‘Between the Temples’ (August 23)

Nathan Silver’s “Between the Temples” sees the longtime indie writer/director breaking out in a new way — with an all-star cast led by Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane and distribution from Sony Pictures Classics. The film follows Schwartzman as a cantor grieving the tragic death of his wife and regressing into a childlike state. But he finds solace in helping his long-ago music teacher (Kane) study for her Bat Mitzvah.

In IndieWire’s review out of Sundance, David Ehrlich wrote, “In focusing less on the happiness we imagine for other people than on the happiness we get to share with them instead, it finds enough fleeting joy to make being alive feel like its own eternal reward.” —HR

‘Seeking Mavis Beacon’ (August 30)

Writer/director Jazmin Jones’ e-girl, DIY investigation “Seeking Mavis Beacon” premiered in the NEXT section at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, stirring up buzz for its inquisitive and shrewdly edited inquiry into Black representation. Alongside producer Olivia McKayla Ross, Bay Area filmmaker Jones chases down a woman named Renee L’Esperance, who served as the cover model for an early-AI computer typing program “Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing,” one of the most popular education software tools of all time. The program first launched in 1987. Now in 2024, this documentary shows the limits of documentary fieldwork, how a quest for an elusive subject who maybe doesn’t want to be found at all can turn futile. —RL

‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ (September 6)

The long-awaited sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 classic “Beetlejuice” is finally ready to ghoul up a good time almost 40 years later. And now, Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice is back haunting a new generation. Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) and her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) are summoned into the transitional scope of what happens between life and death. In other words, that portal to the afterlife is open once more, and odd ghosts played by Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux, and Monica Bellucci are venturing into the real world. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” will open the Venice Film Festival, bringing auteur Burton back to the Lido after the premieres of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Corpse Bride.” —SB

‘The Front Room’ (September 6)

Brandy is one of the more beloved celebrities of the late ‘90s for her music work and performances in the ABC “Cinderella” movie and “Moesha.” Her filmography, though, is surprisingly scarce, which makes her an intriguing choice to headline an A24 horror film.

“The Front Room,” based on a short story by Susan Hill, is the latest entry in the pregnancy horror genre that’s brought us films like “Rosemary’s Baby” and “mother!” Brandy plays a woman expecting her first child, and her move into a new house is complicated when her husband (Andrew Burnap) is forced to take in his estranged and racist stepmother (Kathryn Hunter), who has strange designs for her child. Brandy going against a maniacal Hunter sounds like a recipe for a good time, but the most intriguing thing about “The Front Room” might be who is behind the camera. The film serves as the directorial debut of Robert Eggers’ younger twin brothers Max and Sam, who look to carry on the “Nosferatu’s” director’s legacy for twisted horror stories. —WC

‘His Three Daughters’ (September 6 theaters; September 20 streaming on Netflix)

If three top-tier actresses in one apartment, tearing each other to shreds only to sew each other back up again, is your bag, then “His Three Daughters” is the New York indie for you. Filmmaker Azazel Jacobs wrote the roles of Rachel (Natasha Lyonne, future Oscar nominee), Katie (Carrie Coon), and Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) expressly for these actors, who play sisters convening in a Lower East Side apartment to watch their father die in the next room. Except Jacobs never shows us that room, instead confining the drama to the exploding inner lives of the three women, often in long, center-frame monologues that play more like theatrical soliloquies than confessional outpourings we’re used to seeing in cinema. More dark comedy with barbed edges than all-out requiem for the dead, “His Three Daughters” avoids sentimentality in search of harder truths, with three brilliant actors as his north star. —RL

‘In the Summers’ (September 20)

Unfolding over the course of two decades and four chapters, this semi-autobiographical feature film debut from writer/director Alessandra Lacorazza tracks the ups and downs of the relationship between father Vicente (René Pérez Joglar) and daughters Violeta and Eva (played by three sets of actresses, including Sasha Colle and Lío Mehiel) on their annual trips to his home in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The drama won the Grand Jury Prize U.S. Dramatic at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, along with the directing award for Alessandra Lacorazza. —MP

‘My Old Ass’ (September 13)

Over the course of just two features, multi-hyphenate filmmaker Megan Park has deftly tapped into the full spectrum of contemporary teenagehood. Her debut film, the SXSW-winning drama “The Fallout,” followed a group of traumatized high schoolers in the wake of a horrific school shooting. For her second film, “My Old Ass,” the former actress and singer opted to go a bit lighter, imagining a post-high school comedy in which her leading lady (Maisy Stella) spends her last summer before college a) having fun, b) falling in love, and c) oh, just communing with her future self (Aubrey Plaza). The conceit has been done before, but Park and her cast add such a witty and wise touch to the entire affair that it nearly redefines the coming-of-age genre and what it can be. —KE

‘Speak No Evil’ (September 13)

There has been suspiciously little marketing for the American “Speak No Evil” remake. That could be because Blumhouse is smartly protecting the mystery behind writer/director James Watkins’ forthcoming psychological horror flick — or it could be because even the studio knows no one is ready for a new take on a popular movie made only two years ago.

