It's time to get serious.
Hollywood -- like newspaper features sections -- is largely driven by the calendar. Summer is the time of escape; of bombast and mindless sensation. The year's final quarter is when the movies buckle down, when reputations are made and the straining toward gold statuettes begins in earnest.
It's the time when film critics can begin to imagine that they matter, when grown-ups might feel it's safe to go back to the cineplexes. Not all Oscar bait is created equal and there will be plenty of occasion for disappointment and buyer's remorse, but we've reached the final stretch when the studios at least attempt to put their best work forward.
As always, no guarantees are implied. We reserve the right to make fun of movies we haven't yet seen. This list is not exhaustive and some titles are likely to arrive in Arkansas on dates other than those advertised (or not at all). Remember to keep your arms and legs inside the cart at all times and that flash photography is dangerous to our performers.
FRIDAY
The Accountant -- Ben Affleck stars as the titular bookkeeper for some really bad people and, judging from the trailer, is some kind of math savant who also knows how to handle weapons. Anna Kendrick shows up as a damsel in distress. We're guessing Jeffrey Tambor, John Lithgow and J.K. Simmons want to kill her. Highly anticipated in some quarters. Gavin O'Connor (2011's Warrior) directs.
Desierto -- Jonas (son of Alfonso) Cuaron, who co-wrote Gravity with his father, wrote and directed this reportedly violent story about a group of Mexican border crossers (led by Gael Garcia Bernal) who encounter a racist vigilante (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). So far reviews for this thriller have been mixed.
Kevin Hart: What Now? -- Comedian does stand-up in front of 50,000 people at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field. Halle Berry and Don Cheadle appear in a framing story.
Underworld: Blood Wars -- Maybe we started this preview a week too soon for the grown-up stuff. Vampire killer Selene (Kate Beckinsale) is back.
OCT. 21
Boo! A Madea Halloween -- Madea (Tyler Perry) spends her Halloween dealing with murderers, poltergeists and zombies while handing out life lessons to trick-or-treaters. With Bella Thorne.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back -- Ed Zwick directs the second installment in the Tom-Cruise-as-Jack-Reacher martial fantasy series. All indications are it will be slick, slight and bloody -- though some fans of the novels will never forgive Cruise for not being 6-foot-5. With Cobie Smulders.
Ouija: Origin of Evil -- In 1967 Los Angeles, a spiritualist and her daughters introduce genuine spirits into their fake seances with disastrous effects.
OCT. 28
Inferno -- Having made his Oscar bid with Sully, Tom Hanks goes for the paycheck in this second Ron Howard-directed sequel to The Da Vinci Code. With Felicity Jones, Ben Foster and Omar Sy.
Rings -- One of our favorite actors, Vincent D'Onofrio, appears in this down-market horror film about a cursed young woman.
NOV. 4
Bleed for This -- World Champion Boxer Vinny Pazienza (Miles Teller) tries to come back after a near-fatal car crash.
Doctor Strange -- After neurosurgeon Dr. Steven Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is in a career-ending car crash, he encounters the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) who instructs him in the ways of mystic arts. The 14th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's likely to be the trippy-est one. Scott Derrickson directs, while Rachel McAdams and Mads Mikkelsen also appear.
Hacksaw Ridge -- Already being hailed as Mel Gibson's Oscar-worthy directorial comeback, it tells the story of WWII U.S. Army medic Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield), a conscientious objector who won the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Battle of Okinawa.
Harry Benson: Shoot First -- Documentary about the life and work of celebrity photographer Harry Benson, who at 86 has no plans to retire. With Alec Baldwin, Carl Bernstein and Henry Kissinger among others.
Loving -- The buzz is strong for Arkansas native Jeff Nichols' drama based on the real-life story of Richard (Joel Edgerton) and Mildred Loving (Ruth Negga), an interracial couple sentenced to prison in Virginia in 1958 for violating anti-miscegenation laws.
