HOLLYWOOD—I’ll just say it already: summer is over, and I think it may have been one of the worst at the box-office for summer movies that I can recall in years. With that said, it’s time to usher in not only my favorite season of the year, but some of the best flicks of the year as we slowly usher in awards season. I mean did you see the trailer for “Bombshell.” I had to do triple takes, because Charlize Theron looks so much like Megyn Kelly it is damn scary, and Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson, oh, I cannot wait for this movie it is at the top of my must-see list.
However, before we get to some of the best of the best, we have to kick off the month of September rightly so discussing perhaps the most anticipated movie since its predecessor was released in 2017, and that’s “It: Chapter Two.” We have the grown up versions of the Losers with Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and Bill Hader leading the crusade against the vicious Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard), and as we all know, this is the END, but the question is how will it end and which of our Losers won’t make it out alive? We’ll find out on September 6.
A week later on Friday The 13th, we see the release of Jennifer Lopez flick “Hustlers” about a group of strippers who con the men who pay them well for even bigger bucks. That same day we see the release of the drama “The Goldfinch” starring Ansel Elgort and Nicole Kidman. A week later on September 20, we have the sci-fi adventure “Ad Astra” starring Brad Pitt and the hotly anticipated big screen version of the TV hit “Downton Abbey.” The month of September wraps with the animated flick “Abominable” being released on September 27.
The month of October might be known for all things spooky, but audiences will be disappointed if they expect scares. We will finally learn all about “The Joker” and his origins on October 4 when Joaquin Phoenix tackles the iconic character. If there is anyone who can top Heath Ledger’s performance in “The Dark Knight,” it will be Joaquin Phoenix people. On October 11, Will Smith will battle himself in “Gemini Man,” while another TV classic gets another stab at the big screen (again) in “The Addams Family.”
October 18 sees the release of the sequels “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” and “Zombieland 2: Double Tap.” We also have the dramas “The Lighthouse,” “Jojo Rabbit” and “Torrance.” Each have the potential to be Oscar bait, but it’s all based on box-office performance. The police thriller “Black and Blue” with Naomie Harris and Tyrese Gibson looks interesting people; it hits theaters on October 25. Just in time for Halloween, we have the thriller “Countdown” which chronicles the dangers of downloading apps.
On November 1, we see the return of iconic characters Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the T-Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and director James Cameron for “Terminator: Dark Fate.” We also have the release of the dramas “Motherless Brooklyn” and “Harriet” starring Cynthia Enrivo as the historical figure. If you’re looking for laughs, the flick “Last Christmas” might be your cup of tea on November 8. That same weekend sees the release of the war flick “Midway” which chronicles the attacks on Pearl Harbor. That same weekend, the highly anticipated sequel “Doctor Sleep” arrives, nearly 40 years after the iconic “The Shining.” We also have the animated film “Artic Dogs” being released that same weekend.
There is no bigger film in the month of November beyond, “Frozen 2” which sees Anna and Elsa tackle new adventures on November 22. We also see the release of another reboot in “Charlies Angels” hitting the big screen on November 15, in addition, to the drama “Ford v. Ferrari” starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale. Other notable dramas for November include “All Rise” and Oscar bait, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” where Tom Hanks will portray Fred Rodgers. Just in time for Thanksgiving, we have the murder mystery flick “Knives Out” starring Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis and Chris Evans. Another flick with potential Oscar bait involves “Queen and Slim” starring Daniel Kaluuya and Melina Matsoukas.
The month of December kicks of many surprises with the unnecessary sequel “Brahms: The Boy II” starring Katie Holmes which hits theaters on December 6. We have our second Friday The 13th of 2019 (the first in September), but this time audiences will have something to scream about as Jason Blum and his team tackle another remake of an iconic classic “Black Christmas.” Yes, the 1974 horror classic, is being remade again, let’s hope this is better than that terrible 2006 version about a killer stalking college coeds on Christmas break. If horror is not your cup of tea, than the action-adventure “Jumanji: The Next Level” reunites Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, with new additions Danny DeVito and Danny Glover arrives.
I cannot wait, and I mean wait for the release of the drama “Bombshell” which chronicles the fall of Fox news Chairman Roger Ailes (John Lithgow). This flick looks like it’s going to be intense and with Kidman, Theron (uncanny with her look for Megyn Kelly), and plenty of supporting players, I have this marked as a must see. This flick screams Oscar if you are asking me.
The final installment in the latest trilogy of the “Star Wars” franchise: ‘The Rise of Skywalker” arrives on December 20. Also in time for Christmas we have the musical adaptation of the Broadway classic “Cats” starring Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden, Judi Dench and Taylor Swift. When it comes to Christmas Day expect the release of the war flick “1917,” the animated flick “Spies in Disguise” and the drama “Little Women.”
I hate to say it, but fall 2019 looks dismal just like summer 2019 did in terms of movies. There are NOT massive standouts if you ask me. There are indeed some that should be on your radar: “It: Chapter Two,” “The Joker,” “Frozen 2,” “Queen and Slim,” “Terminator: Dark Fate,” “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” “Jumanji: The Next Level,” “Bombshell” and of course “The Last Skywalker” (it’ll have to make up greatly for the disappointing “The Last Jedi.”) That’s not many flicks, but it seems the bulk of the must-see movies arrive in the month of November so plan your calendar accordingly.
