As temperatures begin to drop and leaves begin to change colors, filmmakers, press members and cinephiles from across the world gather to watch the most anticipated movies of the year before they are released to the public. The Cannes Film Festival, the biggest and most prestigious film festival in the world, is in June, but fall is film festival season. Three of the season’s biggest festivals, the Venice Film Festival, the Telluride Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, have concluded. Here are 10 of the festivals’ offerings you should keep your eyes on.
“May December” (dir. Todd Haynes)
I have not seen enough of Todd Haynes’s work to say he is one of my favorite filmmakers, but “Carol” is one of my favorite films of all-time. His latest, “May December,” stars Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Charles Melton. It follows a married couple, played by Moore and Melton, as an actress, played by Portman, visits them as part of her research for a film about their marriage — and past tabloid romance. I am not familiar with Melton’s work, but Portman and Moore are two of my favorite working actresses. I have high hopes.
“The Zone of Interest” (dir. Jonathan Glazer)
World War II is a tried-and-true subject matter in film. For decades, filmmakers have turned to the conflict, a tradition still alive and well today; look no further than Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.” Jonathan Glazer works sparingly. It has been nearly a decade since “Under the Skin,” his last feature. “The Zone of Interest,” his return to the big screen, is an adaptation of the Martin Amis novel of the same name. The film follows the private life of an Auschwitz officer and his wife. Undoubtedly, it will be hard to watch. Early word is it is gut-wrenching, harrowing and a masterwork.
“Ferrari” (dir. Michael Mann)
Michael Mann is known for loud, masculine, muscular filmmaking. I cannot claim to have seen much of his work; I have only watched “Heat.” His latest, “Ferrari,” stars Adam Driver — my favorite working actor — as Enzo Ferrari. I am excited, to say the least, and I cannot wait to check out the rest of Mann’s filmography in the lead-up to the film’s Christmas Day release.
“Saltburn” (dir. Emerald Fennell)
“Promising Young Woman,” Emerald Fennell’s directorial debut, received mixed reviews, but it made a major splash during awards season. Directors’ first features are rarely nominated at the Academy Awards, but “Promising Young Woman” received four nominations and won Best Original Screenplay. Her follow-up, “Saltburn,” described as an updated “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” stars Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi and Rosamund Pike. Based on critics’ reactions, it seems divisive, but its trailer is one of the best I have seen in recent memory.
“Hit Man” (dir. Richard Linklater)
I do not know what is going on in Hollywood, but there are more than a handful of hitman-focused films coming out this fall. Richard Linklater’s, “Hit Man,” stars Glen Powell and Adria Arjona. Powell, riding the coattails of “Top Gun: Maverick,” is on the come-up. In addition to “Hit Man,” he is going to be in “Anyone But You,” a rom-com, with Sydney Sweeney. I have not seen “Andor,” but Arjona received rave reviews for her performance. I also do not know anything else about “Hitman,” and I do not need to. I am all-in.
“Priscilla” (dir. Sofia Coppola)
“Elvis,” was one of the noisiest films of last year and launched Austin Butler into superstardom. Undoubtedly, comparisons will be made between Butler and Jacob Elordi, who plays Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s latest, “Priscilla.” But, as the title implies, this is Priscilla, not Elvis, Presley’s story. Cailee Spaeney stars and won Best Actress at Venice for her performance. If I am being honest, I was not a fan of “Elvis,” but I cannot wait to see “Priscilla.”
“Maestro” (dir. Bradley Cooper)
Only a handful of people have had the chance to see “Maestro,” Bradley Cooper’s follow-up to his directorial debut, “A Star is Born,” but it is already mired in controversy. I do not know if Cooper should or should not be able to tell the story of Leonard Bernstein nor is it my place to say. But I can say I loved “A Star is Born”; Lady Gaga is my favorite artist of all-time. And “TÁR,” another film about a world-famous conductor, and features Bernstein, is my favorite film of the decade so far. “Maestro,” sight unseen, has potential.
“Poor Things” (dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)
Yorgos Lanthimos is not a household name, but he has been climbing the arthouse ladder for the past decade. His latest, “Poor Things,” follows a young woman’s journey of self-discovery after she is brought back to life by a Frankenstein-esque scientist and stars Emma Stone. The film is described as a “black comedy,” but Lanthimos’s sense of humor is not for everyone. It is specific, deadpan — and one I have always responded to. The film won the Golden Lion, the equivalent of Best Picture, at Venice. Awards pundits are saying next year’s Best Actress Oscar is Emma Stone’s to lose.
“The Killer” (dir. David Fincher)
David Fincher’s last film, “Mank,” came and went. Critics loved it, but nobody watched it — which is ironic, as Fincher made it for Netflix, the biggest streaming service in the world. His latest, “The Killer,” is also a Netflix film, but it is far more pop than “Mank.” It is a sleek, stylish thriller starring Michael Fassbender — who came out of semi-retirement to work with Fincher — as a morally conflicted assassin. In case you forgot, Fincher directed “Se7en,” “Fight Club,” “Zodiac,” “Gone Girl” — and “The Social Network,” the best film of the 2010s.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” (dir. Martin Scorsese)
Martin Scorsese: maybe you have heard of him. He is back, and he has brought Leonardo DiCaprio along for the ride. Apple TV+ funded his latest, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” but the film is getting a theatrical release — a wide theatrical release. It will be the movie event of the fall, if not the year.
