Getting Buzzed - RFP’s 30 Most Anticipated Fall Films

Every season a take a look over the release schedule and compile a list of the films I'm most excited about seeing. As it is for most serious movie fans, the fall is the most exciting time for movie going. This fall is no exception with new films from a host of major and up-and-coming filmmakers. Because the fall is so jam-packed with films I've also included an Honorable Mention list and an On the Look Out list, which features titles with no firm dates that could easily sneak into the fall schedule. So lets get going.

Must-See List
CATFISH (Sept. 17)
Trailer
This is the story behind this documentary — filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman saw Ariel's brother Nev developing a relationship with a family over the Net and decided to film it. When he goes to meet them, what he finds is shocking. The trailer really hooked me and I had to see what happens and let me tell you it's astonishing. I was lucky enough to see this one really early and let me tell you it's the best film I've seen this year so far. There is nothing like it. The only way I could describe it is to say it's like an Errol Morris documentary filtered through a modern cyber thriller that provides unbelievable twists. It's the kind of film I want to take different people to just to witness their reactions to it.

On the Look Out (In alpha order)
ALL GOOD THINGS
I've included this murder mystery from Andrew Jarecki (CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS) on several of my anticipated lists. Due to some distribution problems with the Weinstein Co., Jarecki had to buy it back and now Magnolia has picked it up for a December release. I'm not holding my breath until I'm sitting in a theater watching it. Stars Kirsten Dunst, Ryan Gosling, Kristen Wiig and Frank Langella.

BIUTIFUL
This drama from Alejandro González Iñárritu (BABEL) was on my On the Look Out list last fall. Now Roadside has picked it up for distribution. Stars Javier Bardem as a man whose life is spiraling out of control.

BRIGHTON ROCK
28 WEEK LATER writer Rowan Joffe adapts Graham Greene's novel into a feature starring John Hurt, Helen Mirren and Andy Serkis. Follows the story of a rebellious teen with a religious death wish.

THE CONSPIRATOR
If Robert Redford's Abraham Lincoln assassination thriller comes out this year, I'd put this one in my top five most anticipated films of the fall. Evan Rachel Wood stars as Anna Surratt the only woman charged as a co-conspirator in the murder of Lincoln. Co-stars include James McAvoy, Justin Long, Robin Wright and Alexis Bledel.

LONDON BOULEVARD
THE DEPARTED scribe William Monahan makes his directorial debut with this thriller about a con who falls for a movie star and gets wrapped up with gangsters. Stars Keira Knightley, Colin Farrell, Ray Winstone, David Thewlis, Eddie Marsan and Ben Chaplin.

RABBIT HOLE
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH auteur John Cameron Mitchell turns to drama with this story of a couple who lose their young son. Stars Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Sandra Oh and Dianne Wiest.

THE TREE OF LIFE
Here's another film that if it actually comes out this year will rocket to the top of my must see list. Terrence Malick tells the story of a family with three boys in the 1950s. Stars Brad Pitt and Sean Penn. Malick has never made a bad film.

THE WAY BACK
This drama comes from Peter Weir (WITNESS, MASTER & COMMANDER) and tells the true-life story of soldiers that escaped from a Siberian gulag. Stars Colin Farrell, Mark Strong, Saoirse Ronan, Jim Sturgess and Ed Harris.

Honorable Mentions
John Wells' THE COMPANY MEN (Oct. 22), John Madden's THE DEBT, Todd Phillips' DUE DATE (Nov. 5), Gaspar Noe's ENTER THE VOID (Sept. 17), anthology doc FREAKONOMICS (Oct. 1), Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY (Sept. 24), Philip Seymour Hoffman's JACK GOES BOATING (Sept. 17), Nigel Cole's MADE IN DAGENHAM (Nov. 19), Roger Mitchell's MORNING GLORY (Nov. 12), Paul and Sandra Fierlinger's MY DOG TULIP (Sept. 3), Wes Craven's MY SOUL TO TAKE (Oct. 8), Paul Haggis' THE NEXT THREE DAYS (Nov. 19), Robert Schwentke's RED (Oct, 15), Randall Wallace's SECRETARIAT (Oct. 8), John Curran's STONE (Oct. 8), Nathan Greno and Byron Howard's TANGLED (Nov. 24), Sngmoo Lee's THE WARRIOR'S WAY (Dec. 3), Tony Scott's UNSTOPPABLE (Nov. 12), and Woody Allen's YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER (Sept. 22).

