10 Fall Must-See Movies

It's that time again. With Labor Day just a week away and my Fall Movie Preview issue of Entertainment Weekly having arrived weeks ago, it's time to figure out which movies coming out in the next four months are worth our excitement. As always, things change. Some movies get pushed back, some disappoint. But here's what I'm looking forward to now:

Jennifer's Body (September 18th)

First off, yes, this made it on because Shutter Island was shipped off to February. I feel like this one could go either way - it could be a fun and campy and Heathersish like the online trailer suggests, or it could just be lame as...well, the theatrical trailer suggests. We'll find out which soon enough.

A Serious Man (October 2nd)

I have no idea what this is actually about, but I do know two very important things: 1. It's a new Coen Brothers movie, so I'll be seeing it no matter what, and 2. It has the best trailer I've seen in a long time. Seriously, take a look:

An Education (October 9th)

People at festivals earlier this year went CRAZY over this. But more importantly, this marks the first screenplay by Nick Hornby, one of my favorite authors. Even more interesting - it looks completely different from all of his books.

The Road (October 16th)

This has already been pushed back once, and could very likely be pushed off again. But having read the book, I'm curious how the movie will play out, given it's extremely bleak and most of the story only features two characters. Good thing Viggo Mortenson is one of them.

Broken Embraces (November 20th)

There's few directors I can say that I've seen every movie they've made, and Pedro Almodovar is one of them, so yes, I will certainly be seeing this. It's been too long a wait since Volver.

Nine (November 25th)

While it may be hard to top the fantastic Antonio Banderas-led revival some years back, this impressive assembly of international talent stands as good a chance as any. Two years after Sweeney Todd, it's good to see Hollywood again dipping into a less conventional theatrical source. Maybe that Into the Woods movie can happen someday after all...

The Princess and the Frog (November 25th)

This may seem like an unusual pick for my list, but come on, the first traditionally animated Disney musical since Mulan? Who doesn't want to see that?! You know I love Pixar, but I'd also like to see the successor to that Disney golden age of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Lion King.

The Lovely Bones (December 11th)

If you haven't read the book yet, get to it. It's super addictive. But Peter Jackson seemed like kind of a strange fit. Then I saw the trailer, and realized the afterlife scenes will look amazing while the earthly stuff is extra tense. Regardless of whether it shoots for entertainment or Oscar, it will be worth seeing.

Avatar (December 18th)

If you read my post last week, you know that 15-minute glimpse on screens left me hungry for more. Will it be the second coming of Titanic, selling out every theater for months to come? Unlikely. But will it be the most talked about movie of the Christmas season, to the point where you have to see it just to keep up? Almost certainly.

Sherlock Holmes (December 25th)

All my friends who are hardcore Sherlock Holmes fans (yes, they still exist, and yes, I know multiple people that fit that category) are super pissed about all the modern stylings and very un-19th century feel of this, but everyone else recognizes it looks pretty awesome. Could be Guy Ritchie's first good movie since Snatch. And welcome back Rachel McAdams. We missed you.

And for when any of those prove to be less than must-see, let's have 5 back-ups:

The Informant - The ads are making it look like a Burn After Reading style farce, which is fine by me. But Soderbergh can be hit-or-miss, so we may want to wait and see. (9/18)

Capitalism: A Love Story - Somewhere around Fahrenheit 911 it stopped being cool to like Michael Moore, but that doesn't mean you aren't curious to see what outrageous stunts the financial crisis will inspire him to pursue. (9/23)

Where the Wild Things Are - Children's book loved by all, Spike Jonze's first movie since Adaptation, and a trailer featuring the Arcade Fire. I'm in. (10/16)

New York, I Love You - Well, I loved Paris, Je T'aime, and this time it's actually set in a city I know. (10/16)

Up in the Air - Another one people who have seen it are really, really excited about, and I guess I was listening. (Dec TBA)

So which ones are you most excited about? What did I leave off? Let me know in the comments.