8 Films for Fall 2021
TIFF, Venice, and Telluride signal the beginning of prestige season
In the latest episode of the It’s the Pictures Podcast, John Gilpatrick and I talked about some of our anticipated movies of the Toronto International Film Festival 2021. Only two titles in that list will make it onto this one. The hope is to highlight the many films you’ll want to see in the next four months.
What are you looking forward to in the next few months? Is it a blockbuster like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Matrix: Resurrections, or No Time to Die? Perhaps it is the musicals like Cyrano, West Side Story, Dear Evan Hansen, or tick, tick…BOOM! Whatever genre you might enjoy, I hope you find something of interest in the films listed below.
House of Gucci (11/25/21)
From director Ridley Scott, House of Gucci is an upcoming biographical crime film based on the 2001 book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by Sara Gay Forden. Lady Gaga plays Patrizia Reggiani, the ex-wife of the late Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver). Scott’s film is set in 1995 and will showcase the events leading up to the murder of Maurizio Gucci. It also stars Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, and Al Pacino. While it’s not currently scheduled for any Fall festivals, I imagine we’ll see this one at AFI before its release.
The Power of the Dog (12/1/21)
The big Netflix entry this year, The Power of the Dog is playing every Fall festival and is the first film directed by Jane Campion since 2009’s Bright Star. Based on The Power of the Dog by Thomas Savage, the film depicts the fought relationship between a ranch owner and his new sister-in-law, specifically when it comes to her son. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee.
Spencer (11/5/21)
Following Emma Corrin’s performance as Princess Diana in The Crown, it’s now time for Kristen Stewart to portray the Princess. She’s directed by Pablo Larrain, who also directed 2016’s Jackie. You can say he has a knack for capturing specific periods of turmoil in the lives of iconic women. In this case, Spencer is specifically about the weekend that Princess Diana decided to divorce Prince Charles. We’ll learn more about this one as it opens in Venice and Telluride this weekend.
Dune (10/22/21)
What more can be said about Dune. It’s the latest from Denis Villeneuve and is based on the epic 1965 science-fiction novel by Frank Herbert. Big names like Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, and Oscar Isaac are only the tip of the iceberg for this cast. But it has three major problems ahead of it. After the disastrous 1984 movie, is it possible to make Dune into a movie? Will audiences even care for a Dune movie? And will we only end up seeing half the story since this new movie only depicts have the novel? Only time will tell, but good reviews from Venice this weekend couldn’t hurt.
Parallel Mothers (12/24/21)
Premiering at the Venice Film Festival as I write this, Parallel Mothers is the latest film from Pedro Almodovar. He is once again working with Penelope Cruz and the film depicts the lives of two mothers who meet before giving birth. Both women didn’t plan on their pregnancies, and the film plans to show their vastly different lives. John and I talked about Almodovar earlier this year and I can’t wait for his new feature.
The Tragedy of Macbeth (NYFF, 9/24/21)
The new film by director Joel Coen is another adaptation of Macbeth. Now before you discard this feature, know that it stars Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. Outside of the casting, there hasn’t been too much shared about this adaptation. It’s notably the first time that Joel Coen has directed a film without his brother. We’ll have to see if there are any noticeable changes. No release date yet, but this one will be on Apple TV+ and released theatrically by A24.
C’mon C’mon (Telluride, 9/2/21)
Premiering at Telluride tomorrow, C’mon C’mon is director Mike Mills first film since 20th Century Women. Too many people slept on that great film, and I have high expectations for this one. It stars Joaquin Phoenix as an artist who has to take care of his nephew during a cross-country trip. The synopsis reminds me a little bit of the 1973 Peter Bogdanovich feature, Paper Moon.
Nightmare Alley (12/3/21)
The first film from Guillermo del Toro following his Oscar win for The Shape of Water. This is an adaptation of the novel by William Lindsay Gresham and if it follows the 1947 film version, it will be noir that follows Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) as he works his way up from a carnival worker to a manipulator of millions. It’s a star-studded cast with Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Rooney Mara, and more. It’s likely that the film would’ve shown up at TIFF had it been completed in time. I believe we’ll see it at AFI most likely.
The Rest: The French Dispatch, The Card Counter, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Titane, Halloween Kills, The Last Duel, Last Night in Soho, Bergman Island, Eternals, King Richard, Hand of God, Benedetta, The Lost Daughter, Don’t Look Up, A Hero, Red Rocket
Links
Marvel’s Shang-Chi could determine how many movies we see this fall. With the Delta variant in full swing, audiences might not be willing to go to cineplexes. Aric Jenkins for The Ringer looks into what the expectations are for Shang Chi.
For Vulture’s Fall Preview, E. Alex Jung interviewed John Cho about Cowboy Bebop. You’ll want to read this one.
Candyman (2021) is the first movie directed by a black woman to open #1 at the box office in movie history. That’s astonishing and sad. Read more about the historic opening from Maiysha Kai at The Root.