Spooky season is officially upon us, and this month's new releases are in tune with the change of weather. There's a gothic dark comedy, several science fiction survival stories and a war journalist biopic. The leaves are falling; the topics are somber.
'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' (Sept. 6)
The "ghost with the most" is born again. A long-awaited sequel to one of Tim Burton's directorial crown jewels, 1988's cult hit "Beetlejuice," brings back Winona Ryder as fang-banged goth gal Lydia Deetz, Catherine O'Hara as her fire-haired mother and Michael Keaton as the titular zombified demon. "Wednesday" star Jenna Ortega, often dubbed a Gen Z version of Winona, joins the cast as — fittingly — Lydia's daughter. Danny Elfman's bombastic score is back too, as is Burton's angular and unmistakable production design.
'His Three Daughters' (Sept. 6)
The second flick on this list that is about the inevitability of death, Azazel Jacobs' "His Three Daughters" depicts the tricky time in a person's life when they must begin to care for a parent. Three acting titans — Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen — star as estranged sisters who reunite around their father's sick bed. "Jacobs gamely captures the out-of-time emotional shearing and bizarre mundanity of palliative care, how the walls, memories, hours warp and metastasize around waiting for the inevitable," said The Guardian.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'Lee' (Sept. 27)
"Lee" marks the directorial debut of Ellen Kuras, an Oscar-nominated cinematographer best known for shooting "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." The biopic is led by Kate Winslet (reteaming with Kuras after "Eternal Sunshine") who plays photojournalist and World War II correspondent Lee Miller. The real-life Miller began her career as a model for Vogue before enlisting as a photographer to cover the war for the magazine; the film follows her perilous journey. The star-studded cast includes Alexander Skarsgard, Andy Samberg and Marion Cotillard.
'Megapolis' (Sept. 27)
Francis Ford Coppola's new epic took decades to make and loads of his own money to fund. It has been marred by recent controversies about the director forcibly kissing extras on set. And yet, the latest project from the visionary behind "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now" is also supposed to be unlike anything else coming out this year (or perhaps this century).
Set during the collapse of an imagined American empire "while referencing the fall of Rome," said Variety, the film is a work of "absolute madness," said Vulture critic Bilge Ebiri. "There is nothing in 'Megalopolis' that feels like something out of a 'normal' movie. It has its own logic and cadence and vernacular." Time magazine's Stephanie Zacharek called the film "so weird, so ungainly and yet in some places so glorious that anyone who squints at it and says, 'I don't get it' is playing right into its wiggy strategy." Ultimately, the critic added, "I'll take a messy, imaginative sprawl over a waxen, tasteful enterprise any day." It stars Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito and Aubrey Plaza.
'The Wild Robot' (Sept. 27)
In the mood for something lighter after all this list's darkness? Take heart with Dreamworks' new animation "The Wild Robot," based on a New York Times-bestselling middle grade novel by Peter Brown and directed by Oscar-nominated Chris Sanders ("Lilo & Stitch," "How to Train Your Dragon"). The story follows Roz, a robot voiced by Lupita Nyong'o, who is accidentally stranded by his kind on an uninhabited island. Well, uninhabited by humans: The robot makes friends with foxes, ducklings and deer. Sanders said he took inspiration from Disney classics and Japanese master animator Hayao Miyazaki, resulting in a style described as "a Monet painting in a Miyazaki forest," said Variety.
-
October 5 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's political cartoons include half-truth hucksters, Capitol lockdown, and more
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailoutTalking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
9 haunted hotels where things definitely go bump in the nightThe Week Recommends Don’t fear these spirited spots. Embrace them.
-
The 5 best zombie TV shows of all timeThe Week Recommends For undead aficionados, the age of abundance has truly arrived
-
Pucker up with these 8 soothing lip balms and treatmentsThe Week Recommends Don’t pout — these lip balms offer hydration and shine
-
7 bars to visit that celebrate the magic of the classic and the modernThe Week Recommends Where to drink now in the US
-
Enjoy the scenery on these 7 colorful fall road tripsThe Week Recommends 'Tis the season for autumn foliage
-
The soups, noodles and cake to make this the most tasty fall yetThe Week Recommends Soothing plates from across the globe
-
Sing songs with Sandler, gawk at Gaffigan: These are the comedians to catch on tour this fallthe week recommends Laugh to keep yourself from crying
-
Projects and pantry staples: Fall’s new cookbooks are primed to help you achieve all sorts of deliciousnessThe Week Recommends Starring new releases from celebri-cooks Samin Nosrat and Alison Roman
