It’s now summertime, and the summer movie season is in partial swing only, due to the pandemic. A handful of studios are indeed trying their hand at theatrical releases of what would normally be big summer blockbusters, like Universal’s Fast & Furious 9 or Disney’s Black Widow. While it is still too early to say when we will be at a point where movie going will benefit from the conditions of full safety with no risks, there will be quite a few interesting releases coming out in the Fall as well, that are sure to draw viewers into theaters once again. Or at least they’ll certainly draw me back.
That’s what this article is about. I’ll list below the features I’m most looking forward to seeing when September comes around. I’ll be considering release dates in my country of residence, Portugal, so if a movie comes out in your country during the summer, you’ll have an answer for your confusion:
Dune – Directed by Edgar Wright – Release Date: October 22nd
The original book is considered a classic of the genre and has quite a number of fans, so there will certainly be a crowd lining up to see it, and the trailers really make it look like this will be a cinematic event to remember. While there have been plenty of seemingly “epic” movies of adventures in fantastical settings that turned out to bomb in both box office and quality, I will keep hoping that this time, this team will pull off Dune competently.
Last Night in Soho – Directed by Edgar Wright – Release Date: October 22nd
Edgar Wright doing a Horror/Mystery? It stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomasin McKenzie and it involves time travel? Sign me up! Last Night in Soho hasn’t revealed a lot about its premise, plot or characters and I want it to stay that way. This is a movie about which I want to know as little as possible. Engaging, intricate and wholly original plots in smaller genres of film making are more and more rare, and I’m glad that big studios are still allowing directors and writers to indulge in creative, risky ideas and bring them to the big screen.
Edgar Wright is sure to bring his unique style to this project, but the shift in ambience from his previous works has me excited as to how we will see the marks of his manner of directing in a Horror/Mystery. This movie probably has me the most curious of the entire list. Even if it turns out to be not so incredible I am really glad this movie got made.
The French Dispatch – Directed by Wes Anderson – Release Date: October 22nd
There is nothing in Hollywood quite like a Wes Anderson movie. While many might say that his movies have more style than substance, I believe the substance is there, it’s just matched with the style itself, making both components one and the same. Coming off of his latest movie, Isle of Dogs, which was a stop-motion animation, Anderson is back doing live-action, assembling probably his most star-studded cast yet, featuring Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Benicio del Toro, Frances McDormand, Timothee Chalamet, Saoirse Ronan and many others to tell a story he characterizes as a “love letter to journalism”, about an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city.
It’s surprising how after ten features, watching a movie of his always feels unique, you never know quite what to expect, even though you know a lot about what to expect. It’s like visiting an alien world you’ve seen before. It’s not the first time you’ve been there, but it’s still alien, unfamiliar, different and interesting. One I’ll certainly be watching soon after release.
Spider-Man: No Way Home – Directed by Jon Watts – Release Date: December 16th
There is no denying that Hollywood is perhaps a bit too clustered with comic-book related projects, specifically superhero focused ones. But say what you will about this long-lasting trend, and Marvel’s heavy contribution to it, one has to admit that the movies have contained solid performances, good comedic moments and interesting developments for its roster of characters. Perhaps one of the best examples of this is with the MCU’s take on Spider-Man.
In Homecoming and Far From Home, Marvel has realized in Tom Holland’s Peter Parker probably the most faithful, relatable, and engaging iteration of the comic-book counterpart. And, with Spider-Man’s role in the broad MCU saga only getting bigger, it’s exciting to see him facing greater threats than his usual collection of villains. With this third movie in the trilogy, Marvel seems to be gearing up for exactly that, with hints of multiverses, alternate actors, cameos from Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch raising my interest for what should be a pretty exciting Christmas blockbuster, which I think would make a nice holiday gift these days.
The Matrix 4 – Directed by Lana Wachowski – Release Date: December 22nd
The Matrix is one of the most well-known trilogies of recent decades, and regardless of the quality of the overall series, its undeniable that the legacy of the ideas it put forth and concepts it dealt with are still resonating today. Therefore, the prospect of a fourth installment, 18 years after the release of the last movie is certainly going to have a lot of people excited and talking about it after it comes out.
I’m cautiously optimistic for this one. I trust in the passion from the Wachowskis, the creative team behind the project, and Keanu Reeves of course, but at the same time, I am aware that their creative ambition can take them to places and ideas that don’t really work that well. On top of that, resurrecting popular franchises after long hiatuses is a tricky endeavor with a track record of many failed attempts. Of course, it can be done successfully, like with Blade Runner or Mad Max, which is what I hope will be the case here. If nothing else, I am very curious to see what the movie deals with, what it will tackle in terms of ideas, and how amazing the fight choreography will be of course.
Candyman – Directed by Nia da Costa – Release Date: August 27th
Here we have another feature from a smaller genre that found its way towards the forefront of my interest. Candyman is directed by Nia da Costa and written by herself, Win Rosenfeld and notably, Jordan Peele, popular in the genre of Horror/Thriller from his movies Us (2019), and Get Out (2017). Candyman is yet another Horror feature that stands as a sort of sequel to the 1992 Horror movie of the same name.
I haven’t seen the original Candyman, and I don’t really plan to before this new movie comes out. I simply have great interest in what these writers and performers can do with a new creative idea. Like with Peele’s previous works, this will certainly not be just a simple Horror movie. There is certainly going to be insights and commentary concerning areas that go beyond what the genre tends to delve into. Horror is already an entertaining genre, but Horror with depth is sure to leave a lasting impression and that is what I hope most to see in Candyman.
Halloween Kills – Directed by David Gordon Green – Release Date: October 14th
Nothing like a solid entertaining slasher to foster a thrilling experience at the theater. Though the Halloween series didn’t yield any particularly spectacular features for quite some time, I thoroughly enjoyed the previous installment of the series, released in 2018 and starring Jamie Lee Curtis. Now, three years later, the same director, David Gordon Green is releasing a direct sequel, which will continue the story.
There’s not a lot I can say about this movie. In this case, what you see is what you get, and I have no problem with that. The last movie had solid pacing, thrilling set pieces, a great score, and actual good camerawork that enhanced the dread posed by Michael Myers, which is tough to do considering he’s just a silent big guy with a knife and a creepy mask. If those elements come back this time around, along with an engaging story, it’s bound to be a fun time at the movies that I very much look forwards to.
Nightmare Alley – Directed by Guillermo del Toro – Release Date: December 3rd
I have to admit, I am in the minority in regard to del Toro’s last feature, 2017’s The Shape of Water. I just didn’t find much there that I hadn’t seen before and it didn’t really wow me in any way as a film. Nevertheless, I do recognize del Toro’s skill as a director and a writer and know he is capable of truly mesmerizing productions. That’s what I’m looking for in his upcoming project, Nightmare Alley. Based on the novel of the same name, Nightmare Alley stars Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett and tells the story of “an ambitious carny with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words, who hooks up with a female psychiatrist who is even more dangerous than he is”.
Not much else is known about the movie aside from that short summation of the premise, and I’m already intrigued. Del Toro always tends to have an interesting angle through which he tackles his stories, so aside from this certainly being an intriguing plot, its execution is promising to be just as compelling. The director already teased us by saying the film is sure to be “just a really straight, really dark story”, and that it’s sure to have an R rating so it will at the very least be an interesting movie to experience.