Most Anticipated Fall Films
30) A WOMAN, A GUN AND A NOODLE SHOP (Sept. 3)
Trailer
Here's a catch line — a remake of the Coen Brothers' BLOOD SIMPLE set in feudal China directed by Yimou Zhang, the director of HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS and HERO. Those pieces have me giddy with the possibilities for this film. It's getting a very small release from Sony Pictures Classics, so its not going to be out there long, but I'm hoping to catch it at some point.

29) HOW DO YOU KNOW (Dec. 17)
Trailer
James L. Brooks makes smart romantic comedies. His BROADCAST NEWS, AS GOOD AS IT GETS and SPANGLISH stand as some of the best of the genre and his TERMS OF ENDEARMENT is a genuinely moving tearjerker. Now he has two rom-con superstars in Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd, in addition to Jack Nicholson and Owen Wilson. The simple premise is how do you know if someone is the one? Looking forward to seeing how Mr. Brooks answers that question.

28) CONVICTION (Oct. 15)
Trailer
While it reeks of Oscar bait, I have to admit the premise seems promising. Look at all the pieces. Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank. Oscar nominees Minnie Driver, Melissa Leo and Juliette Lewis. The inevitable future Oscar nominee Sam Rockwell. A true story about a woman overcoming huge odds. Sounds like it's made for Oscar voters. Here's the story — a man is wrongfully convicted of a crime and his sister gets a law degree in an effort to free him. I really hope it is as powerful as it could be and not movie-of-the-week material.

27) THE AMERICAN (Sept. 1)
Trailer
The one line premise sounds so boringly generic — an assassin takes one last job. But you put George Clooney in that premise and you have me interested. Since his career really took off he's picked quality projects one after another. Director Anton Corbijn helmed the well-received Joy Division biopic CONTROL and writer Rowan Jaffe (28 WEEKS LATER) based it on Martin Booth's novel. It's kicking off the fall and I'm eager to see how it does it.

26) WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS (Sept. 24)
Trailer
What better time than now for Oliver Stone to revisit the film that coined the phrase, "Greed is good?" While the reviews out of the festival circuit have been luke warm, I can't say I'm not still very curious. Michael Douglas returns as Gordon Gekko and Shia LaBeouf steps in the "Charlie Sheen" role as an eager young Wall Street trader. The film takes place right before the global economy tanked. Cast includes Sheen, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, Susan Sarandon, Eli Wallach, and Frank Langella. Stone's films are always provocative and worth seeing.

25) LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA'HOOLE (Sept. 24)
Trailer
Based on a very popular series of young adult books, the story follows a young owl who is sent to an orphanage where they brainwash the owlets into becoming soldiers. THE WATCHMEN's Zack Snyder is at the helm, which makes me curious. The last time Warner Bros. and animation house Animal Logic teamed up we got the surprisingly fun Oscar winner HAPPY FEET, so that brings great promise to this production in my book.

24) I LOVE YOU, PHILLIP MORRIS (Dec. 3)
Trailer
This is another left over from an anticipated list of the past. Jim Carrey plays a married man who becomes a gay partying conman in Miami and ends up in jail where he falls in love with his cellmate Phillip Morris, played by Ewan McGregor. Now it's finally getting a release in December. This Sundance fav seems like it could be hilarious.

23) THE TEMPEST (Dec. 10)
If director Julie Taymor brings half of the visual power she brought to her first Shakespeare adaptation TITUS to this one then this one will be breathtaking. She also has a dream cast to work with — Helen Mirren (yes, she is in every film this fall), Alfred Molina, Russell Brand, Djimon Hounsou, Alan Cumming, Chris Cooper, David Stathairn and Ben Whishaw. Taymor does tinker with the bard's work by casting Mirren in the role of Prospero, aka Prospera. If Taymor can make the lesser-known Shakespearian play thrilling on the screen than I can't image the potential here.

