Top fall movies of 2024: When and where to watch them

With Venice and Telluride film festivals recently concluding, Toronto International Film Festival currently underway, and New York Film Festival to begin two weeks from now, we're currently in the midst of the fall film festival season, where many of the movies premiering now will go on to appear at next year's Oscars.

Along with those movies, arthouse titles from May's Cannes Film Festival and indies from January's Sundance Film Festival are being released in time for awards season. There'll be blockbusters, too; along with this spring's sci-fi epic "Dune: Part Two," this awards season's contenders include the much-anticipated "Joker: Folie à Deux" and "Gladiator II," sequels to movies that were nominated for and won the Best Picture Oscar, respectively. And while this slate of movies spans the globe, you'll even find films with ties to Florida, including the adaptation of a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel based on the real-life Dozier School for Boys and the latest film by "The Florida Project" director Sean Baker.

Listed in chronological order, here are this movie awards season's top titles and when and where to watch them, as some films will arrive on Netflix or other streaming services shortly after their theatrical debuts. Release date details are subject to change.

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'The Substance' (Sept. 20 in theaters)

Demi Moore stars in this body horror film as an aging celebrity offered a mysterious substance that will create a younger version of herself (Margaret Qualley), only to experience unexpected side effects. Horror isn't the Oscars' favorite genre, yet "The Substance" premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival in competition for the prestigious Palme d'Or, earning rave reviews and the festival's Best Screenplay award. It should at least be a strong candidate for the Best Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar, judging by reports of its gruesome finale.

'Megalopolis' (Sept. 27 in theaters)

Also premiering in competition for the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes was Francis Ford Coppola's longtime passion project, an epic about an architect (Adam Driver) striving to rebuild the fictional metropolis of New Rome after a disaster. "Megalopolis" polarized audiences at Cannes — and that was before allegations of unprofessional on-set behavior by Coppola or a since-retracted trailer with fake review quotes — but as films such as "Joker" and "Jojo Rabbit" prove, a movie with a divisive critical reception can still earn Oscars attention if enough people admire it.

'Saturday Night' (Sept. 27 in theaters)

Oscar-nominated "Up in the Air" and "Juno" director Jason Reitman's latest movie — his second of 2024 following "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," the latest sequel to the 1984 comedy directed by his father, Ivan Reitman — chronicles the moments leading up to the premiere of "Saturday Night Live" in 1975. "The Fabelmans" actor Gabriel LaBelle stars as "SNL" creator Lorne Michaels in an ensemble cast that also includes Matthew Rhys as George Carlin, the first "SNL" host, and MUNA band member Naomi McPherson as musical guest (and Anna Maria Island resident) Janis Ian.

'Joker: Folie à Deux' (Oct. 4 in theaters)

Todd Phillips' 2019 film starring Joaquin Phoenix as the titular "Batman" villain, which was nominated for 11 Oscars and won two including Best Actor for Phoenix, gets a sequel that adds Lady Gaga to the cast as Joker's romantic interest Harley Quinn, as well as Catherine Keener, Brendan Gleeson and Steve Coogan. "Joker: Folie à Deux" recently premiered at this year's Venice Film Festival, the same place where the original "Joker" debuted and went on to win the festival's top prize, the Golden Lion.

'The Outrun' (Oct. 4 in theaters)

Saoirse Ronan stars in this film based on Scottish writer Amy Liptrot's 2016 memoir of the same name, as a woman who returns to her home of Orkney after recently getting out of rehab for alcoholism. "The Outrun" premiered earlier this year at Sundance Film Festival, where it earned acclaim in particular for the lead performance by Ronan — who was first Oscar-nominated at 13 years old for "Atonement," then again for "Brooklyn," "Lady Bird" and "Little Women," but has yet to win.

'The Apprentice' (Oct. 11 in theaters)

The drama follows former President Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) as a real estate developer in '70s/'80s New York, in particular his relationship with mentor and lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong.) After premiering in competition for the Palme d'Or at Cannes, "The Apprentice" dealt with legal issues — including from former Washington Commanders owner and close Trump friend Dan Snyder, who apparently helped finance the film believing it would be a positive portrayal of Trump — that put its release in limbo, but Briarcliff Entertainment has since bought the film.

'We Live in Time' (Oct. 11 in theaters)

John Crowley, director of the 2015 Best Picture Oscar-nominated movie "Brooklyn," returns with another romantic drama, this one starring Oscar nominees Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh. Hopefully "We Live in Time" will prove a return to form for Crowley, whose previous 2019 film "The Goldfinch," an adaptation of Donna Tartt's 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, proved to be a disappointment despite the pedigrees of its director and source material.

'Anora' (Oct. 18 in theaters)

Writer-director Sean Baker, whose previous films include the Oscar-nominated, Orlando area-set “The Florida Project,” won the Palme d’Or at Cannes for his latest movie about a New York exotic dancer (Mikey Madison) who elopes with the son of a Russian oligarch, whose family heads to America to get the marriage annulled. Distributor Neon has released the last four Palme d’Or winners (“Parasite,” “Titane,” “Triangle of Sadness,” “Anatomy of a Fall”) and led three of them to either Best Picture Oscar wins or nominations, so don’t be surprised if they pull off the same feat here.

