Worst2First: My Most Anticipated Films of Fall 2022

Worst2First:
My Most Anticipated Films of Fall 2022

The arrival of fall brings about the unofficial start of Oscar-bait films, but it also includes several crowd-pleasing franchise films and horror movies in preparation for the Halloween season. With that in mind, here are my top ten films I'm most excited to see during the Fall months of September, October, and November.

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**
**DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE**

#10

Black Adam

October 21

The DCEU has been floundering for a while to say the least, and can't seem to get its footing compared to the MCU, but they're putting hope that "Black Adam" will reverse that tide. It doesn't hurt that Dwayne Johnson takes on the titular antihero role, but it also comes with reservations, as Johnson is pretty much a one-note actor, so we'll see if he can lose the comedy bit since Black Adam isn't someone known to be a jovial character. He, unlike other heroes, has no quarrels with killing the bad guys, and his arrival draws the attention of the Justice Society of America, who wants to train him to not be a killer as they try to fight something bigger than he is. Co-starring Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate and Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, "Black Adam" could be the black sheep of the DCEU to bring it back into the cinematic fold.

#9

The Woman King

September 16

Films based on true stories should be taken for a grain of salt when it comes to historical accuracy, and "The Woman King" will probably follow that pattern just from the trailer alone, as if you do research into the real all-female warriors known as the Agojie, you'll probably find some information that doesn't make them as seemingly superpowered as they are here. Still, it looks to be a wild, bloody, epic action adventure led by the always amazing Viola Davis along with John Boyega, Hero Fiennes Tiffin (who can prove himself to be an actual actor after those terrible "After" films), Lashana Lynch, and newcomer Thuso Mbedu.

#8

Amsterdam

October 7

David O. Russell is known for being a combative, verbally abusive, and downright nasty director by pretty much anyone who's worked with him, so seeing how he still manages to acquire a huge A-list cast proves that his vision is still alluring. "Amsterdam" is an original film written by the director centering on three friends - played by Christian Bale, John David Washington, and Margot Robbie - who become prime suspects in a murder that takes place in the 1930s. Surrounding them are the likes of Rami Malik, Robert De Niro, Anya Taylor-Joy, Taylor Swift, Mike Myers, Timothy Olyphant, Zoe Saldana, and Chris Rock, and appears to be a classic Hollywood throwback style filled with tension, suspense, and even some dark humor.

#7

The Menu

November 18

Anya Taylor-Joy is one of my favorite actresses, so seeing her in not one, but two ("Amsterdam"), films in 2022 is a pure delight, and especially more here since she's the main star. The film follows her character Margot along with Nicholas Hoult's Tyler as they travel to a remote island to dine at the world-famous Hawthorne, run by the eccentric celebrity chef Slowik (played by Ralph Fiennes), but they soon learn that it's not about stylish dishes or delicious meals, and appears to unravel into a "Battle Royale" style hunt for the most deadly game of all.

#6

She Said

November 18

Firing off the important #metoo movement, "She Said" is the true story of The New York Times journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey who broke the decades-long silence of the sexual abuse brought on by the powerful Harvey Weinstein and brought the monster down. Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan star as Kantor and Twohey as they fight a seemingly losing battle against Hollywood's most powerful elite to expose the dark truth that they've been concealing by bringing the victims together to tell their story. There's a lot of "Spotlight" vibes here, and will undoubtedly be a strong contender come Oscar season.

#5

The Banshees of Inisherin

October 21

What happens when two former best friends have a falling out, and especially what happens when one of those friends doesn't even know it happened? The holy cinematic trinity of director Martin McDonaugh and stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson reunite after "In Bruges" to find out what happens when Gleeson's Colm stops being friends with Farrell's Padraic, and the possible dark outcome that comes from it. This Irish comedy-drama looks to be intense and filled with McDonaugh's unique blend that's made him a powerful director for films like "In Bruges" and his Oscar-nominated masterpiece "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," along with impeccable performances by Farrell and Gleeson, who already have strong comedic and dramatic history together.

#4

Bones and All

November 23

There's not a lot known about this film yet, so why is it so high on my list? Because you reunite Timothee Chalamet with director Luca Guadagnino after his Oscar-nominated role in "Call Me By Your Name" - one of the best romance films of all time - and tell a whole new love story: the love story of two cannibals. Chalamet stars with "Escape Room" standout Taylor Russell as two star-crossed lovers who embark on a road trip through North America in the 1980s, but are also flesh-eating cannibals, making a unique blend of a coming-of-age drama with body horror that Guadagnino excels at in both ends (both with "Call Me By Your Name" and the remake of "Suspiria"). I feel the less I know about this film the better, and I'm jumping out of my skin in anticipation.

#3

Don't Worry Darling

September 23

Along with Anya Taylor-Joy, Florence Pugh is one of my favorite newer actresses, so this fall is going to be an amazing time at the theater for me. Set in the 1950s, Pugh stars as Alice, a devoted wife to Harry Styles' Jack who live in the confines of a company town run by Frank (played by Chris Pine) who also spearheads the "Victory Project" that Jack and all the men in the town work for. Tension and suspicion builds as Alice slowly learns that not everything is as perfect as it appears, leading her down a rabbit hole that could spell her doom. Co-starring Olivia Wilde (who directed the project), Chris Pine, KiKi Layne, Gemma Chan, and Nick Kroll, "Don't Worry Darling" looks to be a new "Stepford Wives" style mystery led by the impeccable Pugh.

#2

Halloween Ends

October 14

John Carpenter single-handedly re-vitalized the slasher genre with 1978's masterpiece "Halloween," and ever since then the titular holiday is synonymous with the name Michael Myers. While the franchise has had its ups and downs and basically serves as a "choose your own adventure" route (meaning there's many different options to watch the sequels depending what timeline you want to go down), the essence of "Halloween" has always been the connection between Michael Myers and Jamie Lee Curtis's Laurie Strode, the babysitter he once targeted back in 1978. Forty years later, "Halloween" debuted and brought back the legendary scream queen to go toe-to-toe with her arch nemesis, and while "Halloween Kills" was...well...trash...I still have hope that "Halloween Ends" will be a fitting conclusion for the over forty-year tete-a-tete. Set four years after "Kills," Laurie is living with her granddaughter and writing her memoir, with Michael nowhere to be seen - but after a young man is accused of killing a boy he was babysitting, the memories come flooding back - and so does Michael. Again, I'm cautiously optimistic, and despite the ups and downs I still can't get enough of that score.

#1

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

November 11

The MCU has had a rough go since "Endgame," with most of its Phase Four films being panned by critics and audiences, but no film in the MCU has been as highly anticipated than "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." Ryan Coogler returns to the director's chair to helm what'll easily be the most emotionally-driven Marvel film to date, due to Chadwick Boseman's untimely death in 2018, and how he would move the Black Panther movie forward without Black Panther. The film will honor Boseman's memory as a new Black Panther is to be crowned and must protect Wakanda from outside forces, most notably Namor and his Talocan army from the ocean. Letita Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Angela Bassett and Winston Duke return, along with the introduction of Dominique Thorne's Riri Williams, also known as Ironheart, and this looks to be something that'll be just as big as the original "Black Panther," and maybe even more.