22) THE KING'S SPEECH (Nov. 24)
Watch this AP Report
This historical drama finds Oscar nominee Colin Firth playing King George VI as he reluctantly takes the throne and seeks the help of unorthodox speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) to help him conquer his stutter. With those two actors in the leads, I think this one could be really fun. But in addition we get Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon, Guy Pearce and Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill. It also has the Weinstein stamp on it, which with this kind of film makes me even more confident in its potential.

21) LET ME IN (Oct. 1)
Trailer
I'm really getting tired of remakes, but this one has so much promise. The film is based on the Swedish horror film, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, which is one of the best vampire films ever made. THE ROAD's Kodi Smit-McPhee stars as a bullied young boy who befriends a young-looking female vampire, played by KICK-ASS's dynamic Chloe Moretz. Cast also includes Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins and Elias Koteas. When it comes to remaking foreign language films, I'm the first to say, "just watch the original," but I hope director Matt Reeves (CLOVERFIELD) puts a new twist on this one so it can stand on its own and not be just a carbon copy.

20) MACHETE (Sept. 3)
Trailer
Hell yeah I'm excited about this one. Out of all the fake trailers in GRINDHOUSE, the story of Mexican vigilante Machete seemed like the most promising to bring to a full feature. Now directors Ethan Maniquis and Robert Rodriguez have done it with a crazy cast, which includes not only Danny Trejo in the title role, but also Robert DeNiro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Tom Savini and Lindsay Lohan. This revenge flick seems like it's gunning for Arizona and the immigration debate for sure.

19) THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER (Dec. 10)
Trailer
Yes, PRINCE CASPIAN was less than amazing, but it was respectable. Now we come to what I believe is the best of the Narnia stories. This time around Michael Apted is in the director's chair. In addition to making the monumental UP documentary series, he has helmed such films as COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER, GORILLAS IN THE MIST and THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH. I'm excited to see Will Poulter from the wonderful SON OF RAMBOW in the role of the Pevensie's bratty cousin. If they stay true to the C.S. Lewis story this could be better than the first film.

18) THE FIGHTER (Dec. 10)
Yeah I know it's another true-life boxing movie. But it's a true-life boxing movie from iconoclastic director David O. Russell. And we know he can fight just Google David O. Russell Lily Tomlin. Mark Wahlberg stars as "Irish" Mickey Ward as he trains for a pro career with his half-brother Dickie Eklund, whose hard living ruined his shot at the big time. Co-stars include Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo. Iconoclastic director Darren Aronofsky was originally attached to this film, so it makes me believe there has to be something special in this story.

17) MIRAL (Dec.3)
Trailer
From Julian Schnabel, the maker of THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY, comes this drama about an orphaned Palestinian girl who gets wrapped up in the conflict between Arabs and Israelis following the first Israel-Arab war. Cast includes Willem Dafoe, Freida Pinto, Vanessa Redgrave and Hiam Abbass. This one is already getting Oscar buzz before its debut at the Toronto Film Festival.

16) INSIDE JOB (Oct. 8)
Trailer
Charles Ferguson's NO END IN SIGHT was one of the most levelheaded critiques of the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq War I have seen. Before turning to film, he was a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. Now he turns his keen eye toward the global financial crisis chronicling it from 2007 to 2010. I love how many people seem flabbergasted by his questions in the trailer. In the same vein as Alex Gibney, he is a documentary filmmaker that I eagerly await seeing what he tackles next.

15) THE TOWN (Sept. 17)
Trailer
Ben Affleck made a big impression with his first directorial effort, GONE BABY GONE. Now he's back with a thriller that follows a bank robber who falls for a bank manager and must contend with the FBI agent who wants to catch him. This time around Affleck is doing double duty as director and star. He's brought together great acting supporters in Blake Lively (who is getting amazing buzz for her performance), Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Pete Postlethwaite, Rebecca Hall, and Chris Cooper. Looks very character driven, which is exactly how I like a thriller to be.

