Fall 2025 Movie Preview

I wasn’t sure it was worth doing a Fall 2025 movie preview, because there was “so little coming out,” but once I got to looking, I realized there is all kinds of stuff being released! Thank you, independent film festivals. Many of these are only limited releases (though most are in at least 500 theaters), so I apologize if you can’t find them near you at the moment. If they do well and start generating Oscar buzz – as several films are already doing – they may get wider releases near the end of this year or the beginning of next.

Erin’s Top Picks

• The History of Sound (Sept 12) – Set during WWI, two men record the stories and music of their countrymen. Getting phenomenal reviews on the independent film circuit. Should be simultaneously uplifting and heartbreaking; Starring Paul Mescal, Josh O’Connor, Chris Cooper
• A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (Sept 19) – A series of magical doors takes two strangers on a trip to revisit their past and maybe change their future; Starring Colin Farrell, Margot Robbie
• The Senior (Sept 19) – Based on a true story, a man returns to college and tries out for the football team that he was kicked off of 40 years earlier. Who doesn’t love a good sports movie? Starring Michael Chicklis, Mary Stuart Masterson, Brandon Flynn
• Xeno (Sept 19) – A teenage girl befriends and tries to protect a (large and scary!) foundling alien life form. Think E.T. for modern audiences; Starring Lulu Wilson, Paul Schneider, Omari Hardwick
• Eleanor the Great (Sept 26) – Directorial debut of Scarlett Johansson – An aspiring journalist bonds with a Holocaust survivor. All you had to say was June Squibb, and I’m there! (if you haven’t seen Thelma, you should); Starring June Squibb, Erin Kellyman, Chiwetel Ejiofor
• The Smashing Machine (Oct 3) – Based on the story of MMA/UFC champion Mark Kerr – Dwayne Johnson is getting Oscar buzz already for his portrayal; Starring Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt
• Tron: Ares (Oct 10) – This time, The Grid comes to the real world. I feel like I’m one of the few people who genuinely liked Tron: Legacy. I hope this film does well with both carrying on the franchise and bringing in new viewers; Starring Jared Leto, Evan Peters, Greta Lee, Gillian Anderson
• Kiss of the Spider Woman (Oct 10) – Not sure how this is the first role in a (traditional) musical for Jennifer Lopez. Add in Diego Luna and an absolutely amazing trailer, and I’ll definitely see it if it comes anywhere near us; Starring Diego Luna, Tonatiuh, Jennifer Lopez (and Tony Dovolani, for all you DWTS fans)
• Roofman (Oct 10) – Based on an unbelievable true story – A thief escapes from prison and hides on the roof of a toy store for months, during which he starts a whole new life with some of the store employees; Starring Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, Peter Dinklage
• Pets on a Train (Oct 17) – An animal heist crew must save the day when the train they are trying to rob starts speeding out of control. The trailer actually looks pretty good! This is a French film that has already been released in the UK and Europe, and there is currently very little info on who will voice the English dialog for the US release.
• Wisdom of Happiness (Oct 17) – The Dalai Lama speaks directly to the camera/you about various topics affecting life today.
• Blue Moon (Oct 24) – Comedy about Lorenz Hart, the first musical partner of Oscar Hammerstein (before Richard Rogers), directed by Richard Linklater. I’m not always the biggest Linklater fan, but I love Ethan Hawke, and rest of the cast is amazing as well; Starring Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale, Andrew Scott

Other Notable Films

• Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie – Infinity Castle (Sept 12) – For the Anime fans – A continuation of the hit show (that my husband and son watch; it’s not for me), it’s sort of an violet and bloody Pokémon (as I understand it). Early reviews indicate that the show is definitely a prerequisite, so don’t just jump straight in with the movie (unless you don’t mind feeling lost).
• Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (Sept 12) – Can the family survive financial trouble and public scandal to move forward into the next generation? Should be the final entry in the series. Maybe we’ll actually start watching one of these days! (We keep meaning to, I promise); Starring Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Raquel Cassidy
• Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (Sept 12) – A sequel to the cult classic 1984 film This is Spinal Tap – One final concert, 40 years later; Starring Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner
• The Long Walk (Sept 12) – Teen boys compete in an annual walking contest: who can walk the longest at 3 mph without stopping? The winner gets whatever he wants; everyone else is shot as they fall behind. Based on the short story by Stephen King, who required that the deaths be shown, and in grizzly detail, if they wanted to make a film version, so be prepared before you see it (no, I will not be); Starring Cooper Hoffman, David Honsson, Garrett Wareing, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Mark Hamill
• Steve (Sept 19) – The head teacher at a reform college navigates challenging students, a documentary crew, meddling community leaders, and his own personal demons; Starring Cillian Murphy, Tracey Ullman
• One Battle After Another (Sept 26) – Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson – A former revolutionary seeks help from friends to rescue his daughter from an old foe. Not my kind of film, but many are saying they should just go ahead and hand over four of the top Oscars (picture, director, actor, supporting actor); Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn
• Anemone (Oct 10) – What else could bring Daniel Day-Lewis out of retirement other than a film about fathers and sons that is directed by his own son? Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sean Bean, Samantha Morton
• After the Hunt (Oct 17) – A professor is caught between her faculty lover and a student who asks her for help after being assaulted by him. Should be a very intense, dramatic, and uncomfortable film, with themes of SA, race, infidelity, and academia politcs. Michael Stuhlbarg is a particular favorite of mine; Starring Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, Chloe Sevigny, Ayo Edebiri, Michael Stuhlbarg
• Good Fortune (Oct 17) – An earnest but inept guardian angel tries to improve his skills by attempting to save a few lost souls. Nice to see Keanu Reeves returning to lighter fare, though I am more “miss” than “hit” with Seth Rogen, so we’ll see; Starring Seth Rogen, Aziz Ansari, Keke Palmer, Keanu Reeves, Sandra Oh
• The Mastermind (Oct 17) – Loosely based on a true story, a small group goes on the run after stealing four paintings from a museum in broad daylight. I don’t particularly *like* Josh O’Connor (he strikes me as a real jerk, but maybe that’s because he’s so good at playing one?), but he is undeniably captivating as an actor; Starring Josh O’Connor, Alana Haim, Hope Davis, John Marago, Gabby Hoffmann
• Hedda (Oct 22) – Inspired by the Henrik Ibsen play, Hedda fights against societal norms to try and maintain her own chaotic spark, but at what cost? I’ll see nearly anything Tessa Thompson is in. Starring Tessa Thompson, Nina Hoss, Imogen Poots, Nicholas Pinnock
• Regretting You (Oct 24) – A family navigates life, loss, regret, and love. Adapted from the novel by Colleen Hoover; Starring McKenna Grace, Allison Williams, Dave Franco, Mason Thames
• Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (Oct 24) – Biopic of Bruce Springsteen, covering the creation of his album Nebraska in 1982. Jeremy Allen White is getting rave reviews for his portrayal of The Boss; Starring Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Stephen Graham, David Krumholtz
• Anniversary (Oct 29) – A family is torn apart when the son starts dating one of his mom’s former students who is part of a controversial ideological movement known as “The Change”; Starring Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Madeline Brewer, Zoey Deutch, Dylan O’Brien, Phoebe Dynevor, McKenna Grace
• Bugonia (Oct 31) – Two delusional men kidnap a high powered CEO, convinced she is an alien who will destroy the world. Not a movie I am likely to see, but it is another film that is getting early Oscar buzz, especially for Emma Stone; Starring Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons