Must-See Fall Movies

With September starting today, it's time to leave behind this summer's rather disappointing slate of movies and look ahead at what the next few months will bring. Summer blockbusters largely didn't pan out, so brainier fare may be just what we need. Here are the ten I'm most excited about.

Never Let Me Go (September 15th)

Based on an acclaimed book by Kazuo Ishiguro, containing a cool premise (which I won't spoil here), and starring the extremely likable Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightly, and Andrew Garfield, Never Let Me Go has a lot to be excited about. Truth is I've already seen it, but I can confirm it's even better than it sounds and a strong contender for my top 10 list. So definitely a must-see for everyone reading.

Wall Street 2 (September 24th)

Have you ever seen the original Wall Street? Sure, it's a period piece now, but still fun and fascinating today. With Michael Douglas reprising his iconic part, Carey Mulligan in her second buzzworthy role in one month, and trailers showing the spirit of the original is still there, this should be worthwhile even beyond its timeliness.

The Social Network (October 1st)

Somehow "the Facebook movie" has become one of the hottest movies of the fall. Maybe it's the Fincher/Sorkin/Rudin combo. Maybe it's the glimpse of the future Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Maybe it's that really cool cover of Radiohead's "Creep" in the trailer. Or maybe people are just hopelessly obsessed with Facebook. Whichever it is, I'm going opening weekend.

It's Kind of a Funny Story (October 8th)

As much as I enjoyed Half Nelson, I'm even more excited to see its writer/directors go a little more mainstream with what looks like a teen One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest starring a very appealing and eclectic cast including Zach Galifianakis, Aasif Mandvi, and Lost's Jeremy Davies. Plus the trailer looks great.

Due Date (November 5th)

I'd already be excited since it's Todd Phillips' follow-up to The Hangover, but he made this all the more exciting by rejoining with Zach Galifianakis (also with two entries on this list) and adding Robert Downey Jr. It may basically be a remake of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, but with the two of them that sounds like a great idea.

127 Hours (November 5th)

Danny Boyle always surprises with his movie choices, whether going sci-fi (Sunshine), horror (28 Days Later), family friendly (Millions) or the Bollywood/Dickens hybrid that is Slumdog Millionaire. So of course I'm excited to see what he does next. The idea of a movie about a guy trapped under a rock for 127 hours doesn't immediately sound exciting, but the trailer shows there's a lot more going on.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (November 16th)

If you don't know why I'm excited about this, you probably haven't spent much time on this planet the past decade.

Black Swan (December 1st)

Like Danny Boyle, Darren Aronofsky is following up an acclaimed 2008 release (The Wrestler) with something ambitious and cool. A Persona/Mulholland Drive type thriller set in the world of ballet starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis? Yes please. And with universally good reviews coming out of Venice, this one looks like a winner.

The Fighter (December 10th)

David O. Russell may not be a nice person to work for, but he does make good movies. And with Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale starring, this looks to be one of them.

True Grit (December 25th)

Coen Brothers, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin. Need I say more?

And 5 more:

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (Sept. 22nd) - Cause I can't say no to a Woody Allen movie

Let Me In (Oct. 1st) - Definitely curious to see what an American version of the atmospheric Swedish vampire movie looks like.

Morning Glory (Nov. 12th) - The plot may be out of How I Met Your Mother (and the shortlived comedy Back to You), but the involvement of JJ Abrams and Rachel McAdams has me intrigued.

Love and Other Drugs (Nov. 24th) - A Jake Gyllenhaal/Anne Hathaway reunion, and a plot involving Viagra.

Somewhere (Dec. 22nd) - Curious what Sofia Coppola does with what sounds like the plot of a Nick Hornby book.

So there are my picks. Which ones will you be seeing? What did I leave off?

Serious Summer Movie Catch-Up

In an effort to go into the fall with a clean-slate blog-wise, I'm taking care of 5 summer movies I saw months ago yet somehow haven't written about yet. I know you've already seen 3 of these, so there's no point in going into too much detail. And I still owe you District 9 and Julie & Julia.

I'm going in order of enjoyment, from Star Trek to Transformers 2.

Star Trek

Grade: A-

A Star Trek movie equally beloved by the hardcore Trekkies (sorry, Trekkers) and those like me who had never seen a single movie or episode of any of the TV shows. Why? 2 reasons: 1. JJ Abrams made the kind of light, fun blockbuster we wish all summer movies could be. 2. The young cast of insta-stars brought all sorts of new life into an aging franchise. I wouldn't say this was a Dark Knight level instant classic, but more Iron Man level: a thoroughly enjoyable movie that made me very excited to see what will come next.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Grade: B+

Ok, there were some strange changes from the book (what happened to the final battle sequence?), and it did feel like like a warm-up for Deathly Hallows. But there's a lot this Potter got right in ways the previous ones didn't. More than ever before, this one didn't get bogged down in excess exposition and extraneous sub-plots, keeping it simple with the most important story threads (like snogging. How great was Lavender Brown?). And it's probably the most visually stunning Potter yet. So I say no, Manohla Dargis, this is not a tiring franchise, but one ready to rev up for a (hopefully) incredible finale.

