5 Must-See Movies for Fall

Real talk: this summer’s movies were really disappointing. Movies like Man of Steel, Pacific Rim and Monsters University weren’t bad per se, but they didn’t live up to a lot of the hype that surrounded them. Plus, their stories (kind of an important part of a movie) were pretty weak.

That is why I am looking forward to quite a few movies that are about to be released. Because it’s fall, and you know what that means: Oscar-bait movies. You never know if a movie is great until you get to see it, but the next crop of films have a lot of things going for them right out of the gate. Namely: great actors, great directors and very compelling trailers.

Here are 5 to definitely put on your radar:

1. Gravity (Warner Bros.) October 4th

I have never seen a trailer more jaw-dropping than the one for Gravity. To say that it was intriguing, suspenseful and visually captivating is understatement. It stars Sandra Bullock, who will undoubtedly get an Oscar nomination out of this, and George Clooney as astronauts who get lost in outer space. Gravity is directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who directed the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the best reviewed of all the Potter films. After you watch the teaser trailer, watch the extended 5-minute preview. It’s mind bending and heart stopping, mostly because it’s so realistic. 

2. The Wolf of Wall Street (Red Granite Pictures) November 15th

Really all you need to know about this movie is that it stars Leonardo DiCaprio and is directed by Martin Scorsese. Every time these two team up, it’s pretty great. See: The Aviator, Gangs of New York, The Departed and Shutter Island. There’s no reason why The Wolf of Wall Street, based on the true story of a corrupt Wall Street investor, should be any different. Check out the trailer, which makes great use of Kanye West’s “Black Skinhead.”

3. Carrie (MGM) October 18th

I’m usually very against remakes, but this one has a lot of promise. For one, the original movie, even though it’s a classic, has become pretty irrelevant. Remakes are better when the original doesn’t age well. And secondly, this remake managed to attract some pretty great talent. It stars Chloë Grace Moretz, one of the best child actresses ever, and Julianne Moore, a multiple Oscar nominee who rarely fails to deliver strong, compelling performances. Directed by Kimberly Pierce, another person who really knows what she’s doing, the movie retells the story of a bullied girl trying to hide her supernatural abilities from her very, very insane mother. Scary things happen. I can’t wait.

4. Ender’s Game (Summit Entertainment) November 1st

Based on the beloved children’s book (my favorite of all time), this is another movie that takes place in space. Only this time, the protagonists are child soldiers being trained as killers by some pretty ruthless military generals. It’s the perfect mix of child fantasy and adult, real-world commentary. Almost everyone in the cast has been Oscar-nominated, even the children. If you see it, be sure to allow yourself to indulge in the action and undoubtedly cutting edge visual effects. This is space, after all.

5. American Hustle (Atlas Entertainment) December 13th 

Did you see Silver Linings Playbook? The movie that got Jennifer Lawrence her Oscar? Shame on you if you answered no, because it was really, really good. The reason I bring it up is because the guy who directed it, David O’Russell, is back with American Hustle and there is almost no reason why this shouldn’t be a great movie. O’Russell has a tendency to get his actors nominated for Oscars, and they usually win. This movie is jam packed with actors who all got nominated or won Oscars from other David O’Russell movies: Christian Bale, Robert De Niro, Amy Adams, and Bradley Cooper. So, we’ve got pretty high expectations for this movie about con artists in the 1970s New Jersey.