Wouldn’t it be great if instead of wasting so much of October talking about what “Joker” is trying to say, we instead put all of our efforts into supporting something like “Parasite” instead? Or, really, anything from the list below because this month, things are kicking into high gear when it comes to new film releases.
Awards contenders and other buzz-friendly films are scattered throughout along with film festival favorites and only one real Halloween adjacent film amongst them. It’s time to keep your eyes peeled for what is and isn’t playing near you and what is available to stream because along with the aforementioned comic book property, there’s also eat the rich storylines, men battling embittered seagulls, the return of beloved Jesse Pinkman, and films by folks such as Taika Waititi, Steven Soderbergh, and Ang Lee to keep us busy as the autumn months continue to seemingly sprint on by.
“Joker”
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz
Synopsis: A clown-for-hire by day, Arther Fleck he aspires to be a stand-up comic at night…but finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty character study.
What You Need to Know: You don’t leave “Joker” without some kind of hot take. Since its debut at the Venice Film Festival, and for some time prior, the Joaquin Phoenix-led film about the enigmatic villain has dominated entertainment headlines. There are already stories about how seriously Phoenix took his craft when getting into the headspace of such a vile human being and the film itself stirring emotions of those watching, worrying them that the film might inspire violence. That being said, this origin story (about a fascinating, origin-less character) does at least offer Phoenix a tremendous showcase once again, something all critics seem to agree on. Ours wrote, “In amongst ‘Joker’s’ fire and blood and chaos and its blackest of blackhearted laughter, there is the sense of a grotesque, green-haired genie being let out of a bottle, and whether it wreaks havoc or not, we’re not going to be able to put it back in.”
Release Date: October 4
“Pain and Glory ”
Cast: Antonio Bandera, Asier Etxeandia, Penelope Cruz
Synopsis: A film director reflects on the choices he’s made in life as the past and present come crashing down around him.
What You Need to Know: Pedro Almodóvar is one of the world’s most distinguished filmmakers with a career that spans decades with iconic films such as “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,” “Talk To Her,” “Bad Education,” and, in particular, “All About My Mother” having left clear bookmarks on modern cinema. While some of his latest such as “The Skin I Live In” and “Julieta” left fans and critics alike more than a little divided, his latest, most personal film to date, “Pain & Glory,” has come to remind us of why he’s considered one of the greats. Reuniting with frequent collaborator Antonio Banderas about an artist ruminating over his life and aspirations, the thread of vulnerability and the personal versus fiction is there. Our critic wrote, “The degree of posterity and self-reflection on display in ‘Pain and Glory’ suggests it’s a film that’s could not have come without suffering, and one Almodóvar could not have made without crossing the threshold of self-accepting salvation.”
Release Date: October 4
“Dolemite Is My Name”
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Keegan Michael-Key, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Wesley Snipes
Synopsis: Stung by a string of showbiz failures, floundering comedian Rudy Ray Moore has an epiphany that turns him into a word-of-mouth sensation: step onstage as someone else.
What You Need to Know: If we are to get a resurgence of Eddie Murphy on our screens, then “Dolemite Is My Name” is the perfect vehicle to remind us all of Murphy’s gifts as a performer. Directed by Craig Brewer whose past work has been…questionably entertaining at best (“Footloose,” “Empire,” and “Hustle and Flow”) “Dolemite Is My Name” looks to bring to life a performer whose life and roles marked a certain page in cinema history. The screenplay is by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who also penned “Ed Wood,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” and “Man On The Moon,” writers who understand how to tell true-life stories without stripping the film of that person’s personality or essence. The film debuted at this year’s TIFF and our critic wrote that missteps and all “…it’s so consistently entertaining and uproariously funny, with such engaging work by its star, it’s frankly hard to complain.”
Release Date: October 4
“Little Monsters:
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Josh Gad, Alexander England
Synopsis: “Little Monsters” follows Dave, a washed-up musician who volunteers to chaperone his nephew’s kindergarten class field trip after taking a serious liking to the fearless schoolteacher, Miss Caroline. Dave’s intentions are complicated by the presence of the world’s most famous kids’ show personality and competition for Miss Caroline’s affections, Teddy McGiggle. One thing none of them bargained for, however, is a sudden zombie outbreak.
What You Need to Know: A larger than life premise about a kindergarten school teacher with a penchant for yellow dresses and sing-song attitudes? And it stars Lupita Nyong’o in a role we’ve yet to associate her with (the comedy, not the horror as we all remember with this year’s “Us”). There’s little here to make anyone not line right up to see a film that, on the surface, is so appealing. Genre melds such as this are always such a tricky balance and zombie films are hardly new territory but “Little Monsters” brings modernity to the proceedings to make it fresh compared to others of its ilk. Making its premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, our critic didn’t quite get behind the film, even with Nyong’o’s stellar performance, writing, “She’s so good, in fact, that the pleasure of her performance makes ‘Little Monsters’ worth seeing. But just barely.”
Release Date: October 8′
“El Camino”
Cast: Aaron Paul, Charles Baker II, Matt Jones
Synopsis: In the wake of his dramatic escape from captivity, Jesse must come to terms with his past in order to forge some kind of future.
What You Need to Know: Years after the celebrated finale of the celebrated series “Breaking Bad,” the legacy of Walter White and the universe showrunner Vince Gilligan created still looms large. “Better Call Saul” is as good as any spinoff has the right to be, with plenty naming even greater than what spawned it and now, rather than allowing fans an inch of hope that heart of the series Jesse Pinkman escaped unscathed, the series is putting us through the emotional ringer once more with “El Camino.” As you may have guessed, Aaron Paul returns as the emotionally volatile man who managed to survive by luck alone. The “Breaking Bad” properties have yet to disappoint and with Gilligan both behind the camera and screenplay and Paul back in the seat of his career-defining role, there’s little to dissuade us that this won’t be as good as anything this team has created so far.
Release Date: October 11
“Parasite ”
Cast: Song Kang Ho, Lee Sun Kyun, Cho Yeo Jeong, Choi Woo Sik
Synopsis: All unemployed, Ki-taek’s family takes a peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
What You Need to Know: In an ideal world? Absolutely nothing. If we are to go by those who have seen it (not including this poor critic who is still waiting) then the best way to approach “Parasite” is to know as little as possible before going in, especially as it rises in the ranks as many folks’ most lauded films of 2019. Consider this though: it’s the latest film by renowned filmmaker Bong Joon-ho who is one of our finest directors working today with films such as “Snowpiercer,” “Okja,” “Memories of Murder” and “The Host” to brag about and it stars one of his regulars, the excellent Song Kang Ho. It’s an “eat the rich” premise with timely societal breakdowns and its won raves at each of its festival circuit stops leading up to its release in the U.S. Our wrote of the filmmakers ability to find humanism in larger scales, writing, “Bong has a particular talent for making intimate stories pop on a blockbuster-sized canvas, and ‘Parasite’ is no exception.”
Release Date: October 11