Fall Movie Preview 2016: 25 Films to See This Season

The summer season is over, taking with it a lot of the big movies that fans waited and saved up to see in theaters (for better or worse).Sure, there’s TV and all those new/returning shows, but given the hit-or-miss nature of fall premieres, you’re not guaranteed to find any quality entertainment on that platform until later in the year. Fall is quickly transforming from a dead zone of studios’ weaker movie offering into a much richer season of movie offerings – but your dollar can still be misspent on films that ultimately disappoint.

Of course, with the right road map any treacherous path can be navigated – which is why we’re here to help you, with our Fall 2016 Movie Preview. Find out more about the 25 films that are worth seeing, between the start of September and the Christmas Day rush.

Sully

Release Date: Sept. 9th

Directed By: Clint Eastwood

Starring: Tom Hanks, Laura Linney, Aaron Eckhart, Anna Gunn

Sully will be the first pairing of Tom Hanks with director Clint Eastwood, which is a novelty worth seeing on the big screen. The fact that Eastwood’s film actually takes the “Miracle on the Hudson” event of a few years ago and stretches it into an intense-looking character drama has us hopeful that this will be a nice adult drama to kick off the fall movie season.

Blair Witch

 

Release Date: Sept. 16th

Directed By: Adam Wingard

Starring: Corbin Reid, Wes Robinson, Valorie Curry

This Blair Witch Project reboot gained a lot of acclaim and praise with horror genre critics when it was still working under the secretive title of The Woods. Now that the horror elite are talking it up, and the Blair Witch title has been stamped on it, we’re highly intrigued to see if the actual film is worth the hype. 

Snowden

 

Release Date: Sept. 16th (Wide)

Directed By: Oliver Stone

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Scott Eastwood, Tom Wilkinson, Zachary Quinto, Timothy Olyphant, Nicolas Cage

Edward Snowden became one of the most infamous characters in modern history when the former CIA tech agent leaked NSA documents revealing global surveillance systems run by the NSA, in coordination with other governments around the world.

Like most things in American history, there will probably be a lot more interest in Snowden and his much-debated actions (hero? Traitor?) once people see this movie. And with a cast this stacked, plus Oliver Stone at the helm, Snowden will be another movie for adults to enjoy, as we head into the turbulent 2016 election. 

The Magnificent Seven (Sept. 23rd)

 

Release Date: Sept. 23rd 

Directed By: Antonie Fuqua

Starring: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Byung-hun Lee, Luke Grimes, Matt Bomer, Cam Gigandet

Seven Samurai was a Kurosawa classic. The original Magnificent Seven was the rare remake to stand close to the original. This new version is trying to take its place alongside some pretty esteemed company.

A stacked cast is great, but Fuqua has only been making solid B-movie genre fare as of late (Olympus Has Fallen, The Equalizer). The Magnificent Seven deserves to be more than that. 

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Sept. 30th)

 

Release Date: Sept. 30th

Directed By: Tim Burton

Starring: Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Kim Dickens, Allison Janney, Judi Dench, Chris O’Dowd, Terence Stamp and Samuel L. Jackson

This movie is being called “Tim Burton’s X-Men,” and that sounds like a pretty good sell to us. It’s been awhile since a Burton movie has had us this excited, and with X-Men: Days of Future Past and Kick-Ass writer Jane Goldman handling the script, we expect a quality film to go with Burton’s wonderfully weird visuals. 

Masterminds

Release Date: Sept. 30th

Directed By: Jared Hess

Starring: Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis, Kate Mckinnon, Owen Wilson, Zach Galifianakis

This caper comedy has collected a cast from some of the biggest comedy films of the last few years (The Hangover, Horrible Bosses, Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters) and set them all loose in one zany movie. Even if it goes wrong, you’re pretty much guaranteed a few big laughs. 

The Accountant

Release Date: Oct. 14th

Directed By: Gavin O’Connor

Starring: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, Jon Bernthal, J.K. Simmons, John Lighgow, Jeffrey Tambor

Ben Affleck has seen his career spring to a whole other level thanks to being cast as Batman in the DC movie universe – but honestly, his role in The Accountant (a hitman/genius who’s on the spectrum) looks just as interesting.

After Warrior and Miracle, director Gavin O’Connor has proven that he can tell interesting and compelling character drama stories onscreen. This seems like a good director/star pairing to us. 

