Fall/Winter 2010: 25 Movies To Watch For

Summer officially comes to an end in a few days and this means that it is time for our annual preview of the Fall/Winter movie season! The upcoming months look to be quite promising on paper at least, especially when compared to what has hit movie theaters so far this year. It is worth noting that there seems to be a trend change these last couple years with higher quality movies being released in September and October than in previous years. Although November remains the official start of the winter blockbuster season, it seems that studios are less likely to only dump their least promising movies during that period leading up to it, which has historically been the least profitable of the year.

That said, we are now going to take a look at 25 of the most notable movies to watch for in the upcoming weeks! Please share on Twitter and Facebook using the icons on the right and let us know what you think below.

September 2010

The Town (September 17)

Director: Ben Affleck

Cast: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner

Plot: The Town is the tale of four men — thieves, rivals and friends — being hunted through the streets of Boston by a tenacious FBI agent and a woman who might destroy them all. The book won the 2005 Hammett Prize for excellence in crime writing.

Our Take: One of the most highly anticipated movie of the fall, The Town marks the return of Ben Affleck at the helm of a movie after his critically acclaimed film Gone Baby Gone (2007). The story looks tense and thrilling, the cast is solid from top to bottom, we absolutely cannot wait for this movie!

Chance of Sucking: 15%

Anticipation Factor: 90%

Easy A (September 17)

Director: Will Gluck

Cast: Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Dan Byrd, Patricia Clarkson

Plot: After a little white lie about losing her virginity gets out, a clean cut high school girl sees her life paralleling Hester Prynne’s in “The Scarlet Letter,” which she is currently studying in school – until she decides to use the rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.

Our Take: The teen comedy starring the rising Emma Stone is getting some solid buzz at the Toronto Film Festival and although it may not join the ranks of witty movies like Mean Girls or Clueless in the Hall of fame of teen comedies, Easy A should be an enjoyable watch and the star-making role that Emma Stone has been looking for.

Chance of Sucking: 35%

Anticipation Factor: 40%

Leaves of Grass (September 17)

Director: Tim Blake Nelson

Cast: Ed Norton, Lucy DeVito, Keri Russell

Plot: The lives of two identical twins, one an Ivy League philosophy professor, the other a small-time and brilliant marijuana grower, intertwine when the professor is lured back to his Oklahoma hometown for a doomed scheme against a local drug lord.

Our Take: Ed Norton is an amazingly gifted actor and every single one of his movies is worth a consideration. The reviews so far are a bit tepid though so let’s wait and see…

Chance of Sucking: 35%

Anticipation Factor: 25%

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (September 24)

Director: Oliver Stone

Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Carey Mulligan, Susan Sarandon, Josh Brolin

Plot: As the global economy teeters on the brink of disaster, a young Wall Street trader partners with disgraced former Wall Street corporate raider Gordon Gekko on a two-tiered mission: To alert the financial community to the coming doom, and to find out who was responsible for the death of the young trader’s mentor.

Our Take: I quite enjoyed the first Wall Street and this one looks promising thanks to a solid cast from top to bottom. It will also be interesting to see how Oliver Stone turns Gordon Gekko into a protagonist from the villain he was in the first movie.

Chance of Sucking: 35%

Anticipation Factor: 40%

Never Let Me Go (September 24)

Director: Mark Romanek

Cast: Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield

Plot: As children, Ruth, Kathy and Tommy, spend their childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. As they grow into young adults, they find that they have to come to terms with the strength of the love they feel for each other, while preparing themselves for the haunting reality that awaits them.

Our Take: I have always been a fan of movies set in a dystopian world. The fact that there is some elements of sci-fi have peaked my interest but this is a movie that I will be waiting for the reviews which, so far, have been a bit tepid, praising the cinematography but criticizing the lack of emotional engagement. Wait and see mode.

Chance of Sucking: 40%

Anticipation Factor: 25%

Buried (September 24)

Director: Rodrigo Cortés

Cast: Ryan Reynolds

Plot: Paul is a U.S. contractor working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it’s a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap.

