Knock on Wood

As studios begin pumping out their prestigious awards contenders and the box office continues to soar to pre-pandemic levels after an already exciting summer, it’s hard to deny that cinephiles are being treated to an expansive feast of dramas, genre fare, and everything in between. Not every part of the feast will be to everyone’s liking, so I had to rope in some fellow Knock on Wood contributors to help me discuss every new release that has not been previously covered on our site. In fact, we wrote about so many movies we couldn’t fit it all in one list, so keep an eye out for the second part (covering releases from mid-October through November) in the coming days. Please enjoy this year’s Fall Summary!

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the first time in a while that you can watch a Tim Burton film and feel just how much fun he had making it. The original Beetlejuice was lightning in a bottle, so this 36-year-later sequel was never going to fully recreate that feeling, but it being this lively and watchable is something of a miracle. Between some combination of awesome sets and practical effects, a cast that is completely game, and Michael Keaton absolutely killing it, this is the best Burton’s been since 2007’s Sweeney Todd. (Foster)

Available to stream on Max from December 6.

The Front Room

The Front Room is the debut film from Robert Eggers’ brothers, Max and Sam. If you’re just finding out now that Robert Eggers’ brothers are also filmmakers, this film not being very good is a quick explanation of why. Following new parents Belinda (Brandy Norwood) and Norman (Andrew Burlap), the film is more of the Kathryn Hunter show, as she plays Norman’s elderly, deeply religious stepmother, who moves in with the couple and immediately makes their life hell. Comparing and contrasting raising an infant to being the caretaker of an elderly family member is an interesting concept, and there’s some half-assed racial and religious commentary thrown in for good measure, but there’s a reason that there was never a significant marketing push behind this movie despite the tangential name recognition. (Robert)

His Three Daughters

This trio of co-leading ladies is the reason to watch the movie, but a film is more than just performances. This play (that’s not a play, but is absolutely still a play), suffers under the weight of its bottle setting and contrived, inauthentic dialogue. The nature of each line holds you at arm’s length from this forced conflict and manipulative story. It doesn’t help that seemingly every single narrative beat is one you’ve seen before, done better elsewhere. This just reads like a film going for awards consideration instead of trying to tell an honest and emotional tale with real catharsis behind it. You get someone else to punch up this script, having its characters slinging realistic and interesting dialogue as unique as these performances, and this could’ve been really special. But, as it stands, His Three Daughters never engages you as it fails to shake off the pompous stagecraft. (Heath)

Available to stream on Netflix.

Rebel Ridge

Jeremy Saulnier’s Rebel Ridge, his first film since 2015’s Green Room, is anchored by some surprisingly nuanced ideas regarding police violence and corruption, as well as a breakout leading performance from Aaron Pierre, who plays Terry, a former Marine who doesn’t believe in killing. These combine for a conversation starter that doesn’t shy away from its unconventional take on hot-button topics. Pierre is far and away the standout, with his (nearly) unwavering poise and composed demeanor. His performance is dialed to such a place that you can’t always read, and that adds more gravitas to the character. Even with an inconsistent middle act instead of a deeply moving look at the way the systems in place are corrupt, Rebel Ridge is incredibly methodical. It’s fitting for who Terry is. (Robert)

Available to stream on Netflix.

The Killer’s Game

This pulpy action flick feels like it crawled right out of the 2000s, in the best possible way. It’s blood-soaked and stylized to the extreme with comically over-the-top violence and gore, while fully embracing what it is instead of dodging it. Dave Bautista is fun, Sofia Boutella is invested on a level I haven’t seen from her in years, and the supporting performances from Pom Klementieff, Ben Kingsley, Terry Crews, Alex Kingston, and the myriad of hilarious, revolving-door assassins are hammy as hell. It’s endearing in its ridiculousness and unashamed humor, and will more likely than not go horrendously underseen and underappreciated. (Rowan)

Watchmen: Chapters I and II

This pulpy action flick feels like it crawled right out of the 2000s, in the best possible way. It’s blood-soaked and stylized to the extreme with comically over-the-top violence and gore, while fully embracing what it is instead of dodging it. Dave Bautista is fun, Sofia Boutella is invested on a level I haven’t seen from her in years, and the supporting performances from Pom Klementieff, Ben Kingsley, Terry Crews, Alex Kingston, and the myriad of hilarious, revolving-door assassins are hammy as hell. It’s endearing in its ridiculousness and unashamed humor, and will more likely than not go horrendously underseen and underappreciated. (Rowan)

Chapter I is available to stream on Max. Chapter II will stream at an unspecified future date.

