36 Films You Need to See During Fall 2018

From the continuation of the Spider-Verse to a new take on Robin Hood hitting theaters, there’s a lot to keep up with. Let our Fall Movie Preview guide you.

Fall 2018 Movie Preview
Complex Original

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Fall 2018 Movie Preview

For film buffs, the fall is truly where it’s at. While the majority of a calendar year is chock full of blockbusting action and… not much else, real heads know that the colder the temps get, the more heat Hollywood brings as Oscar fodder. 

This fall, Tinsel Town has a vast array of films for moviegoers. Sure, they’ve managed to sneak in a couple of films that will surely hit with the kids, as well as a pair of pure comic book bangers, but there’s a lot of Oscar bait out there, too. From a film that takes place inside a miniature town in somebody’s backyard to ruminations on “gay conversion programs” and the third remake of A Star Is Born, there is sure to be a grip of popcorn chomped on at the theaters during this last quarter.

For those of you unsure about when you’ll be hitting the cinema, we’ve got you covered. Check out the fall films that your entire family will be talking about, including some that will no doubt be a large part of the 2019 AWARDS SZN. Get that Moviepass Fandango ready.

Nappily Ever After

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Starring: Sanaa Lathan, Lyriq Bent, Ernie Hudson, Lynn Whitfield

Company: Netflix

Release Date: September 21

Remember when Sanaa Lathan debuted her shaved head on social media and broke the internet? This Netflix romcom is the role she sacrificed her locs for, and it seems like a highly relatable film to anyone who understands the complex relationship between hair and identity. In (yet another) adaptation of a best-selling novel, Lathan plays Violet Jones, an uptight ad exec who starts to experience some setbacks in her picture-perfect life. It sparks a journey of self-discovery in which she sheds her superficial hangups—yep, starting with all of her hair—to figure out who she really is. —Dria Roland

Quincy

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Starring: Quincy Jones

Company: Netflix

Release Date: September 21

If you loved any of Michael Jackson's greatest albums, or shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, you owe a bit of thanks to Quincy Jones. Hell, he dropped arguably some of the most insane interviews of recent memory. If you're not up on what this legend has done for the world of entertainment, this Netflix documentary will get you properly educated, warts and all. —khal

The House with a Clock in Its Walls

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Starring: Jack Black, Cate Blanchett

Company: Universal Pictures

Release Date: September 21

For fans of the Harry Potter series, or kids who just want to become a whole wizard, witch, or warlock, The House with a Clock in Its Walls is for you. Starring Jack Black, the film tells the story of an orphan who moves into a house with a literal clock in the walls, but it's more about coming of age and getting your magic on than home decor. —khal

Night School

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Starring: Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish

Company: Universal Pictures

Release Date: September 28

If you thought 2017 was The Year of Tiffany Haddish, you called it too soon. Haddish plans to extend her title run with several films this fall, including this comedy by super-producer Will Packer. Haddish plays Carrie, a take-no-prisoners night school teacher trying to make a group of adult misfits pass the GED test. Kevin Hart co-stars as one of those misfits, Teddy, who needs to get his GED in order to get a better job—if he can survive Carrie’s unconventional teaching tactics. It is Will Ferrell-esque physical comedy at its finest, and it’s already looking like box office gold. The reigning queen of comedy vs. the king? That’s an easy A.  —Dria Roland

The Old Man & the Gun

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Starring: Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Danny Glover, Tika Sumpter, Tom Waits, Sissy Spacek

Company: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Release Date: September 28

Based on the 2003 New Yorker article on escape artist and career criminal Forrest Tucker, The Old Man & the Gun is one true-crime comedy that heads shouldn't sleep on. It already looks intriguing and is said to be Robert Redford's final acting role, which makes the fact that this film details Tucker's last heist all the more fitting. This could be the perfect film to cap off Redford’s legendary career. —khal

Venom

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Starring: Tom Hardy, Riz Ahmed, Michelle Williams

Company: Sony Pictures

Release Date: October 5

Spider-Man: Homecoming kicked off the beginning of Sony's third attempt at building a Spider-Verse, and the Tom Hardy-starring Venom will be the next building block on that foundation. Hardy plays Eddie Brock, a journalist who, during his expert sleuthing, fuses with an alien symbiote bent on destruction. Fans of Venom’s anti-hero days as a Marvel Comics character are hoping this film will finally bring the maniacal Venom we didn’t get in 2007’s atrocious Spider-Man 3 to life. —khal

A Star Is Born

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Starring: Bradley Cooper, Stefani (Lady Gaga) Germanotta

Company: Warner Bros.