Either way, the Danish original hit on something sinister enough through director Christian Tafdrup’s “Funny Games”-like exploration of a holiday weekend gone wrong that Hollywood is doing it again. A-listers James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis will attempt to channel that same type of terror as vacationers going through their own version of hell. We don’t know what — if anything! — has changed between the two tellings. Until “Speak No Evil” the U.S. remix is in theaters, we’ll just…hold our tongues. —AF

‘Will and Harper’ (September 13 theaters; September 27 streaming on Netflix)

It’s a treat to watch two people who love making each other laugh. It is even better when they still have things to learn from each other. That’s the joy to be found in “Will and Harper,” which documents a 17-day road trip undertaken by Will Farrell, famous actor, and longtime friend as well as celebrated “Saturday Night Live” and “EuroVision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga” scribe Harper Steele. Steele began transitioning in 2021, and Farrell gleefully accepts the mission to be her wingman across America. The mileage varies. But their friendship — and frustrating Will Forte — remains a delightful constant. —SS

‘Omni Loop’ (September 20)

Brazilian-American filmmaker Bernardo Britto breaks out with a long-gestating project that began in 2017 at the Sundance Institute Screenwriting, where his screenplay for “Omni Loop” was selected to be workshopped. Starring Mary-Louise Parker and Ayo Edebiri, the film follows a “Groundhog’s Day”-esque plot revolving around a terminally ill physicist (Parker), trapped in a time loop, who calls on the assistance of a young student (Edebiri) to help break free of it and hopefully cure herself.

In our review out of SXSW, where ‘Omni-Loop’ premiered, IndieWire wrote, “Writer-director Bernardo Britto’s latest is one of those lo-fi sci-fi movies that weaves the impossible into the mundane texture of everyday life — which tracks with his previous work, which includes a tenure as a staff writer on ‘Los Espookys’ and the 2016 mockumentary ‘Jacqueline Argentine.’” —HR

‘The Substance’ (September 20)

Coralie Fargeat’s sophomore feature quickly became the must-see movie out of Cannes. Demi Moore gives a career-best comeback performance as aging actress Elisabeth Sparkle, who opts to undergo an experimental cosmetic trial and inject herself with the titular medicine to regain her youth. Yet there is a mystical twist: Elisabeth cannot exist in the same consciousness as her younger, more perfect alter-ego Sue (Margaret Qualley). While Sue revamps her career, Elisabeth has to wait a week to return to her own body, and vice versa. Dennis Quaid stars as Elisabeth and Sue’s studio executive. The body horror drama won the Cannes prize for Best Screenplay, and was deemed by IndieWire’s David Ehrlich as an “instant classic.” —SB

‘Wolfs’ (September 20)

While the future of Hollywood becomes murkier every day, a handful of long-held cinematic truths remain unquestioned. Chief among them is that Brad Pitt and George Clooney are two of our most reliable sources of cinematic charm. Any movie that finds an excuse to get them on screen together is bound to be, at the very least, a glamorous good time.

Jon Watts’ upcoming crime comedy “Wolfs” stars Pitt and Clooney as two fixers who each take pride in their status as lone wolves who don’t work with partners. When they’re forced to collaborate, chaos and bromance inevitably ensue. While Apple significantly pared down the film’s planned theatrical rollout (likely as part of a larger strategic shift away from wide releases), its Venice bow and early sequel announcement suggest the tech giant still suspects it has a hit on its hands. —CZ

‘Lee’ (September 27)

A passion project for star Kate Winslet (she even covered the crew’s salaries for two weeks during filming), this biopic about model, Surrealist muse, and WWII photographer Lee Miller brings the trailblazer back to life amid so, so much cigarette smoke. A photographer for Vogue, Miller managed to get to the frontlines of the conflict and capture some of the most haunting moments of the war and its immediate aftermath — at what turned out to be immense personal cost. Directed by Ellen Kuras, the film also stars Alexander Skarsgård, Andy Samberg, and Andrea Riseborough. —MP

‘Megalopolis’ (September 27)

It’s finally here. After a divisive premiere at Cannes, Francis Ford Coppola’s $120-million passion project faced what seemed to be an uphill battle for distribution: Instead, just weeks later it had found a home at Lionsgate, as well as at IMAX, for a full theatrical run.

In the future, Adam Driver plays Cesar Catalina, an architect charged with redesigning New Rome after a cataclysm befalls the city. In a character part “The Fountainhead,” part “Fall of the Roman Empire,” his utopian ideas for the city go up against the corruption of the city’s mayor (Giancarlo Esposito), with the mayor’s daughter (Nathalie Emmanuel) serving as a kind of intermediary between them.

