There have been a number of big summer movies like "F1: The Movie," "Superman" and "Jurrassic World: Rebirth." But these popcorn movies are not likely destined for big awards.
Studios like to hold back the Oscar contenders for the fall, so in this week's episode we dive into which movies to watch for this fall and into the winter. You can also review a full list of notable films below.
August releases
鈥淗oney Don鈥檛!鈥聽鈥 Ethan Coen continues his Margaret Qualley-a-thon with this comedy about a private investigator who looks into a series of deaths tied to a church. Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans co-star.
鈥沦辫濒颈迟蝉惫颈濒濒别鈥聽鈥 Divorce makes strange bedfellows, particularly when the ex discovers his best friends have an open marriage. Dakota Johnson, Kyle Marvin star.
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鈥淓诲别苍鈥聽鈥 Looking for a better life, a group of people head to the Galapagos and realize what they鈥檙e up against. Jude Law and Ana de Armas star in this based-in-fact drama directed by Ron Howard.
鈥凌别濒补测鈥聽鈥 Payoffs between corporations brings a broker into the line of fire. Riz Ahmed, Lily James and Sam Worthington star.
鈥淗ollywood Grit鈥聽鈥 A private investigator has to find out what happened to his daughter. Tyrese, Max Martini star.
鈥淟耻谤办别谤鈥聽鈥 How strange is the world of stardom? A worker finds out as he gets closer to a music star. Alex Russell wrote and directed this drama starring Theodore Pellerin and Archie Madekwe.
鈥淭he Thursday Murder Club鈥聽鈥 Friends in a retirement home solve mysteries. Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley are in the home.
鈥淭he Roses鈥聽鈥 An updated look at 鈥淲ar of the Roses鈥 lets Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman square off. Jay Roach directs.
鈥淐aught Stealing鈥聽鈥 Austin Butler gets the Darren Aronofsky treatment as a baseball player caught in the underbelly of New York City. Bad Bunny is along for the ride.
鈥淭he Toxic Avenger鈥鈥擶hen a janitor is the victim of a toxic accident, a new crimefighter emerges. Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay and Taylour Paige star.
鈥淛补飞蝉鈥聽鈥 The first summer blockbuster returns to the big screen after months on television. Now, you can see what audiences were scared of in 1975.
鈥淟ove, Brooklyn鈥 鈥 Friends navigate the pitfalls of life in Brooklyn.
September releases
鈥淢别驳补诲辞肠鈥聽鈥 Mike Figgis looks at the making of Francis Ford Coppola鈥檚 鈥淢egalopolis.鈥
鈥淭he Conjuring: Last Rites鈥聽鈥 Those creepy paranormal investigators say they鈥檙e taking on one last case (sure) to settle their own lives. Patric Wilson and Vera Farmiga return.
鈥淭he Threesome鈥聽鈥 A threesome leads to problems, particularly since life鈥檚 not always fantasies. Zoey Deutch and Jonah Hauer-King star.
鈥淭飞颈苍濒别蝉蝉鈥聽鈥 Two men bond in a support group. Dylan O鈥橞rien, Lauren Graham and Arkira Chantaratananond star.
鈥淗补尘颈濒迟辞苍鈥聽鈥 Celebrating its 鈥渢en-cennial,鈥 the Broadway hit brings its performance capture version (which ran on Disney+) to the big screen. Updates about the performers make this more than a night out.
鈥淭he Baltimorons鈥 鈥 Sobriety leads to a dental emergency which leads to a romance with the dentist. Jay Duplass directs; Michael Strassner co-writes and stars.
鈥淭he Long Walk鈥澛鈥擸ou thought the Hunger Games were bad, how about this: Teenage boys compete in a walking contest. If they don鈥檛 keep up, they鈥檙e shot. Based on a Stephen King story, it鈥檚 one of the year鈥檚 most harrowing.
鈥淪pinal Tap II: The End Continues鈥聽鈥 Those Smell the Glove guys reunite after a 15-year hiatus for one last concert. Rob Reiner directs; the original actors return.