Release Date: October 5

For his directorial debut, Bradley Cooper takes a crack at the third remake of A Star Is Born. Also starring Lady Gaga, the film follows a drunk AF country music star who falls in love with a young singer. Hard living and loving, and redemption ensue. Interestingly enough, A Star Is Born features hella stars—everyone from Dave Chappelle to Halsey—on its cast, turning this into one interesting musical. —khal

The Hate U Give

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Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Anthony Mackie, KJ Apa, Algee Smith

Company: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: October 5

The #BlackLivesMatter movement has been alive and well since the tragic murder of Trayvon Martin, and in the subsequent years since the teenager was gunned down, the discussion has gone from our social media timelines to the TV shows and films we consume. One such film is The Hate U Give, which is based on a 2017 novel about a young black girl who lives between two worlds: the white prep school she attends and the poorer black neighborhood she resides in. When her best friend is murdered by the police, she has no choice but to stand up for what's right. It's a role that many feel someone like Amandla Stenberg was destined to play, and with a supporting cast that features Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Common, and Anthony Mackie, this film should do a lot in keeping the conversation going well past the credits rolling. —khal

First Man

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Starring: Ryan Gosling, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll

Company: Universal Pictures

Release Date: October 12

At first glance, Ryan Gosling's reunion with La La Land director Damien Chazelle reads as an effusive homage to the can-do patriotism of the '50s and early '60s. But while their previous collaboration was a picture-perfect imitation of a bygone era, the pair’s latest reframes a largely celebrated moment—Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 mission—as something fraught by emotional and cultural misgivings. Gosling gives a cold, calculated performance as Armstrong, and Chazelle's camera, so expansive in La La Land, finds a thrilling middle ground between the claustrophobic tension of NASA's tests and the expansiveness of outer space. In that regard, First Man has more in common with Chazelle's painfully good Whiplash. Armstrong and his team are straining towards something just out of reach, the the point that the audience is left wondering if it's all worth the trouble. —Graham Corrigan

Beautiful Boy

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Starring: Steve Carell, Timothée Chalamet, Maura Tierney, Amy Ryan

Company: Amazon Studios

Release Date: October 12

Hollywood it-guy Timothée Chalamet is back in what's being called another great performance in Beautiful Boy. This film is based on the memoirs of David and Nic Sheff, with Chalamet's Nic struggling with addiction after seeing his father (played by Steve Carell) suffer, then recover, from addiction himself. Chalamet and Carrell's performances are getting major praise, making this one of the few more indie films to check out. —khal

Bad Times at the El Royale

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Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Jeff Bridges, Cailee Spaeny

Company: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: October 12

Every year, there's one. One movie that managed to slip by countless preview lists pegged to every season (like this one, LMAO) and other traditional hype machines. Just a trailer, no expectations, and pleasant surprise—a film whose every aspect seems tailor made for you to love immediately. Such as my introduction to Bad Times; the good signs for this movie are endless. Setting: a ’60s era-posh motel, perfect arena for a handful of untrustworthy villainous strangers. And that group? Definition of stacked cast. Written and directed by Drew Goddard, the man who gave us, in ascending order of greatness, World War Z, The Martian, that Buffy episode where Xander gets got, Cloverfield, Cabin in the Woods, and that Lost episode where Ben summons the Smoke Monster. Jon Hamm finally in a post Mad Men role deserving of him. A thriller premise that implies a lot of plot twists, gunplay, murder and villainous turns from pretty much everyone. Basically what I'm saying here is, this movie is already an A in my book. —Frazier Tharpe

Halloween

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Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak

Company: Universal Pictures / Blumhouse

Release Date: October 19

We've suffered through reboots, reimaginings, revivals, cinematic universes… a whole manner of blatant but often lazy and unfulfilling methods to get by on IP and coast off nostalgia and an affinity for the familiar. Halloween is here to offer the best possible alternative. Here's a sequel that fully acknowledges every follow-up since its legendary debut has been a dud (give or take an H20) so the new gimmick is that it's just ignoring those ever existed. I love this. More franchises should embrace this approach. Furthermore, or as a result maybe, the energy put into this one being worthy just seems more vital. Made by people who are fans of the legacy foremost, and who want to do everything to honor it. The energy is infectious—Jamie Lee literally came back from the dead because they made her believe. Declaring seven movies trash and unworthy of holding your beer is tough talk. Failure is not an option. Something tells me the killings here will live up. —Frazier Tharpe

