The fall 2015 season is packed with exciting and entertaining movie releases that will transport you into outer space, help you unravel the mysteries surrounding health issues around your favorite sport of football, and bring you into the hostile drug war along the US-Mexican border.
One of the most exciting releases is the new Star Wars film which features the return of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, C3PO, and many other fan favorites. Go faster-than-light with the Millennium Falcon.
Spectre sees James Bond going after a shadowy organization with a dark history. Sexy Bond Girls, exclusive Aston Martin DB10 cars, and dramatic action sequences are to be expected.
That’s just a taste! Here is our complete guide to the best upcoming movies this fall that will appeal to men.
Sicario
Lionsgate Pictures, Release Date: September 18
Director: Denis Villeneuve; Screenwriter: Taylor Sheridan
Sicario (Spanish for hit-man) continues the run of excellent movies starring the adaptable Emily Blunt. Directed by Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners), this film explores the drama surrounding the U.S.-Mexico border and the border towns nearby. Blunt plays an FBI agent at the forefront of the ongoing war on drugs. Aptly supported by dependable actors Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin.
Lionsgate is already eying a sequel to this movie even before its initial release. Shown on only 6 screens in the USA this past weekend, going wide later, the movie took in $66,000 average per screen which is the highest gross per screen of any film in 2015.
Trivia: Emily Blunt’s part was originally to be re-written for a male actor. The actress also began filming just four months after giving birth.
Stonewall
Roadside Attractions, Release Date: September 25
Director: Roland Emmerich; Screenwriter: Jon Robin Baitz
This movie about the 1969 Stonewall Riots is already gaining controversy for its treatment of the real-life events in Greenwich Village. Young Jeremy Irvine plays Danny Winters, a destitute kid who is kicked out of his childhood home by his parents and flees to New York. He ends up at the Stonewall Inn, a mafia-owned watering hole run by Ed Murphy (Ron Perlman, Sons of Anarchy), which repeatedly suffers raids by corrupt police.
Discrimination against gay people was at its height during this late 60s and 70s period. This movie depicts the struggle for gay youth to overcome societal views about their sexuality and find their place in the world. A powerful drama which comes at an appropriate time when gay marriage has recently been made legal across the United States.
Trivia: The first R-rated film for director Roland Emmerich since The Patriot.
The Martian
20th Century Fox, Release Date: October 2
Director: Ridley Scott; Screenwriter: Drew Goddard
The Martian, based on a bestselling book by Andy Weir, is led by Matt Damon (The Adjustment Bureau), Jessica Chastain (Interstellar), and Kata Mara (Fantastic Four 2). Damon plays Astronaut Mark Watney who is left behind on a distant planet by mistake when his fellow astronauts initially believe he is dead. The crew sets out later to rescue him while he struggles to stay alive.
Starting out with only 31 days of precious resources and a manned mission taking 4 years to get back to him, Watney has his work cut out for him. Think: Castaway meets Interstellar. With Ridley Scott (Alien) at the helm, it is hard to believe anything could go too wrong with this one.
Trivia: Key actors met with NASA astronauts to improve the realism of their roles. GoPro cameras were used in some scenes.
Legend
Universal Pictures, Release Date: October 2 (limited)
Director: Brian Helgeland; Screenwriter: Brian Helgeland
Tom Hardy performs double-duty here portraying twins Ron Kray and Reggie Kray in this retelling of the infamous murder and mayhem in London’s East End during the 1960s.
Based on a book by John Pearson, LA Confidential writer Helgeland once again dig deep into the criminal underworld to explore its underbelly in this tense and personal story of love, loss, crime, and money.
Trivia: Tom Hardy previously played Charles Bronson in Bronson. Reggie Kray met Bronson and confirmed later that is was his “most frightening prison experience.”
Steve Jobs
Universal Pictures, Release Date: October 9 (limited); wide on October 23
Director: Danny Boyle; Screenwriter: Aaron Sorkin
Based on the authorized biography by Walter Isaacson (a warts and all exposé of Jobs researched during the last months of Jobs’ life), this long-delayed film from director Danny Boyle is a dramatic retelling of crucial periods of the life of Steve Jobs.
Michael Fassbender plays Jobs, with Kate Winslet as Joanna Hoffman, Jobs’ long-suffering partner. The film covers the unveiling of the first Macintosh, the ongoing dispute over whether he was really the biological father of his daughter, and the battle with John Sculley over who would run Apple.
Trivia: Steve “The Woz” Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, was a consultant on the movie. David Fincher was originally set to direct, but salary demands and creative differences put an end to that.
