“Sully”
Synopsis: The true story of Captain Chesley Sullenberger, whose quick thinking following the twin engine failure of the plane he was piloting saved the lives of 155 passengers onboard.
What You Need To Know: Clint Eastwood’s no-nonsense approach to filmmaking —in, out, no messing around— has led to mixed responses in recent years, with some of his films feeling a bit tossed off. But if you are well into your 80s and you can toss off something like giant mega-hit “American Sniper,” the biggest film of Eastwood’s directing career by a significant margin, then you should probably be allowed to do whatever you want. His 35th film as director, completed at the age of 86, is in familiar thematic territory for the director: it’s an examination of heroism and instinct based on a famous real-life event. While it seems in some respects similar to Robert Zemeckis’ “Flight,” this looks like potentially very compelling stuff from trailers, and should be a must-see if only as the first team-up between Eastwood and Tom Hanks, who plays the title character.
Release Date: September 9th
“Blair Witch”
Synopsis: A group of college students head into the woods of Maryland to investigate the disappearance of the sister of one of their group, but soon realize that the legend of the Blair Witch, rumored to have been linked to the missing girl, is very real.
What You Need To Know: We love a great surprise, and Lionsgate dropped a doozy at this year’s Comic-Con, inviting a bunch of attendees to see top-secret horror “The Woods,” and announcing to the world while they were at the screening that the movie was actually a sequel/reboot to 1999 horror classic “The Blair Witch Project.” We wouldn’t be that excited about yet another franchise revamp, but in the hands of the extremely talented Adam Wingard (“You’re Next,” “The Guest”), it certainly has our attention. Word from earlier screenings is that it’s legitimately and purely terrifying, helmed by a horror expert making the most of both the mythology and the found footage conceit that’s become increasingly tired.
Release Date: September 16th
“Snowden”
Synopsis: The true story of Edward Snowden, a CIA contractor who leaked evidence of global surveillance to the media and was charged with espionage by the federal government.
What You Need To Know: Oliver Stone is easily of the most provocative political filmmakers ever to work within the studio system, so the story of Snowden seemed to fit perfectly within the wheelhouse of the director of “JFK” and “Platoon,” among others. But we’d perhaps feel more confident if we’d liked anything Stone had done in the last two decades —even when he makes something that feels like it should be right up his street, like George W. Bush biopic “W.,” the results tend to disappoint. How will “Snowden” turn out? A bullish presence at Comic-Con, of all places, suggests some confidence on the part of Open Road, and Cannes head Thierry Fremaux said that he thought the film was terrific (producers withdrew it from festival consideration to better its Oscar prospects). But trailers make it look a bit like a “Saturday Night Live” parody, and it has had several release date shuffles over time. We’d love a Stone comeback —let’s just hope that this is the one to deliver it.
Release Date: September 16th
“Chronic”
Synopsis: David, a meticulous and efficient home care nurse working with the terminally ill, develops close relationships with his patients. In his private life, David is awkward and reserved, which leads to him needing his patients as much as they need him.
What You Need To Know: I know what you’re thinking, and no, it’s not Dr. Dre’s spinoff sequel for the “Straight Outta Compton” cinematic universe. Instead, this aptly titled and truly devastating character study about an extremely gifted, devoted nurse (played by a near perfect Tim Roth) for the terminally ill is something of a mystery that only reveals half of itself to the audience. The other half is up to the viewer to decipher from its coded, clinical perspective. It won a screenplay award at Cannes two years ago, only for the buzz to simply fade away. We reviewed it at that festival, and despite critic Oli Lyttelton being frustrated by the ending, I’d argue it’s a great companion piece to Oscar winner “Amour.” It mostly works, despite the inherently depressing material. Don’t be frightened by the heavy subject matter —it’s worth going through the emotional wreckage on this one.
Release Date: September 23rd (Limited)
“Queen of Katwe”
Synopsis: The true story of Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan girl who, despite having dropped out of school, went on to be a chess champion.
What You Need To Know: Despite her scorching Oscar-winning breakthrough in “12 Years A Slave,” the only time we’ve seen Lupita Nyong’o onscreen since was as a near-mute stewardess in “Non-Stop,” a movie that was shot before she became a star. She’s become a household name thanks to Instagram and fashion shoots, but her subsequent roles have been limited to voicing CGI characters in “The Jungle Book” and “Star Wars.” Fortunately, that will change this fall with “Queen Of Katwe,” a rare non-franchise Disney movie (in conjunction with ESPN Films). It looks a little bit… inspirational from the trailer, and director Mira Nair is a bit inconsistent (plus side: “Monsoon Wedding,” minus side: “Amelia” and “The Reluctant Fundamentalist”), but the pairing of Nyong’o and David Oyelowo is enough to sell us a ticket, especially if the film comes anywhere close to the great chess movie “Searching For Bobby Fischer.”
Release Date: September 23rd (Limited)
“The Magnificent Seven”
Synopsis: A woman hires a ragtag bunch of outlaws to avenge the death of her husband.
What You Need To Know: The western genre has been starting to come back in vogue, with both indies and major studios putting on their cowboy hats, but could a remake of a cinematic classic be the one to cause a true resurgence? “The Magnificent Seven” (itself based on “Seven Samurai”) is a long-standing TV favorite, and this reboot, cowritten by “True Detective” creator Nic Pizzolatto, doesn’t look to have messed with the formula too much, though we’re getting a pleasingly more diverse group of seven outlaws this time out, including newcomers Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Martin Sensmeier and Korean superstar Byung-hun Lee (who was championed in our recent podcast about “A Bittersweet Life“). Director Antoine Fuqua can be hit-and-miss, but his best work tends to come when he’s teamed with Denzel Washington, (“The Equalizer” not included, oof) and hopefully this will be the kind of sturdy thriller that he’s capable of.
Release Date: September 23rd