Mid90s

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Starring: Sunny Suljic, Lucas Hedges, Katherine Waterston

Company: A24

Release Date: October 19

Jonah Hill is the homie—a friend of the family, if you will—and A24 is the best production house out right now. So, yeah, I’m pretty excited to see this flick. Mid90s is Hill’s directorial debut, about a lonely kid falling in with a crew of skaters. Folks have talked about it having a KIDS vibe to it and you can kind of feel that when you watch the trailer. Plus, it’s currently sitting at 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and we all know RT is the only rating system that matters. Hopefully, y’all go out to watch this on October 19 so studios can keep making movies that aren’t starring The Rock (no shots!). —Angel Diaz

Bohemian Rhapsody

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Starring: Rami Malek, Joe Mazzello, Ben Hardy

Company: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: November 2

Does anyone hate Queen? While it's hard to gauge what the box office response to Rami Malek's Freddie Mercury portrayal will be, the automatic assumption is that heads are more than ready to see the Queen story play out on camera. At the very least, audiences will be singing every song along with the film. —khal

Nobody's Fool

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Starring: Tiffany Haddish, Tika Sumpter, Omari Hardwick

Company: Paramount Pictures

Release Date: November 2

Forget Nev and Max: In Nobody’s Fool, Tanya (Tiffany Haddish) is fresh out of jail and hot on the trail of the person who has been catfishing her sister Danica (Tika Sumpter). Of course Tanya needs to stay out of trouble, but she’s smart enough to follow her instincts when something seems too good to be true. Writer-director Tyler Perry places a lot of faith in Haddish to carry this comedy; but he gives her a huge assist with veteran Whoopi Goldberg playing her mother, and Omari Hardwick stepping out of his role as Ghost on Power to try some lighter fare as well. —Dria Roland

Suspiria

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Starring: Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton

Company: Amazon Studios

Release Date: November 2

I watched the original Suspiria not too long ago, which was more artful than it was scary. I can see why Suspiria is considered a classic with Dario Argento’s lighting, frames, and film score; the mood felt like a campy ’70s nightmare dream sequence. But I have a feeling the 2018 version is going to be scarier just based off the trailer. This version is going to be about 30 minutes longer with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke handling scoring duties, following in the footsteps of his guy Jonny Greenwood’s masterful works with Paul Thomas Anderson. Hopefully Yorke can capture some of the same magic the Goblins caught with the OG score. Check the original version as primer if you’re able, it’ll be worth it. —Angel Diaz

Boy Erased

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Starring: Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe

Company: Focus Features

Release Date: November 2

In the modern era, we're still finding ways to truly help speak on and understand issues within the LGBTQ community. For some, the idea of there being "gay conversion programs" is insane, but it's a sad reality that some have to unfortunately deal with. This film, which is directed by (and starring) Joel Edgerton, tells the tale of a boy who is outed as gay at the age of 19, and then forced to attend one such program. Hopefully, bringing this story to light can help those going through a similar situation. —khal

The Girl in the Spider's Web

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Starring: Claire Foy, Sylvia Hoeks, Claes Bang

Company: Sony Pictures

Release Date: November 9

It's amazing the risks a studio will roll with just off the hope that IP and brand loyalty will win above all else, especially when it's so clear the mass audience isn't particularly invested in this franchise. The first book yielded a solid if searingly disturbing and ultimately unmemorable David Fincher flick. So unmemorable that he, Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig haven't even bothered to return. The new joint has no household names playing the principles; the guy who made Don't Breathe on the lens (which was fire, but still) and Lakeith Stanfield as the sole reasons to leave the crib and not just wait until it hits HBO. I predict we won't get a movie for the third book, whatever that's called. —Frazier Tharpe

Dr. Seuss' The Grinch

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Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch

Company: Universal Pictures

Release Date: November 9

While the OG Dr. Seuss book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! dropped way back in 1957, it was the 1966 TV special with the Grinch stealing all of your Christmas that made the character the icon that he is. And while we've had a live-action Grinch film already, this time around, we're getting a proper computer-animated version, whether you like it or not. —khal

Widows

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Starring: Viola Davis, Cynthia Erivo, Daniel Kaluuya

Company: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: November 16

In his first feature-length release since the Oscar-winning 2013 film 12 Years a Slave, Steve McQueen churns out a heist thriller with a twist. Widows finds Viola Davis getting a group of women together to finish the job that their criminal husbands failed to complete. An intriguing cast (which features Michelle Rodriguez, Daniel Kaluuya, Brian Tyree Henry, and Colin Farrell) and a script from Gillian Flynn (of Gone Girl and Sharp Objects fame) make this one to mob the theaters for. —khal

Creed II

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Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson

Company: MGM / Warner Bros.

