Now that Summer is officially over, it's time for more serious movies to take center stage. While Oscar buzz has already begun on a number of films [1], it can be tough to parse out which ones you actually want to see. After all, it's the fun stuff like Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them that will break the box office. Out of all the movies coming out this Fall [2], we've narrowed the list down to the 10 buzziest that you'll need to see if you want to keep up with any film discussions at dinner parties in the coming months. Take a look!
The Girl on the Train
- Starring: Emily Blunt [4], Justin Theroux, and Luke Evans
- The scoop: Haven't read the excellent bestseller by Paula Hawkins yet? If you don't want to ruin the movie for yourself, you might actually want to consider holding off. Tate Taylor (The Help) is directing this adaptation of the thriller, which is busting with talent. In addition to the headliners, Edgar Ramírez, Rebecca Ferguson, Laura Prepon, Allison Janney, and Lisa Kudrow are all starring. The murder mystery is positively poised to be this year's Gone Girl!
- Release date: Oct. 7
- Watch the trailer [5].
The Birth of a Nation
- Starring: Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, and Aja Naomi King
- The scoop: Based on the true story of Nat Turner's slave rebellion, the bloody and poignant The Birth of a Nation left audiences stunned when it premiered at Sundance. It won both the audience award and the grand jury prize, which is a good omen for its fate during award season.
- Release date: Oct. 7
- Watch the trailer [6].
Doctor Strange
- Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams [7], and Tilda Swinton
- The scoop: Captain America and Thor are great, but it's about time we got some fresh blood into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Cumberbatch is starring as Doctor Strange, an actual doctor who develops powers while fighting cancer. He'll be battling it out with two supervillains, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Mads Mikkelsen.
- Release date: Nov. 4
- Watch the trailer [8].
Arrival
- Starring: Amy Adams [9], Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker
- The scoop: When aliens come to Earth, who should be our first line of defense? A linguist, right? Adams plays Dr. Louise Banks, tasked with communicating with aliens when they come to earth. It makes a lot more sense in the trailer, I promise, and it's also playing at the Toronto International Film Festival.
- Release date: Nov. 11
- Watch the trailer [10].
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
- Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, and Ezra Miller
- The scoop: Return to the Wizarding world of Harry Potter [11] with this new story from J.K. Rowling. Redmayne plays Newt Scamander, a writer who explores New York City — including all of its magical corners — in the '20s. Directed by David Yates (who did four Harry Potter films), it's safe to say we're in good hands.
- Release date: Nov. 18
- Watch the trailer [12].
Nocturnal Animals
- Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal [13], Amy Adams [14], Isla Fisher [15], and Armie Hammer
- The scoop: Based on Austin Wright's novel Tony and Susan, this drama follows a woman (Adams) who becomes obsessed with the threatening symbolism of her ex-husband's (Gyllenhaal) manuscript. Given that Fisher and Hammer are basically playing fictional doppelgängers to Adams and Gyllenhaal, I'm all in on this already.
- Release date: Nov. 18, limited (Dec. 9, wide)
Moana
- Starring: Dwayne Johnson and Auli'i Cravalho
- The scoop: Disney heads to the islands of the South Pacific for this mystical tale. Johnson is playing a demigod to newcomer Cravalho's wise-beyond-her-years teen. With original songs cowritten by Hamilton's Lin Manuel-Miranda, you can't go wrong.
- Release date: Nov. 23
- Watch the trailer [16].
Allied
- Starring: Brad Pitt [17], Marion Cotillard, and Lizzy Caplan
- The scoop: Two of the most beautiful people in all the land, Pitt and Cotillard, star in this 1942-set romantic thriller about two spies whose relationship is strained by the war.
- Release date: Nov. 23
- Watch the trailer [18].
La La Land
- Starring: Emma Stone [19] and Ryan Gosling [20]
- The scoop: Stone and Gosling are attempting to solidify themselves as this generation's Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy with their third film together, La La Land. This musical has already caught our ears thanks to its soundtrack; let's just hope the love story, about a jazz pianist and an actress, is as good!
- Release date: Dec. 2
- Watch the trailer [21].
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, and Riz Ahmed
- The scoop: This Star Wars spinoff takes place between Episodes III and IV, and centers on a group of rebels who need to steal the plans for the infamous Death Star. For better or worse, this is definitely one film everyone will be talking about.
- Release date: Dec. 16
- Watch the trailer [23].