Our Take: This is officially my most anticipated movie for the rest of the year. The script is absolutely outstanding and I fully expect this role to take Ryan Reynolds to places he has never gone before. If you think that a one-character movie that takes place nearly entirely inside a wooden coffin might not be very entertaining, think again.

Chance of Sucking: 10%

Anticipation Factor: 100%

October 2010

The Social Network (October 1)

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Rooney Mara

Plot: On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history… but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications.

Our Take: A tech movie about the conception of Facebook? This may not seem too thrilling but don’t let that mislead you. The fact that the visionary David Fincher is directing this movie should be a good reason enough to see this film. The Social Network could also be another stepping stone for the careers of Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield.

Chance of Sucking: 30%

Anticipation Factor: 35%

Let Me In (October 1)

Director: Matt Reeves

Cast: Chloe Moretz, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Richard Jenkins, Elias Koteas

Plot: Owen is an alienated and bullied 12-year-old who builds a tentative friendship with his mysterious new neighbor, Abby. Only socializing at night and seemingly immune to the winter climate, Abby reveals her true nature to Owen after her father disappears and a series of murders grips their town.

Our Take: Remaking perfectly fine movies seems to be Hollywood’s favorite pastime as of late. The trailer is such a mirror copy of the original film that I have no interest whatsoever in seeing it at this point. I like the talent involved here but why would I pay money to see a movie I have already seen before?

Chance of Sucking: 30%

Anticipation Factor: 5%

Secretariat (October 8th)

Director: Randall Wallace

Cast: Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Scott Glenn, James Cromwell

Plot: Housewife and mother Penny Chenery agrees to take over her ailing father’s Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge. Against all odds, Chenery — with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin — manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in twenty-five years.

Our Take: Is Diane Lane going to pull a Sandra Bullock in another Disney movie to rack an Oscar? It certainly is a possibility with a feel-good movie that reminds very much of last year’s The Blind Side.

Chance of Sucking: 50%

Anticipation Factor: 10%

RED (October 15)

Director: Robert Schwentke

Cast: Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich

Plot: When his idyllic life is threatened by a high-tech assassin, former black-ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old team in a last ditch effort to survive.

Our Take: A lot of old-timers in this film and it looks like it could work if the script and directing is bold enough. Simply watching Helen Mirren firing machine guns and kicking ass should be worth the price of admission.

Chance of Sucking: 30%

Anticipation Factor: 40%

Hereafter (October 22)

Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Matt Damon, Cecile de France, Bryce Dallas Howard

Plot: A supernatural thriller centered on three people — a blue-collar American, a French journalist and a London school boy — who are touched by death in different ways.

Our Take: The trailer is doing absolutely nothing for me so this will be a wait for the reviews movie. Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon team up again but I’m not sure supernatural thrillers are their cup of tea.

Chance of Sucking: 50%

Anticipation Factor: 20%

The Company Men (October 22)

Director: John Wells

Cast: Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper

Plot: The story centers on a year in the life of three men trying to survive a round of corporate downsizing at a major company – and how that affects them, their families, and their communities.

Our Take: A great cast highlights this independent film which is a product of its time and shows what it is to lose your job in the current economic environment. The fact that it is showing in October may demonstrate that it may not be as good as intended so I will wait for the reviews.

Chance of Sucking: 50%

Anticipation Factor: 40%

November 2010

Due Date (November 5)

Director: Todd Phillips

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Juliette Lewis

Plot: High-strung father-to-be Peter Highman is forced to hitch a ride with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay on a road trip in order to make it to his child’s birth on time.

Our Take: This looks like Todd Phillips is trying to milk The Hangover as much as possible by getting Robert Downey Jr. to replace Ed Helms and Bradley Cooper. Phillips did not even try to mask this as the plot that is very similar to his previous outing. This should do well at the box office because of its star power but comedy-wise, it will probably look very familiar.