Release Date: November 21

Ryan Coogler went the fuck off when he made the first Creed. I held back tears during the scene where Rocky told Adonis that he had cancer. However, I don’t know what to expect from the sequel now that Coogler has vacated the director’s chair. All the good work he and Michael B. Jordan did in making a refreshing film to revitalize the Rocky franchise could possibly all be undone if the final product isn’t right. At least Stallone isn’t directing, like it was originally said. Either way, director Steven Caple, Jr. has a tough task ahead of him. —Angel Diaz

Robin Hood

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Starring: Jamie Foxx, Taron Egerton, Eve Hewson

Company: Lionsgate

Release Date: November 21

Did we need a dark and dreary Robin Hood tale? No? Well, we're getting one anyways, with Taron Egerton cutting all of the one-liners while sliding into a room, arrows blazing. We have Leonardo DiCaprio's production company Appian Way to thank for this medieval action flick, which stars Jamie Foxx as Little John. The jury’s still out, but with the names attached this project could be worth it. —khal

Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2

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Starring: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer

Company: Disney

Release Date: November 21

If you enjoyed Zootopia or, say, the first Wreck-It Ralph, this re-up might be for you. This go-round, Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) and sidekick Vanellope von Schweetz (voiced by Sarah Silverman) leave the familiarity of the arcade behind and venture into the internet to find a replacement part to save Vanellope’s video game, Sugar Rush. Being fish out of water, they have to lean on the weird and wacky citizens of the internet for help—including characters voiced by Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Taraji P. Henson, and Gal Gadot. Expect a dizzying number of internet culture references, some laughs, and a lot of heart. —Dria Roland

If Beale Street Could Talk

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Starring: Teyonnah Parris, Regina King, Stephan James, Colman Domingo

Company: Annapurna Pictures

Release Date: November 30

There are approximately a million reasons If Beale Street Could Talk is one of the year’s most anticipated films—scratch that, maybe even the decade’s. One being that as hard as it is to believe, this marks the first time any of the work by prolific author James Baldwin will be adapted to film. But if there’s anyone to be trusted with reimagining Baldwin’s gripping novel about a Harlem man falsely imprisoned and the pregnant fiance fighting to get him out before the birth of their first child, it’s Barry Jenkins, the masterful screenwriter-director behind Moonlight. Though the main couple is played by newcomers Kiki Layne and Stephan James, a dynamic group of actors including Regina King, Brian Tyree Henry, Pedro Pascal, and Diego Luna round out the cast.

If Beale Street Could Talk was written in 1974, but it’s sad to say its themes of racism and disparity in the criminal justice system will feel just as relevant today. But at the core, expect strong performances that speak to both the power of love—and the genius of James Baldwin. —Dria Roland

Under the Silver Lake

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Starring: Andrew Garfield, Dakota Johnson

Company: A24

Release Date: December 7

Andrew Garfield plays a sad sack unwittingly embroiled in an L.A. mystery he doesn't fully understand in David Robert Mitchell’s Under The Silver Lake. The parts are familiar—a missing girl, hidden messages, secret societies, and an abundance of weed—but even if Mitchell's latest is an homage to films like The Big Lebowski and Inherent Vice, we can think of worse movies to exalt. Garfield seems lovably harebrained and unhinged, and a supporting cast that includes Riley Keough, Topher Grace, and Jimmi Simpson gives us reason to hope. The release date was recently pushed back for recuts, meaning Under The Silver Lake will drop during awards show primetime. With A24 at the helm, that can only mean good things. —Graham Corrigan

Mary Queen of Scots

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Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie

Company: Focus Features

Release Date: December 7

Any history buffs who wanted to see Mary, Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth I beef back in 1569, do we have the film for you. With rising star Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird) playing the title role opposite Margot Robbie, we're being front-loaded with some awesome leading women. David Tennant and Guy Pearce rounding out the cast might make this one of the more obvious Oscar flicks for the end of the year. —khal

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

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Starring: Shameik Moore, Liev Schreiber, Mahershala Ali, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry

Company: Sony Pictures

Release Date: December 14

While not set in the current Sony Spider-Verse, this animated Spider-flick does introduce a shared multiverse. It also brings (an animated) Miles Morales to the big screen, and brings Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy (aka Spider-Gwen), among other Spider-people, into what should tide fans over until the next MCU Spider-Man film. Judging by the list of voice-actors Sony webbed in; all of the stops have legit been pulled out.  —khal

