Fall Movie Preview 2016
It's that time of year when typically the best movies hit theaters.
— -- Get ready, get set, let's go! Fall will be here before you know it. That means some of the best movies of the year will finally make their way into theaters. So what should you see? Film critic Peter Travers has just released his Fall Movie Preview of 2016. This is the list you don’t want to miss.
BLOCKBUSTERS
There hasn’t been a really huge blockbuster this year since “Captain America: Civil War,” much to the disappointment of many. But hold on. Help is on the way with a host of big blockbusters including “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”
"The reason I'm obsessed with this one is because it's the first standalone star wars movie,” said Travers, host of “Popcorn with Peter Travers.” “When George Lucas sold the rights to Disney and said, ‘I'm not doing this anymore,’ people said, 'Let’s do them like you do comic books. Let's just make it. It doesn't have to be characters we've seen before.' So in this one Felcity Jones stars.”
Jones may be best known for her Oscar nomination for “The Theory of Everything.” In this film, she plays Jyn Erso, who is part of the Rebel Army trying to steal the plans for the Death Star.
Another highly anticipated blockbuster film is J.K. Rowling’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Rowling, of course, the creative force behind the Harry Potter phenomenon.
“This is for all you Potter maniacs that cannot believe that J.K. Rowling has stopped writing Harry Potter books," Travers said. “Guess what? She wrote her first screenplay for this movie. We don't get to see the boy wizard because this thing is set in 1925 in New York which is basically the year Lord Voldemort was born. So you're not going to see Harry. But you're going to see Eddie Redmayne playing a guy who’s a zoologist who's got these fantastic creatures in his bag. And when he's in New York he lets them out."
OSCARS
This year you can get ahead of the Oscars game so you’re not scrambling to squeeze in viewing time for all of the nominations at the last minute. Travers says there are some early front-runners. His list includes “Manchester by the Sea.”
“It stars Casey Affleck as a guy who’s dealing with tragedy in his life,” said Travers. “Michelle Williams plays his wife. It's done by a playwright named Kenneth Lonergan, who is one of the best writers, screenwriters that I know,” Travers said. “This is the best thing he's ever done. You see this movie, it pins you to your seat.”
Denzel Washington’s passion project “Fences” based on a play by August Wilson also finds a place in the early Oscar buzz world.
“Denzel directs it. I'm saying how can this miss? To me this is that kind of movie that responds to what the Academy didn't do last year,” said Travers.
BOOM BOOMS
Then there are the so-called "Boom Booms," Peter Travers’ special category of must-see films. At the top of the list? "Sully." The film stars Tom Hanks and is directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood. Hanks plays the role of Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who landed a disabled plane in New York’s Hudson River.
“This is one of his very best performances,” Travers said of Hanks.
Another film in the "Boom Boom" category is “Snowden.” The story of Edward Snowden has been told before on film, but this new version is worth the watch.
“In this case, Joseph Gordon is playing this guy who believes we should see every document, we should have full disclosure of what the government is doing,” said Travers. “Oliver Stone has directed it so things are going to be stirred up.”
COMEDY
The all-new original Netflix movie “Mascots” makes the list for comedy. It’s a mockumentary about competitive world of sports mascots.
“This is so off the wall as a movie,” Travers said. ”And yet if you're ever seen a Christopher Guest movie, you’ll want to line up and see that one.”
ANIMATION
This has already been a great year in animated films. From Disney’s “Zootopia” and “The Jungle Book” to “The Secret Life of Pets.” Call it perhaps a wealth of riches, but there’s more to come. Travers' list features several animated films including “Sing,” an “American Idol”-style animated flick with animals. Animated films, he says, are “putting live action films to shame.”
Disney’s “Moana” (Moe-AH-nah) also makes the cut. It’s the story of a Polynesian girl who sets set sail to learn more about her ancestors' past.
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Peter Travers has included additional films in his Fall Movie preview in each category above. To get the complete list, be sure to watch the full video.
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