鈥淒ownton Abbey: The Grand Finale鈥 鈥 The Crawleys face scandal, financial ruin and social disgrace. To get out of it, they look to a younger generation. Expect all but Maggie Smith to be back.
鈥The History of Sound鈥聽鈥 Paul Mescal and Josh O鈥機onnor embark on a World War I project that brings them close to their country and each other.
鈥淐ode 3鈥聽鈥 One last shift for a paramedic who has to train his replacement. What could go wrong? Rainn Wilson, Lil Rel Howery star.
鈥淗颈尘鈥聽鈥 What a guy won鈥檛 do to be a football star. Here, one goes to a compound where anything can happen. Tyriq Withers, Marlon Wayans and Julia Fox star.
鈥淎merican Sweatshop聽鈥 Yup, it鈥檚 the world of social media. An insider discovers just how dark the world is (like we didn鈥檛 know).
鈥淎 Big Bold Beautiful Journey鈥聽鈥 Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie bond in a unique journey (which, of course, says nothing but suggests there鈥檚 more to this than two big stars).
鈥淭he Summer Book鈥聽鈥 A girl and her grandmother become closer in Finland. Emily Matthews and Glenn Close star. (Could this be the one that finally wins Close an Oscar?)
鈥淴别苍辞鈥聽鈥 Ready for another E.T.? This one finds a teenager relating to the alien. Josh Cooke, Lulu Wilson star.
鈥淲altzing with Brando鈥聽鈥 When Marlon Brando wants an ecologically perfect retreat in Tahiti, he calls on a Los Angeles architect. Tia Carrere, Richard Dreyfuss and Jon Heder star.
鈥淓leanor the Great鈥聽鈥 Scarlett Johansson directs June Squibb in this drama about a 94-year-old who has plenty of stories to tell.
鈥淥ne Battle After Another鈥聽鈥 Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this dark comedy about a group of revolutionaries reuniting to save one of their group鈥檚 daughter. Paul Thomas Anderson directs; Benicio Del Toro (who starred in a Wes Anderson film earlier this year) and Sean Penn co-star.
October releases
鈥淭he Smashing Machine鈥聽鈥 Dwayne Johnson tries his hand at mixed-martial arts as UFC champion Mark Kerr. The makeup may be a stretch, but Benny Safdie directs, Emily Blunt disappears in an unlikely role.
鈥淭ron: Ares鈥聽鈥 Jared Leto gets to run the race. Jeff Bridges is here, too, but this is about a new program (Ares) that鈥檚 about to embark on a dangerous mission.
鈥凌辞辞蹿尘补苍鈥聽鈥 A robber evades authorities by hanging out in a toy store. Channing Tatum plays the thief, Peter Dinklage and Kirsten Dunst swirl around him.
鈥淎苍别尘辞苍别鈥 鈥 Daniel Day-Lewis comes out of retirement for this film directed by his son, Ronan. The plot? Good question, but it will have that DD-L prestige.
鈥淜iss of the Spider Woman鈥聽鈥 Jennifer Lopez stars in the Tony winner fans have been asking for. The big question: Were they looking for Lopez to star in it? Bill Conden directs.
鈥淚f I Had Legs, I鈥檇 Kick You鈥 鈥聽Rose Byrne gets the Oscar buzz as a woman trying to juggle multiple traumas, including a sick child and an absent husband.
鈥淪oul on Fire鈥聽鈥 This is the story of a St. Louis native who survived burns which covered his body. Joel Courtney plays John O鈥橪eary. William H. Macy and John Corbett co-star.
鈥淕ood Fortune鈥聽鈥 An angel meddles in the lives of a venture capitalist and a gig worker. Seth Rogen, Azizi Ansari and Keke Palmer star in this comedy written and directed by Ansari.
Black Phone 2聽鈥 More trouble ensues when the phone rings. Sequel to a better-than-average horror film.
鈥淎fter the Hunt鈥聽鈥 Julia Roberts plays a college professor who wonders what could happen when a student levels an accusation against a colleague. Ayo Edebiri co-stars.
