Editors' Picks: Entertainment Must Haves For October

Come Oct. 3, the wait will finally be over! After so many months of picking apart the cast and analyzing the trailer, David Fincher's adaptation of Gone Girl will finally be released. I got a sneak peek at the movie and I — along with many other critics — can confirm that Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike are excellent, and Tyler Perry is an unexpected scene-stealer. Fans of Fincher's films and Gillian Flynn's book alike will love it.

— Maggie Pehanick, assistant editor

We've pored over every detail of American Horror Story: Freak Show, and we're really just ready to see it for ourselves. The new season looks twisted (as usual), and we'll get to finally meet all the sideshow acts on Oct. 8. It'll be great to welcome back returning players like Jessica Lange and Evan Peters, but I'm also curious about the newbies, like Michael Chiklis.

— MP

I'm all about Robert Downey Jr. all the time, but even I'm a little tuckered out when it comes to seeing him play Tony Stark. He'll be in a different kind of suit on Oct. 10, starring as a hotshot lawyer who returns home and has to defend his father (Robert Duvall) against murder charges. Vera Farmiga, Dax Shepard, Billy Bob Thornton, and Leighton Meester round out an all-star cast, and I'm excited to see whether this movie is worth coaxing Downey Jr. out of that iron getup.

— MP

Whiplash has become this year's film festival hit, and I'm excited for everyone to finally see why on Oct. 10. Miles Teller breaks out of his funny supporting character shtick to play a student jazz drummer under the tutelage of a demanding teacher, played by J.K. Simmons. It's Simmons who really impresses here as someone whose intentions are unclear — is he a genius coaxing out genius, or is he a sadist?

— Shannon Vestal, editor

New series are continuing to roll out this month, including the Arrow spinoff, The Flash, one I'm really excited about. If superheroes aren't your thing, there's also Stalker, Bad Judge, Gracepoint, A to Z, Mulaney, Cristela, The Affair, Jane the Virgin, Marry Me, Constantine, and The McCarthys. Basically, clear your schedule, download our printable calendar, and prepare to prioritize primetime.

— MP

It's always a treat to see megastar Brad Pitt in a movie, and when it's a dramatic WWII movie, it's even better. We still love Inglourious Basterds, but Fury promises more emotional heft and a fantastic supporting cast that includes Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña, and Jon Bernthal. The film comes out Oct. 17.

— SV

Jake Gyllenhaal dropped weight and goes to a totally new place to play Lou Bloom in the thriller Nightcrawler, which comes out, appropriately, on Halloween. Gyllenhaal earned raves for playing an ambitious and unhinged man who films crime scenes for TV news when it came to TIFF this year, where I saw it. The movie is timely in a creepy way and worth seeing for the actor's performance.

— SV

This month, the rest of our favorite shows come back, with The CW leading the charge with the debuts of new seasons of The Vampire Diaries, Reign, The Originals, and Arrow, to name a few. It's a big month for other networks too; The Walking Dead, Homeland, and Elementary are also coming back. Clear out the DVR, because it's about to get full.

— SV

Halloween-themed episodes are an absolute must for comedy series and even some dramas. We look forward to Modern Family every year, and we've already gotten a sneak peek at their costumes from some set pictures. New Girl has also become a Halloween favorite, and who knows what Mindy and her gang will dress up as this year? Fingers crossed it'll be the spookiest week of TV ever.

— MP