Full of the kind of big swings almost unheard of these days in a film of its size — Aubrey Plaza plays a TV broadcaster named Wow Platinum, among the many extravagances only made possible because Coppola self-funded it — “Megalopolis” feels teed up to be the love-it or hate-it experience of the year. That Coppola’s been trying to make it since the late ‘70s only enhances its lore. And for what it’s worth, IndieWire’s David Ehrlich, in a B+ “Critic’s Pick” grade, liked its gonzo ambitions so much he said it “inspires new hope for the future of movies.” —CB

‘Never Let Go’ (September 27)

The world has ended at the hands of an unnamed evil, and a family — led by Halle Berry — only survives because they remain tethered to one another and their home by ropes. Except… what if the world still exists and the true evil is in the house? Should the boys doubt their mother, or is that what the evil wants them to do? The trailer alone is suffused in dread and jump scares (director Alexandre Aja also helmed “The Hills Have Eyes”), and this family-centric thriller looks like the gleefully scary good time we can’t get enough of. Plus, Halle Berry does accent work! —MP

‘The Wild Robot’ (September 27)

Based on the book series by Peter Brown, “The Wild Robot” is the latest adventure from DreamWorks Animation that seems likely to amount to much more than a walk through the woods. Written and directed by “How To Train Your Dragon” veteran Chris Sanders, the movie follows a robot named Roz (Lupita Nyong’o), who gets lost in transit on a rewilded portion of Earth. She needs to adapt her nature to nature and, eventually, take care of a runt (Kit Connor) who falls into her care, aided by the friends — and the fox (Pedro Pascal) —  she meets along the way. The film’s impressive lighting system and environments promise to take them somewhere truly wild. —SS

‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ (October 4)

Someone needs to make the definitive documentary on the incredible history of the Joker character on screen. From Jack Nicholson to Heath Ledger and now Joaquin Phoenix, each iteration of the iconic DC villain (shoutout here to Cesar Romero, we suppose) has been, well, iconic.

Todd Phillips’ “Joker” (2019) was well-received — especially at the box office — so “Joker 2” was a no-brainer. Instead, we technically got “Joker: Folie à Deux,” a terrific title that indicates the October 4 release is both a sequel (“Deux”) and, for the French-speaking (OK, the Google-Translating) population, a deeper trip into Arthur Fleck’s (Phoenix) delusions. (For the lazy: “Folie à deux” translates to a shared psychosis.)

This time, Fleck will go crazy alongside Harley Quinn, played by Lady Gaga. If the lipstick scene from the trailer is any indication, we’re all in for a treat. Well, except for Gotham. That place needs a hero. —TM

‘The Outrun’ (October 4)

That Saoirse Ronan is one of our best actresses — full stop, no “of her generation” qualifiers necessary here — has long been a foregone conclusion. But the American-Irish star has never seemed content with resting on her hard-won bona fides when it comes to her next role.

Ronan has long delighted in mixing it up, so when she takes on a part like the one in Nora Fingscheidt’s drama “The Outrun,” it’s clear her interest goes beyond simply aiming for more awards attention.

Well, she’s gonna get it anyway, thanks to her clear-eyed and wrenching portrayal of a young alcoholic struggling to clean (Ronan also produced the film, based on Amy Liptrot’s memoir of the same name). The film sees Ronan decamping for the far-flung Orkney Islands, as her Rona attempts to stay clean while tracking some elusive birds, care of a tough volunteer gig that may be the only thing keeping her sane. All the usual superlatives apply here — it’s bracing, wrenching, wonderful work — but it’s also in service to one of the best films of the year, one that surprises at every turn. —KE

‘Rumours’ (October 11)

Master surrealist filmmaker Guy Maddin joins forces with Evan and Galen Johnson for a wildly absurd satire set over the course of a single G7 world leaders meeting that turns apocalyptic. Cate Blanchett, proving she was destined for a Maddin joint all along, plays the neurotic, power-suited German chancellor Hilda, who assembles a summit led by Roy Dupuis, Denis Menochet, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Takehiro Hira, Charles Dance, Rolando Ravello, and Alicia Vikander. As a vague global crisis rattles the world outside their rarified bubble of peace talks, a thick fog that awakens … ancient bog people who explode when they jerk off? Even with co-directors by his side, this bawdy picture is one Maddin purists will lap up. —RL

‘Saturday Night’ (October 11)

“SNL 40” was so 10 years ago. The show is now pushing 50 — and Columbia and Sony are celebrating the golden anniversary with a trip down memory lane.

Speaking of comedy and gold, some comedy gold: Ivan Reitman leaned on some of the original “Saturday Night” (as the show was then called) Not Ready for Primetime Players for his classic comedy movies like “Ghostbusters,” “Animal House,” and “Stripes.” His son Jason Reitman is now telling the story of John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and others with a biopic about the first “Saturday Night Live” broadcast.

“Saturday Night” will dive deep into the tumult of the fateful 1975 night that brought us this crazy live sketch-comedy show idea from the mind of a young Lorne Michaels. Based on what we’ve seen, “Saturday Night” the TV show was very much not ready for primetime (hence the time slot), but the film is. —TM

‘Terrifier 3’ (October 11)

“Have a holly jolly Christmas, we hope Art doesn’t salt your back! He’s just a clown, who’s back in town, and he’s raring to attack! Ho, ho, Damien Leone knows—” 

OK, OK, that’s done, we’re done. The most sadistic slasher franchise in indie horror is coming down the chimney with even more cinematic cruelty. Just in time for the 2024 holiday season, audiences get to see Art the Clown torturing the fictional people of Miles County once again — this time with the backdrop of an especially blood-soaked Christmas Eve.