Chance of Sucking: 40%

Anticipation Factor: 10%

127 Hours (November 5)

Director: Danny Boyle

Cast: James Franco, Lizzy Caplan, Kate Mara

Plot: 127 Hours is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston’s (James Franco) remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah. Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he is finally rescued. Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers (Clemence Poesy), family, and the two hikers (Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara) he met before his accident. Will they be the last two people he ever had the chance to meet?

Our Take: This could really turn around James Franco’s career which has been somewhat stuck in 2nd gear for quite some time. So far, the movie has earned raving reviews at the Toronto and Telluride Film Festivals and I absolutely can’t wait to see this gut-wrenching and uplifting survival story.

Chance of Sucking: 20%

Anticipation Factor: 60%

Morning Glory (November 12)

Director: Roger Mitchell

Cast: Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Patrick Wilson

Plot: A hotshot television producer is set the challenge of reviving a struggling morning show program, despite the constant feuding of its high-profile anchors.

Our Take: I don’t expect Morning Glory to be anything mind-blowing but the script and trailer point to a safe and solid (non-romantic) comedy. With a strong female lead character for a change, a mild girl-empowering message, and a wonderful cast all-around, this is likely to be a pleasant watch ahead of Thanksgiving. Watch for Harrison Ford’s dry wit to put him back on the map!

Chance of Sucking: 25%

Anticipation Factor: 60%

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (November 19)

Director: David Yates

Cast: Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, Ralph Fiennes, Bill Nighy, Helena Bonham Carter

Plot: Voldemort’s power is growing stronger. He now has control over the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione decide to finish Dumbledore’s work and find the rest of the Horcruxes to defeat the Dark Lord. But little hope remains for them, so everything they do must go as planned.

Our Take: I haven’t seen any Harry Potter movie. I highly doubt I would start with the 7th episode. Of course, someday, I will probably wonder why I waited so long to get into Harry Potter…

Chance of Sucking: 35%

Anticipation Factor: 0%

The Next Three Days (November 19)

Director: Paul Haggis

Cast: Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson

Plot: A married couple’s life is turned upside down when the wife is accused of a murder.

Our Take: The premise for The Next Three Days looks interesting and I like the cast. However, the trailer seems to veer into dangerously familiar territory of chase scenes and average Joe turned into deadly killing machine.

Chance of Sucking: 50%

Anticipation Factor: 40%

Love and Other Drugs (November 26)

Director: Edward Zwick

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Hank Azaria, Oliver Platt

Plot: Maggie (Hathaway) is an alluring free spirit who won’t let anyone – or anything – tie her down. But she meets her match in Jamie (Gyllenhaal), whose relentless and nearly infallible charm serve him well with the ladies and in the cutthroat world of pharmaceutical sales. Maggie and Jamie’s evolving relationship takes them both by surprise, as they find themselves under the influence of the ultimate drug: love. Based on Jamie Reidy’s memoir “Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman.”

Our Take: Early reviews have been positive and the talent involved in the movie is certainly a draw. Love and Other Drugs is being marketed as a raunchy rom-com but it actually is a romantic dramedy. This is a movie that could be a major hit at the box office with the right mix of comedy, drama, sappy scenes and yes, nudity from the leads. Expect memorable performances from Gyllenhaal and Hathaway.

Chance of Sucking: 30%

Anticipation Factor: 30%

December 2010

Black Swan (December 1)

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Cast: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder

Plot: Nina (Portman) is a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her obsessive former ballerina mother Erica (Hershey) who exerts a suffocating control over her. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side – a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.

Our Take: I can’t say that the subject of ballet dancing is something I am too interested in. Now, with Darren Aronofsky at the helm, this psychological thriller definitely has a lot of potential to be mind-bending and to showcase the abilities of Natalie Portman. Probably a movie I might catch on DVD sometimes before awards season.

