You may have noticed that most of the movies this past summer were not quite…up to par. Out of all the films that that Tor.com reviewed, I think the only one that I personally want to see again is Iron Man 3, and the only one that I truly loved was Upstream Color.
I think most of us found this summer’s movies forgettable (I had actually forgotten that After Earth happened until we did our summer movie wrap-up.) or exhausting—there was no reason for Lone Ranger and Pacific Rim to reach Terence Malick proportions—or, in the case of Man of Steel, actively enraging.
As the temperatures drop and my Facebook feed fills with enthusiastic football fans I turn, with hope and trepidation, to the fall movie season. Please, fall. Please have some decent movies in you? Or maybe even better than decent? Is that so much to ask? I promise to ingest nothing but pumpkin spice beverages for the next three months if you give me some good movies, okay?
Gravity, October 4
Okay, fall, you’re coming out of the gate strong. I have heard nothing but great things about Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity, and I’ve kept myself almost totally ignorant about what happens in the film. I’ve just seen the one (amazing) trailer. I am so so so excited about this one. I already have a ticket to see it in IMAX 3D, which is something I never do, and I will be posting a review on this very site tomorrow. I’m hoping that this is an intelligent, character-driven space movie, where people use their brainmeats to solve problems and stay alive in the void of space.
Carrie, October 18
A reimagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White, a shy girl taunted by her peers and tormented by her deeply religious mother. There is a lot of thematic blood, some knives, and a fairly unsuccessful prom. I am not a fan of remakes (unless the new team comes up with an interesting spin, or a modernization that actually works) and my worry here is that they’re going to drench this sucker in so much blood that it loses all meaning. Buuuut, Chloe Grace Moretz is cool, and Julianne Moore is one of my favorite actors, and there’s Judy Greer! So if everything goes to hell I can just close my eyes and pretend all of her lines are being said by Cheryl Tunt.
Ender’s Game, November 1
From the trailers it looks like Asa Butterfield has the perfect mix of well-meaning innocence and sociopathy for Ender, which I think is the most important element of the film. If we’re not able to get into Ender’s head the whole movie will collapse around him. Plus, Harrison Ford looks like he’s going to reach new heights of gruffness! Pissed-off Harrison Ford is one of my favorites, right after snarky Han Solo Ford and comically baffled Indiana Jones Ford.
Thor: The Dark World, November 8
Now that I know they’ve added more Hiddleston, I’m even more excited, but I was already looking forward to seeing Jane fulfill the fish-out-of-water trope by visiting Asgard. I kind of want them to dwell on that? Like, maybe an awkward family dinner with Odin and Frigga, told from multiple viewpoints so that when Jane thinks of how Frigga sees her, she’s a tiny insignificant human in a touristy “I Heart Asgard” T-shirt, and then Tyr takes her upstairs to look at his old college track trophies…Okay, maybe don’t focus on that so much. But Christopher Eccleston as Malekith should be great, and I generally approve of dark and broody action films.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, November 22
So, speaking of dark and broody action films… Jennifer Lawrence does such an amazing job as Katniss, showing how her District’s poverty has beaten her down, but also how resilient she is—I was really pleased with the way the first film didn’t sand her edges down. Most interesting, though, is how she shows Katniss’ willingness to play along with the unwritten popularity contest part of the Games. I can’t wait to see how they deal with the social repercussions of her performance, and, obviously, the relationships between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, December 13
I was disappointed by the first one. I disagree with the decision to split the book into three films. I found the mix of slapstick and sudden portentious somberpants monologues really frustrating. I have no interest in Azog the Defiler.
Having said all that, that scene of Bilbo in the tree, laughing at the butterflies, has already made me love this movie. I mean, look at that. If the whole movie was two hours of him in that tree, giggling madly, this would be my favorite film of all time. And Benedict Cumberbatch’s Smaug can only make me love it more. Dammit.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, December 25
Does Christmas Day still count as fall? Well, whatever, I’ve been onboard with this film since I saw the first trailer. Since I liked the original Danny Kaye film, I shuddered when I heard Ben Stiller was remaking it, as I am a stalwart opponent of the reboot fever that’s swept Hollywod over the last decade. But I’m also an unrepentant sucker for the reign of the Anderson/Jonze/Gondry school of whimsicality, so the minute that Icelandic pop song kicked in, I was willing to follow Stiller on any journey of unlikely redemption and against-all-odds love of his choosing.