David Howard Thornton returns for his third time as the titular Terrifier, opposite Lauren LaVera as final girl Sienna Shaw from the sequel. Sienna’s hugely annoying little brother, Jonathan (Elliott Fullam), is back, too… and kid victims seem to be fair game? In the trailer, the Grinch-ified Art stands opposite a Cindy-Lou Who type, and although he doesn’t really do anything, his sick grin makes Dr. Seuss’ home invasion look like a treat. —AF

‘We Live in Time’ (October 11)

The trailer for “We Live in Time” admittedly raises a few concerns. Just going off the footage shown, it’s easy to see the story of two lovers over the years descending into overly sentimental weepy territory. Still, even if that’s not your bag, not every weepy has two killer actors like Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield in the central roles.

Their involvement is worth the price of admission alone, but the behind-the-scenes talent is equally promising: Olivier- and Tony-nominated playwright Nick Payne wrote the script in his first theatrical film production, and John Crowley, who brought lovely sensitivity to immigration romance “Brooklyn,” directs. With all the talent involved, there’s every hope that “We Live in Time” will be much more intelligent and nuanced than it first appears. —WC

‘Anora’ (October 18)

Writer-director Sean Baker won the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year (the first win for an American film since Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” in 2011) for this hilarious, gripping, and completely unconventional character study that confirms Mikey Madison (“Better Things,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) as a major actress of her generation.

The story of a stripper (Mikey Madison) who marries the spoiled son (Mark Eydelshteyn) of a Russian oligarch without really thinking through the consequences, “Anora” has elements of a conventional rom-com but is, as IndieWire critic David Ehrlich pointed out in his rave review of the film, more “Uncut Gems” than “Pretty Woman.”

Anchored by Madison’s extraordinary performance, “Anora” is another of Baker’s masterful observational films about sex work (joining “Starlet” and Tangerine”), with a deep dive into class and culture in America that shifts deftly from one tonal gear to another, giving the audience a ride as thrilling and exhilarating as it is ultimately devastating. —JH

‘Exhibiting Forgiveness’ (October 18)

Written and directed by Titus Kaphar and inspired by his life, this father-son drama stars André Holland and Andra Day as Tarrell and Aisha, a couple (he’s an artist, she’s a musician) who must deal with the sudden reappearance of his estranged, homeless father (John Earl Jelkes). In the midst of preparing for a new gallery show, Tarrell begins to interview his father about his drug addiction and the resulting emotional violence that suffused his childhood. A Sundance 2024 selection, “Exhibiting Forgiveness” also stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Tarrell’s mother and features an original song by Day. —MP

‘Flight Risk’ (October 18)

Michelle Dockery, Mark Wahlberg, and Topher Grace star in this three-handed action thriller set in a small aircraft, which is ostensibly transporting a government witness (Grace) and his U.S. Marshall handler (Dockery) to testify against a mob family. Too bad Wahlberg’s pilot is actually a hit man sent to stop both of them from reaching the courthouse — one who puts up a fight as the balance of power shifts amongst all three 10,000 feet in the air. Mel Gibson directs, and Wahlberg dons a bald cap as the hitman. —MP

‘Memoir of a Snail’ (October 25)

Fifteen years after “Mary & Max,” Academy Award-winning director Adam Eliot returns with this stop-motion animated movie. The melancholy memories of Grace (Sarah Snook) — from perms to rollercoasters and bullies — comprise the plot, as Grace recalls a childhood marked first by the loss of her mother, then her father, and then ultimately by being separated from her twin brother and put in separate homes. The trailer shows the movie to be dark and stylized, the kind of creepy crafty film that inspires cult followings. The voice cast also includes Jacki Weaver, Eric Bana, Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Dominique Pinon, Magda Szubanski, and Nick Cave. —MP

‘Nickel Boys’ (October 25)

Colson Whitehead’s 2016 breakout novel “The Underground Railroad” has already been adapted into one of the greatest artistic achievements in TV history, with Barry Jenkins’ 2021 limited series. If the upcoming film adaptation of his follow-up novel “Nickel Boys” is a 10th as good, it’ll be a masterpiece.