Bridge of Spies
20th Century Fox, Release Date: October 16
Director: Steven Spielberg; Screenwriters: The Coen Brothers
Whilst the pairing of family-friendly Steven Spielberg with a script from the black comedy specialists, The Coen Brothers, seems unlikely, with the inclusion of Academy Award winning Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips) we’re still on familiar ground here.
The movie is based on the true story of an American attorney (Hanks) who at the behest of the CIA works to broker the release of a prisoner held during the height of the Cold War. There are echos of Schindler’s List with Spielberg continuing to choose far more serious and complex subject matter than he did in the early part of his film career.
Trivia: First collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks in over a decade. Previously worked together on Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can&The Terminal.
Beasts of No Nation
Netflix Original Film, Release Date: October 16
Director: Cary Fukunaga; Screenwriter: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Beasts of No Nation tracks the experience of a young boy, Agu (played by Abraham Attah) in West Africa. He joins some mercenary fighters when his father is killed by militants. Guided by The Commandant (Idris Elba) as the young man grows up to be a fearsome fighter, the movie is dramatic and emotional to watch.
Fukunaga known for the impressive look behind the successful first season of True Detective has produced a stunning film (based on the novel by Uzodinma Iweala) which is likely to not be forgotten when nominations for various film awards are being given out.
Trivia: Netflix bought the movie for distribution in a deal worth $12 million. Several movie theater chains including AMC Cinemas and Carmike Cinemas have chosen to boycott the distribution of the movie because it violates the 90-day exclusivity window for movie theater distribution before other forms of release (Netflix is offering the movie to its digital subscribers simultaneously).
Goosebumps
Sony Pictures, Release Date: October 16
Director: Rob Letterman; Screenwriter: Darren Lemke
This teenage comedy about the daughter (Odeya Rush) of an adult horror novelist R.L Stine (Jack Black) whose books unleashed the monsters created on the pages is likely to be a big hit with the kids and young adults.
Gnomes who are less than friendly (flying nails anyone?), the abominable snowman of Passadena and other unfriendly creatures get released from the books when they get unlocked by mistake. Then all hell breaks loose. Released just in time for Halloween, this could be a new comedy horror franchise in the making.
Trivia: Originally Tim Burton was going to direct back in 1998.
Room
A24, Release Date: October 16
Director: Lenny Abrahamson; Screenwriter: Emma Donoghue
The story of a small family hidden away in a shed for five years, what they do to escape and discovering the world that lives outside. A tour de force performance for Brie Larson in only her second lead performance after the impressive Short Term 12.
Previously shown at the Telluride Film Festival, this quiet drama with Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, and William H. Macy supporting will likely creep up on you subtly.
Trivia: Brie Larson beat out Shailene Woodley for the lead. Larson kept herself in isolation for a month while living on a restricted diet to get a feel for what her character would have gone through.
Spectre
Sony Pictures, Release Date: November 6
Director: Sam Mendes; Screenwriter: John Logan
Following on from the two previous 007 outings, James Bond is hot on the trail of SPECTRE, the shadowy organization behind recent actions against the secret agent. Ralph Fiennes continues to play M (Judy Dench is sorely missed), and Naomie Harris again lends Miss Moneypenny that much needed wisdom and humor.
Monica Bellucci is the oldest Bond girl ever at the age of 50 but still manages to look divine. She is joined by Léa Seydoux and Stephanie Sigman. The movie features a silver, two-door Aston Martin DB10 model which was a strictly limited edition of 10 vehicles. According to Q (Ben Whishaw), this DB10 comes with “a few little tricks up her sleeve.” We don’t doubt it.
While Spectre won’t win any Best Director Oscars, it remains a modernized piece of British cinema that just won’t die… a like Mr Bond himself.
Trivia: Reportedly to have cost over $350 million to make. Daniel Craig is contracted for a fifth and final Bond film. John Logan set to write the screenplay for the next film, Bond 25.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
Lionsgate, Release Date: November 20
Director: Francis Lawrence; Screenwriters: Peter Craig and Danny Strong
The last installment of the epic The Hunger Games series. Jennifer Lawrence is, of course, back as Katniss Everdeen with a dynamic performance as sure to please as with previous installments.
Trivia: Originally slated to be released in 3D, but this idea was later scrapped. Final film of Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Creed
Warner Brothers Pictures, Release Date: November 25
Director: Ryan Coogler; Screenwriters: Ryan Coogler and Aaron Covington
Call this a Rocky spinoff which pairs Apollo Creed’s son (Michael B. Jordan) with Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). The story follows Creed’s attempts to find a direction in his life and sees Rocky do his best to help, eventually agreeing to train him.
