Fall movie preview: What to watch if you just want to see the best of the best
Welcome to our 2018 fall movie preview. We've been coming at you all week with the movies you need to know over the next few months – like what to see if you're getting emotional, feeling offbeat, hanging with the family, or prepping for awards season. Let's wrap up today with the five films we're looking forward to most, period.
Look, as much as we enjoy telling you what to watch, we know you're not going to listen to all our suggestions. Your time is limited. So is your money. You can't see everything. You need to prioritize.
So we've gone ahead and done that for you.
Today's picks are the ones we think will be the cream of the crop and the talk of the town. They're the one we're clearing our calendars for, and that we're hoping you'll clear your calendars for as well. Here's what to see if you just want to see the best of the best...
... and you like to be surprised: Bad Times at the El Royale (October 12)
We're not entirely sure what's going on in Bad Times at the El Royale, just that it involves a star-studded cast (including Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, Cynthia Erivo, and Chris Hemsworth) gathering at a seedy motel where something bad goes down. But we're up for whatever twists writer-director Drew Goddard wants to throw our way. If Cabin in the Woods taught us anything, it's that he can be fantastically entertaining when he's upending all our expectations.
... and you crave something creepy: Suspiria (November 2)
Luca Guadagnino's swooning sensuality (he directed Call Me By Your Name) might make him an odd fit for a reimagining of a '70s horror classic – and that's exactly why we're intrigued by Suspiria. Dakota Johnson stars as a young dancer who joins an academy led by Tilda Swinton's Madame Blanc, and soon realizes that something very sinister is happening there. Just the trailer made our stomachs churn – but, you know, in a good way.
... and you enjoy watching Viola Davis get away with murder: Widows (November 16)
Technically, we don't know if Viola Davis' character murders anyone here, but she definitely commits some kind of high-stakes crime. Directed by Steve McQueen of 12 Years a Slave and written by Gillian Flynn of Gone Girl, Widows stars Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Cynthia Erivo, and Elizabeth Debicki as four grieving women who step up to finish the job their criminal husbands could not.
... and you want to be deeply moved: If Beale Street Could Talk (November 30)
If Beale Street Could Talk is the new movie by Moonlight director Barry Jenkins, and it seems to share that earlier film's aching compassion and startling beauty. Based on the novel by James Baldwin, it follows a pregnant woman (Kiki Layne) trying to free her fiancée (Stephan James) from a false conviction. Prepare to clutch your heart and moan quietly.
... and you live for comics: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (December 14)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse might sound like an elaborate gag from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, but it's very real and looks very good. Here is a comic book movie that actually looks like a comic book come to life, and even has a super comic book-y premise: a confluence of alternate realities, each with its own Spider-Man. Shameik Moore voices Miles Morales and, in a totally perfect bit of casting, Jake Johnson plays an older Peter Parker.
Each day this week, we rolled out another bunch of picks for our fall movie preview. 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
