10 Films to Look Forward to This Fall and Winter
5.) Crimson Peak
Crimson Peak
Release Date: October 16, 2015
When her heart is stolen by a seductive stranger, a young woman is swept away to a house atop a mountain of blood-red clay: a place filed with secrets that will haunt her forever/ Between desire and darkness, between mystery and madness, lies the truth behind Crimson Peak.
A new film by visionary director Guillermo del Toro, you had me at del Toro. Again this is one of those I shouldn’t have to explain past the first sentence but let’s anyways. He’s one of our best directors and like Tarantino and “Hateful Eight” this is a case of del Toro going back to some familiar territory. To begin with, I personally love a good ghost story and let’s just say del Toro has a pretty good track-record so far. “Devil’s Backbone” anybody? Even his produced stuff like “The Orphanage” is really solid. Have you seen the trailers? Visually this already looks fantastic and I’d even go so far as to say the Oscar for Best Production Design is already in the bag. I’m a total target for this kind of old fashion film but if it’s del Toro I at least know that I’m in good hands.
4.) Spotlight
Spotlight
Release Date: November 6, 2015
The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.
Academy Award Nominee Michael Keaton, sounds pretty good. I thought he was just in a small supporting role but in the trailer not only is he seemingly one of the main characters, he seems to be getting all the really good/memorable lines. So if the cast wasn’t one thing, the story seems like something with a lot of dramatic potential. Plus the director is Tom McCarthy (Dr Bob from “Meet the Parents”) who directed “The Station Agent” and “The Visitor,” both of which were great character films. He also directed “The Cobbler” but… eh, we’ll just call that one a fluke. Point being is that I think this director is a major up and coming artist and this will be his biggest film yet.
3.) The Good Dinosaur
The Good Dinosaur
Release Date: November 25, 2015
The Good Dinosaur asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.
As seen in one of my previous articles, the trailer seems to be hinting at a much deeper emotional story. That’s saying a lot since Pixar’s last film was “Inside Out” which is already one of the best films of the year. (I didn’t review it because I wasn’t on the site yet but rest assured if I was I would have and beat to death any of the other writers who dared try to review it before me with their own shoes.) Anywho… many may be a little worried about this film because it’s had a long history of problems during the making, including completely re-casting and re-recording all the characters. However fans would do well to remember that this is actually a common place in animation like “Shrek,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and even the original “Toy Story.” If you’ve ever seen or read about the earlier versions of those films, you might know they made the right decision. So don’t be worried, just get the kleenex boxes ready.
2.) Spectre
SPECTRE
Release Date: November 6, 2015
A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.
Anyone who knows me knows I am a HUGE Bond fan. How huge? I can name all the Bonds films in order while completely drunk off my a@#, and I’m a notorious lightweight when it comes to drinking. But yeah, the Bond series is one of my sacred cows. Since being alive I have only missed one Bond film in theaters (stupid teenage me). The last film “Skyfall” turned out to be one of (if not) the best films in the series and we got most (if not all) of the creative people coming back. If that’s not enough then we also got the return of James Bond’s greatest enemy, S.P.E.C.T.R.E. If you’re only familiar with the newer Craig films, S.P.E.C.T.R.E. is a terrorist organization (think evil version of MI6 with all the resources of an actual country’s force). Due to legal reasons they have not made an official appearance since “Diamonds Are Forever.” Not only is it great to see the return of them but it also looks like they’re going to try and tie it in with the last three films. We had Quantum in “Quantum of Solace” which I believe was before the rights issues were sorted out so I imagine it’ll turn out Quantum IS S.P.E.C.T.R.E. or that it is only one smaller organization that is a part of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Also there’s the fact (according to the trailer) that Bond gets into S.P.E.C.T.R.E. headquarters!!! That’s a big deal! Bond has always been a few steps behind them so to see him finally get into the real room with (maybe) Blofeld is quite a treat. If there was ANY doubt in my mind before, that moment in the trailer sealed the deal.
1.) Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Release Date: December 18, 2015
A continuation of the saga created by George Lucas set thirty years after Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983).
I thought that Spectre would had been number one for me and most years it would have but then they have to go and make a Star Wars film. Well I’m sure it’s not a surprise to anyone that not only am I a “Star Wars” fan but that it makes the number one spot. I know, I did this dance before in the late 90s with “The Phantom Menace” but I can’t help it, I just so damn excited. Partly because I honestly NEVER thought we’d get another “Star Wars” film, partly because of how vague they’re being. It’s a relief not to see a trailer give away all the twists. And partly because we’re done with the prequels of the past, we can finally move forward. I’m personally sick of prequels now. We get to a point in the story of a series, then we have to stop all progress and then learn the backstory. This is always to a certain degree compromised because they have to make sure things line up with the past films. But now with Episode 7 the sky is the limit. I have no clue where we’re going but I can’t wait to begin the journey. I even really like the choice of going with J.J. Abrams as director. While I can’t say he’s ever made a great film, he is very talented and working with other really talented people. Plus while watching the newer “Star Trek” films I always got the sense the storyteller would much rather be telling a “Star Wars” story. My description of “Star Trek” (2009) was always, “it’s Star Trek as told by Star Wars,” so I think Abrams will be much more passionate here. The closest he’s come to making a great film was “Super 8” which you could feel the passion just peeling off the screen. I’ve been watching the trailers over and over and the thing that strikes me the most is how much it still feels like an original trilogy “Star Wars” film. I cannot wait for this film! December can’t get here soon enough! May the Force Be With You.
