October, the month of spooky times and delicious candy, has arrived. Although I’ve sadly got no horror flicks for you this month, there are plenty of other excellent choices to get you out of the house and into a theater.
First up is Joker: Folie a Deux. Pretentious name aside, this is the follow up to 2019’s wildly successful Joker, an original background story for the famous Batman villain. The sequel takes place two years later, with Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) now residing in Arkham State Hospital – where he meets Harleen Quinzel (Lady Gaga) and a romance begins. Todd Phillips returns to the director’s chair, with this film being part musical, part psychological drama. We’ll see if a sequel really needed to happen when it hits theaters on Oct. 4.
For your biographical comedy, don’t miss out on Saturday Night. Set in 1975, the film follows the original cast of Saturday Night Live as they prepare for their premiere episode – and all the shenanigans that come with it. Directed by Jason Reitman (Juno), the trailer seems to capture the chaos that was SNL in the early days with Lorne Michaels (Gabriel Labelle, The Fabelmans), Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith, Gotham), Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt, Dickinson), Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O’Brien, The Maze Runner), Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris, New Girl) Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott, Shiva Baby) and John Belushi (Matt Wood, Difficult People). Hopefully it proves to be an interesting look back at how the TV staple began when it releases on Oct. 11.
If you’re into single location films, look no further than Flight Risk. Directed by Mel Gibson, his first since 2016’s Hacksaw Ridge, the film follows FBI agent Madelyn Harris (Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey) as she transports an informant played by Topher Grace (That ’70s Show) via plane. The pilot, played by Mark Wahlberg, turns out to be a hitman hired to kill them. The confined space, along with Wahlberg’s bizarre appearance, look to lend this odd story some interesting weight, but time will tell if this movie lands smoothly or crashes when it comes out on Oct. 18.
If a documentary is more your speed, Black Box Diaries should do the trick. The film tells the story of Shiori Ito, a Japanese journalist and filmmaker who was sexually assaulted by prominent Japanese TV journalist Noriyuki Yamaguchi. The film is directed by Ito, telling her own story about the event and the investigation that took place in the years following the assault. Likely a tough but important watch, it releases Oct. 25.
For your historical drama, take a look at Nickel Boys. Based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Colson Whitehead, the film takes place in a reform school in the 1960s which is notorious for its abusive treatment of students. We follow Elwood and Turner, two friends who form a bond while trying to navigate the waters of the corrupt institution. The book won a Pulitzer Prize, and the film seems to be gunning for similar awards during Oscar season. It releases Oct. 25.
Main photo: Saturday Night; photo courtesy Sony Pictures/CTMG