Chance of Sucking: 35%

Anticipation Factor: 25%

The Fighter (December 10)

Director: David O. Russell

Cast: Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams

Plot: The Fighter, is a biopic/drama about boxer “Irish” Micky Ward’s unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer who rebounded in life after nearly being KO’d by drugs and crime.

Our Take: You can’t go wrong with two of my favorite actors, Christian Bale and Amy Adams, in the same movie. Now, if you are a fan of boxing, you will probably not want to miss this movie about the legend Micky Ward who was part of some of the best brawling boxing matches ever fought.

Chance of Sucking: 35%

Anticipation Factor: 60%

Tron: Legacy (December 17)

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Cast: Garrett Hedlund, Michael Sheen, Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde

Plot: Sam Flynn (Hedlund), a rebellious 27-year-old, is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his father Kevin Flynn (Bridges), a man once known as the world’s leading video-game developer. When Sam investigates a strange signal sent from the old Flynn’s Arcade — a signal that could only come from his father– he finds himself pulled into a digital world where Kevin has been trapped for 20 years. With the help of the fearless warrior Quorra (Wilde), father and son embark on a life-or-death journey across a cyber universe — a universe created by Kevin himself that has become far more advanced with vehicles, weapons, landscapes and a ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to prevent their escape.

Our Take: The trailer has done absolutely nothing to get me excited about the movie. Heck, I still don’t even know what the movie is about!!!

Chance of Sucking: 50%

Anticipation Factor: 5%

How Do You Know (December 17)

Director: James L. Brooks

Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Jack Nicholson, Owen Wilson

Plot: Feeling a bit past her prime at 27, former athlete Lisa Jorgenson finds herself in the middle of a love triangle, as a corporate guy in crisis competes with Lisa’s current, baseball-playing beau.

Our Take: The annual Reese Witherspoon romantic comedy. It should be neither bad or great, just a safe, half-charming, already-seen-50-times-before rom-com with established movie stars like Witherspoon, Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson.

Chance of Sucking: 50%

Anticipation Factor: 5%

True Grit (December 25)

Director: The Coen Brothers

Cast: Matt Damon, Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper

Plot: Following the murder of her father by hired hand Tom Chaney, 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross sets out to capture the killer. To aid her, she hires the toughest U.S. marshal she can find, a man with “true grit,” Reuben J. “Rooster” Cogburn. Mattie insists on accompanying Cogburn, whose drinking, sloth, and generally reprobate character do not augment her faith in him. Against his wishes, she joins him in his trek into the Indian Nations in search of Chaney. They are joined by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, who wants Chaney for his own purposes. The unlikely trio find danger and surprises on the journey, and each has his or her “grit” tested.

Our Take: The Coen Brothers always make movies that are worth watching and the talent involved in this movie is truly exciting.

Chance of Sucking: 30%

Anticipation Factor: 40%

Blue Valentine (December 31)

Director: Derek Cianfrance

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams

Plot: The film centers on a contemporary married couple, charting their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between time periods.

Our Take: Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are two of the most talented young actors in Hollywood and the film was a hit at the Sundance film festival. That’s enough for me to give this small indie romance a shot.

Chance of Sucking: 30%

Anticipation Factor: 60%

Everything Must Go (2010)

Director: Dan Rush

Cast: Will Ferrell, Rebecca Hall, Michael Pena

Plot: When an alcoholic relapses, causing him to lose his wife and his job, he holds a yard sale on his front lawn in an attempt to start over. A new neighbor might be the key to his return to form.When an alcoholic relapses, causing him to lose his wife and his job, he holds a yard sale on his front lawn in an attempt to start over. A new neighbor might be the key to his return to form.

Our Take: The wonderful script by Dan Rush puts Will Ferrell back into a dramatic role. With a solid supporting cast highlighted by the rising Rebecca Hall and good old Ferrell as the lead, I can’t wait to see how this turns out.

Chance of Sucking: 20%

Anticipation Factor: 90%

What movies are you most looking forward to? Any movies that we didn’t mention that should be on the list? Discuss in the comments!