OCTOBER
“The Guilty”
Antoine Fuqua coaxed a convincingly tortured performance out of Jake Gyllenhaal in 2015’s boxing melodrama, “Southpaw,” and “The Guilty” sees Gyllenhaal and Fuqua reuniting for an English-language remake of a terse Danish thriller. In what looks like a minimalist affair, the film is about a cop racing against the clock after intercepting a call from a kidnapped woman. Gyllenhaal snatched up the rights to the original shortly after it was released, and honestly, this gritty material sounds on-brand for Fuqua.
Release Date: October 1 via Netflix.
“The Many Saints Of Newark”
Wanna know how Tony Soprano became a feared mob boss and all about the crime family that made him? “The Sopranos” mastermind creator David Chase is more than happy to oblige. Directed by Alan Taylor and co-written by the show’s frequent series writer Lawrence Konne, “The Many Saints Of Newark” prequel unfolds against the brutal backdrop of midcentury New Jersey, and follows a ne’er-do-well, teenaged Tony Soprano as he rubs shoulders with scumbag “Sopranos” canon icons like Dickie Moltisanti and many more. Alessandro Nivola, Ray Liotta, Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, and James Gandolfini’s son Michael Gandolfini star.
Release Date: October 1 via Warner Bros.
“Mayday”
A feminist fairytale about the dark side of empowerment, Grace Van Patten stars as a young woman who joins forces with a rugged band of female mercenaries traversing a never-ending coast, defending themselves at all costs from the men all around them. Mia Goth, Juliette Lewis, and French singer-songwriter Soko co-star for director Karen Cinorre, with Sam Levy (who lensed the smaller, more character-driven likes of “Frances Ha” and “Lady Bird”) serving as D.P., and Magnolia handling North American distribution.
Release Date: October 1 via Magnolia Pictures.
“Titane”
The winner of Cannes’ coveted Palme d’Or, Julia Ducournau’s “Titane” is the arthouse film of the fall to see, especially after dazzling audiences with her haunting debut “Raw.” The midnight-movie-in-the-making stars Agathe Rouselle as a car-crazed outcast with a titanium plate lodged in her head from a childhood accident, though to give any more of the plot away would be criminal. Expect brutality, body horror, and no shortage of freaky auto-vehicular lunacy—Co-starring legendary French actor Vincent Lindon (Claire Denis’ “Bastards”).
Release Date: October 1 via Neon.
“Lamb”
Be careful what you wish for? That appears to be the creepy allegory for the dark and atmospheric folktale, “Lamb,” the striking debut feature from director Valdimar Jóhannsson. Debuting at Cannes earlier this year and coming out via A24 later this year, Noomi Rapace stars as one half of a childless couple in rural Icelandmakes an alarming discovery in their barn one day. They soon face the consequences of defying the will of nature, and if you’ve seen the results in the eerie, seemingly almost wacky trailer, this won’t be one to soon forget.
Release Date: October 8 via A24.
“Mass”
The unspeakable tragedy of school shootings has been covered in films like “Bowling For Columbine” and “Elephant.” Still, the Sundance acclaimed “Mass” looks like it will reignite the cultural argument (and could be Bleecker Street’s 2021 Oscar contender). Starring Reed Birney, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton and written and directed by actor turned filmmaker Fran Kranz, “Mass” centers on two sets of parents who agree to talk privately in an attempt to move forward with their lives. This examination of grief, anger, and acceptance looks brutal (our review says as much) but crucial and not to turn away from.
Release Date: October 8 via Bleecker Street.
“No Time To Die”
It’s been six long years since the last Bond film, and “No Time To Die” has faced several COVID-related delays. But as helmed by Cary Fukunaga (“Beasts Of No Nation,” “True Detective”), “No Time To Die” is easily one of the most anticipated films of the year. Bond franchise faves Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, and Jeffrey Wright return, as does Christoph Waltz as Blofeld. Newcomers added to the cast and Craig’s final Bond installment include Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, and Ana de Armas. Don’t worry about more delays; the film literally can’t afford anymore, apparently.
Release Date: October 8 via Universal and United Artists.
“Halloween Kills”
After many unsuccessful tries, director David Gordon Green, co-writers Scott Teems and Danny McBride, and Blumhouse Productions brought the Halloween franchise back from the dead with a vengeance in 2018. They all return from what looks like a savage sequel. Franchise mastermind John Carpenter (a producer and composer on the movie) says it’s a “slasher movie times a hundred” and claims he’s “never seen anything like” its kill count. The sequel picks up moments after the last film, and Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton all return with the additions of Thomas Mann, Anthony Michael Hall, and James Jude Courtney.
Release Date: October 15 via Universal.
“The Last Duel”
The uber-prolific Ridley Scott has two films ready for 2021, and the first is a historical drama about the last sanctioned duel in 14th-century France, where a man’s wife (and her alleged rape) is at the center of the drama. Matt Damon, Jodie Comer, Adam Driver, Ben Affleck star, with Damon and Affleck, reunited as screenwriters, co-writing with the great Nicole Holofcener (the boys handling the male perspectives, Holofcener, the female). Cinematography comes courtesy of Scott’s regular collaborator, Dariusz Wolski.
Release Date: October 15 via 20th Century Studios.
“Bergman Island”
Mia Hansen-Løve’s films, “Goodbye First Love” and “Things To Come,” envelope you with novelistic character detail that’s both nostalgic and deeply unsentimental. Her latest stars Tim Roth and Vicky Kreips, center on an artsy couple (played by the two aforementioned stars) who travel to the Swedish island of Fårö, where Ingmar Bergman lived and shot many of his great pictures, including “Persona.” The older couple find inspiration in a younger couple they meet (Mia Wasikowska, Anders Danielsen Lie), but as creatives, they soon find the lines between reality and fiction starting to blur.
Release Date: October 15 via IFC Films.