The Substance

It’s not just the gnarly body horror. The stellar and unique camera work. That it stars two genuine talents, that Moore is truly crushing it, that this is sexual, yet honest about aging and raw about nudity, but it’s that this is a very necessary deconstruction of beauty standards, societal pressure, and the body ‘improvement’ industry that has become so pervasive over that last decade. The Substance is a cautionary tale, screaming at the top of its lungs, warning anyone who cares to listen, that we’re on a dangerous path. As if the conversation this flick is having wasn’t enough, this is also a captivating and entertaining experience. (Heath)

Available to stream on Mubi.

Transformers One

As the cinematic version of the franchise has continued to evolve past Michael Bay, Transformers One is a surprisingly great entry. It’s animated, which immediately sets it apart from the pack, and the animation is incredible – it’s reminiscent of The Lego Movie, in which the characters and settings look tangible. That serves a huge purpose, as it’s easy to be drawn into the film’s world; even as there’s long and what could be boring exposition, there’s a visual realization to the narrative that it’s hard not to be locked in. Even though it’s a classic MacGuffin story (this is ultimately a family movie, annoying side characters and all), there’s a real connection between the world’s deep history and its present, which is cool to see. We follow the classic characters of Optimus Prime and Megatron — Optimus is a well-rendered character yet poorly performed by Chris Hemsworth, who struggles to do an American accent, while Megatron’s character is missing a couple connective character beats yet is brought to life by a standout Brian Tyree Henry. But as sometimes uneven as the movie can be, it still wraps up perfectly, with a grand action showdown with an exciting emotional crescendo. (Robert)

Available to stream on Paramount+.

My Old Ass

An endlessly entertaining and relatable flick for all generations. It embraces the exuberance and foolishness of youth, pronouncing how important it is to live in the moment and experience life, even with all of its inevitable hardships. But it also recognizes the wisdom and experience that comes with age, and what comes of trying to nostalgically reflect on your past choices in an effort to make a better world for yourself by going back and appreciating the small things like spending more quality time with family while you can. All of this is accomplished in a coming-of-age tale that simultaneously works for teenagers on the cusp of adulthood, and adults on the cusp of being middle-aged. How this movie ties everything together makes for a strikingly resonate story with real emotional catharsis behind it. It’s beautiful.

It has to be acknowledged at this point that Megan Park is quietly, but quickly, becoming one of the best directors working today. This is only her sophomore effort, and she’s already knocked two films out of the park, between this and her directorial debut from a couple years ago, The Fallout. Park has a very distinct understanding of teenagers, the current generation’s joys and fears, as well as humor, to work in conjunction with a brilliant understanding of pacing, how to get the most out of her cast, and efficient editing. It’s worth noting as well that she’s writing these scripts, too, so her ability to craft tight stories that don’t require a bloated runtime, while still delivering such emotional heft, is impressive.

Extremely well acted by Stella, Plaza, and Hynes White, surprisingly wholesome and gripping, expertly directed by Park, exceedingly humorous with many laugh out loud moments (with a particularly hilarious Justin Bieber sequence), and definitely emotionally moving, I can’t recommend this enough. Though it likely won’t get any awards consideration, this will absolutely fly under the radar as one of the best films of the year. (Heath)

Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

Wolfs

Just a month after The Instigators (a surprisingly solid action/thriller/comedy starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck) released on Apple TV+, the streamer tried it again with Wolfs, starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney. If it at first seems like this would be the better of the two, it’s disappointingly not the case, as writer/director Jon Watts just can’t carry over his Marvel magic. What is a marvel, though, is that Clooney and Pitt can be so dull in a movie, let alone in a movie together. As hit men mistakenly assigned to the same job, they’re each given one character trait, and it’s the same one, so they spend an hour and 40 minutes insulting each other and swearing up a storm. That’s about it. The movie doesn’t utilize their charisma, looks, physicality, or, worst of all, their chemistry. Any assumed quality from  these two teaming up is thrown out the window, and right when you think there might be a moment of earnestness, the movie literally flips you off. A massive bummer. (Robert)

Available to stream on Apple TV+.

A Different Man

Given the two categories of Sebastian Stan performances — Bucky Barnes and Slimeball — he slides quite nicely into the latter for the second time within a month (the other being his turn as the ’70s version of president-elect Donald Trump in The Apprentice). In A Different Man, it’s fascinating to watch him portray the mental pretzel (one which is perhaps ever too salty) that he winds himself into while he thinks about the way he thinks people do or don’t perceive him due to his physical condition. His character’s journey is pretty brilliantly tied into conversations about ethically casting minority actors, and how the people doing the casting can do so out of a self-serving voyeurism. Adam Pearson’s eventual appearance in the movie is a nice added twist, and the movie ultimately shows the way in which we all wind that pretzel as we live our lives. (Robert)

