Worst2First: My Most Anticipated Films of Fall 2023

 Worst2First:
My Most Anticipated Films of Fall 2023

The months of September, October and November are filled with films that run the gambit: there's Oscar-bait films, horror (since Halloween is soon approaching), as well as sequels and continuations of long-running franchises, and 2023 doesn't appear to be any different.  Due to the strike, however, a few major films ("Poor Things" and, especially, "Dune Part 2") have been moved, and possibly others might follow - but for now here are the ten films I'm most excited to see in the fall months of 2023...

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**
**DUE TO THE STRIKE, DATES ARE SUBJECT (AND MAYBE LIKELY) TO CHANGE**

#10

A Haunting in Venice

September 15

Agatha Christie was the foremost mystery novelists of all time, creating the legendary detective Hercule Poirot, who's been immortalized not just in her novels but numerous films as well. Recently Kenneth Branagh has taken the role of the mustache twirling detective in "Murder on the Orient Express" and "Death on the Nile," and now he returns for "A Haunting in Venice," based on Christie's novel Hallowe'en Party. When Poirot is invited to a seance to try to disprove the existence of mediums, he is thrust into yet another murder mystery where the killer just might in fact be the undead. As always everything isn't as it appears, and this looks to be an exciting murder mystery wrapped in a horror genre. Branagh co-stars with some huge A-list talent including Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan, and Jude Hill.

#9

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

November 17

"The Hunger Games" was a worldwide phenomenon and made a household name out of Jennifer Lawrence, but as the films progressed they became less and less bankable, until it finally ended with the two-part "Mockingjay" films. Everyone thought they were done with the perils of Panem, but now there's "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," which takes place years before Katniss Everdeen dominated the games. We all know President Snow as a vile, reprehensible human being who ruled Panem with an iron fist, but what made him that way? Here we seem to find out as now he's a trainer for a young girl from District 12 named Lucy Gray Baird who, like Katniss, bucked the system. Being told he's supposed to turn the players into spectacles rather than survivors, he falls in love with Lucy and sets out to make sure she wins. To try to humanize a villain is always a difficult bet, and in the hands of relative newcomer Tom Blyth I don't know if it'll happen, but with a strong supporting cast including Viola Davis and Peter Dinklage - as well as the talent of Rachel Zegler as Lucy - I have a bit of hope that this film won't turn out to be a total fluke.

#8

The Exorcist: Believer

October 13

"The Exorcist" is one of the best horror films ever crafted, telling the story of young possessed Regan who underwent an extreme exorcism to get the demon out of her. The film terrified audiences in the day and continues to do so today, but their sequels (save for one of the best jump scare moments in horror movie history with Part III), so when it was announced that David Gordon Green (who both gave us a great sequel in "Halloween" and one of the worst ever in "Halloween Ends") would be doing his own trilogy of "Exorcist" films, I died a little inside. Thinking this was going to be a remake, my interest was piqued slightly when I saw the trailer and saw it wasn't that way. Instead of one young girl being possessed, there's two, so be sure to be doubly scared - or doubly disappointed. In true David Gordon Green fashion he brings back another legacy character after Jamie Lee Curtis with Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil, along with veteran actors Ann Dowd and Leslie Odom Jr., as well as Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles. Here's hoping I won't need holy water to cleanse my eyes from a terrible film.

#7

Saw X

September 29

The "Saw" franchise was one with incredible promise. The first film included one of the biggest shock twists in modern horror history and also gave birth to the "torture porn" subgenre, while the second outing was on par with the first. Then the third came and it started going downhill - some would say it "spiral"ed downhill (get it?) - with each outing, especially since the main killer was out of the picture after the third, instead focusing on John Kramer's proteges instead. Even though there was a "Final Chapter," two other films (including a disastrous spin-off of sorts featuring Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson) came to fruition, and now we got "Saw X," which, in essence, should be called "Saw 1.5" since it takes place between the events of the first and second film. Still, we get to see the welcomed return of Tobin Bell's John Kramer (as well as the only good protege in Shawnee Smith's Amanda) as he does what he does best - show people the error of their ways in the most gruesome of fashion. This time he chooses a group of scam artists who failed to cure his cancer, giving them options to live: at a terrible price.