Inspired by the notorious Florida School for Boys, a Florida reform school that was shut down in 2011 after accounts of corruption and abuse toward students, the book follows the bond between two boys at the similar Nickel Academy as they struggle to survive abuse from the administration. The film comes from relatively fresh talent — director RaMell Ross makes his narrative debut after his 2018 documentary “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” — but the cast (including Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Fred Hechinger, Hamish Linklater, and Daveed Diggs) is strong, and the material is emotional and devastating enough to make the movie one to watch come Oscars season. —WC

Pictured above: Director RaMell Ross

‘Blitz’ (November 1)

A new Steve McQueen movie is always cause for celebration around these parts, and his latest — an Apple-backed historical drama about World War II — is no exception. Starring Saoirse Ronan (see our “The Outrun” blurb if you’re in need of reminding why she is, was, and remains one of our best working actresses) as a young mother desperate to find her missing son (newbie Elliott Heffernan) during the blitzkrieg attacks on London in the thick of the war. The film, which will screen at both the London and New York Film Festivals, promises to deliver a shocking and astonishing look at life during this particular slice of horrifying wartime, and McQueen’s unflinching eye makes for a thrilling fit. —KE

‘Chasing Chasing Amy’ (November 1)

Nearly three decades after its initial release, the legacy of Kevin Smith’s “Chasing Amy” remains as complicated as ever. The film, which stars Ben Affleck as a New Jersey man who struggles to make sense of his girlfriend’s (Joey Lauren Adams) bisexuality, was initially embraced by the queer community as one of the first major depictions of lesbian dating on the big screen.

But as time went on, many fans began to distance themselves from it due to the focus on Affleck’s straight character. It’s a nuanced topic, as one could just as easily make the case that Smith never intended for “Chasing Amy” to be seen as a queer film, and that the emphasis on Affleck’s Holden McNeil makes sense given its semi-autobiographical subject matter.

But that doesn’t change the complicated relationship that many lesbians, especially cinephiles who came of age in the ‘90s, have with the film. Sav Rodgers’ documentary “Chasing Chasing Amy” seeks to reckon with that complicated legacy. The film seeks to explore the queer community’s evolving opinion on “Chasing Amy” as part of a larger discussion on the tension between the need for nuanced art and the outsized place that our problematic favorites continue to have in our hearts. —CZ

‘Conclave’ (November 1)

Fresh off his Oscar-winning, German-language take on “All Quiet on the Western Front,” director Edward Berger takes on his first English film with an adaptation of Robert Harris’ religious thriller, “Conclave.”

Starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini, the film makes a pressure cooker out of a papal conclave formed in the aftermath of the Pope’s death. When a secret is discovered that threatens the legacy of the late Pope, as well as the future of the Catholic church, a leading cardinal (Fiennes) is forced to turn the conclave into an inquiry to unravel the truth. —HR

‘Emilia Pérez’ (November 1 in theaters; streaming on Netflix November 13)

One of the buzziest films in an otherwise relatively modest Cannes Film Festival, Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez” gained just as many detractors as admirers after its festival debut. (IndieWire gave it a C+, with Ryan Lattanzio calling the film “a debacle you won’t soon forget.”) Suffice to say that a Spanish-language musical with songs from Camille about a Mexican cartel lord transitioning and attempting to reunite with her wife and family is a wild swing that will hit for some and whiff for others, but one can’t deny director Jacques Audiard (known for dramas like “A Prophet”) stepped outside his comfort zone with this one.

What pretty much everyone can agree about the film is that the female cast members, who won a shared Best Actress prize at Cannes are uniformly terrific, with Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez giving career-best performances as the lawyer and wife to the titular crime boss. And Karla Sofía Gascón, as the figure at the film’s center, gives a breakout performance sure to get your heart racing. —WC

‘A Real Pain’ (November 1)

Jesse Eisenberg follows his feature directorial debut, “When You Finish Saving the World,” with a tragicomedy about two cousins of polar opposite personalities (Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin) who unite to honor their grandmother by touring across her native Poland. As family history starts to come alive, old grudges resurface between the two that affect the course of the trip.

In addition to starring and directing, Eisenberg also wrote the screenplay and produced aside “Zombieland” co-star Emma Stone. In our review of the film out of Sundance, where Eisenberg won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, IndieWire wrote, “On its surface, it’s hardly a departure from Eisenberg’s other roles. But through David’s relationship with his moody and energetic cousin Benjamin, or “Benji” (Kieran Culkin), the actor-writer-director unfurls a number of intricate personal and social dynamics that turn the lens not only on the deep insecurity underlying the average Eisenberg character, but Eisenberg’s own piercing guilt as an American Jew with European roots — who comes from a place of unimaginable trauma, but frets over the small things.” —HR

‘My Dead Friend Zoe’ (November 1)

Sonequa Martin-Green and Natalie Morales star in this SXSW Audience Award-winning dramedy about a war vet who keeps seeing the ghost of her dead comrade — and stays friends with her, much to the frustration and confusion of those around her. Unable to move on, she’s ultimately forced to confront her life as she starts taking care of her grandfather (Ed Harris), recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Former U.S. Army infantry paratrooper Kyle Hausmann-Stokes makes his directorial debut (and co-wrote the script with A.J. Bermudez). The cast also includes Morgan Freeman, Gloria Reuben, and Utkarsh Ambudkar. —MP

‘The Piano Lesson’ (November 8 in theaters; streaming on Netflix November 22)

It’s a family affair with the upcoming Denzel Washington-produced adaptation of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson.” His eldest son John David reprises the role he played in the 2022 Broadway production, along with fellow cast members Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fischer, and Michael Potts, all of whom are directed by Washington’s youngest son, Malcolm, in his feature debut.

