Fall movie preview: What to watch if you've got a taste for the offbeat
Welcome to our 2018 fall movie preview. We'll be coming at you all week with the movies you need to know over the next few months – starting yesterday with our picks for emotional flicks. Today, what to watch if your tastes run off the beaten path.
So the usual familiar formulas aren't doing it for you. You're burnt out on predictable thrillers and paint-by-numbers romances, and you're in the mood for something a little odd. You want to be surprised, weirded out, maybe even confused. Well, today's section of our fall movie preview is devoted to you.
We can't promise you'll love every movie on this list, but that's kind of the point. These are the titles worth seeing precisely because they seem so unpredictable. Maybe you'll discover a new favorite. Maybe you'll find something to be mad about.
Either way, we bet these titles will pique your curiosity. Here's what to seek out if you're in the mood for something offbeat...
... and you're mad as hell: Assassination Nation (September 21)
Assassination Nation looks a bit like Mean Girls by way of Spring Breakers, but shot through with the ferocious rage of a Purge sequel. The Sundance hit centers around a town that devolves into murderous hysteria after a wide-reaching hack that exposes everyone's secrets for the world to see. It's mean, topical, and none too subtle, and it should give you plenty to talk (or fight) about with your friends afterward.
... and you could use a laugh: The Sisters Brothers (September 21)
In The Sisters Brothers, two hitmen (John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix) set out to kill the man who's screwed over their boss. That their journey will be deadly and dramatic is no question – we are talking about life and death in the Old West, after all – but the film, directed by Jacques Audiard and based on the book by Patrick deWitt, also looks funny, warm, even thoughtful.
... and you're not afraid of heated discussions: Bodied (November 2)
A white grad student (Calum Worthy, a.k.a. Alex Trimboli from American Vandal) becomes an unlikely star in the battle rap scene, and finds himself caught between worlds as a result.
Where so many films either tiptoe around or blunder into questions of appropriation versus appreciation, Bodied jumps right into that thorny territory with style and purpose. Expect a lot of thinkpieces to come out of this one.
... and you crave a juicy historical drama: The Favourite (November 23)
The premise of The Favourite doesn't sound so unusual: Rachel Weisz and Emma Thompson play cousins vying for the favor of Queen Anne. But if you've seen any of director Yorgos Lanthimos' previous works, including Dogtooth and The Lobster, you'll know to anticipate something intriguingly absurd and bracingly bleak, with a pitch-black sense of humor.
... and you're suspicious of LA: Under the Silver Lake (December 7)
Hasn't there always been something kind of off about Los Angeles, with its insistent sunniness, its obsession with appearances, and its neverending supply of beautiful young people? Doesn't it just seem like something big and sinister must be lurking under those glamorous facades? If you answered yes, Under the Silver Lake – a surreal and sprawling neo-noir starring Andrew Garfield as a slacker conspiracy theorist – might just be for you.
Each day this week, we'll roll out another bunch of picks for our fall movie preview. Come back to find out what to watch if ...
Monday: ... you want to feel some feels Tuesday: ... you've got a taste for the offbeat Wednesday: ... you're with the family Thursday: ... you're ready for awards season Friday: ... you just want to see the best of the best