Trolls -- Promising DreamWorks animated musical project features the voices of Anna Kendrick, Zooey Deschanel, Jeffrey Tambor, Justin Timberlake, Russell Brand, James Corden and Gwen Stefani. Apparently it's not about internet nuisances but little creatures inspired by the '60s toy fad.
NOV. 11
Almost Christmas -- Does this sound familiar? "A dysfunctional family gathers together for their first Thanksgiving since their mom died." Danny Glover and Gabrielle Union star.
Arrival -- French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve directs this moody sci-fi drama about a linguist (Amy Adams) recruited by the military to parse what are apparently messages from aliens. The film was well-received by critics at last month's Toronto International Film Festival. With Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker and Michael Stuhlbarg.
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk -- Ben Fountain's acclaimed novel comes to the screen with Joe Alwyn as the 19-year-old Iraqi war veteran. Ang Lee directs a cast that includes Kristen Stewart, Vin Diesel, Garrett Hedlund and Steve Martin.
Elle -- Infamous Dutch director Paul Verhoeven (Total Recall, Starship Troopers) is getting good reviews for this thriller about a businesswoman (Isabelle Huppert) who sets out to track down her rapist.
Shut In --A widowed child psychologist (Naomi Watts) living in isolation in rural New England must find a way to rescue a young boy (Jacob Tremblay from Room) during a winter storm.
The Love Witch -- Horror comedy about a modern witch (Samantha Robinson) who uses her powers to seduce useful men. It has been quite well-received by festival audiences and the Village Voice describes it as a "retro throwback modeled on the stylized European exploitation films of the 1960s." Intriguing.
NOV. 18
The Edge of Seventeen -- Not to be confused with the overlooked 1998 film of the same title, this one is a teen dramedy about the dynamics that shift when Nadine's (Hailee Steinfeld) best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson) starts dating her older brother (Blake Jenner). May be better than it sounds. With Woody Harrelson and Kyra Sedgwick.
The Eyes of My Mother -- Brisk (76-minute) and beautifully shot black-and-white horror film about cycles of abuse and terror in a family living in an unspecified rural area. In the Hollywood Reporter, critic Boyd van Hoeij wrote: "The beauty of the film -- as well as one of the main reasons most mainstream audiences will resist it -- is that it's not very dialogue-heavy and refuses to connect the dots between one scene and the next too explicitly, leaving it up to the viewers to draw their own conclusions." It's the first film from director Nicolas Pesce.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them -- Harry Potter prequel stars Eddie Redmayne as New York writer Newt Scamander, who moves in the circles of covert witches and wizards. Two sequels have already been ordered. Potter vet David Yates directs, while Ezra Miller, Ron Perlman and Colin Farrell also star.
Manchester by the Sea -- Already one of the best reviewed films of the year, Kenneth Lonergan's wrenching family drama finally arrives in theaters. With Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler and Lucas Hedges.
Nocturnal Animals -- Amy Adams has been praised for her portrayal of an art gallery owner who feels threatened by her ex-husband's (Jake Gyllenhaal) violent crime novel in Tom Ford's follow-up to A Single Man. With Michael Shannon and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
A Street Cat Named Bob -- Feel-good story based on the international best-seller about how a stray cat saved the life of a drug-abusing street busker.
NOV. 25
Allied -- Robert Zemeckis directs Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard in this high-gloss romantic drama about an intelligence officer and female French Resistance fighter who meet in North Africa in 1942.
Bad Santa 2 -- Billy Bob Thornton is back as irredeemable Willie T. Stokes in this sequel to the 2003 dark classic. Tony Cox also returns as angry Marcus. Mark Waters (Mean Girls) directs; Christina Hendricks, Kathy Bates and Ryan Hansen round out the cast.
Lion-- The adopted son of Australian parents (Dev Patel) sets out to find the family that lost him on the streets of Calcutta 25 years earlier. With Rooney Mara and Nicole Kidman.