Second Act

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Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Leah Remini, Vanessa Hudgens

Company: STXfilms

Release DateNovember 21 December 14

Netflix has been sonning the competition when it comes to romantic comedy, but with Jennifer Lopez hitting the big screen in her first rom com since 2012's What to Expect When You're Expecting, anything is possible. Directed by Peter Segal (who also helmed 50 First Dates), this finds J.Lo getting a major glow-up when her character goes from holding a low-level position to being offered a huge gig. The film also stars Leah Remini and Vanessa Hudgens, among others. —khal

Mortal Engines

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Starring: Stephen Lang, Robert Sheehan, Hera Hilmar

Company: Universal Pictures

Release Date: December 14

You have to have seen trailers for this earlier this year. It's another one of those "in a post-apocalyptic world" flicks, but instead of loads of darkness, we just have cities that turned into giant, mobile structures that somehow consume other cities? This steampunk fantasy might be one of the few big budget action alternatives for the end of 2018. —khal

Mary Poppins Returns

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Starring: Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Meryl Streep

Company: Disney

Release Date: December 19

In this sequel to the classic Disney musical (54 years after Julie Andrews captured our hearts as the original Mary Poppins), some things have changed: Jane and Michael are now adults; Michael has three kids, and they’ve suffered a terrible family loss. But some things stay the same: Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt), her magic, and that parasol fly in to visit the family—still on Cherry Tree Lane—to save the day.

If you’re going to reimagine a classic like Mary Poppins, you’d better call in the big guns. Lin-Manuel Miranda (the genius who reinvented the musical) as Mary’s sidekick Jack, plus the horsepower of Meryl Streep and Colin Firth puts us a little more at ease. Premiering just in time for Christmas, here’s hoping it will be a jolly holiday with Mary, once again.  —Dria Roland

Aquaman

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Starring: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe

Company: Warner Bros.

Release Date: December 21

DC diehards have been anticipating this big screen look at Aquaman for a while now. Showcasing what Jason Momoa does outside of being a member of the Justice League, this big budget action flick looks like part-Black Panther, part-Avatar. Maybe that'll bode well for the DC family, who is in need of a non-Wonder Woman hit. —khal

Bumblebee

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Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Jason Drucker

Company: Paramount Pictures

Release Date: December 21

Transformers fans, rejoice! Bumblebee, arguably the most popular Transformer from this recent batch of films, is finally getting his own spin-off, although it's actually a prequel to the first film in the series. Michael Bay isn't directing, which might lead some to pause, but he is on board to produce. It'll be interesting to see how this film, which is set in the '80s, will open up (and revitalize) the Transformers universe. —khal

Welcome to Marwen

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Starring: Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Janelle Monáe

Company: Universal Pictures

Release Date: December 21

In April of 2000, Mark Hogancamp was attacked by a group of men outside of a bar for crossdressing. After being released from the hospital, he started constructing a miniature World War II-era Belgian town in his yard. His story became a documentary in 2010, and is the inspiration for Robert Zemeckis' Welcome to Marwen. Starring Steve Carell and featuring the likes of Janelle Monáe, this project aims to blend fantasy with a heavy dose of reality. —khal

Holmes & Watson

Holmes & Watson

Serenity

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Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jason Clarke

Company: Aviron Pictures

Release DateOctober 19 January 25, 2019

My favorite type of movie during Oscar bait season is the thriller where not much happens—it's less about the plot than it is a stacked cast full of people relieved not to be in a superhero movie, chewing scenery, and hoping they get a Best Supporting nod out of it. I really have no idea what this movie is about even after watching the trailer and I don't need to. The clip is a masterclass in precision dread and tension building. It's not that the trailer artfully obscures the story, there just might not be much more story. But do you see how much fun Anne Hathaway and Jason Clarke are having? And Kendall Roy's in it? Book it. —Frazier Tharpe

Alita: Battle Angel

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Starring: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jackie Earle Haley

Company: 20th Century Fox

Release DateDecember 21 February 14, 2019

Fans have been waiting for this film, which is based on the Gunnm manga, and with the likes of Robert Rodriguez (director) and James Cameron (producer) combining forces on this one? Our interest is piqued. Blending live action and animation, and featuring a cast that includes Mahershala Ali, Jennifer Connelly, and Ed Skrein, this film looks like an awesome cyberpunk fantasy. —khal

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