Must See Fall Movies

Fall Preview: The 33 Must See Films

Summer is essentially over. Maybe not by the calendar, but certainly when it comes to Hollywood. The “Iron Man 2"s and the “Shrek 4”‘s have come and gone, and for anyone who likes a medicore $200 million budgeted film probably aimed at teenaged boys, you’re probably out of luck for at least a few months. Not to say this summer didn’t give cinema-goers plenty of nice alternatives, from rare summer studio fare that pleased teenagers andcritics (“Inception,” “Toy Story 3”) to a good dozen art house films. But fall is a whole other monster.  And more often than not, a monster that’s a good friend to any cinephile.

Essentially kicking off while the Toronto International Film Festival winds down (Mark Romanek’s “Never Let Me Go” opens the Wednesday during TIFF, with Sundance fave “Catfish” following two days later), the final months of 2010’s specialty release schedule should easily fulfill the needs of any film lover.  There’s works from auteurs both international and domestic, a considerable documentary presence, buzzy comedies, and the annual plethora of Oscar-bait. AndindieWIRE has decided to offer the following list of 33 notable titles to watch for.  In addition, iW sorted those 33 and a few dozen extra via the calendar, listing the releases by date and giving each its own page complete with a plethora of information (cast, distributor, synopsis, trailer, etc.).

It’s more than likely said calendar will find a few notable additions once the Venice and Toronto dust settles.  Films like John Cameron Mitchell’s “Rabbit Hole,” Dustin Lance Black’s “What’s Wrong With Virginia,” David Schwimmer’s “Trust,” Mike Mills’ “Beginners,” and scores of others, remain distributor free.  A number of them could find themselves in theaters by year’s end, but for now no films without release dates or distributors are included in this list.

indieWIRE‘s list veers away from studio efforts that very well could be high on one’s fall to-see list.  Defining what is and is not a “specialty film” is murky at best, making this rule problematic on numerous occasions.  Five “studio films” specifically that would have surely been on and perhaps even near the top of this list include David Fincher’s “The Social Network” (released by Sony/Columbia),  Joel & Ethan Coen’s “True Grit” (released by Paramount), David O. Russell’s “The Fighter” (released by Paramount), Ben Affleck’s “The Town” (released by Warner Brothers) and Edward Zwick’s “Love and Other Drugs” (released by 20th Century Fox).

All five films do in fact still have film pages, which can be found amidst full listings for September, October, November and December. 

But before treading through that lineup, consider the following 33 films first.  From bisexual ballerinas and self-amputated limbs to Joaquin Phoenix and Allen Ginsberg, a fall indie preview:

26. Welcome To The Rileys (November 5; Samuel Goldwyn)

What’s The Deal?  Directed by Jake Scott (Ridley’s son), “Rileys” follows a couple (James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo) whose relationship has been deteriorating ever since their daughter’s untimely death.  Enter a scrappy underage prostitute played by Kristen Stewart.

Who’s Already Seen It? 9 critics gave it an average of B on the film’s criticWIRE page.

Why is it a “Must See”? The film debuted to very warm notices at the Sundance Film Festival, particularly for Stewart’s performance. Audiences haven’t recently given her a chance outside the “Twilight” series (see “Adventureland” and “The Runaways”), but perhaps this film can change that. If Samuel Goldwyn (who picked up the film from Apparition after they all-but-folded) plays their cards right, it could even give her some Oscar buzz.

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xoxo
Carrie