Moana -- Animated Disney film set in the South Pacific about a 16-year-old island princess (Auli'i Cravalho) who sets off on an adventure with the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson). Expect lots of music.
Rules Don't Apply -- Warren Beatty directs this '50s-set unconventional love story about an aspiring actress (Lily Collins) and a young businessman (Alden Ehrenreich) who are both under contract to eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes (Beatty). The cast includes Annette Bening, Matthew Broderick, Alec Baldwin, Haley Bennett, Candice Bergen, Dabney Coleman, Steve Coogan, Ed Harris, Megan Hilty, Oliver Platt, Martin Sheen and Paul Sorvino.
DEC. 2
Kidnap -- From IMDB.com: "A mother stops at nothing to recover her kidnapped son." With Halle Berry, Lew Temple and Malea Rose.
La La Land -- Director Damien Chazelle's follow-up to 2014's Whiplash is an old-fashioned musical about the romance between a jazz pianist (Ryan Gosling) and an aspiring actress (Emma Stone) in Los Angeles. So far, the critics have raved.
The Strangers 2 -- Horror film about a family who, evicted from their home, encounter three masked villains. Liv Tyler, the lead in the first film, reportedly has a minor role in this one.
DEC. 9
The Bye Bye Man -- Three college students move into an old house off campus and unwittingly unleash a supernatural entity on the world. OK.
Office Christmas Party -- After being threatened with having his branch shut down, an office manager decides to throw an epic Christmas party in order to land a big client and save the day. Cast includes Olivia Munn, Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Chung and Kate McKinnon.
DEC. 16
Assassin's Creed -- A movie about assassins, how they live and work and the prejudices they must overcome. Probably not a documentary, but we're just guessing. Remarkable cast includes Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Michael Kenneth Williams and Jeremy Irons.
Collateral Beauty -- A high concept film that (based on the trailer) attempts to walk the tightrope between pretentious silliness and genuinely affecting drama. After a successful New York advertising executive (Will Smith) retreats from reality following a tragic event, his friends (Edward Norton, Michael Pena, Kate Winslet) encounter mysterious beings (Keira Knightley, Jacob Latimore, Helen Mirren) who encourage him to let the past go. David Frankel directs.
DEC. 23
Passengers -- Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence are traveling on a spacecraft in suspended animation to a distant colony planet when a malfunction causes them to wake up 90 years too soon. What to do, what to do?
Patriots Day -- Peter Berg's film about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and its aftermath. With Melissa Benoist, Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monaghan and Kevin Bacon.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story -- Long ago, in a galaxy far far away, some crazy kids plan to steal the plans for the Death Star. The last one was OK. And this one has Felicity Jones and Mads Mikkelsen. So there's hope.
Silence -- Martin Scorsese's more than three-hour drama about two Jesuit priests who face persecution when they travel to Japan has an opening date. Adam Driver, Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield and Ciaran Hinds star.
Sing -- Animated musical about anthropomorphized animals who come together in a singing competition in an attempt to restore a fading theater. Voices include Scarlett Johansson, Matthew McConaughey, Taron Egerton and Reese Witherspoon.
DEC. 25
Why Him? -- Dad Bryan Cranston feels threatened by his daughter's (Zooey Deutch) rich boyfriend (James Franco). Directed by John Hamburg.
Fences -- Denzel Washington plays a black father struggling with race relations while trying to raise his family in the 1950s and coming to terms with the events of his life. With Viola Davis. August Wilson wrote the screenplay based on his award-winning play; Washington directs.
DEC. 30
Gold -- Matthew McConaughey is a failing businessman and modern-day prospector who teams up with a geologist (Edgar Ramirez) in a desperate effort to find gold deep in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. Stephen Gaghan directs, with Bryce Dallas Howard and Toby Kebbell rounding out the cast.
Style on 10/09/2016