'Nickel Boys' (Oct. 25 in theaters)

After Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Underground Railroad" was adapted into an acclaimed miniseries by Barry Jenkins (director of the Miami-set/shot Best Picture Oscar winner "Moonlight"), Whitehead's other Pulitzer Prize-winning book gets an onscreen adaptation. The story follows two young Black boys at an abusive reform school, based on Florida's real-life Dozier School for Boys. Oscar-nominated "Hale County This Morning, This Evening" filmmaker RaMell Ross directs a cast that includes Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Daveed Diggs and Hamish Linklater.

'Blitz' (Nov. 1 in theaters, Nov. 22 on Apple TV+)

British director Steve McQueen, whose previous films include 2013's Best Picture Oscar-winning "12 Years a Slave," helms this drama about a young boy (newcomer Elliott Heffernan) in World War II-era London amidst the Blitz, and his mom (Saoirse Ronan) searching for him. The movie's cast also includes Harris Dickinson, Stephen Graham, Hayley Squires and musician Paul Weller of the Jam, the Style Council and a successful solo career making his feature film acting debut.

'Conclave' (Nov. 1 in theaters)

After making a major impression with his 2022 "All Quiet on the Western Front" remake, which was nominated for nine Oscars and ultimately won four, director Edward Berger returns with this adaptation of the 2016 novel by Robert Harris. Ralph Fiennes stars as a cardinal tasked with finding a successor to the Pope after his recent death, only to find a secret about the deceased Pope in the process. Fiennes leads a cast that also includes Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini.

'Emilia Pérez' (Nov. 1 in theaters, Nov. 13 on Netflix)

Also premiering in competition for the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes was this musical crime comedy by French director Jacques Audiard, following a lawyer (Zoe Salda?a) tasked with helping an escaped Mexican cartel leader undergoing sex reassignment surgery (Karla Sofía Gascón.) While "Emilia Pérez" didn't win the Palme d'Or, it earned multiple other awards including the Jury Prize, Best Actress for its ensemble cast that also includes pop star and "Spring Breakers" actress Selena Gomez, and the Soundtrack Award — with songs penned by French singer Camille.

'Here' (Nov. 1 in theaters)

The core team of Best Picture Oscar winner "Forrest Gump" — Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, director Robert Zemeckis and writer Eric Roth — reunites for this adaptation of Richard McGuire's 2014 graphic novel, covering a single spot of land over millennia, including a couple (Hanks and Wright) living there. If nothing else, it sounds like a big swing from Zemeckis, and while we'll have to wait and see if that swing hits, it's good to see the director ambitious again after his dismal recent remakes of "Pinocchio" and "The Witches."

'A Real Pain' (Nov. 1 in theaters)

This year's Sundance was relatively quiet in launching future Oscar contenders, with one notable exception being this movie directed and written by Jesse Eisenberg, who also stars alongside Kieran Culkin as two cousins who take a trip through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. Culkin (who also deservedly won his first Emmy earlier this year for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his work on the final season of HBO's "Succession") in particular is being predicted as a strong candidate for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

'The Piano Lesson' (Nov. 8 in theaters, Nov. 22 on Netflix)

Denzel Washington's efforts to bring playwright August Wilson's work to screen, including "Fences" and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," continues with this adaptation of Wilson's 1987 play about the Charles family in 1930s Pittsburgh. Denzel's son Malcolm Washington directs a cast that includes his brother John David Washington and Samuel L. Jackson, reprising their roles from the 2022 Broadway revival (where Jackson was Tony-nominated) as well as new performers such as Danielle Deadwyler, who missed out on a Oscar nomination for "Till" but may earn one here.

'Gladiator II' (Nov 22 in theaters)

Ridley Scott's Best Picture Oscar-winning historical epic gets a sequel, this time following Lucius (Paul Mescal), the now-adult son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen, reprising her role from the original film), with Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal among the other new cast members. Scott has called "Gladiator II" the "best thing I've ever made" — or, at least, "one of the best things" — an attention-grabbing statement considering his filmography includes not only the original "Gladiator," but also sci-fi classics "Alien" and "Blade Runner" as well as "Thelma & Louise."

'Wicked' (Nov. 22 in theaters)

The 2003 Tony-winning hit musical is now finally a film (films, actually; part two comes out next year), starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba/The Wicked Witch of the West and Boca Raton-born pop star Ariana Grande as Galinda/Glinda the Good (roles originated by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, respectively.) Modern movie musicals tend to be hit-or-miss — see "Cats" and "Dear Evan Hansen," both hugely popular on stage and hugely unpopular onscreen. Hopefully this is more "hit" than "miss," with two leads who can definitely sing and "In the Heights" director Jon M. Chu.

'Hard Truths' (Dec. 6 in theaters)

After making two movies set in the 1800s, "Mr. Turner" and "Peterloo," the great British director Mike Leigh returns to the modern day for his latest film following a woman played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who previously worked with Leigh on 1996's "Secrets & Lies." That film is arguably Leigh's most acclaimed, winning the Palme d'Or and being nominated for five Oscars including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress for Jean-Baptiste, and Best Director and Original Screenplay for Leigh, and reviews suggest "Hard Truths" is another successful collaboration between the two.

