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Now that the summer has come to an end—and the last race of the Summer Olympics has been run—it’s time to begin another race: this year’s award season race. It’s a lot like the Olympics, really: the studios focus their attention on their brightest and best competitors, letting the buzz grow to almost unbearable levels. Once the competition begins, some will surprise us. Some will succeed—and go on to award season glory. A lot won’t. And a lot of people will spend a whole lot of time obsessing about it in the process.
Since we’ve got four months’ worth of award season competitors to discuss, we’ll break it up, starting here with the movies of September and October. And, as always, before we begin, a little disclaimer: I’m listing films here by week. In general, I use Friday as the standard release date, though some will open earlier in the week. Others will be opening in limited release, so release dates in your area may vary. Be sure to check your local listings for exact dates.
And now…start the countdown. Light the torch. It’s about to begin.
SEPTEMBER 2:
Earlier in the summer, holiday weekends were a time to hit the theater—to see the big new summer blockbusters. But Labor Day weekend is a different story. Labor Day weekend is filled with smaller limited releases. These include the horror movie Morgan, in which Kate Mara is tasked with deciding what to do about an artificial being that was created in a lab. Jamie Dornan stars in The 9th Life of Louis Drax as a psychologist who’s working with a mysterious young boy. And in the French drama Things to Come, a woman deals with a number of life-changing challenges that seem to happen all at the same time.
Kristin’s Pick: Really, this week’s pick depends on where you are—and what’s playing in theaters near you. But I’ll give my pick to Things to Come.
SEPTEMBER 9:
Hollywood returns from its lazy Labor Day vacation this week with a little bit of buzz. Clint Eastwood helps to kick off this year’s award season with Sully, starring Tom Hanks as the pilot who saved his passengers and crew by landing in the Hudson River.
Also this week, last year’s young award season breakout, Jacob Tremblay, stars in Before I Wake as orphaned boy whose dreams come to life as he sleeps. And When the Bough Breaks stars Morris Chestnut and Regina Hall as a couple who hire a surrogate to have a child, only to end up caught up in a deadly triangle when she becomes obsessed with the father-to-be.
And finally this week, the animated adventure The Wild Life tells the story of an adventure-loving parrot and his relationship with a shipwrecked Robinson Crusoe.
Kristin’s Pick: Eastwood definitely doesn’t make Sully a guaranteed hit, but I’m hoping for plenty of drama and suspense from the award season regular’s latest.
SEPTEMBER 16:
Twelve years after her last film, Bridget Jones is back this week in Bridget Jones’s Baby. Now in her 40s, Renée Zellweger’s Bridget finds herself facing her next big adventure: motherhood.
Or, for another award season pick, there’s Oliver Stone’s biopic Snowden, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the former CIA employee who leaked thousands of NSA documents to journalists in 2013.
Kristin’s Pick: This week’s options couldn’t be much less similar. I’ve got a soft spot for Bridget Jones and her wackiness—and the fact that Snowden has been bumped numerous times does make me a bit nervous—but I’ve still got to give my pick to JGL.
SEPTEMBER 23:
This week sees the release of a much-debated new movie. Though some people may be outraged by the fact that Antoine Fuqua is remaking The Magnificent Seven (despite the fact that the original was also a remake), others are really, really excited about it. Fortunately, the wait is almost over.
Meanwhile, for the kids, there’s Storks, the animated story of a bunch of storks who are tasked with delivering a baby—despite having given up the baby-delivering business long ago.
Also this week, Disney tells the story of a Ugandan girl training to become a chess champion in Queen of Katwe, Nick Jonas endures a fraternity’s hazing rituals in Goat, and The Lovers and the Despot tells the story of a director and actress forced to make films for Kim Jong-il.
Kristin’s Pick: I’m definitely optimistic—if cautiously optimistic—about the new Magnificent Seven. So, despite the complaints and general outrage, I’m going to give it my pick this week.