So…the fall movie line-up looks way more substantial than this summer’s did, but obviously the jury is still out until we actually see the films. What do you think? Are all the really interesting high profile movies from this year hiding out in the next couple months?
I’m so excited for this Fall’s movies! Between having Loki back on the big screen and my favorite novel turned movie, I’m just all fangirl squee.
If they ruin Ender’s Game, I will go on a rampage. I keep trying to tell myself not to get my hopes up, but I just can’t help myself. I just get so happy everytime I see a trailer. I’m setting myself up for disappointment, I know, but such is life.
I am scared to death of what they’re gonna do to The Hobbit in this one. From the previews, I already know they’ve desecrated the Barrels Out of Bond scene, so that’s not good.
On the other hand, Ender’s Game looks beautiful and excellent and wonderful and a whole bunch of other superlatives. I’m excited to get some Bean in there as well, since his examination of Ender in Shadow could work nicely in a film setting.
Small quibble, but I wouldn’t say that Ender has sociopathy. Sociopaths, as I understand it, have zero empathy. Ender’s strength is that he’s super-empathic and can get inside his enemies’ heads and hearts and love them as they love themselves. It’s just that he’s still willing to do whatever is necessary to remove them as a threat, though he loathes himself afterwards.
With regards to the Hobbit- I loved the butterfly shot as well, and Cumberbatch-as-Smaug is awesome. But I think this film is still going to try its best to make me dislike it by shoehorning in a Legolas-romance subplot. Oh, and one other concern- is Bilbo invisible in the Smaug scene, because he sure doesn’t look it in the trailer bits I’ve seen?
None of the movies coming this fall look to be better than Man Of Steel. After the steaming pile that was the original Thor, I’m uncertain about the sequel. The Hobbit looks good and I’ve like all of the films so far. Still not likely to beat Man Of Steel for me though.
Uh, no. Iron Man 3 was possibly the worst movie of the summer. Boring plot and monumental navel-gazing makes for a terrible experience.
Star Trek into Darkness was horrible and dumb. Someone has to fire JJ Abrams and Roberto Orci.
Man of Steel was pretty good. The part I didn’t like was the destruction of all things Kryptonian (except for Kal-el, of course).
While Pacific Rim desperately needed a great script writer. Del Toro’s lack of taste in terms of the script was shocking – I’ll give you that. However, the concepts were awesome and the action was inspired.
The Conjuring was a very good horror movie. Better than the horrible Paranormal Activity movies.
It wasn’t nearly as bad a season as you claim it was.
As to the Fall season:
The only thing that can save The Hobbit movies is more magic. The first movie sufferred from being bland. The Goblins were disappointing as hell and the weird fluctuations in power-level of Gandalf are non-sensical – one minute Gandalf is blasting all the Goblins with magic, the next minute he can only use his sword (dumb).
Smaug, werebears and hidden Elven Kingdoms will seriously help the second movie’s chances of being interesting.
I hope Carrie is interesting, although I doubt it. It looks like a beat for beat remake of the first one. There’s nothing new to see here folks, moving along.
Thor: The Dark World has a reasonable chance of being good. But there are some signs that it won’t be. The director made some comments about making the movie more down to earth. Jack Kirby’s Asgardians were NEVER down to earth – they were cosmic beings and always larger than life. We’ll see.
Feh. Thor 2 is the only one I am looking forward to in this selection, having been very taken with the first one, but it’s very hard to take a review of the summer’s movies that dismisses Pacific Rim at all seriously.
I’m still hoping Only Lovers Left Alive might get general release here this year.
