With one exception (Deadpool & Wolverine), I haven’t been to the movies in quite a while on account of the widespread mediocrity and general suckage to be found in what Hollywood has offered us lately. Fortunately, the lean months look like they’ve now passed, with a slew of top-tier and — get this — interesting movies coming soon that aren’t laden with superheroes or are just some paint-by-numbers project from a director who’s out of ideas.
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. To the theater, that is. These four movies below are guaranteeing that I’ll make at least four more trips to my local multiplex over the next few months, and I know I won’t be the only one.
My Old Ass (Sept. 13)
To start, I am declaring myself here and now a hardcore fan of Megan Park.
My Old Ass, starring Maisy Stella and Aubrey Plaza, is a new feature film that Park wrote and directed, and it’s built around a simple yet brilliant idea: What if you could come face-to-face with an older version of yourself?
Park’s story is a coming-of-age gem that will have you deep in your feels, and the two lead actresses, with Plaza portraying the 39-year-old (“very young adult!”) version of the main character Elliott, were perfectly cast. It’s actually an 18th birthday mushroom trip that brings the free-spirited younger version of Elliott into contact with her older, wisecracking self, setting the whole story in motion. “But when Elliott’s ‘old ass’ starts handing out warnings about what her younger self should and shouldn’t do, Elliott realizes she has to rethink everything about family, love, and what’s becoming a transformative summer.”
Given the fact that my cheeks hurt from smiling so much throughout the trailer alone, I’d say that bodes well for the movie itself. It’s a fun thought experiment that makes for a fresh and original feature film that you don’t want to end.
Anora (Oct. 18)
Next on the list of movies I’m most excited for right now is an indie gem from Neon that’s been described as the Uncut Gems of this year’s Cannes competition. It’s about a sex worker who marries the drug-addled scion of a Russian oligarch played by Mark Eydelshteyn, who gives a mesmerizing performance here that’s drawing comparisons to the work of Timothée Chalamet.
Playing the sex worker Anora, who goes by Ani, is an effervescent Mikey Madison.
Two lost souls finding each other amid their respective ennui isn’t exactly daring new cinematic territory. That said, I’ve always got time for a movie that finds heart and humanity in the lowliest and most unexpected places. Raves EW about Anora: “Ani wins us over from her first moments on screen, charming customers and droppings one-liners amidst lap dances. Madison is effervescent in the role, blending street smarts, romantic naivety, and an effortless charm.”
Conclave (Nov. 1)
All Quiet on the Western Front, director Edward Berger’s World War I movie for Netflix, was one of the most disturbing yet unforgettable war movies I think I’ve ever seen in my entire life. So I’m all-in on Berger’s new Conclave, a drama about Vatican politics starring Ralph Fiennes, given the director’s past work. But also because it’s based on a book by a first-rate author I can’t get enough of — Robert Harris, whose 2016 novel of the same name forms the basis of this new movie.
Harris writes a lot of great historical fiction — and, speaking of Netflix, his Munich was also turned into a feature film for the streamer.
As for the plot of Conclave: From the official synopsis, it “follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events — selecting a new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy and discovers a secret that could shake the very foundation of The Church.”
Gladiator II (Nov. 22)
I don’t know about you all, but I’m planning to go into this fourth movie with the lowest of expectations.
Don’t get me wrong; I’ll be among the first in line to see it in the theater, because, come on — this is a sequel to one of the greatest, most iconic movies of the 2000s we’re talking about here. From the same director, too, who’s found a way to continue the story of late-era Rome when the empire was at the height of its decadence and corruption.
There’s really nothing that needs to be said here about the original Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe, which told an epic story of military and political intrigue and was packed with spellbinding fights among gladiators that ultimately left us all reeling. The cinematography was evocative and atmospheric. The soundtrack stirred your soul.
Can lighting strike in the same place twice? I can’t wait to find out. For now, I’m going into this one cautiously optimistic. “Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle,” the official synopsis reads, “Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.”
Oh, and by the way — I forgot to mention there are water battles in the Colosseum this time around. Let the games begin.
