bacon), Police Commissioner Ed Davis (John Goodman), Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese (J.K. Simmons) and nurse Carol Saunders (Michelle Monaghan) this visceral and unflinching chronicle captures the suspense of one of the most sophisticated manhunts in law enforcement history and celebrates the strength of the people of Boston.

PATERSON – DEC. 28

Paterson is a bus driver in the city of Paterson, New Jersey—they share the name.

Every day, Paterson adheres to a simple routine: he drives his daily route, observing the city as it drifts across his windshield and overhearing fragments of conversation swirling around him; he writes poetry into a notebook; he walks his dog; he stops in a bar and drinks exactly one beer; he goes home to his wife, Laura.

By contrast, Laura’s world is ever changing. New dreams come to her almost daily, each a different and inspired project. Paterson loves Laura and she loves him. He supports her newfound ambitions; she champions his gift for poetry.

The film quietly observes the triumphs and defeats of daily life, along with the poetry evident in its smallest details.

A Film by Jim Jarmusch. Starring Adam Driver, Goldshifteh Farahani and Helen-Jean Arthur.

PASSENGERS – DEC. 21

Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt are two passengers onboard a spaceship transporting them to a new life on another planet. The trip takes a deadly turn when their hibernation pods mysteriously wake them 90 years before they reach their destination. As Jim and Aurora try to unravel the mystery behind the malfunction, they begin to fall for each other, unable to deny their intense attraction… only to be threatened by the imminent collapse of the ship and the discovery of the truth behind why they woke up.

COLLATERAL BEAUTY – DEC. 16

Oscar winner David Frankel (“Dear Diary,” “The Devil Wears Prada”) directs the thought-provoking, ensemble drama COLLATERAL BEAUTY, from New Line Cinema, Village Roadshow Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures.

When a successful New York advertising executive (Will Smith) experiences a deep personal tragedy and retreats from life entirely, his colleagues devise a drastic plan to force him to confront his grief in a surprising and profoundly human way.

COLLATERAL BEAUTY features an all-star cast, including Will Smith (“Suicide Squad,” “Concussion”), Edward Norton (“Birdman or [The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance]”), Keira Knightley (“The Imitation Game”), Michael Peña (“The Martian”), Naomie Harris (“Spectre”), Jacob Latimore (“The Maze Runner”), with Oscar winners Kate Winslet (“The Reader,” “Steve Jobs”) and Helen Mirren (“The Queen,” “Trumbo”).

THE EAGLE HUNTRESS – NOV. 18

THE EAGLE HUNTRESS follows Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, as she trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter, and rises to the pinnacle of a tradition that has been handed down from father to son for centuries.

Set against the breathtaking expanse of the Mongolian steppe, THE EAGLE HUNTRESS features some of the most awe-inspiring cinematography ever captured in a documentary, giving this intimate tale of a young girl’s quest the dramatic force of an epic narrative film.

A MONSTER CALLS – Limited Dec 23, 2016 & Wide Jan 6, 2017

A visually spectacular drama from director J.A. Bayona (“The Impossible”). 12-year-old Conor (Lewis MacDougall), dealing with his mother’s (Felicity Jones) illness, a less-than-sympathetic grandmother (Sigourney Weaver), and bullying classmates, finds a most unlikely ally when a Monster appears at his bedroom window. Ancient, wild, and relentless, the Monster guides Conor on a journey of courage, faith, and truth. Toby Kebbell plays Conor’s father, and Liam Neeson stars in performance-capture and voiceover as the nocturnally visiting Monster of the title.

We can’t wait or this one!