14) THE TOURIST (Dec. 10)
The simple premise sounds a bit like this summer's KNIGHT & DAY, only with the genders switched. But instead of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, we get Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. Yep, Depp and Jolie together. That had me interested right there. Then you add in the director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, the maker of one of the great political thrillers THE LIVES OF OTHERS, and you have me bubbling with excitement. Story follows Depp as he travels to Italy to heal a broken heart. There he meets Jolie who uses him to keep confused those trying to find her former lover. Cast includes Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell, and Timothy Dalton. If this is half as tense as LIVES than it could easily be the best thriller of the year.

13) BLACK SWAN (Dec. 1)
Trailer
Now we get to the film Darren Aronofsky chose instead of THE FIGHTER. Natalie Portman stars a ballerina who has an unnerving relationship with her chief rival, played by Mila Kunis. Cast includes Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder and Barbara Hershey. After watching the trailer it seems like THE RED SHOES flittered through the TWILIGHT ZONE. What's up with Portman sprouting feathers? This one looks awesomely trippy.

12) LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS (Nov. 24)
Trailer
Edward Zwick (GLORY, LAST SAMURAI) tackles a romantic dramedy this time around. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a lady's man Viagra salesman who meets his equally free-spirited match in Anne Hathaway. Supporting those wonderful leads are Judy Greer, Hank Azaria, Oliver Platt, Gabriel Macht and George Segal. It's based on the memoir HARD SELL: THE EVOLUTION OF A VIAGRA SALESMAN. It seems chopped full of ironic potential. What I hope more than anything though is that it keeps the critique of Big Pharma in tact. The book took an inside look at how drug companies rewarded reps for their lack of ethics, abuse of the system and call for profits before people.

11) ANOTHER YEAR (Dec. 29)
Trailer
When Mike Leigh makes a film I'm pretty confident it will be one of the best films of the year. SECRETS & LIES, TOPSY-TURVY, ALL OR NOTHING, VERA DRAKE and HAPPY-GO-LUCKY were all featured on my top 25 of their respective years. Coming out of Cannes the film was hailed as one of Leigh's best. Like SECRETS and NOTHING, this is another ensemble family dramedy. Film stars Oscar winner Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen and Oscar nominee Imelda Staunton. The film follows the seasonal routine get-togethers of a middle-aged couple. Of course drama builds as the years go by. Sheen is said to steal the show as the manic wife of Broadbent, who always breaks the illusion of contentment with their friends and family.

10) SOMEWHERE (Dec. 22)
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Sophia Coppola has never made a misstep in my book. I really think her MARIE ANTOINETTE was a misunderstood critique of celebrity culture that is sorely underrated. This story follows a partying Hollywood star whose life is shook up when his 11-year-old daughter comes on a surprise visit. Stephen Dorff stars opposite Dakota Fanning's little sister Elle. Can Coppola do for Dorff what she did for Bill Murray — make him viewed as a different kind of actor? I'm eager to find out. I just love the powerfully sad quality to Coppola's work. It always feels from the heart.

9) NEVER LET ME GO (Sept. 15)
Trailer
This film brings a classic geek debate to the screen via Kazuo Ishiguro's novel — if there were human cloning, would clones have the same rights as the original? In this world, clones are put in boarding schools where they await the possibility that their host needs a transplant. But what happens when the clones find out the truth? The film comes from Mark Romanek, who made the haunting thriller ONE HOUR PHOTO, starring a very creepy Robin Williams. Now check out this cast — Oscar nominees Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan, as well as Golden Globe winner Sally Hawkins, Charlotte Rampling and Andrew Garfield, who is the new Spider-Man. I so desperately want this one to be great.

8) HEREAFTER (Oct. 22)
Here is my top ten most anticipated films of the fall list, and this is this year's slot for the new Clint Eastwood film. The master filmmaker tackles the supernatural thriller genre this time around, which only makes me more excited. Death finds a way of connecting three unconnected people in this story. Film stars Matt Damon, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jay Mohr, and Richard Kind. Script is from Peter Morgan who penned FROST/NIXON and THE QUEEN. In the case of Eastwood, the only detail that matters is when does it come out.