Away We Go

Grade: B+

Sam Mendes can't get any respect. Pretentious film school types call American Beauty the worst Best Picture winner in recent memory (have they not seen Chicago or Million Dollar Baby?) and Revolutionary Road got unfairly snubbed by everyone last year. Now his newest has gotten a rather lukewarm response from most critics. But you know what? I liked it. Some episodes along the road trip story get a little too over-the-top and sitcommy (I'm looking at you, Allison Janney and Maggie Gyllenhaal), but the two leads keep everything nicely grounded. John Krasinski proves he can be more than Jim Halpert, and Maya Rudolph amazes in her first dramatic performance. Even if nobody else remembers, she's on my shortlist for year-end honors.

The Taking of Pelham 123

Grade: B+

It's sad that this somehow ended up on that infamous list of movies that supposedly prove people don't want movies for adults (always along with State of Play and The Soloist). Because it was actually one of the most satisfying action movies this summer. Updating a classic (which, by the way, still totally holds up and you should go see now) to fit today's times, this Pelham is a completely different movie that still completely works. At first John Travolta seems way too ridiculous, but once you get used to him you kind of enjoy his villainous turn. And Tony Scott keeps the suspense and action coming strong. People may not still be watching this version 30 years from now, but they're missing out if they don't catch it now.

Transformers 2

Grade: C-

In the movie's defense, it was exactly what I was expecting. Problem is, I was expecting 2 and a half hours of machines fighting each other with ridiculous dialogue and a plot that makes absolutely no sense. And honestly, the special effects aren't even that great. You can't even tell what's going on in the machinery most of the time. As for the "humans," I continue to not get the appeal of Shia Labeouf, who's at his most annoying here, while I kept expecting Megan Fox to turn into a robot (that's not a comment on her acting, I just don't think she seems entirely human, which is why Jennifer's Body is a good movie for her). The plot has something to do with robots trying to destroy the sun with a gun hidden in the pyramids, but you're not really supposed to pay attention to that. More pressing was that the movie NEVER ENDS. I'm sure this is some people's idea of entertainment, but not mine.

Summer Movie Preview

Last Friday, Entertainment Weekly released its Summer Movie Preview, one of my favorite issues of the year. It looks like this summer's even more packed with movies worth seeing than usual, so while I'm listing my top 10 must-sees of the summer, I had to toss on 5 more.

Wolverine (May 1st)
Like I'm going to miss out on the first big movie of the summer. Yeah, I thought X-Men 3 was an overstuffed mess, and I've always put Spider-man and Batman higher on my preferred superheroes list. But with a focus on one mutant instead of 30, and an intriguing supporting cast (Charlie!), I've got high hopes this will be remembered well come summer's end.

Star Trek (May 8th)
I've never seen a single episode of any Star Trek series. Nor have I ever seen one of the movies. But with JJ Abrams at the helm and trailers that play down the Star Trek connection, I can't wait.

Terminator Salvation (May 21st)
Christian Bale is just what John Connor needs to lose his rep as whiny and annoying (see: Edward Furlong in T2, the Sarah Connor Chronicles on TV). Rumors of an Ahnuld cameo add one more reason to check this out, but I'd show up just for the theme song.

Up (May 29th)
With The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Wall-E, Pixar's been on a hot streak of great movies for all ages (we'll give them a pass on Cars). If Up is anywhere near as good, we may have to list the great Pixar movie as more of a summer fixture than superheroes.

Land of the Lost (June 5th)
I haven't seen the '70s show and I can't say I was excited when the movie was announced. But the trailer won me over, as did the presence of Danny McBride and Pushing Daisies' Anna Friel.

Public Enemies (July 1st)
A historical biopic with Oscar possibilities in the summer? Sounds like a nice break from sequels. As John Dillinger, Johnny Depp's found another part that fits his oddball charm, and Christian Bale makes his 2nd appearance on the list.

Bruno (July 10th)
If you've seen the redband trailer, you know this will be the funniest movie of the summer. So if you just started sighing in relief over the decline of obnoxious Borat imitators, tough luck. I'm calling it now: Bruno will be the most quoted movie of 2009.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July 15th)
Since most of us were ready to see this at its original release date last Thanksgiving, this is a long overdue must-see. With no more books to bring us back to Hogwarts, these last few movies will be all the bigger.

Funny People (July 31st)
I'm not quite sure what to make of this Punchline-style dramedy about stand-up comics. But I do know Judd Apatow is currently 2 for 2 on movies he's directed. So that automatically makes this my (second) most anticipated comedy this summer.

Inglourious Basterds (August 21st)
Late August is a strange time to release a big movie, but there's a lot that's strange about this one. Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt, and World War II - three things that you wouldn't expect to see together in any possible combination. But from the trailer, this looks like the movie Valkyrie should have been.

And 5 more:

Angels & Demons (May 15th) - More obligation than desire, but I'll still see it.

Away We Go (June 5th) - A Sam Mendes roadtrip comedy? Absolutely.

Whatever Works (June 19th) - Like I'm missing a Woody Allen movie.

(500) Days of Summer (July 17th) - Can it still be called a sleeper hit if it's what everyone already thinks it will be?

Taking Woodstock (August 14th) - The only other movie besides Public Enemies with a shot of lasting til Oscar season, and it's Ang Lee!