31

Release Date: Oct. 21st

Directed By: Rob Zombie

Starring: Elizabeth Daily, Sheri Moon Zombie, Meg Foster, Malcolm McDowell

Hey, it’s Halloween season and Rob Zombie is putting out yet another one of his crazy horror movies. Perfect timing. 

This one is about a handful of carnival workers forced into bloodsport with a gang of murderous clowns. Classic Zombie. 

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

Release Date: Oct. 21st

Directed By: Edward Zwick

Starring: Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders

Tom Cruise and writer/director Christopher McQuarrie turned what many fans saw as a grossly miscast Jack Reacher movie into another hit action film franchise under Cruise’s belt.

Director Edward Zwick (Last Samurai, Defiance) seems like a solid pick for this sequel, so action fans should walk away satisfied. 

Ouija: Origin of Evil

Release Date: Oct. 21st

Directed By: Mike Flanagan

Starring: Elizabeth Reaser, Doug Jones

The first Oujia movie took a silly board game and turned it into a silly and forgettable horror movie. Normally, a sequel like this would be a losing bet, but Oculus director Mike Flanagan has created a prequel story that looks ten times scarier (read: better) than the original. A solid Halloween horror offering. 

Rings

Release Date: Oct. 28th

Directed By: F. Javier Gutiérrez

Starring: Johnny Galecki, Vincent D’Onofrio, Bonnie Morgan, Aimee Teegarden, Laura Wiggins

The Ring was one of the most successful Hollywood adaptations to come out of the J-Horror movement of the early 2000s – so why not give it an full-fledged reboot, right?

No idea if it’s going to revitalize the franchise, or further smear the reputation of the original – but we love that creepy TV ghost girl, so we’re going to find out!

Inferno

Release Date: Oct. 28th

Directed By: Ron Howard

Starring: Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Ben Foster, Irrfan Khan, Omar Sy

The latest in the movie franchise based on Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon novels (Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons) should be another fun religious-themed adventure for fans.

Ron Howard and Tom Hanks both return as director and star, respectively, and have a cast of solid talent backing them up this time. 

Doctor Strange

Release Date:  Nov. 4th

Directed By: Scott Derrickson

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Mads Mikkelsen, Scott Adkins, Tilda Swinton

The latest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe saga will attempt to redefine magic as metaphysical theory wielded by a disgraced former surgeon.

With Sinister director Scott Derrickson at the helm, Strange already looks like a visual feast that will (at the very least) hit all the right Marvel movie beats. Of course we’ll be in the theater for this one!

Trolls

Release Date: Nov. 4th

Directed By: Mike Mitchell and Walt Dohrn

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Zooey Deschanel, James Corden, Justin Timberlake

Yes, it’s a movie about Troll dolls (and we’re still pretty burned by that Angry Birds movie), but it’s also a movie by the director of Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, and it’ll give the kids something to do at the movie theater.

Plus, we’re morbidly curious about how a Trolls movie actually plays. 

Arrival

Release Date: Nov. 11th

Directed By: Denis Villeneuve

Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy renner, Forest Whitaker

Deins Villeneuve has made some gripping, through-provoking and brilliantly cinematic thrillers with Prisoners and Sicario – and now it looks like he will be mixing sci-fi into his unique filmmaking blend, as well.

After his last few films, we’re eager to see how Villeneuve gets inside the concept of extraterrestrial arrival on Earth. Will it be the next Contact? We can only hope. 

All Eyez On Me

Release Date: Nov. 11th

Directed By: Benny Boom

Starring: Demetrius Shipp Jr., Danai Gurira, Kat Graham, Laruen Cohan, Jamal Woolard

The long-awaited Tupac Shakur biopic finally makes it to the screen, with a debut actor in the titular role, an acclaimed music video director at the helm, and some Walking Dead alumni like Gurira and Cohan adding star power in supporting roles.

Aside from getting another side of the story we saw in Straight Outta Compton, All Eyez on Me will have a nice “shared universe” Easter egg by bringing back Notorious B.I.G. biopic star, Jamal Woolard, to play Biggie in the Tupac movie. Hip-hop fans, get excited. 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them

Release Date: Nov. 18th

Directed By: David Yates

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Colin Farrell, Ezra Miller, Zoe Kravitz, Ron Perlman, Jon Voight

The Harry Potter movie universe expands with this spinoff/prequel film about a charming young wizard named Newt Samander (Eddie Redmayne), who scours New York City’s magical world in search of exotic beasts on the loose. 

