Long-anticipated films starting to be released

Just like TV shows, the fall entertainment season also brings many new and long-anticipated films that are set to be released, although some you’ll have to go to the movie theater to watch instead of viewing from streaming services.

Here are the ones you should look out for.

The Card Counter (Sept. 10)

This American crime drama starring Oscar Isaac, Willem Dafoe and Tiffany Haddish has already been released to select theaters. Directed by Paul Schrader, who wrote and co-wrote screenplays for Martin Scorsese such as Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, the film centers around a gambler and former serviceman who set out to reform a young man seeking revenge on a mutual enemy from their past. Isaac can’t seem to miss right now with his work as everything he’s been in lately has been well-reviewed, spanning many genres that require different styles of acting. This film has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 86 percent from 129 film critic reviews.

The Many Saints of Newark (Oct. 1)

Fans of The Sopranos have been waiting a long time for this one. This movie is a prequel to the iconic television series and stars James Gandolfini’s son, Michael, as a young Tony Soprano. The elder Gandolfini, who died in 2013, portrayed Soprano in the TV series. Set in the 1960s and ’70s in Newark, NJ, using the 1967 riots in the city as a backdrop for tensions between the Italian-American and African-American communities, the movie follows the teenage years of Soprano in the midst of a violent gang war that his family is involved in. Other notable cast members include Ray Liotta, Jon Bernthal and Leslie Odom Jr. The director is Alan Taylor, who has directed many episodes for TV series such as The Sopranos, The West Wing, Mad Men and Game of Thrones. The film will be released on HBO Max as well as in theaters.

Dune (Oct. 22)

I have been anticipating this one for a few years now. The epic science fiction film is an adaption of the 1984 film of the same name. This time, director Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Blade Runner 2049) is planning a two-part adaption of the 1965 novel. This first version will cover roughly the first half of the book and a second film will be released in the future that will cover the second half. Villeneuve has experience with adapting iconic sci-fi films as he did the visually stunning Blade Runner 2049. Cast members include Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac (again), Josh Brolin, Zendaya, Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem. Rotten Tomatoes already has given it a rating of 88 percent from 59 film critic reviews. The movie will be released on HBO Max as well as in theaters.

The French Dispatch (Oct. 22)

Director and screenwriter Wes Anderson is back with a comedy-drama that follows three storylines in the 20th century as the French foreign bureau of a fictional Kansas newspaper creates its final issue. According to the film’s premise, it was inspired by Anderson’s love of The New Yorker. Just like all of Anderson’s films, the cast is quite extensive with notable A-list actors such as Benecio del Toro, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Timothee Chalamet (again), Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Liev Schreiber, Edward Norton and Willem Dafoe (again). The film will be released in theaters.

Spencer (Nov. 5)

I am always intrigued by a well-done biopic that highlights important events before I was born. In this case, this film stars Kristen Stewart as Diana, Princess of Wales, and follows her decision to end her marriage to Charles, Prince of Wales, and leave the British royal family. The film has already been praised by critics with a 90 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating from 40 reviews, and Stewart’s performance is garnering much buzz for a potential Oscar nomination, if not to win the award. Chilean director Pablo Larrain previously directed Jackie in 2016, which starred Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy during her days as First Lady and what followed after the assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy. That film received three Oscar nominations. Expect this film to follow the same pattern. The film will be released in theaters.