I liked Pacific Rim…
I have high hopes for the Hobbit and Thor, and will definitely see them. The others, I will wait and make a decision to see them after the reviews come out.
The first Hobbit movie left me cold (I adore the book and have for 30+ years, and loved Jackons LoTR movies). The Hobbit just didn’t work for me (one word . . . rabbits, OK two, the much rending of cloth and dispair shown when a comrade falls in battle, already done too death in LoTR, there was far too much of it in The Hobbit, reign it in Jackson, reign it in) and I’ve no hopes for the second and third installments.
Enders Game (and the entire Ender universe) were ruined for me when I found Orson Scott Cards blog and learned that he was an intolerant religous fundmentalist, hates gays and denies global warming (like, how?). I find him a deeply unpleasnt man, which has tainted his works for me, I shant be rewarding him by paying ticket price to see Ender, no matter how good it is . . . and it does look good Gods Damn it!
Very much looking forward to Gravity (my wife allows me my Sandra Bullock crush), I liked Thor – dispite it’s flaws – so I’ll go see Dark World.
I’ve read interesting things about Carrie, how stays closer to the book than the original movie could (advances in CGI etc), and will catch a showing it to see what they did with it.
My two cents.
“Since I liked the original Danny Kaye film, I shuddered when I heard Ben Stiller was remaking it, as I am a stalwart opponent of the reboot fever that’s swept Hollywod over the last decade.” Well, the Mitty story has been a stage play for decades, so it’s been re-produced over and over again. Calling Stiller’s Mitty a re-make would be like complaining that Kenneth Branagh shouldn’t have remade Mel Gibson’s “Hamlet.”
You left out Only Lovers Left Alive. Tilda Swinton as a vampire? A real one, not “sparkles in the sun.” Should be great! With bonus Tom Hiddleston
Huh. OSC is intolerant? Seems like some people who disagree with him are also. Me, I can’t wait to see the movie. One of my book clubs just did the book and I re-read it for the first time in years and couldn’t believe I enjoyed it as much as I had the first time, though I still feel that Speaker for the Dead is a must read with it that completes the story for me.
I’m looking forward to almost all of these movies. I’m not really interested in the Hunger Games. I await the Walter Mitty movie with trepidation.
Wasn’t Sin City 2 supposed to come out this fall? It was on my list of movies for the year, but I guess it got pushed back to next year.
That’s a pretty short list of fall/winter movies. You’re missing some of the big ones that are coming out. Kind of surprised at the lack here.
Captain Phillips
12 Years a Slave
The Counselor (looks like a hell of a ride)
The Book Thief
Oldboy (seriously doubt it’ll be anywhere near as good as the original)
The Monuments Men
American Hustle
Inside Llewyn Davis
Saving Mr. Banks
Labor Day
Its crazy all the movies the past summer where not all that good. With the exception of Monsters University. Not one big Block Busters movie but the new movie Gravity looks very promising. This weekend i may have to check that out.
shellywb, you did not just pull out the intolerance-reverse intolerance canard, did you? Read OSC’s adaptation of “Hamlet” for some deeply disturbing and embarassingly prejudiced nonsense about the nature of homosexuality and get back to us. For the record, decrying a public figure’s gross homophobia (or racism, or sexism, or what have you) is not itself intolerance. It’s justice. And we all respect free speech here, so if OSC gets to mouth-crap his junk science and harmful religious platitudes, the rest of us get to call him what he is.
Obviously I have problems with the OSC, having only recently discovered how good his work can actually be. It’s a tough moral quandary, the decision of how or whether to support an artist whose philosophies one disagrees most vehemently with. I’ve come to an accomodation with myself: I will only ever take his books out of a library, thereby denying him my direct financial support for his writing. For the movie, I am content with the film studio’s response to protests from the LGBTQ community–they are hosting a lavish premier of the movie to benefit LGBTQ issues. That satisfies me, both for its concrete impact on a community that has suffered harm from the author’s exercise of speech, and for the tacit acknowledgment of society’s shifting (and improving) values.
The climate change denial still bothers me though…