The Apprentice

The Apprentice is surprisingly watchable and fast-paced, given the subject matter that will understandably put off a lot of its potential audience from wanting to see the film in the first place. Sebastian Stan gives an excellent performance of an up-and-coming Donald Trump, chronicling his evolution throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Right there with him is a completely locked-in portrayal of Roy Cohn from Jeremy Strong. The intensity levels from Strong are off the charts, completely stealing every one of his scenes. Perhaps most surprising of all is director Ali Abbasi’s dynamite sense of style. Each frame of The Apprentice is filmed like a 1970s television special backed by one of the most hardcore electric guitar scores you will ever hear. (Foster)

The Wild Robot

Everything about this movie works. DreamWorks Animation is in full How to Train Your Dragon mode, which means rich emotional catharsis, a committed voice cast (full of celebrities who actually know how to voice act!), and a swelling score courtesy of Kris Bowers that will bring a tear to the eye of even the most stalwart moviegoer. In the end, it confirms much of what I already know: digital animation will only keep improving, and stories about community and found family still have the unyielding power to make me cry. (Rowan)

Joker: Folie à Deux

On one hand, Joker: Folie à Deux’s choice to reject and recontextualize the lessons of its predecessor is respectable, and not just because it’s flipping off some of the worst kinds of people. On the other, it’s just a compelling concept without the necessary execution. Because the problem with the execution is that no one involved in the production seems to have any motivation to make the movie good, and therefore it’s not even bad. Only boring. It just trudges along for two hours and 18 minutes, breaking into half-assed song every 15 or so, before waiting until the last two minutes two make its first interesting choice. Joaquin Phoenix is okay as Arthur Fleck this time around, and at least Lady Gaga seems the slightest bit motivated to make her character interesting. It’s just that the movie around them is full of pompousness to the point that it becomes completely hollow. (Robert)

It’s What’s Inside

First-time feature director Greg Jardin’s vision shines so clearly through that I’m not shocked this was a hot festival commodity. His frenetic editing and precise directing (not to mention the wholly invested cast, who dive into the acting challenge the premise presents with a palpable enthusiasm) makes for an unbelievably tense and ridiculously fun time. It’s absolutely bursting with ideas, the most interesting among them tackling identity, sense of self, and the weight of (mis)communication and past mistakes. I encourage you to know as little as possible going in — this is truly a unique experience. (Rowan)

Available to stream on Netflix.

Caddo Lake

A mysterious, twisty thriller produced by M. Night Shyamalan and set in the swampy South? Inject it into my veins, please! My initial watch of Caddo Lake was a tad confusing, but once the pieces began to fall into place, it couldn’t have been more exciting. I understand why this didn’t make the splash it should have – the level of investment required to fully buy into the thematic core isn’t an easy sell – but what can I say, it worked for me. Dylan O’Brien and Eliza Scanlen are both excellent, and I really enjoyed unpacking the intricacies of the central mystery long after the credits rolled. The clues are all there, and I am eagerly looking forward to rewatching this soon. (Rowan)

Available to stream on Max.

Terrifier 3

Terrifier 3 is exactly the crazy, gory horror movie you think it is. If you’re a fan of the Terrifier movies, this is director Dameon Leone’s tightest, most visceral entry yet. That said, if you are not a fan of the franchise or horror gore in general, stay far away! Terrifier 3 is violent and upsetting by design with a wicked sense of humor. Art the Clown — already a modern horror icon — is more expressive here than in any other entry, making for some pretty terrific audience reactions in the theater. Though fans of the franchise may consider Terrifier 2 to be the apex of the series, this third entry has two legs up on its predecessor: a cast full of supporting actors delivering significantly more convincing performances and a much tighter runtime. The film gives you all the gnarly Art the Clown shenanigans at a great pace with filmmaking from Leone that continues to improve in just about every department. (Foster)

Goodrich

Whether he chooses to utilize it or not, Michael Keaton always has the power to elevate any material he participates in. He stars as titular art dealer Andy Goodrich in the second feature from Hallie Meyers-Shyer (Home Again), which is a small-scale domestic drama about aging, maintaining a stable home and family amidst the unfair chaos of life, and the relationships that keep you going. There’s not much more to Goodrich (except perhaps a very strange wrapup line to one of the central emotional arcs), and that’s okay. It does the job it needs to and asks nothing else from its audience. (Rowan)

Smile 2

Amidst the sudden jumps (of which there are many) and shiver-inducing psychological torment, this scare fare manages to top its predecessor solely through the transcendent horror performance delivered by Naomi Scott. I bought every second of her terror, and she is the key to the whole affair — without her, it falls apart. Even so, in a story driven by the strength of hallucination, those visions become more of a crutch than a technique to drive the narrative forward (as they should be), and the way it all turns out is slightly disappointing from a story perspective, even if the final scene is just as bombastically spectacular as I expected given the premise. Smile 2 is gory, colorful, and chilling — it’s not surprising, but it is exciting. It maintains its central metaphor, framing trauma and depression as the true, seemingly unstoppable antagonistic force we as humans face far too often. (Rowan)

Available to stream on Paramount+.

To be continued!