The Mastermind聽鈥 A family man leads a double life in the 1970s. Josh O鈥機onnor and Alana Haim star.
鈥淧ets on a Train鈥聽鈥 Animated animals get caught up in a train heist.
贬别诲诲补鈥聽鈥 鈥淗edda Gabler鈥 gets the big-screen treatment with Tessa Thompson in the title role.
Blue Moon聽鈥 The life of Lorenz Hart is told by Richard Linklater with Ethan Hawke as Hart. Andrew Scott plays Richard Rodgers.
鈥淪pringsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere鈥聽-- Bruce Springsteen gets the Bob Dylan treatment with Jeremy Allen White in the title role. This, however, only covers the creation of the 鈥淣ebraska鈥 album.
鈥淩egretting You鈥聽鈥 Family issues emerge after the death of a husband and father. Based on Colleen Hoover鈥檚 best-seller, it stars Allison Williams and Mckenna Grace.
鈥淭he Watchers鈥聽鈥 M. Night Shayamalan鈥檚 daughter Ishana makes her directorial debut with this thriller about an artist who gets trapped in an Irish forest.
鈥淎苍苍颈惫别谤蝉补谤测鈥聽鈥 A good cast (Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Zoey Deutch) in a thriller directed by Polish filmmaker Jan Komasa.
鈥淏耻驳辞苍颈补鈥聽鈥 Emma Stone continues her run with Yorgos Lanthimos. The film is a remake of a South Korean effort about two men kidnapping an executive, convinced she鈥檚 an alien bent on destroying Earth.
鈥淣ouvelle Vague鈥 鈥 Richard Linklater has another entry this year. This one鈥檚 a look at Jean-Luc Godard and actress Jean Seberg. Guillaume Marbeck and Zoey Deutch start.
November releases
When We Pray聽鈥 Jamie Foxx directs the story of brothers who become pastors at divergent churches.
Predator: Badlands聽鈥 While 鈥淎lien: Earth鈥 takes over TV screens, the 鈥渙ther鈥 scary creature takes on a remote planet.
The Running Man鈥聽鈥 Glen Powell steps into Arnold Schwarzenegger鈥檚 shoes as a contestant in a game show which features killers all around the world.
Nuremberg聽鈥 Set during the Nuremberg trials, a psychiatrist interviews Nazi prisoners to determine if they are fit to stand trial. Rami Malek and Russell Crowe square off.
Peter Hujar鈥檚 Day聽鈥 What was New York鈥檚 art world like in 1974? Rebecca Hall and Ben Whishaw play two who know. Ira Sachs directs.
鈥淣ow You See Me: Now You Don鈥檛鈥聽鈥 The Four Horsemen get help from newbies hoping to use illusions to get away with big cash.
Jay Kelly聽鈥 It鈥檚 an ensemble film but it stars George Clooney as a George Clooney-level star who reflects on life with his manager (played by Adam Sandler). Noah Baumbach directs. Indecipherable 鈥 A boy, home alone, gets shaken by the things that go bump in the night.
Wicked: For Good聽鈥 At long last, we find out what happened to Glinda and Elphaba. Expect at least one new song and bigger roles for the men in their lives. No place like home? That鈥檚 included, too. Cynthia Orivo and Ariana Grande could double up on the Oscar nominations.
Rental Family聽鈥 Oscar winner Brendan Fraser plays an American actor who plays roles in other people鈥檚 lives.
STZ聽鈥 Zombies result when a trio of scientists launch a bio-attack on a bus filled with women. (No kidding.)
Zootopia 2 鈥 Residents of Zootopia return for more adventure and product placement. Judy and Nick are on the trail of a new resident, a snake.
About the show
聽is a podcast about movies and TV hosted by聽, a longtime entertainment reporter who is now the editor of the聽聽in Iowa and聽, a senior producer for Lee Enterprises based in Madison, Wisconsin. The show was named .
Theme music
Thunder City by Lunareh, used under license from Soundstripe. YouTube clearance: FV694ULMCJQDG0IY