7) THE ILLUSIONIST (Dec. 25)
Trailer
Sylvain Chomet's THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE was one of the best animated films of the 2000s. Now he takes an idea that Jacques Tati was working on at the time of his death and animates it in the style of the great comedian. The whole idea of this project illustrates the amazing things that animation can attempt to do. The story follows a vaudeville performer, whose thunder is being dampened by rock music and a changing culture. However, he finds a new lease on life with a young fan. Some have already put this as a lock for a Best Animated Feature nod at the Oscars, along with TOY STORY 3. Others are saying it's the film that most deserves to win.

6) HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART 1 (Nov. 19)
Trailer
The HARRY POTTER franchise is coming to an end and it's a bittersweet event. It's one of the the most consistent film series ever. I'm curious how the churning parts of the novel will play on the screen. With the final battle saved for next summer, I hope this first half can stand as its own film. But I can't see who this one will let me down when all the others haven't.

5) TRON LEGACY (Dec. 17)
Trailer
The early buzz for this one glows brighter than the neon world the franchise is famous for. Director Joseph Kosinski is the hot helmer in Hollywood and audiences haven't even seen his first film yet. It's been almost three decades since the original film made history for its CG visual effects. This time Jeff Bridges is still lost in the cyber world and his son ventures in to find him. Even the early visual effects test for this one started extreme excitement. Of all the spectacles of the fall this is the one I'm most interested in, because I really want to see if it lives up to the hype and can build on a very intriguing world that wasn't fully mined in the original.

4) FAIR GAME (Nov. 5)
Trailer
Doug Liman, who launched the BOURNE franchise, now turns to a real life thriller. Out of all the Bush administration controversies the outing of Valerie Plame was one of the most vindictive. Senior officials revealed she was a CIA agent, which not only ruined her career, but put her family's lives in danger, all because her husband told officials truth they didn't like. Film stars Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, and Sam Shepard. With those involved in the real scandal unlikely to ever be put on trial, this could be a chance to tell the political and human toll of these treasonous actions. That said I'm hoping it's not a preachy hatchet job. The potential for this one to be poignant and powerful has me very excited.

3) THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Oct. 1)
Trailer
The film banned from advertising on Facebook. It tells the real life story behind the creation of the social media site. Jesse Eisenberg plays Mark Zuckerman as a college student with a big idea who is accused of having stolen that big idea. The early reviews have put David Fincher's film in the top of the heap for the Oscar hunt. Cast includes Andrew Gardfield (aka new Spider-Man) and Justin Timberlake. With the vast cultural shift that Facebook and such sites have made, it was inevitable that it's origins would make for a feature film. With the word so glowing and it's subject, could this be a defining production of the era?

2) 127 HOURS (Nov. 5)
Trailer
Danny Boyle follows up his Oscar winning SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE with this true-life story about Aron Ralston who had to cut off his arm in order to save his life when he was pinned under a rock while out hiking. James Franco stars. Could this be his ticket to his first Oscar nod? The survival story seems intense and reminds me of the thriller documentary TOUCHING THE VOID. With SLUMDOG and MILLIONS, Boyle has made some of the best films of the 2000s. Some wonder if this is just a thriller or an Oscar contender. But what does that really mean? A great film is a great film.

1) TRUE GRIT (Dec. 25)
The Coen Brothers are unstoppable these days and a new film from them is a filmgoers' holiday. Now we're going to get a Coen Brothers Western, come on. The NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN filmmakers have said they are going to keep closer to Charles Portis' original book than the John Wayne version did. But these are the same guys who made a version of THE ODYSSEY and claim to have never read it, so you never know. Jeff Bridges takes the role of Marshall Reuben J. Cogburn, who is hunting down the murderer of a young girl's father. Could this earn him another Oscar? The role did it for Wayne. Cast also includes Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and Barry Pepper. What a poetic list; it began with a remake of a Coen Brothers film and ends with a Coen Brothers remake.