They’re joined by Danielle Deadwyler and Corey Hawkins, who play supporting roles. The play the film’s based on is set in Pittsburgh during the Great Depression and follows the Charles family as they confront their history, as well as the history of a piano carved with etchings made by their enslaved ancestor. The film marks the second August Wilson adaptation Denzel Washington has produced for Netflix, the first being “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” starring Viola Davis. Denzel also directed and starred alongside Davis in the 2016 adaptation of Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Fences.” —HR

Pictured: John David Washington

‘Here’ (November 15)

Robert Zemeckis has been hit-and-miss for most of the 21st century, but since at least 2016’s “Allied,” he’s struggled to hit: 2018’s “Welcome to Marwen” was a fascinating disaster, while “The Witches” and “Pinocchio” proved dull retreads of classic children’s tales. His latest, “Here,” promises to be a return to form at least in terms of the visual ambition that has defined the “Roger Rabbit” director’s career.

Based on a graphic novel by Richard McGuire, “Here” consists of a single static shot of a single plot of land, from prehistoric times to the distant future. Whether this attempt to tell a story about the slow encroaching march of time will pay off is anyone’s guess, but at the very least, “Here” will offer a healthy dose of nostalgia via Zemeckis’ reuniting with his “Forrest Gump” stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright. —WC

‘Heretic’ (November 15)

“A Quiet Place” screenwriters Scott Beck and Bryan Woods helm A24’s “Heretic,” a test of faith-turned-escape room horror that sees Hugh Grant cast way against type. The puzzle here looks especially sinister (what is going on with the architecture in that trailer?), but it’s the performances that will make or break the studio’s buzziest fall genre effort.

When two Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East) try to convert the wrong house, they find themselves trapped by an antagonist whose motive carries its own religious bent. Rom-com legend Grant has played complicated bad guys before — see Guy Ritchie’s “The Gentlemen” and HBO’s “The Regime” — but this is the first time the actor has gone this dark. To seriously paraphrase “Notting Hill,” these are just girls…standing in front of a boy…asking him…to unlock the goddamn door. —AF

‘Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point’ (November 15)

Great Christmas films feel far too rare in the day and age of Hallmark films and Netflix movies, which makes a gem like “Christmas Eve at Miller’s Point” all the more important to treasure. Tyler Taormina’s dramedy premiered to positive reviews at the Cannes Film Festival this year (IndieWire gave it a B), charming critics with its wry humor and melancholy storyline about family and tradition.

Centered around the last Christmas Eve party thrown by a large Long Island family in their ancestral home, it’s a low-plot, high-vibe affair that luxuriates in the little pleasures and exasperations of the holidays. And its casting is exquisite, from Michael Cera as a sad-eyed cop to “Eighth Grade” breakout Elsie Fisher and two auteur nepo babies (Francesca Scorsese and Sawyer Spielberg) playing some rebellious teens. —WC

‘Gladiator II’ (November 22)

Yes, the world is still entertained by “Gladiator” 24 years after its release. So much so that director Ridley Scott persevered to get this sequel made even despite many twists and turns to get here, including a Nick Cave-scripted version that followed Russell Crowe’s Maximus in Elysium.

That version is not what Scott has finally delivered for November. Scripted by Scott’s “Napoleon” and “All the Money in the World” screenwriter David Scarpa (from a story by Scarpa and Peter Craig), “Gladiator II” will follow Paul Mescal’s Lucius — yes, he’s the boy, now all grown up, who was the son of Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla in the original film and idolized Maximus. Somehow, he was separated from his mother in the years thereafter (no, killing Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus did not solve Rome’s problems or prevent the Eternal City’s eventual fall). She doesn’t recognize him even when he, played now by Mescal, is enslaved and forced to fight as a gladiator in the Colosseum in Rome.

He’s mentored by Macrinus, played by Denzel Washington, serving in much the same role as Oliver Reed in the original film. And Rome now has two decadent co-emperors offering bread and circuses to its people: Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). Talk about supersizing your sequel, even if “Gladiator II” is about as much of a “blockbuster for adults” as anything on the calendar this fall. SPQR FTW. —CB

‘Wicked’ (November 22)

Broadway-goers have been waiting for “Wicked” to fly its broomstick into movie theaters for over a decade. And finally, the film version of Stephen Schwartz’s 2003 megamusical take on the story of Oz’s Wicked Witch of the West will unleash itself in theaters this Thanksgiving season.

Whether it will recapture the original’s cheesy, broad, undeniable magic remains to be seen, and there are some real causes for concern: The trailers are filled with garish set design and wonky CGI, and the choice to split the movie into two parts covering each act of the original musical seems destined to frustrate.

Still, the people working behind and in front of the camera are primed to deliver a lavish musical production: Jon M. Chu already made a dazzling translation of a theater classic to the big screen with “In the Heights,” and the supporting cast — from Jonathan Bailey as a dashing playboy to Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz — is promisingly stacked. Most importantly, though, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are more-than-suitable replacements for original leading ladies Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, and it’s hard to resist the prospect of seeing them bring the house down with show-tune standards like “Defying Gravity” and “Popular.” —WC

‘Moana 2’ (November 27)

We need to clarify which new “Moana” movie we’re talking about here because, weirdly, there are two in-the-works direct follow-ups to the 2016 movie. First up is the animated “Moana 2,” the direct (though quite late) sequel to the original film.

