In the first part of our fall movie preview, we told you about the sequels and spectacles that are heading to theaters this fall.
Now we’re back with the kid-friendly movies – and the Oscar contenders.
For the kiddies
To lighten things up, the mildly-spooky Goosebumps comes out Oct. 16. Jack Black stars as children’s book author R.L. Stine, whose fantastical creatures get unleashed into the world.
As we mentioned last time, here’s an opportunity to talk to local independent bookstores and see whether they’re putting on events in conjunction with the film.
Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of Charles M. Schultz’s creations are given the big-screen treatment, in the full-length animated The Peanuts Movie (Nov. 6).
Also tapping into the nostalgia factor is Jem and the Holograms (Oct. 23), now live-action. Jem (who keeps her identity a secret with makeup) has been plucked out of obscurity via Youtube.
A Pixar release, The Good Dinosaur (Nov. 25) is sure to delight the kiddies, this time being about dinosaurs and humans who roam the earth together. It looks a bit more lighthearted than this year’s other Pixar offering, Inside Out, which was a thought-provoking summer hit.
Pixar’s movies always perform well, but you might look deeper to ask, “What have been its biggest failures and successes? What does it have coming out that looks promising in 2016 and beyond?”
There are a handful of notable comedies arriving this fall as well. Sisters (Dec. 18) stars the dynamic duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as siblings throwing a wild party.
The Night Before is a weed-filled holiday comedy starring Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie. Daddy’s Home (Dec. 25) is a face-off comedy with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg competing to prove they are the best father.
The Intern (Sept 25), starring Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway, looks like it could be a well-cast charmer, and Rock the Kasbah (Oct. 23) features Bill Murray as a down-on-his luck music producer stuck in Afghanistan.
Oscar contenders
This fall, there are a number of heavy themed biopics coming out. Some of them might be based on stories that happened where you are, or which affect your audience.
The movie that’s already causing buzz in Boston and beyond is Black Mass, the story of the ruthless, fugitive criminal Whitey Bulger. There were millions of dollars involved in the Bulger story, as well as crime and the involvement of the FBI.
Meryl Streep is in a supporting role for Suffragette, and if she gets nominated for this, it will be her 20th nomination. The women’s movement is a story that resounds across the country, and Streep is an economic engine in her own right, one of the few actresses able to attract an audience to a film.
What were her best financially performing roles and what actually earned her an Oscar? What kinds of roles get her nominations? What have been her biggest flops?
Come back next Tuesday for our third installment, as we look at some of the more unusual movies coming to theaters this fall.
