Fall Film Preview

 Well, it’s fall and that means big budget, high gloss, prestige films start arriving in theaters right about now. It’s as reliable as the seasons themselves – round about mid September, films made by A-list directors and starring actual movie stars begin to appear and they don’t stop until New Year’s Day. The reason for this flurry of cinematic activity, of course, is that the eligibility cut-off date for both the Oscars and the Golden Globes is December 31^st. Big awards mean more publicity and therefore more money for movies. So studios carefully strategize about which films to release when. They line up their strongest contenders, the films that are most likely to be award-winners and release them as close to the cut off date as possible so those movies will be fresh in the voters’ minds when it comes time to cast their ballot. 

So here are some movies we have to look forward to over the next few months and a couple of modest predictions about their award-worthiness.
 

This week, The Martian arrives in theaters. Starring Matt Damon and directed by Ridley Scott, it’s the story of Mark Watney, an astronaut accidentally stranded on Mars, trying to survive long enough for the people back home to realize he’s still alive and needs rescuing. Damon is a reliable performer who always brings a very grounded quality to his work whether he’s the lead or playing a tiny cameo. Ridley Scott has directed two of the most influential and memorable sci-fi movies of all time – Alien and Blade Runner. But, he also directed Prometheus – so I guess you just never know. I predict The Martian will be nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor.

Also coming out in October is Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, the fourth on-screen collaboration between Tom Hanks and Spielberg. The film is based on the true story of James Donovan, the Brooklyn lawyer asked by the CIA to negotiate the release of a U2 spy plane pilot shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960. Spielberg is clearly in his gritty historical mode here, but this is likely to have more of a cheerful ending than, say, Munich or Lincoln. I predict nominations for Best Director and Best Picture.  

November brings us The Secret in Their Eyes, an American remake of an Oscar-award winning Argentine drama. Julia Roberts makes a rare appearance here as Jess, an FBI investigator partnered with Chiwetel Ejiofor. The two of them work closely with a DA played by Nicole Kidman until their team is demolished by the news that Jess’s daughter has been murdered. The film rejoins the trio 13 years later when Ejiofor’s character thinks he’s found the girl’s killer. The original won the Oscar for best foreign language film in 2009 and was universally praised. If the filmmakers manage the adaptation well, I anticipate this one earning nominations for Best Picture and possibly Best Actor and Actress for Ejiofor and Roberts.

Several interesting award-contending films will come out in December like Quentin Tarantino’s western The Hateful Eight and Will Smith’s pro-football drama Concussion. But frankly, everything will be eclipsed that month by the release of Star Wars episode VII: The Force Awakens. It’s unlikely that it will be nominated for any of the so-called big categories, but it will undoubtedly rack up nominations for technical awards for sound, hair and makeup, costuming, and visual effects. It will also thrill nerds the world over, but that’s another show for another day.

So enjoy the changing leaves this week and the pre-pre-pre-Christmas sales, but make time in your busy schedule this fall to catch some of these fascinating, award season movies coming your way.