This Thanksgiving, Auliʻi Cravalho is back as the voice of the titular Disney Princess. But in the 2026 live-action “Moana,” we’ll get a new… Moana. Why? It is probably an age thing.

Moana is a teenager, and Cravalho is now in her early 20s. Though that age difference between actor and character is certainly not unheard of in Hollywood, it could get weird down the road. Disney instead has cast 17-year-old Catherine Laga’aia as its live-action Polynesian princess. Clearly, Disney is quite high on sequels — especially these days — and Laga’aia could leg this one out longer. —TM

‘Hard Truths’ (December 6)

Mike Leigh reunites with Marianne Jean-Baptiste, the actress whose performance as a Black optometrist who reconnects with her white birth mother propelled “Secrets and Lies” to a 1996 Cannes Palme d’Or win, for his 23rd film. “Hard Truths” follows Jean-Baptiste as Pansy, a woman who is the psychological inverse of Sally Hawkins’ character in “Happy-Go-Lucky.” Pansy has a strained relationship with her husband and adult son, starts fights with strangers, and regales anyone who will listen with everything wrong with mankind. So, a typical Mike Leigh character, a person whose chronic disappointment is their entire personality. Leigh is never a sentimental filmmaker, but he’s also never without empathy for such folks. —RL

“Hard Truths” will have an awards-qualifying run December 6 before a wider release on January 10.

‘Nightbitch’ (December 6)

In 2021, American author Rachel Yoder channeled her rage and confusion into what would become the novel “Nightbitch,” in which our protagonist (and Yoder avatar) discovers that her domestic disaffection has shocking consequences: At night, she becomes a dog, and a pissed-off one to boot. It’s a wily conceit for a story, and one that “Diary of a Teenage Girl” and “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” director Marielle Heller will next channel into a film version, starring Amy Adams as our titular nightbitch. The duo have been chatting up the charms of the feature for a while now, and it promises to pack both rage and catharsis into one wild package. You’d be barking mad to miss this one (sorry, not sorry). —KE

‘The Return’ (December 6)

Slight spoiler alert for “The Odyssey,” but who better to take up Homer’s cunning, complicated hero Odysseus at his journey’s end than Ralph Fiennes; and who better to be barely holding it together back in Ithaca as Penelope than Juliette Binoche? Uberto Pasolini’s “The Return” chronicles the last few chapters of the famous Greek poem, when far-traveled Odysseus needs to finally set his own house in order by going on a murder spree through all the younger men vying to take his place. With Fiennes and Binoche anchoring the project, it’s safe to assume there will also be enough tortured longing to fill a giant wooden horse. For fans of the pair’s past collaborations, that feels equally epic. —SS

‘Y2K’ (December 6)

Before the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2000, planet Earth took a deep breath and clenched its collective ass. Back then, a notorious computer glitch (related to the formatting of calendar dates) made humanity fear a hard-coded Armageddon: one that would see cascading errors wreak havoc on the global economy and unravel society as we know it.

Directed by Kyle Mooney, and co-written by the “SNL” vet with friend Evan Winter, A24’s gonzo “Y2K” takes that storied premise and turns it into a time capsule horror comedy bursting with the spirit of the aughts. Jaeden Martell (“Stranger Things”), Julian Dennison (“Godzilla vs. Kong”), Rachel Zegler (“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes”), and more star as high schoolers staring down the apocalypse in this heavily praised SXSW premiere — which, yes, also features nu-metal icon Fred Durst. —AF

‘Kraven the Hunter’ (December 13)

Sony was ecstatic about “Kraven the Hunter” at CinemaCon — its first R-rated entry in the Marvel world — touting it as though it was the highlight of their comic universe. But that was way back in 2022, before two strikes derailed any promotional plans, but also before “Morbius” and the memes that surrounded “Madame Web” put a real damper on enthusiasm. Clearly, though, the studio believes in the film, delaying it several times and even giving director JC Chandor another crack at a new film before this one rolls out.

Sony this time could be leaning into the campier elements of their supervillain origin story, complete with Russell Crowe’s thick Russian accent, a teenage Aaron Taylor-Johnson getting his powers from a drop of lion blood, a whole bunch of gratuitous bloodshed, and, of course, another baddie morphing into the Spider-Man villain Rhino. —BW

‘On Becoming a Guinea Fowl’ (December 13)

“I Am Not a Witch” Zambian Welsh writer/director Rungano Nyoni returns with the Cannes Un Certain Regard winner “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl,” a surreal, even mischievous drama about the long-buried secrets of a middle-class Zambian family. Ominous portent strikes when Shula (Susan Chardy, in her first screen role), bopping along to the music while driving alone on an empty road at night, finds the corpse of her uncle. But no traditional mourning follows as relatives descend upon her family home. Shula flees the harping chorus of her brokenhearted aunts for the comfort of her cousins, and in search of a less conventional path toward grief. Nyoni’s constantly shifting tone keeps you on an uneasy footing, the mark of an idiosyncratic storyteller fulfilling the promise of her debut. —RL

