Our long summer nightmare of terrible movies is over. For the rest of the year, we'll no longer slog through the bloated dregs of Hollywood. So long, After Earth. See you never, Elysium. This nonsense was a waste, and now -- at last! -- the world can move on to real, capable, promising films, from Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity and Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street to Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave and Asghar Farhadi's The Past. There's only one problem: With so many great movies headed your way, when will you have enough time to see them all?
Don Jon
SEPTEMBER
POPULAIRE -- A period comedy set in 1958, this French delight follows a nimble-fingered secretary who trains to become the fastest typist in the world. (9/13)
SALINGER -- A documentary almost as secretive as its famously camera-shy subject. After eight years of exhaustive research and production, director Shane Salerno is ready to reveal J.D. Salinger's secrets to the world -- or so he claims -- in this comprehensive biopic of the iconic writer. Until it's released, though, anyone who ever cracked open a copy of The Catcher in the Rye shares one question: Is this guy a phony? (9/13)
INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 -- Horror mastermind James Wan returns to throw another round of paranormal turmoil at a nice married couple, who should probably just take a vacation at this point. Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson star. (9/13)
THE FAMILY -- Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones star in this action comedy about a mafia boss, his family and the FBI agent assigned to watch over them after they move to France under the Witness Protection Program. Luc Besson directs, so here's a reminder: Do not see any movies made by Luc Besson after 1997. (9/13)
WADJDA -- The first feature-length film directed by a Saudi woman, Wadjda is a triumph simply because it exists. Haifaa al-Mansour, who also wrote the screenplay, turns a story about a little girl and the bicycle she covets into a parable about sexism and women's rights in Saudi society. (9/20)
THE WIZARD OF OZ IN 3D -- Like anybody needs to be told why it's great to see Margaret Hamilton's wickedness in three dimensions. Please. (9/20)
RUSH -- Ron Howard returns to the director's chair for this auto-racing film based on the rivalry between Formula One drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Expect shots of exhilarating races, lots of slow-motion, and at least three scenes that give Chris Hemsworth an excuse to take off his shirt. (9/20)
DON JON -- Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a man obsessed with porn. Scarlett Johansson plays a woman obsessed with romantic comedies. What could go wrong? Aside from everything in this movie, I mean. (9/27)
MUSCLE SHOALS -- Aretha Franklin. Otis Redding. Etta James. Wilson Pickett. All these musicians and many more laid down tracks in Muscle Shoals, a small Alabama town that left a massive footprint on rock n' roll, R&B and pop-music history. Director Greg Camalier's documentary pays tribute to the legacy of that "Muscle Shoals sound," rightfully mythologizing one of the country's most important cultural landmarks through a series of interviews with the likes of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bono and Alicia Keys. (9/27)
AS I LAY DYING -- James Franco writes, directs and stars in this adaptation of William Faulkner's famous novel. In related news, James Franco is still acting exactly like that one guy you knew in Comp Lit 101. (9/27)
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2 -- Again? I figured the world would have learned its lesson about climate change after the devastation of that first meat storm. (9/27)
Gravity
OCTOBER
GRAVITY -- Seven years after Children of Men, director Alfonso Cuarón returns with this throat-clenching sci-fi thriller about two astronauts left adrift in space. Mark it down: Gravity will be one of the best films of the year. George Clooney and Sandra Bullock star. (10/4)
RUNNER RUNNER -- A Princeton student falls into the dirty world of illicit offshore gambling. Those poor Ivy League kids! When will they ever catch a break? Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck and Anthony Mackie star. (10/4)
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS -- Oh, hey, Tom Hanks. It's been a few years since you've won an Oscar, huh? Does that bother you? It probably does, right? I bet that's why you're in this overwrought movie about a ship hijacked by Somali pirates. Wait, what's that? It's based on a real-life account? And Capt. Richard Phillips is a real person? Wow, okay. Forget everything I just said. (10/11)
THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER AND PETE -- After their caretaker gets locked up, 14-year-old Mister and 9-year-old Pete are left to fend for themselves in New York City. This drama was a Sundance favorite, so keep an eye on it. Directed by George Tillman Jr. (10/11)
KILL YOUR DARLINGS -- Daniel Radcliffe, Elizabeth Olsen, Dane DeHaan and Michael C. Hall star in this retelling of the bloody origins of the Beat poets. Kill Your Darlings is another Sundance hit, which got rave reviews for its complex performances. (10/16)
12 YEARS A SLAVE -- The true story of Solomon Northup, a free man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1840s America. If Gravity isn't the best movie of the season, this will be it. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch and Brad Pitt star. (10/18)
THE FIFTH ESTATE -- Director Bill Condon follows up his double-duty on Twilight: Breaking Dawn with another film about a sparkly, pale-faced antihero -- Julian Assange. (Just kidding, Julian. Please don't hack me.) (10/18)
ESCAPE PLAN -- Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger try to break out of an unbreakable prison. The twist? They don't realize they're still trapped in 1982. (10/18)
ALL IS LOST -- Robert Redford stars as a man trapped on a sinking ship. All Is Lost will stand out for its utter lack of dialogue -- Redford says next to nothing in the entire film. This is a bold sophomore effort for director J.C. Chandor, but it will almost certainly be as good as his first feature, Margin Call. (10/18)
CARRIE -- The bad news? This remake will not be as good as Brian de Palma's adaptation. The good news? You can still skip the former, watch the latter, and save yourself 10 bucks. Chloë Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore and Judy Greer star. (10/18)
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR -- If Blue is the Warmest Color doesn't get slapped with an NC-17 rating, it will be an essential film to see this fall. Of course, Abdellatif Kechiche's drama about young lesbians is all but guaranteed to suffer the MPAA's scorn, so intimate French romance probably won't be available in theaters. Find a way to watch it anyhow. (10/25)
THE COUNSELOR -- Cormac McCarthy wrote the screenplay for this film. I'll repeat: Cormac McCarthy, one of the greatest living American novelists, wrote this screenplay. Do you need any other reason to see it? Well, here are four: Michael Fassbender, Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Brad Pitt star. (10/25)
JACKASS PRESENTS: BAD GRANDPA -- Johnny Knoxville dresses up like an old man, pranks innocent strangers in public places. Watch, laugh, repeat. (10/25)
NOVEMBER
ENDER'S GAME -- Two things you need to know: Ender's Game is an excellent sci-fi novel; and the author of that novel, Orson Scott Card, is a dreadful, homophobic bigot. Do with that what you wish. (11/1)
LAST VEGAS -- "You know what would make The Hangover even funnier? If it was about old people! You know, like, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas and Kevin Kline!" No person has said or thought these words. Ever. (11/1)
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB -- Loosely based on a true story from the late 1980s, Matthew McConaughey plays an HIV-positive man who smuggled alternative medicines into America after FDA-approved treatments nearly killed him. Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. (11/1)
THOR: THE DARK WORLD -- Games of Thrones director Alan Taylor steers this superhero sequel back to Thor's fantasy roots. Be prepared for a lot of dialogue about "Asgard" and "bifröst" and "Svartalfheim" in The Dark World, and much less of the humor Chris Hemsworth displayed in The Avengers. (11/8)
HOW I LIVE NOW -- A teenage girl from New York City spends a summer in the English countryside, falls for a cute boy, and… has to fend for herself after the sudden outbreak of World War III? Tough break, kid. Saoirse Ronan stars. (11/8)
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET -- Martin Scorsese directs this black comedy about a cocaine-addicted Wall Street securities fraudster, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Scorsese's comedic chops are cruelly underrated, and at long last DiCaprio seems ready to let his natural charm dominate a performance. The Wolf of Wall Street will be right up alongside Gravity and 12 Years A Slave as one of the fall's best. (11/15)
THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE -- Jennifer Lawrence slaps on the mockingjay pin again for the second adaptation of Suzanne Collins's megahit dystopian trilogy. As co-champion of a televised fight to the death between children called The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen has become a powerful symbol for the oppressed masses -- and a threat to the dictator who oppresses them. Director Francis Lawrence has a tough job with Catching Fire. If he fails to rein in the novel's most incredulous moments, it'll be tough to watch. If he does, it'll be as impressive as the first. (11/22)
NEBRASKA -- Director Alexander Payne makes some of the finest, smartest comedies out there. Let's hope Nebraska continues the trend with this road-trip film about a father and son driving across the Midwest. Bruce Dern and Will Forte star. (11/22)
BLACK NATIVITY -- A contemporary retelling of Langston Hughes's celebrated play comes to the big screen. Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett and Jennifer Hudson star. (11/27)
GRACE OF MONACO -- Sometimes, it's worth knowing more than one detail about a movie before seeing it. Nicole Kidman is playing Grace Kelly. This is not one of those times. (11/27)
OLDBOY -- For reasons unknown, Spike Lee decided to remake Park Chan-wook's masterpiece a decade after it first debuted. Why? Good question. (11/27)
MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM -- A biography of Nelson Mandela, based on the South African president's memoirs about his early life, education and the 27 years he spent in prison during apartheid. Idris Elba stars. (11/29)
DECEMBER
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS -- The Coen brothers made a new movie. Enough said. (12/6)
AMERICAN HUSTLE -- A year after wowing audiences in Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell returns with this '70s period drama about the FBI's Abscam sting. He's pulling together all his favorite actors for this one, too: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams star. (12/13)
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG -- Why did Peter Jackson stretch a short fantasy novel into three movies? Was it: a) the money, b) his ego, c) because nobody could stop him, or d) all of the above? (12/13)
HER -- Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with a computer voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Yes, it will be as bizarre as you think. Spike Jonze directs. (12/18)
THE MONUMENTS MEN -- George Clooney directs, writes and stars in this World War II drama about the soldiers charged with saving Europe's precious art from the Nazis. Clooney's rise as a director isn't as impressive as many think -- the last movie he helmed, The Ides of March, was a dull mess -- but this grand sort of story will be difficult to tarnish. Especially when the likes of Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman and Cate Blanchett co-star. (12/18)
FOXCATCHER -- Steve Carell tries his hand at ripped-from-the-headlines drama in director Bennett Miller's follow-up to Moneyball. Based on the true story of an Olympic wrestler murdered by his longtime friend, Foxcatcher is Carell's earnest try at serious acting -- and it looks like he might actually pull it off, too. Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum also star.(12/20)
ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES -- Prediction No. 1: Ron Burgundy will finally learn how to say "a whale's vagina" in Spanish. Prediction No. 2: Anchorman 2 will be much, much funnier than most critics expect. (12/20)
THE PAST -- Director Asghar Farhadi follows up his excellent film The Separation with this French drama about the complicated romantic triangle between an Iranian man, his ex-wife, and the man she now dates in Paris. Farhadi's skills behind the camera, coupled with a performance that won Bérénice Bejo acclaim at Cannes, make The Past one of the year's most anticipated releases. (12/20)
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY -- More than 70 years ago, James Thurber published a short story he called The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Thurber's story is a masterpiece of American fiction, weaving humor, fantasy and adventure together inside the mind of a mundane suburban man. This December, Ben Stiller will take the boldest step of his career as the director and star of an adaptation of Walter Mitty. Can Stiller succeed with such an ambitious project? We'll find out in December. (12/25)
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY -- Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts team up in this adaptation of Tracy Letts's Pulitzer-winning play about the conflicts sparked within an Oklahoma family after its alcoholic patriarch disappears. Letts wrote the screenplay, so expect the story to be as deliciously dark as it was onstage. Ewan McGregor, Margo Martindale and Juliette Lewis co-star. (12/25)
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