“White Boy Rick”
Cast: Richie Merritt, Matthew McConaughey, Bruce Dern, Eddie Marsan, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry Synopsis: Based on a true story, Richard Wershe Jr. becomes the youngest FBI informant in history at the age of 14 in the 1980’s.
What You Need to Know: Based on its eponymous real-life character, “White Boy Rick” is anything but slick, messy and chaotic while holding all of the right components that makes for something wholly cinematic and hopefully unforgettable. The gritty sophomore feature from director Yann Demange — the filmmaker responsible for the stunning critically-acclaimed historical thriller “‘71” — seems to pick up where the Safdie Brothers’ “Good Time” left off. In addition to the eye-catching cast bringing together the likes of Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Jason Leigh with up-and-comers such as Brian Tyree Henry and Richie Merritt — the first-time actor depicting White Boy Rick — the premise is just insane enough to turn heads and convince your average filmgoer to buy a ticket to this fever dream of a crime drama.
Release Date: September 14 –JC
“Fahrenheit 11/9”
Synopsis: The firebrand documentarian Michael Moore makes his big screen return with a response to the election and presidency of a one Donald J. Trump.
What You Need to Know: It would feel a bit auspicious if we slogged through this era of Trump without a rallying cry from Moore, a voice becoming all the more crucial with each passing day. The trailer hints to something of a nationwide pulse check as we continuously teeter on the edge of full blown panic attack to catatonic with Moore breaking down the highlights and talking to everyday citizens about their feelings of the moment. Also, the filmmaker is shown taking a truck of contaminated Flint water and spraying it on the lawn of Michigan governor Rick Snyder. Moore is in fine form, refusing once again to limit himself to one specific arguement when the bigger picture is what’s crucial. An impassioned filmmaker, Moore’s fearlessness in pushing the envelope and fostering discomfort is the perfect candidate to make the documentary, leaving the potential for another “Bowling for Columbine” or “Roger and Me” wide open.
Release Date: September 21 – Cory Woodroof
“The Sisters Brothers”
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, John C. Reilly, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed
Synopsis: In 1850’s Oregon, a gold prospector named Hermann Warm (Ahmed) is being pursued by two assassins named Eli and Charlie Sisters (Reilly and Phoenix).
What You Need To Know: Jacques Audiard, whose previous work includes masterful films such as “Rust And Bone” and “A Prophet” which was a Best Foreign Language Film nominee at the Oscars, is taking on his next film with some big names in his cast. Not only is “The Sisters Brothers” his English-language debut but it stars Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly as the titular anti-heroes along with Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed, which makes this an exciting “Nightcrawler” reunion. A pivot from his typical, heavier fare with what appears to be a play on slapstick Westerns, if the cast wasn’t enough to entice you, maybe a director demonstrating his versatility will.
Release Date: September 21 – Matt St. Clair
“Hold the Dark”
Cast: Jeffrey Wright, Alexander Skarsgård, Riley Keough, James Badge Dale, Macon Blair, James Bloor
Synopsis: A tracker investigates disappearances of children and a gnarly pack of wolves in Alaska who may be responsible.
What You Need to Know: After the one-two punch of “Blue Ruin” and “Green Room,” writer-director Jeremy Saulnier is establishing himself as one of the striking American auteurs of the decade; his vision rooted in those grimy little corners of Americana where the best and worst of us duke it out under the greenery and rust. “Hold the Dark” looks to be a bit more expansive and austere, as the director fields his best cast yet. It’ll be a bummer for those that don’t get to see this one in the Toronto run, because Magnus Nordenhof Jønck’s lensing of those unforgiving Alaskan landscapes looks like a left hook to the senses. No matter, this has to be one of the most potential-laden titles of the fall.
Release Date: September 28 via Netflix — CW
“Old Man and the Gun”
Cast: Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Sissy Spacek, Danny Glover
Synopsis: A kindly senior citizen (Redford) robs banks and stuns bank tellers with his manners; Affleck’s detective pursues the benevolent bandit.
What You Need to Know: David Lowery has an opportunity to score a hat-trick after his folksy “Pete’s Dragon” remake and indie darling “A Ghost Story” proved that “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” was just a foretaste of what was to come. A perfect filmmaking partner to the often meditative and patient Redford, if there’s a narrative beyond this potentially being the actors last role, it should be that of two similar sensbilities coming together on screen for the first time. Affleck, Spacek, and Glover make for a strong supporting cast, and “BlacKkKlansman” star John David Washington, musician-turned-actor Tom Waits, Elisabeth Moss, Tika Sumpter and Isiah Whitlock Jr. are all scheduled to pop up. Lowery stands to be one of the more exciting new voices in cinema, and it’ll be great to see him back with Redford, spinning what’s sure to be another timeless yarn and a keen meditation on the aging process.
Release Date: September 28 – CW
Honorable Mention
The comedy horror “Slice” with Chance the Rapper (Sept 10); Paul Feig‘s “A Simple Favor” with Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick (Sept 14); Sundance indie “I Think We’re Alone Now” with Elle Fanning and Peter Dinklage (Sept 14); Amma Asante‘s “Where Hands Touch” (Sept 14); ” Hale County This Morning, This Evening” (Sept 14); the Hal Ashby documentary “Hal” (begins in limited release on Sept 14); “Assassination Nation” (Sept 21); “All About Nina” with Common and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Sept 28) and the M.I.A. doc about Sri Lankan rapper “MATANGI/MAYA/M.I.A.” (Sept 28). Happy hunting.