#6

The Holdovers

November 10

"Sideways" director Alexander Payne reunites with Paul Giamatti to give a heartfelt, emotional film in "The Holdovers." Giamatti plays Paul Hunham, a disliked teacher tasked with watching over students during Christmas break who didn't have a place to go. Newcomer Dominic Sessa stars as Angus, a rebellious but smart youth who's stuck at the school after the death of his father, and the two form an unlikely friendship as the holidays progress, as each one learns from the other how to be a bit softer around the edges. Throw in a commanding supporting performance from Tony-nominated actress Da'Vine Joy Randolph and you've got the trifecta of performances that'll bring a warmth to your heart during the upcoming cold months.

#5

Foe

October 6

Originality is a rarity in cinema, and even moreso when the original film is actually good. "Foe" looks to be one of those films, and with the director of the tear-jerker "Lion" behind the camera, I have no doubt about the film's success. Oscar nominees Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal star as a married couple living in the future where they're given an impossible task: Mescal's Junior is informed that he'll be sent to live in a space station while Ronan's Henrietta would be living on earth with a robot copy. What follows looks to be a tense, suspenseful futuristic thriller featuring two of today's hottest young actors giving their all.

#4

The Creator

September 29

There's been much discussion lately about artificial intelligence and how it can both help and, possibly, end humanity as we know it. "The Creator" looks at the latter, after AI unleashed a nuclear bomb on Los Angeles. Now there's a war between humanity and AI, and special forces agent Joshua (played by John David Washington) is tasked with hunting down and destroying a mysterious weapon the AI invented to destroy mankind: only to find it's a child (played by young newcomer Madeleine Yuna Voyles). Joshua's loyalty is tested when he refuses to kill the child, and learns that not all AI is bad - and not all humans are good. This looks to be an epic sci-fi action epic with a tender heart at the center, with an original story written by "Rogue One" director Gareth Edwards (who also gifted us with the terribly underrated "Monsters").

#3

The Marvels

November 10

The MCU has, to say the least, not been stellar since 2019's "Avengers: Endgame." Films like "Thor: Love & Thunder," "Black Widow," "Eternals," and to an extent "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" have been lackluster at best, and terrible at worst. An over-saturation of superhero films has led to superhero fatigue, and it's under these dire straights that "The Marvels" arrives. Brie Larson returns as Carol Danvers, and this time she's joined by Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan as they embark on a universe saving mission to stop the Kree from destroying everything. The only problem is whenever they use their powers, they switch places, which complicates things. Samuel L. Jackson returns as Nick Fury, and while I don't have too high hopes, hope does still spring eternal.

#2

Napoleon

November 24

Ridley Scott is one of the most prolific directors of our time, giving us classics like "Alien," "Gladiator," and "The Martian" to name a few. Now he returns to his historic roots with "Napoleon," the story of the rise and fall of one of history's greatest - and most devious - generals. Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix (who worked with Scott in "Gladiator") plays the titular warrior-turned-emperor-turned exiled man as he showcases his prowess as well as his villainy. Vanessa Kirby stars as Napoleon's love Empress Josephine who seems just as cold as he, and this looks to be a historic epic filled with intense action and even more intense performances that will (hopefully) be recognized come Oscar season.

#1

Killers of the Flower Moon

October 20

Three names: Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro. Those names alone are well worth the price of admission, but "Killers of the Flower Moon" does more than just hang on the laurels of the names behind and in front of the camera. The film is the true story of the Osage Tribe in Oklahoma in the 1920s who discovered gold on their land, and was subsequently snuffed out by white men who wanted their land for themselves. Touching on a dark piece of American history, the film looks to be as intense as the real-life events surrounding it, accompanied by awards-worthy performances by DiCaprio, De Niro, Jesse Plemons, and a career-making performance by newcomer Lily Gladstone.