To be a critic is to be an optimist.
Really.
You go into every movie or TV show you watch hoping it will be good. You have to. If you don’t, what a miserable existence it would be.
Of course, to be a critic is also to be frequently disappointed. Best wishes aside, most movies and shows aren’t good, and almost none are great. Which is fine. It makes the few that are great all the more enjoyable.
So far, 2024 has been an OK year for movies. I’ve only seen one great film (“Civil War”), though I’ve seen some very good ones. But now it’s fall, at least in terms of movie season, and that’s when we usually see the prestige movies. That said, there’s still a pandemic hangover and fallout from dueling strikes in 2023. Despite that, some intriguing films are coming our way.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
These are the 10 movies I’m most looking forward to this fall. We’ll see how that works out. (Dates often change, so always check local listings.)
'Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice’
C’mon, how can you not be at least a little excited? Tim Burton’s in a dry spell, true. But Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara are back and Jenna Ortega is on board. Most importantly — without him, there is no sequel to the 1988 film — the great Michael Keaton returns as the title character, or actually Betelgeuse, the otherworldly “freelance bio-exorcist.” It’s sort of surprising, but I’m glad he did.
How to watch:In theaters Friday, Sept. 6.
'His Three Daughters’
Three women gather to keep watch over their dying father while working out their problems with each other. Clearly, the success of Azazel Jacobs’ film will be heavily dependent on who plays the roles. Not to worry. Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen and Carrie Coon play the sisters. That’s a powerhouse trio. This has a lot of promise.
How to watch: In theaters Friday, Sept. 6. Streaming on Netflix on Friday, Sept. 20.
‘The Substance’
Demi Moore plays a fading star who desperately tries a drug that creates a younger version of herself (Margaret Qualley). But there’s a catch — you go back and forth between the old and new you every seven days. Moore is getting high marks for her performance. It certainly sounds intriguing.
How to watch: In theaters Friday, Sept. 20.
‘Wolfs’
George Clooney and Brad Pitt reunited in an action comedy. This could be the biggest movie of 2004! Or maybe 2014! Can it be a big movie in 2024? Are audiences still drawn to two of the biggest stars in recent movie history? We’re about to find out. Both play “fixers” who clean up the mess after crimes. They end up working together, though not happily. Kind of an “Oceans 2.”
How to watch: In theaters Friday, Sept. 20. Streaming on Apple TV+ Friday, Sept. 27.
‘Megalopolis’
This should be interesting. Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project has been in the news for all the wrong reasons — his reported behavior on set, a bizarre ad campaign that used fake negative reviews, Coppola financing the movie and the publicity with his own fortune. On the screen, Adam Driver plans a utopian version of New Rome in the future and runs into trouble. (There’s a lot more to it than that.) The cast includes Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne and Dustin Hoffman. Go big or go home, I guess.
How to watch: In theaters Friday, Sept. 27.
‘Saturday Night’
Jason Reitman (“Up in the Air”) co-wrote and directed the story of “Saturday Night Live” — specifically, the first night the show went on the air, on Oct. 11, 1975. Behind-the-scenes antics and fights are the stuff of legend. There are some interesting casting choices, like Cooper Hoffman as NBC honcho Dick Ebersol (and Matthew Rhys as George Carlin!). Gabriel LaBelle, so good as a young Steven Spielberg in “The Fabelmans,” plays Lorne Michaels, the mad genius who dreamed it all up (and still runs the show).
How to watch: In theaters Friday, Oct. 11.
‘Nickel Boys’
RaMell Ross’ film is based on the novel by Colson Whitehead — surely one of the great writers of the 21st Century. It tells the story of two friends who try to survive the Nickel Academy (based on the real-life Dozier School for Boys, a Florida reform school known for horrific crimes and abuse. Whitehead’s novels lend themselves to cinematic portrayals; “The Underground Railroad,” directed by Barry Jenkins, was a great limited series on Prime Video in 2021. Of course, like always, you should read the books (both novels won the Pulitzer Prize), but this is exciting.
How to watch: In theaters Friday, Oct. 25.
‘Nightbitch’
Amy Adams plays an artist-turned-stay-at-home mom who sometimes turns into a dog. It’s a horror comedy. Truly, do you need to know anything else? OK, fine. Marielle Heller directs and co-wrote the film, based on Rachel Yoder’s novel. Scoot McNairy co-stars. Adams’ character is listed only as “Mother,” which means Kerry O’Malley’s character is “Mother’s Mother.” I hope they can work a grandmother in there somewhere.
How to watch:In theaters Friday, Dec. 6.
‘Nosferatu’
There are already at least two great versions of the famous “Dracula” knock-off — “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror” from 1922, one of the great silent horror films, and the moody, atmospheric “Nosferatu the Vampire,” written and directed by Werner Herzog and starring Klaus Kinski, which really is all you need to know to want to see it. There’s also “Shadow of the Vampire,” the 2001 film that imagines that Max Schreck (Willem Dafoe), star of the 1922 version, was a real vampire. So why make it again? Because Bill Skarsgård stars as Count Orlok, the vampire, and it’s written and directed by Robert Eggars, whose “The Witch” I loved (“The Northman,” not so much).
How to watch:In theaters Wednesday, Dec. 25.
‘A Complete Unknown’
When you think of Bob Dylan, Timothée Chalamet is probably not the first name that comes to mind. Maybe now it will be. He plays Dylan in James Mangold’s biopic; Elle Fanning plays Sylvie Russo, based on Dylan’s girlfriend (that’s her on the famous cover of Dylan’s album “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.” Edward Norton as Pete Seeger certainly has a bizarre appeal. It could be a disaster, but Chalamet usually rises to the occasion, and Mangold did direct “Walk the Line” (2005), the well-received biopic of Johnny Cash. Just weird enough to work (maybe).
How to watch: In theaters Wednesday, Dec. 25.
10 best films of 2024 so far:And how to watch and stream them
Reach Goodykoontz atbill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook:facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. X:@goodyk. Subscribe tothe weekly movies newsletter.