'Nightbitch' (Dec. 6 in theaters)

Amy Adams stars in this adaptation of Rachel Yoder's 2021 book of the same name, following a stay-at-home mom who sometimes turns into a dog. The absurdist premise is enough to grab one's attention, but the film is also written and directed by Marielle Heller, who showed her flair for dark comedy with 2018's Oscar-nominated "Can You Ever Forgive Me?," and it sounds like it's finally another lead role worthy of Adams, a very talented actress who's been nominated for six Oscars but has also been in something of a slump lately as far as her movie choices go.

'The Room Next Door' (Dec. 20 in theaters)

After decades spent making acclaimed Spanish-language films, director Pedro Almodóvar recently released the English-language short films "Strange Way of Life" and "The Human Voice," and now he's made his first full-fledged feature in English: an adaptation of Sigrid Nunez's 2020 novel "What Are You Going Through," co-starring Tilda Swinton (the star of "The Human Voice") and Julianne Moore. "The Room Next Door" recently premiered at Venice, where it won the festival's top prize of the Golden Lion.

'Babygirl' (Dec. 25 in theaters)

Nicole Kidman stars in the new film by "Bodies Bodies Bodies" director Halina Reijn as a CEO who begins a boundary-pushing romance with an intern (Harris Dickinson.) "Babygirl" earned acclaim at its recent Venice premiere both for the film itself and for the performance by Kidman, who won the festival's Best Actress award and should be applauded for the fact that, despite being a household name for decades now, is still willing to take on daring roles such as this one.

'A Complete Unknown' (Dec. 25 in theaters)

Timothée Chalamet stars as Bob Dylan in this movie about the musician's early days amongst fellow folk performers such as Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) and Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) before going electric. One wonders if we really needed another Dylan film after Todd Haynes' 2007 Oscar-nominated "I'm Not There," with a nontraditional narrative structure that arguably better embodied Dylan's idiosyncratic style. Yet Dylan has lent his support to the film, according to director James Mangold, who also helmed the 2005 Oscar-winning Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line."

'The Fire Inside' (Dec. 25 in theaters)

Cinematographer Rachel Morrison, the first woman Best Cinematography Oscar nominee for 2017's "Mudbound," makes her directorial debut with this biopic of boxer Claressa "T-Rex" Shields (Ryan Destiny), penned by Barry Jenkins. It's taken a while for "The Fire Inside" to see the light of day, between a years-long break in filming and a release date delay, but putting it in a prime Christmas Day spot is encouraging, as is Morrison and Jenkins' involvement. (Jenkins also directs "Mufasa: The Lion King," out Dec. 20, but don't expect that to be an awards season player.)

'Nosferatu' (Dec. 25 in theaters)

Robert Eggers ("The Witch," "The Lighthouse," "The Northman") directs this remake of the 1922 German silent film horror classic — itself based on "Dracula" — following the vampire Count Orlok (Bill Skarsg?rd) as he preys on a young woman (Lily-Rose Depp.) The cast also includes Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and frequent Eggers collaborator Willem Dafoe, who previously played original "Nosferatu" star Max Schreck in a Oscar-nominated role in 2000's biography and fiction-blending film "Shadow of the Vampire."

'The Brutalist' (TBA)

Initially an actor who starred in films such as "Mysterious Skin," Brady Corbet turned to directing with his feature debut "The Childhood of a Leader" and Natalie Portman pop star drama "Vox Lux." Now he returns with this three-and-a-half-hour epic following a fictional Hungarian-born Jewish architect (Adrien Brody), who moves to the U.S. with his wife (Felicity Jones) and lands a contract with a wealthy client (Guy Pearce.) "The Brutalist" received rave reviews at Venice, garnering comparisons to "The Godfather" and "There Will Be Blood" and winning the Silver Lion for best director.

'Maria' (TBA)

After making two other movies about famous women, Jacqueline Kennedy in "Jackie" and Princess Diana in "Spencer," Chilean director Pablo Larraín's latest film centers on renowned opera singer Maria Callas (Angelina Jolie.) The stars of "Jackie" and "Spencer" — Natalie Portman and Kristen Stewart, respectively — both earned Best Actress Oscar nominations for their roles, and it seems quite possible that Angelina Jolie will too, even as "Maria" only received mildly positive reviews following its recent Venice premiere.

'Queer' (TBA)

Luca Guadagnino's second film this year, following the well-received tennis romance "Challengers," is this adaptation of William S. Burroughs' novel about an outcast (Daniel Craig) who flees America for Mexico City and pursues a younger man (Drew Starkey.) While Burroughs' work is often deemed unfilmable, this actually isn't the first attempt to bring the novel to the screen: The 2010 Sarasota Film Festival hosted a reading of a "Queer" script by Oscar nominee Oren Moverman, with the reading directed by Steve Buscemi and featuring actors such as Stanley Tucci and Ben Foster.

Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at [email protected]. Support local journalism by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Top fall movies of 2024: When and where to watch them