‘The Room Next Door’ (December 20)

Pedro Almodóvar can now count Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore among his new cinematic muses. The Oscar-winning Spanish director returns for another impeccably styled, color-steeped melodrama about women of manifold secrets whose pasts and present collide on the path to fulfillment. Swinton reunites with the filmmaker after his short “The Human Voice” to play war reporter Martha, whose longtime friend Ingrid, an autofiction novelist played by Almodóvar first-timer Moore, comes between Martha and her daughter. “The Room Next Door” marks the “Pain and Glory” director’s first fully English-language feature after dabbling with the Western genre on his previous film, the short film “Strange Way of Life,” and directing Swinton in the Jean Cocteau-inspired breakup tone poem “The Human Voice.” —RL

‘Babygirl’ (December 25)

Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson in a May-December workplace erotic thriller? Has there been a better sentence in the history of human language? We didn’t think so. “Bodies Bodies Bodies” director Halina Reijn reteams with A24 for “Babygirl,” which centers on a CEO (Kidman) who begins an affair with a company intern (Dickinson). Antonio Banderas, Jean Reno, Esther McGregor, and Sophie Wilde co-star in the buzzy feature that will debut in competition at Venice. Even Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera teased how “Babygirl” invokes an emotionally “sadomasochistic” relationship with a shocking modern twist ending, no doubt influenced by post-#MeToo awakenings. Kidman’s silver screen reign continues in Reijn’s third feature, sure to stoke conversation based on the synopsis alone. —SB

‘A Complete Unknown’ (December 25)

James Mangold’s “Walk the Line” has endured a great deal of mockery for the slew of formulaic copycats it inspired over the past two decades. But without that context, it still holds up as arguably the best musical biopic of the 21st century. If anyone can find a way to inject new life into what has become one of Hollywood’s most tired genres, it might be the man who invented the wheel in the first place.

“A Complete Unknown” stars Timothée Chalamet as a young Bob Dylan as he moves from Minnesota to Greenwich Village to pursue folk music before being labeled a voice of his generation and proceeding to throw away his prophetic status to experiment with electric instruments. Rather than a conventional birth-to-death story, the film focuses on a few pivotal years in what became one of the most prolific careers in American music. Given that Mangold’s vision for the film was endorsed by the famously reclusive (and convention-hating) Dylan himself, this should be appointment viewing for armchair Dylanologists and new fans alike. —CZ

‘Nosferatu’ (December 25)

“He’s coming!” warns Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp), the object of Count Orlok’s (Bill Skarsgård) ever-encroaching affections, in the teaser for Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu.” And indeed, what’s coming looks torn more from the gothic practical effects playbook of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Dracula” than any CGI-injected neckbiter coughed up by Hollywood since.

The cast includes Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, and Eggers collaborators Ralph Ineson (“The Witch,” “The Northman”) and Willem Dafoe (“The Lighthouse,” “The Northman”) in this reimagining of F.W. Murnau’s German Expressionist classic from 1922, itself inspired by Bram Stoker’s novel. Skarsgård told Esquire that the role, which required six hours a day of prosthetics, “was like conjuring pure evil. It took a while for me to shake off the demon that had been conjured inside of me.” Here’s hoping Eggers can once again conjure evil in theaters worthy of his debut “The Witch” all over again. —RL

‘Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl’ (December 25)

Nine years after beloved Aardman short film duo Wallace and Gromit made their feature-length debut with the wonderful Hammer Horror parody “Curse of the Were-rabbit” — and six years after they last appeared in a new short — everybody’s favorite cheese-loving Lancashirian and his dependable dog are finally back for a new adventure.

To celebrate the return, “Vengeance Most Fowl” brings back the duo’s most iconic supporting character — criminal penguin Feathers McGraw from “The Wrong Trousers” — for a new adventure. While it’s a shame you won’t be able to watch this momentous reunion on the big screen, “Vengeance Most Fowl’s” Netflix release this year primes it as the perfect holiday watch of the season. —WC

‘It’s What’s Inside’ (Fall)

It’s a shame that “It’s What’s Inside” won’t get much play in theaters before living on Netflix, because the twists and turns of Greg Jardin’s genre-bending could be a wild experience with a crowd and a would-be summer sleeper hit. But instead Netflix will drop “It’s What’s Inside” — its mega Sundance sale for $17 million — sometime this fall, and we predict it’s destined to blow up on the streamer.

Jardin’s film, which he wrote and directed, has the look of a horror film but plays some mind-bending emotional games and has a sense of humor that makes a genre hard to pin down. Viewers, too, will be best suited going in cold — perfect for aimless Netflix browsing. It follows a group of old high school friends gathering at a mansion ahead of a wedding, only for an estranged friend to show up with a briefcase containing a mysterious party game. With that setup, Jardin plays in a sandbox that’s sexy, provocative, and creepy and has smart commentary on a social media-obsessed culture, the male gaze, and identity politics. —BW