Fall Movies and T.V. to Fall in Love With

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Gather your friends and watch the newest films and television series this fall (Andrew Beecher/The Observer).

By ETHAN COUGHLIN

This fall has shows and movies for film buffs, superhero fanatics, nostalgia chasers and reality TV fans alike. There are some to watch with your friends, your family and your grandmother; and some you definitely do not want to watch with your grandmother. Even so, the variety of options makes this fall particularly exciting for film enthusiasts.

Films

“Night School”

Release Date: Sept. 27

A group of misfits (including comedians Kevin Hart, Rob Riggle and Mary Lynn Rajskub) return to high school to earn their GEDs with an unorthodox teacher, played by Tiffany Haddish. The cast also features Ben Schwartz, of “Parks and Recreation” fame, and “Saturday Night Live” alumnus, Taran Killam. Remember “Ride Along,” or “Get Hard”? Me neither. A hundred dollars says that this will just be another Kevin Hart comedy that is neither funny nor quotable enough to be remembered. A hundred more dollars says that 9 jokes out of 10 will be about Hart’s height.

“Beautiful Boy”

Release Date: Oct. 12

Timothee Chalamet stars as Nic, the son of David (Steve Carell), who is struggling with addiction and his challenging relationship with his father. Based off the memoirs of the real life David and Nic Sheff, the film has been praised for Carell and Chalamet’s authentic portrayal of a  modern family dynamic. Following the success of “Lady Bird” and “Call Me by Your Name,” college students across the country are ready to take a bullet for Chalamet, so you will not want to miss his next Tumblr-viral performance.

First Man”

Release Date: Oct. 12

Academy Award-winning director Damien Chazelle (“La La Land,” “Whiplash”) teams up again with Ryan Gosling for this Neil Armstrong biopic. Claire Foy, from the acclaimed Netflix original series “The Crown,” plays the sentimental core of the film, Neil’s wife Janet Armstrong. Justin Hurwitz returns to compose the music following his Oscar wins for Best Original Song and Score from “La La Land.” Make sure to use the bathroom before the final 10 minutes because, if we have learned anything from Chazelle’s last two films, you do not want to miss the ending.

Mid90s”

Release Date: Oct.19

Jonah Hill makes his directing debut with “Mid90s,” which follows 13-year-old Stevie, (played by relative newcomer Sunny Suljic) who spends his summer skateboarding with his delinquent friends and dealing with his troubled home life. “Mid90s” is sure to be nostalgic for anyone who grew up in – you guessed it – the 90s. Local film production company A24 (“Moonlight,” “Lady Bird,” “Hereditary”) can do no wrong, so I would expect a lot from this film.

“Venom”

Release Date: Oct. 25

The infamous Spider-Man villain Venom finally gets a solo film. Tom Hardy plays Eddie Brock aka Venom alongside Academy Award-nominated actress, Michelle Williams. Brock, an investigative journalist, gets a little too involved with a story and ends up symbiotically bound to the alien Venom, granting him superpowers. The film also employs the talents of Woody Harrelson, Riz Ahmed (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “The Night Of”) and Jenny Slate (“Obvious Child,” “Parks and Recreation”). It is important to remember that this film is not in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so you will not find out where everyone who disintegrated went. Sorry.

“The Nutcracker and the Four Realms”

Release Date: Nov. 2

A cinematic adaptation of the original “Nutcracker” ballet, “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” features a star-studded cast including Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and Keira Knightley. More than likely, this impressive cast will not be able to prevent the film from being another corporate CGI fest that lacks any sort of real depth or plot. However, it will probably get nominated for Best Costume Design at the Academy Awards because Disney runs Hollywood.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”

Release Date: Nov. 16

Return to the magical world of Harry Potter in the second installment of the Fantastic Beasts series, loosely based off the original story by J.K. Rowling. A young Albus Dumbledore and Newt Scamander (played by Jude Law and Eddie Redmayne, respectively) must stop Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) from amassing followers and enslaving the Muggle world. The film’s producers proved with the first one that it doesn’t matter if it is any good, they will keep making more, so you definitely do not have to rush to the theaters.

Television

“Maniac”

Premiere Date: Sept. 21

Annie Lansberg and Owen Milgrim (played by Emma Stone and Jonah Hill, respectively) sign up for a pharmaceutical trial for a drug that promises to end all their problems with zero side effects. However, not everything goes according to plan. Stone and Hill have proved they have incredible comedic chemistry, and the last time they teamed up we got “Superbad,” so fingers crossed that period-blood girl makes an appearance.

“Dancing with the Stars: Juniors”

Premiere Date: Oct. 7

This spin-off of the celebrity dancing competition “Dancing With the Stars,” features the children of celebrities essentially competing to win back relevance for their washed out parent’s long forgotten careers. “Dancing With the Stars” has always been about reclaiming lost legacy, but the method employed here is both sketchy and somewhat unethical. Fans of the original should make sure to check it out because not a single other soul alive will waste their time with it.

The Romanoffs

Premiere Date: Oct. 12

“The Romanoffs” is an anthology series about eight separate people who believe they are  descendants of the Russian royal family. The talented cast includes John Slattery (“Spotlight”), Diane Lane (“Unfaithful”) and Isabelle Huppert (“Elle”). Showrunner Mark Weiner also created “Mad Men” and wrote for “The Sopranos,” so this show should be just as bingeable as his past work.