SEPTEMBER 30:
The last weekend of September finds some vastly different releases facing off at the box office. Up first, Tim Burton directs a talented cast in the big-screen adaptation of Ransom Riggs’s fantasy Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Meanwhile, director Peter Berg and star Mark Wahlberg tell the story of the explosion of an offshore drilling rig that led to the U.S.’s worst-ever oil spill in Deepwater Horizon. And, for some real-life crime comedy, there’s Masterminds, the story of a bunch of misfits who managed to pull off one of the biggest bank heists in U.S. history (as told in Jeff Diamant’s Heist).
And finally this week, American Honey tells the story of a teenage girl who gets caught up in the wild and crazy adventures of a traveling magazine sales crew as they make their way through the Midwest.
Kristin’s Pick: There’s definitely a little bit of something for everyone this week—plenty of drama and quirks and comedy and disaster. But even though Tim Burton tends to be hit-or-miss, I’m going to give Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children my pick this week.
OCTOBER 7:
As October opens, award season builds—first with one of the most talked-about films of the year, Nate Parker’s The Birth of a Nation, the story of Nat Turner’s uprising. This one showed at Sundance in January and had people talking about next year’s Oscars before this year’s ceremony even took place.
Also this week, The Help director Tate Taylor directs the adaptation of The Girl on the Train, starring Emily Blunt as a divorced woman who becomes obsessed with the lives of a seemingly happy couple—until disaster strikes.
For the kids, there’s Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life, based on the books by James Patterson and directed by the buy who made Paul Blart: Mall Cop. As much as I enjoy Patterson’s novels, the guy can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to film adaptations lately (if you haven’t seen Alex Cross, just take my word for it)—but I’m hoping for the best.
And, since it’s October—and October calls for horror—there’s The Greasy Strangler, a horror-comedy about a father and son competing for the same woman as a killer begins stalking the streets.
Kristin’s Pick: This week offers some interesting options. But while people have been talking about The Birth of a Nation all year, I’m looking forward to checking out The Girl on the Train.
OCTOBER 14:
This week, Underworld fans will be lining up to see the latest installment, Underworld: Blood Wars, while Kevin Hart fans will head out to see his latest comedy show-turned-movie, Kevin Hart: What Now?
But if you’re looking for some award season picks, you might want to look into The Accountant, starring Ben Affleck as an autistic accountant who works for powerful criminal organizations. Or there’s Desierto, which tells the story of a man who decides to take matters into his own hands as people try to make their way from Mexico into the U.S. The film was directed by Alfonso Cuarón’s son, Jonás.
Kristin’s Pick: Ben Affleck’s latest definitely looks intriguing—and the cast and crew are definitely promising—so I’ll give The Accountant my pick this week.
OCTOBER 21:
With Halloween just 10 days away, the focus shifts this week to things that go bump in the night. First, there’s Ouija: Origin of Evil, which finds a family of con artists battling the supernatural after their fake seances get a little too real. Or, for some lighter Halloween fare, there’s Boo! A Madea Halloween, which finds Tyler Perry’s wild and crazy granny caught up in some spooky adventures while keeping an eye on some trouble-making teens.
Or, if you’re not in the Halloween spirit, you can check out Edward Zwick’s Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. Tom Cruise’s Reacher continues on the run as he tries to uncover a government conspiracy and finally clear his name.
Kristin’s Pick: I’m going to be honest here—I’m not especially excited about any of this week’s options. But I’ll give my pick to Jack Reacher in hopes of some brainless, action-packed entertainment.
OCTOBER 28:
Still looking for more Halloween adventures? This week marks the release of the long-awaited and eagerly-anticipated sequel, Rings, which adds another layer of horrors to the curse of the videotape that kills viewers in seven days.
Also this week, Ron Howard and Tom Hanks once again team up for the latest Dan Brown thriller, Inferno. Hanks’s Robert Langdon wakes up in a hospital with amnesia—so he’ll need some help to stop another dangerous plot.
Kristin’s Pick: I’m a sucker for a Dan Brown mystery—so I’ll give Inferno my pick for this last weekend of October.
And there you have it: two whole months of award season build-up. It’s a lot to digest, isn’t it? But just wait…things really start to heat up in November and December. So be sure to come back to check out Part 2 of my award season preview.
