These are 25 films that we are eager to see this autumn

 

Clockwise from left: Wicked, Here, Emilia Pérez, A Real Pain, Piece by Piece and Blitz.
Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Shanna Besson/Pathé, Searchlight Pictures and Apple TV+

It's back to school, election season is intensifying, leaves need to be raked, and all you want to do is run away from home.

We have everything covered. Curated by NPR journalists, the selection includes everything from award contenders to silly comedy, a dash of romance, an abundance of anti-heroes, and even an animated musical documentary made entirely of LEGOs.


I hope to see you in the theater.

Beetlejuice September 6th, see Beetlejuice in cinemas.

I mean, who knows if this will succeed? Many directors have gone back to their first motion pictures to see if there is any more gold to be found. Sometimes (as in Mad Max: Fury Road) they strike gold, and other times (like in The Matrix Resurrections) the outcome is a dramatic cave-in. Though his typical gloom has been evident in all of his recent films, director Tim Burton's transgressive, anarchic humor has been absent for years. I'm cheering him on. Now is the time for the show.

His Three Daughters, in theaters 6 September, on Netflix Sept. 20

This movie is sold by its cast, which includes Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, and Natasha Lyonne, who are frequently the highlights of their respective roles. And here they are, pretending to be sisters who get together as their father is about to pass away. Casting three very different actors as family may not seem like a natural choice, but there is something appealing about having three independent women in the same movie.

Meanwhile on Earth, in theaters 13th September

A young woman laments the loss of her beloved brother, who vanished on a space mission three years ago, in this gloomy, bizarre French science fiction thriller. She gets a message one night from an enigmatic figure stating that it can bring him back to Earth—but only if she does a simple favor. It's the most recent work by director Jeremy Clapin, who received an Oscar nomination in 2020 for his remarkable film I Lost my Body, which tells the story of a severed hand's search for its rightful owner.

My Old Ass, in theaters 13th Sept.

During her final summer before going to college, Elliott (Maisy Stella) has hallucinations of her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza), who casually gives advise without asking: "I know mom can be annoying but be nice to her; hang out with your brothers; and avoid anyone named Chad." That's when the charmingly nerdy Chad (Percy Hynes White) appears in Megan Park's charming coming-of-age story.

All Shall Be Well, in theaters 20th Sept.

This Hong Kong drama, a festival favorite, centers on Angie and Pat, a long-term pair who are lesbians in their 60s. Upon Pat's unexpected death, Angie initially receives compassionate care from her family. Soon, disagreements regarding Pat's estate lead to a rift that jeopardizes Angie's ability to continue living in their shared apartment. There aren't many movies that explore the relationship between aging and queerness, but this one, according to early reviews, manages to be both depressing and uplifting.

A Different Man, in theaters 20th Sept.

Sebastian Stan plays an aspiring actor with neurofibromatosis, a hereditary abnormality, in this horrific psychological drama. He has facial reconstructive surgery to increase his casting options, but he is forced to consider his decision after meeting Adam Pearson, a fellow performer who also has the same illness. You should watch this even though it might be among the strangest and most difficult things you'll see all year.

The Substance, in theaters 20th Sept.

Oh, the horror of the body! In Coralie Fargeat's most recent film, Demi Moore, an aerobics star, gets fired from her program when she turns fifty. It sounds a lot like a crazy twist on Severance. The opportunity to inject a chemical that will make her into a younger version of herself (Margaret Qualley) is presented to her. Every seven days, she had to "swap" between her younger and older selves, but surprisingly, things don't go according to plan.

WOLFS, in theaters 20th Sept., on Apple TV+ 27th Sept.

Since 2001's Ocean's Eleven, George Clooney and Brad Pitt have been starring in comedies together. They now team together for an action comedy centered on two dubious but capable fixers. The only issue is that they used to both work alone, but they are now required to collaborate. It's a tried-and-true arrangement, and the outcome will depend on their ability to rekindle the warm banter.

Megalopolis, in theaters 27th Sept.

See, you can Google the numerous explanations for this production's alleged extreme emotional content yourself. However, the mere announcement of a new Francis Ford Coppola movie in 2024 is already generating conversation. Starring Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Talia Shire, and Laurence Fishburne, it's a multi-decade passion project. The film's CGI-heavy, time-traveling narrative, in which Coppola reimagines the collapse of Rome through the eyes of a contemporary New York, also appears extremely fantastical.

The Wild Robot, in theaters 27th Sept.

Interviewers have been informed by director Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon) that the computer-generated images in this story about a shipwrecked robot named Roz (voiced by Lupita Nyong'o) who adopts an orphaned gosling and befriends the island's creatures were inspired by the lush, hand-drawn forests of Hayao Miyazaki and the watercolor backgrounds in Bambi. The plan was to set this ecological fable's high-tech protagonist amid an emotionally charged environment.

Joker: Folie a Deux, in theaters 4th Oct.

The first Joker was intended to be a stand-alone movie, but what's a poor movie company to do when a billion dollars is earned, and Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix begins dreaming about his insane Arthur Fleck cracking jokes and singing on stage? Lady Gaga agreed to play Fleck's music therapist Harley Quinn after Phoenix and filmmaker Todd Phillips created a screenplay about her. And so we are.

The Platform 2, on Netflix 4th Oct.

Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, a Spanish filmmaker, made his feature debut in 2019 with The Platform, a gruesome anti-capitalist rant dressed up in a sci-fi/horror genre. The upper floors of a tower prison serve lavish meals to inmates on a large slab. However, the lower occupants quarrel over leftovers as that platform falls through the tower at predetermined intervals. As metaphors go, sure, it's not subtle at all, but I'm interested to see where a sequel leads us.

Piece by Piece, in theaters 11th Oct.

Know what would be awesome? Invoking the opening line of his song "Happy," "It might seem crazy what I'm 'bout to say," Pharrell Williams wonders, "Is if we told my story with LEGO pieces?" It's difficult to disagree with him when he says this in Morgan Neville's computer-animated documentary and is joined on multiple new songs by LEGO-ized Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake, Kendrick Lamar, and Busta Rhymes.

Saturday Night, in theaters 11th Oct.

In order to enjoy the anxious atmosphere of Lorne Michaels, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Jane Curtin on the eve of their small late-night comedy show's inaugural broadcast, Jason Reitman leaps back 49 years. The dramatization of the events leading up to those fateful words, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" on October 11, 1975, is based on interviews with the principals who are still alive.

Anora, in theaters 18th Oct.

Sean Baker's comedic drama follows New York sex worker Anora (Mikey Madison) as she recklessly elopes with Russian tourist Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), who is desperate to avoid deportation. It is the first American film to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes in thirteen years. When Vanya's parents intervene to attempt to have the marriage dissolved, the enchantment of their fantasy romance is partially called into question.

Rumours, in theaters 18th Oct.

Guy Maddin consistently creates complex, unusual films (Careful, The Saddest Music in the World, My Winnipeg) that appeal to me personally rather than necessarily drawing large audiences. This one, which he is writing and directing alongside the Johnson brothers, Evan and Galen, promises to be a major swing with the plot of world leaders attending the G7 conference becoming lost in the woods. Even before I realized that this film starred Cate Blanchett and a huge brain, I was completely invested in it. And now that I am aware of it? Completely honest!

Woman of the Hour, on Netflix 18th Oct.

The story of a serial killer who played The Dating Game is the basis for Anna Kendrick's directorial debut, in which she also acts. To put it mildly, the tale is strange and unnerving, and it received positive reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival the previous year. As an actress, Kendrick is more fascinating than she is frequently given credit for, and as a filmmaker, she might be even more so.

Nickel Boys
L. Kasimu Harris/Amazon Content Services

The Nickel Boys, in theaters 25th Oct.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, which was based on Florida's infamous Dozier institution during the Jim Crow era, followed the struggles of two Black teenagers, Turner (Brandon Wilson) and Elwood (Ethan Herisse), as they struggled to endure the brutality and atrocities of the institution. The New York Film Festival's opening feature will be a film by RaMell Ross.

A Real Pain, in theaters 1st Nov.

After a remarkable performance in HBO's Succession, in which he played a character who was essentially a sleazeball, Kieran Culkin is in high demand. Here, he plays cousins who decide to go on a trip to Poland alongside Jesse Eisenberg, who also wrote and directed. Who doesn't enjoy a road trip movie? Both of these actors are nearly always worth your time.

Here, in theaters 1st Nov.

From motion capture in Polar Express to computer animation in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, director Robert Zemeckis never met a technological innovation he didn't want to experiment with. This time, he's using generative AI to de-age and face-swap Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, who played roles in Forrest Gump, from 18 to 80 years old, in a drama that follows events on a single plot of land.

Emilia Pérez, in theaters Nov. 1st, on Netflix 13th Nov.

Jacques Audiard's musical comedic crime picture, which took home the Jury Prize at Cannes earlier this year, has generated a lot of buzz and controversy. If nothing else, the logline is strong: A vicious cartel leader named Karla Sofía Gascón enlists the aid of Zoe Saldaña, a lawyer, to assist her stage her own murder in order to receive gender-affirming surgery. Now mentally be ready for The Discourse to begin.

Heretic, in theaters 15th November

A gracious elderly man welcomes two young Mormon missionaries and extends an invitation for them to come inside his isolated home for a serious talk about the principles of their religion. But since this is an A24 horror movie, things soon go out of hand. Hugh Grant portrays the cunningly evil elder man in question, whose mansion is a complex labyrinth designed to try their religious beliefs. The trailer is giving me Barbarian feelings, and it's not like the creep factor is increased by Grant's cardigan. Brrrr.

Blitz
Apple TV+

Blitz, in theaters 1st Nov., on Apple TV+ 22nd Nov.

Just the name Steve McQueen should be enough to draw notice. Written and produced by the director of The Shame and 12 Years a Slave, this historical drama is set during World War II and has been called a "epic journey." In addition, Saoirse Ronan, who never fails to captivate, plays a mother whose little kid goes lost in the English countryside.

Gladiator II, in theaters 22nd Nov.

Twenty years after the events portrayed in Ridley Scott's Gladiator, Paul Mescal has grown up to be Lucius, the little boy (grandson of an emperor) who supported Russell Crowe in the Colosseum. The two have many similarities. Enslaved, he will battle two ruthless and irrational young emperors while fighting a rhinoceros under the guidance of powerbroker Denzel Washington.

Wicked, in theaters 22nd Nov.

In this rendition of the first act of the popular Broadway musical based on Gregory Maguire's "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," two witches—Galinda (Ariana Grande), vivacious and "popular," and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), green and frail—take on a cunning wizard (Jeff Goldblum). The path to Thanksgiving 2025 (when the second act arrives) will be a long and twisting yellow brick road.