ON THE BIG SCREEN

HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FALL FLICKS
DUNE
PG13
Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi novel Dune is back on the big screen in this new iteration directed by Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Blade Runner 2049). Timothee Chalamet stars as the man who must protect the most important substance in the universe; an all-star cast joins him in this ambitious production shot in 2019. In key roles, look for Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Javier Bardem, and Rebecca Ferguson.

THE FRENCH DISPATCH
R
Wes Anderson’s latest (completed in 2019) is a love letter to journalism, as told in his inimitable (and much beloved) quirky style. Set in a fictional French city, this collection of stories stars many of Anderson’s favorite actors—Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, Angelica Huston, Adrian Brody, Frances McDormand, Bob Balaban, Tilda Swinton, Tony Revolori, Lea Seydoux, Willem Dafoe—as well as Timothee Chalamet, Elisabeth Moss, and Jeffrey Wright. It’s going to be great!

NO TIME TO DIE
PG-13
James Bond lives, in this 25th film about the suave British superspy. Another film was completed in 2019 and held until movie lovers returned to theaters; this one stars Daniel Craig again as Bond, who has retired to Jamaica. But that cannot possibly happen, and so once again, he’s pulled into a dangerous situation against a villain who could destroy the world. But, familiar plot notwithstanding, we all love a good Bond film, now don’t we? Rami Malik and Ana de Armas co-star.

VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE
PG-13
Venom that Marvel alien superhero who uses a journalist’s body as a host, is back in this sequel to 2018’s Venom. Once again, starring Tom Hardy in the title role and Michelle Williams and Woody Harrelson, this one throws a serial killer into the mix. This movie will be filled with special effects and lots of fight sequences directed by Andy Serkis and starring Naomi Harris. It is a Marvel movie, after all.

THRILLERS FROM PAST TO PRESENT
ANTLERS
R
This scary entry into the “creepy movies set in the Pacific Northwest” genre stars Keri Russell and Jesse Plemons as siblings whose lives become embroiled with a tweener boy who has a terrible secret about something out in the woods. Is it a monster or just a figment of his adolescent imagination? Get ready to scream when you find out, watching this film produced by horror master Guillermo del Toro.

THE LAST DUEL
R
Ridley Scott directs this star-studded, fact-based medieval tale of the duel between a French knight and his squire. With Oscar-winning screenwriters Matt Damon and Ben Affleck reuniting to pen the story after almost 25 years since that Good Will Hunting win—and also taking on starring roles, this one’s got a lot going for it. Add in Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) and Adam Driver to round out the lead cast, and there’s a lot of talent packed into this evocative tale of days of yore.

LAST NIGHT IN SOHO
Not yet rated
Another big-screen flick made in 2019 and just now making it to theaters, this dark modern thriller is set in London and stars Anya Taylor-Joy of The Queen’s Gambit fame. Again, one of the screen›s great faces, she›s starring opposite Diana Rigg, who once had a similar claim to fame; this, Rigg›s last movie, lets both women prove once again that they are much more than just pretty faces. Set in the world of 1960s high fashion, it›s hard not to think of Rigg dressed to kill as Emma Peel while watching.

THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK
R
Tony Soprano returns in this original story of the New Jersey mobster who mesmerized HBO viewers for six TV seasons (1999 to 2007). This movie stars the late James Gandolfini’s 22-year-old son Michael in the role of Tony, along with a terrific cast of actors taking on the younger personas of the characters, we all know too well from the series. Look for Alessandro Nivola, Corey Stoll, Jon Berenthal, Ray Liotta, and Vera Farmiga (as Livia Soprano, that should be a sight to see) in this look at the forces that shaped all the characters’ younger days.