With summer fully in the rearview mirror, October starts the fall award season in earnest, when studios begin trotting out their more prestigious titles. If history is any kind of indicator, few, if any, of what we’ll see next month will make the short list of most “best-of” compilations.
Oct. 4
‘Joker: Folie à Deux’Billed as a “musical psychological thriller,” this standalone sequel to the 2019 Oscar-winning blockbuster hit stars Joaquin Phoenix returning as the maniacal title character. This story explores the genesis of Joker’s tumultuous romantic entanglement with Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga). A therapist that has crossed over to the dark side, this seems like a glove fit for Gaga. (Warner Bros.)
Serving as both a prequel and sequel to “Wonder” (2017), “White Bird” (originally scheduled for a fall 2022 release) stars Helen Mirren as the adult version of Jewish teen Sara (Ariella Glaser), who recounts her early life growing up in Nazi-controlled Europe. Reprising his role as Julian, the bully in “Wonder,” is Bryce Gheisar whose recent prep school expulsion forces him to change his attitude. (Lionsgate)
Oct. 6
‘The Franchise’Oct. 11
‘Saturday Night’This acerbic comedy takes place backstage in the hours leading up to the debut broadcast of “Saturday Night Live” on (surprise!) Oct. 11, 1975. The lead character is showrunner and producer Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle of 2022’s “The Fabelmans”), who must deal with multiple issues including an unruly, drug-riddled cast and top NBC brass who seem to want the entire endeavor to fail. (Columbia Pictures)
In this bawdy action comedy, co-producers Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage star as perpetually inept (and obviously) fraternal twin criminals. The plot revolves around some decades-old stolen emeralds that seem to change hands every other minute. Offering support are Brendan Fraser, Marisa Tomei and an unrecognizable Glenn Close as the train wreck mother of the twins. (Amazon Prime Video)
Reminiscent of “Under the Tuscan Sun” (2003), Laura Dern stars as a novelist with writer’s block, attending a Moroccan retreat, where she meets a much younger man (Liam Hemsworth) who draws her out of her shell. This is the third effort of director Susannah Grant, known mostly as the screenwriter of “28 Days” (2000), “Erin Brockovoich” (2000), “In Her Shoes” (2005), and “The Soloist” (2009). (Netflix)
Oct. 16
‘Shrinking’: Season 2Oct. 18
‘Goodrich’In this touching drama, a recently separated husband (Michael Keaton) calls on his pregnant daughter from a previous marriage (Mila Kunis) to help him raise his twin sons. (Pascal Pictures)
Oct. 24
‘Canary Black’Kate Beckinsale stars in this action spy thriller as a C.I.A. agent who goes off the grid to confront terrorists who have kidnapped her husband and will exchange him for sensitive government secrets. (Amazon MGM Studios)
Being presented as “Yellowstone Down Under,” this six-part Australian series centers on a generations’ old cattle ranching family grappling with shady competitors, organized crime, and ruthless miners. (Netflix)
Oct. 25
‘La Cocina’ Season 5What to Watch for
All eyes will be on “Joker: Folie a Deux” for a multitude of reasons. The 2019 first installment surprisingly became the highest-grossing “R” rated movie of all time until it was eclipsed this past summer by “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Will it reclaim the top spot? It’s highly unlikely.The unknown variable here is whether the “Joker”-faithful will warm to an atypical musical presentation. As Lady Gaga proved in “A Star is Born,” she can more than handle the singing chores, but the big questions here are these: Can Phoenix even carry a tune and will that even matter?
I’m going to go out on a short limb here and predict that “Lonely Planet” will be a surprise sleeper hit with the over-30 female demographic, but this will depend mostly on positive word-of-mouth on opening weekend.