Whilst this might get dubbed as Rocky 25, the movie actually depicts the gritty reality of growing up in a tough Philly neighborhood. This is more in keeping with the original Rocky story than most of the sequels. Could well be a surprise hit.
Trivia: First film in the Rocky series that was not penned by actor Sylvester Stallone. First Rocky film to not feature Rocky fighting.
Krampus
Legendary Pictures, Release Date: December 4
Director: Michael Dougherty; Screenwriters: Michael Dougherty and Todd Casey
Krampus will set a much darker tone on the festivities this Christmas. The evil demon, Krampus, sets out to punish all the little kiddies who were bad this year. One family receives the bulk of the scolding. Clearly St. Nicholas is not coming this year.
This little horror comedy has the likes of Tony Collette, Adam Scott, and David Koechner on board so fans of Christmas themed scary movies will be pleased.
Trivia: Krampus isnow featured in the “scare zone” in the Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights 2014 at Universal Studios.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Disney and LucasFilm, Release Date: December 18
Director: J.J. Abrams; Screenwriters: J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan
“Chewy. We’re home”
… And yes you are!
The original stars of Star Wars are back. Harrison Ford returns to the Millennium Falcon as Han Solo along with his side-click, Chewbacca. Mark Hamill returns to his roots with his career-defining role as Luke Skywalker and Carrie Fisher is back as Leia.
Judging by the trailer, the new film has succeeded in capturing lightning in a bottle once again. It has all the look, the feel, and the special effects of the original. Mini droids put in an appearance too (released as droids controlled by mobile app just in time for Christmas).
One of the most hotly anticipated movies of the Christmas season besides Bond.
Trivia: During summer 2014 actor Harrison Ford broke his ankle on set when he was caught under the door of the Millennium Falcon. Director JJ Abrams was also injured when he broke his back in the process of helping to extricate Ford from the faster-than-light spaceship.
The Hateful Eight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnRbXn4-Yis
The Weinstein Company, Release Date: December 25 (limited); January 8 (wide)
Director: Quentin Tarantino; Screenwriter: Quentin Tarantino
This eighth film by Quentin Tarantino is a whodunit that takes place in the Civil War period where both lawmen and outlaws roamed the plains, with an occasional prisoner on the run to keep things interesting. A blizzard ensures that the interesting collection of dodgy characters stay town so the madness can ensue.
Tarantino alums Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth and Michael Madsen are welcome faces. Kurt Russell adds some weight and gravitas to proceedings; it is good to see him acting once again. Bruce Dern, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and heartthrob Channing Tatum round out the impressive cast.
Witty dialogue and excellent set-pieces are to be expected.
Trivia: The final draft of the script was leaked online which almost prevented the movie being green-lit for production.
Joy
20th Century Fox, Release Date: December 25
Director: David O. Russell; Screenwriter: David O. Russell
This third pairing up of David O. Russell, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and Jennifer Lawrence continues the success of Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle.
This time around Jennifer Lawrence plays a young women who goes on to build a family business that spans multiple generations. The trailer ends dramatically, so we’ll all have to see the movie to learn what happens in this dramatic retelling of a true life story.
Trivia: A scene where Joy fires a rifle was only planned as a test shoot, shot on an iPhone, but was subsequently included in both the trailer and the movie.
The Revenant
20th Century Fox, Release Date: December 25 (limited); January (wide)
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu; Screenwriter: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Hot off his Birdman success, Alejandro González Iñárritu has written and directed The Revenant. The film itself has been shot in chronological order over a scattered period of nine months. Filmed ostensibly with plenty of natural light in order to capture the true beauty of the scenery backdrop.
Leonardo DiCaprio plays a frontiersman who is battling both the elements and the people in early America. Tom Hardy (Legend) also stars and is seen looking moodily into the distance in the trailer.
Trivia: DiCaprio dropped out of the Steve Job biopic when he learned about The Revenant.
Concussion
Sony Pictures, Release Date: December 25
Director: Peter Landesman; Screenwriter: Peter Landesman
Will Smith is cast as Dr. Bennet Omalu, an exceptional forensic neuropathologist who was the first person to discover CTE. This is a type of brain trauma that is related to head injuries typically sustained by players the in American football sport.
Based on a true story, the movie covers the epic struggle of this Nigerian-American doctor to get the NFL to admit the problem of long-term brain damage caused by head impact on the field. The NFL initially denied any correlation and tried to cover up the medical findings.
Trivia: Adapted from a published article by Jeanne Marie Laskas in GQ Magazine entitled “Game Brain.” Alec Baldwin studied several Pittsburgh doctors in preparation for his role as a doctor in the film.
Which movie is your must-see film during the Fall and Christmas season? Share it in the comment section.