Meanwhile, fans the world over are simply happy to have J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World back on the movie screen. And with Potter movie director David Yates taking on this new saga, the end result should be as good (or bad) as you thought the previous films were. 

Bad Santa 2

Release Date: Nov. 23rd

Directed By: Mark Waters

Starring: Billy Bob Thorton, Tony Cox, Brett Kelly, Kathy Bates, Christina Hendricks

Bad Santa has gone on to become a holiday season cult-classic, so this sequel is almost a must-see for anyone who was a fan of the original.

With the original cast back (at least our two crooked protagonists and their awkward kid sidekick), and the director of Mean Girls taking over the director’s chair, there’s no reason to assume this won’t be a holiday season sequel that we’ll soon be watching alongside Home Alone 2 for years to come. 

Moana

Release Date: Nov. 23rd

Directed By: Ron Clements, John Musker, Don Hall, Chris Williams

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Auli’i Cravalho, Jemaine Clement, Alan Tudyk, Nicole Sherzinger

Disney surfs into Polynesian culture and mythology with this animated film about a young sea voyaging girl who meets demi-gods and spirits to help her on a journey to save her family.

We’re suckers for Disney animated movies, and this looks pleasantly different than what we’ve seen before, so count us in. 

Office Christmas Party

Release Date: Dec. 9th

Directed By: Josh Gordon, Will Speck

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, T.J. Miller, Olivia Munn, Kate Mckinnon, Jillian Bell, Rob Corddry, Courtney B. Vance

Like Masterminds, the cast of Office Christmas Party is stacked with some of the funniest people working today – and that includes Aniston, who has definitely found a new career path starring in raunchy comedies like We’re the Millers and Horrible Bosses.

The premise is the perfect vehicle for a double-shot of both party and holiday season hijinks – pretty good odds for audiences to enjoy this flick. 

Rouge One: A Star Wars Story

Release Date: Dec. 16th

Directed By: Gareth Edwards

Starring: Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Warwick Davis, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker, James Earl Jones

Arguably THE most anticipated movie of the fall season, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story marks the official beginning of the Star Wars spinoff film series. 

Set before the events of A New Hope, Rogue One will follow the deadly Rebel mission to learn the secret behind The Empire’s new super weapon, The Death Star. Featuring an international cast of stars, some highly anticipated cameos (Darth Vader, Yoda) and a gritty war movie feel that is a departure from the whimsical adventures of the Star Wars Episodes, Rogue One is a big event for hardcore fans and casual moviegoers alike. 

Assassin’s Creed

Release Date:  Dec. 21st

Directed By: Justin Kurzel

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Michael Kenneth Williams, Brendan Gleeson, Jeremy Irons

This movie is supposed to be the start of a bold new era in video game movies: films conceived and developed by the game publishers themselves.

Ubisoft will be attempting to demonstrate to millions of viewers how Assassin’s Creed recreates the gaming experience on the movie screen in unique and new way. No lie: it’s a big gamble. 

Passengers

Release Date: Dec. 21st

Directed By: Morten Tyldum

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburne

Director Morten Tyldum made the story of Alan Turing into an Oscar-worthy biopic; if he can make a mathematician into a mainstream movie star, then this sci-fi thriller with two of the most likable leading actors in the world should be an easy conversion.

Honestly though, the banter between Lawrence and Pratt is reason enough to check this movie out. 

Sing

Release Date:  Dec. 21st

Directed By: Garth Jennings

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Scarlett ohansson, Tarron Egerton, Nick Kroll, Leslie Jones, Seth MacFarlane, John C. Reilly, Reese Witherspoon

It’s a cute animated movie with animals, musical numbers, and an all-star voice cast. They should just go ahead and stamp “Holiday Season Cash-Cow” on the posters. 

Why Him?

Release Date:  Dec. 25th

Directed By: John Hamburg

Starring: James Franco, Bryan Cranston, Adam Devine, Keegan-Michael Key, Megan Mullally

This is the sort of headlining talent that will bring even the most mainstream viewers out to watch a raunchy comedy.

Add the fact that the premise constitutes the worst nightmare of every father of a daughter, and this “Cranston vs. Franco” Christmas Day showdown will understandably capture a ton of money at the Christmas Day box office.