15 Movies to See This Season

October 31st – Nightcrawler

Summary: Jake Gyllenhaal is Lou, a young man who takes his job as a nighttime video crime journalist to an obsessive level.



Conversation Starter: If you think Gyllenhaal ( Sharp’s September coverman) looks weirdly different, it’s not just you. The actor lost 20 pounds to play the role. Keep an eye on those dark, hollow spaces under his eyes: the deeper they are, the deeper his character gets into the underbelly of bloody sensationalism.

October 31st – Before I Go To Sleep

Summary: Based on a chilling novel by the same name, the film follows Christine, a woman who wakes up each day with no new memories as a result of a traumatic accident. As she tries to retain new information, clues begin to emerge that make her question everything about her new life. Right, like Memento, but with a sexier protagonist.



Conversation Starter: Audience expectations will be shaken up by Colin Firth who plays Christine’s husband. The usually lovable actor will display a dark side that will shock viewers, even the ones who read the book.

October 17th – Camp X-Ray

Summary: A solider played by Kristin Stewart is assigned to Guantanamo Bay where she befriends a man who has been imprisoned there for eight years.



Conversation Starter: According to the film’s cast and crew, the abandoned Fred C. Nelles Correctional Facility where filming took place is known to be haunted. The facility was used as a juvenile prison and was closed after being open for 113 years. People claim that they’ve heard girls laughing in the chapel and ghostly bangs in the gym and garage. But we didn’t see any ghosts in the trailer.

October 17th – Dear White People

Summary: This satirical drama focuses on four black students attending an Ivy League college in America where a riot breaks out over an “African American’-themed Halloween party thrown by white students.



Conversation Starter: The official poster for Dear White People was created by a fan who centered it on one of the film’s main leads. Nikkolas Smith sent his fan art to the director who loved it so much it became the film’s official one-sheet.

October 10th – Dracula Untold

Summary: One more Dracula origin movie to add to the pile, Dracula Untold recounts how Vlad Tepes made a deal with dark forces to ensure the safety of his family and his kingdom. And how he tries to fight succumbing to the darkness himself.



Conversation Starter: While it may feel like Hollywood continually churns out stories about Dracula and vampires, it has actually been 14 years since the last big budget Dracula movie. That was Dracula 2000. It sucked. Discuss.

November 14th – Foxcatcher

Summary: Based on true events, Foxcatcher tells the story of Olympic gold medal-wearing brothers Mark and Dave Schultz and their relationship with disturbed multi-millionaire John du Pont.



Conversation Starter: You might think it’ll be hard to take Steve Carell seriously as John du Pont, a creepy eccentric, but director Bennett Miller saw his potential right away saying ‘I think all comedians are dark.’ With the use of prosthetics and even a change of skin tone, Carell embodies the murderer and critics have called the role a lock for an Oscar nomination.

October 17th – Fury

Summary: Nazi Germany, 1945. An American army sergeant tries to take out a fleet of German soldiers with only a five-man crew and a Sherman tank. Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf and Michael Pena star.



Conversation Starter: LaBeouf reportedly refused to shower during filming in an attempt to stay in character. As one could imagine, this did not make the cast and crew happy. But at least he wasn’t drinking moonshine like it was going out of style as he did on the set of Lawless.

October 3rd – Gone Girl

Summary: Based on the 2012 novel of the same name, the film revolves around the disappearance of a woman and the media circus that surrounds her possibly-guilty husband.



Conversation Starter: While exploring his character, Ben Affleck researched and studied men who had been accused of murdering their wives. Scott Peterson was paid extra attention.

October 31st – Horns

Summary: In the aftermath of his girlfriend’s mysterious death, Ig Perrish (Daniel Radcliffe) begins to grow strange horns that sprout out of his temples.



Conversation Starter: The film may be a departure from Radcliffe’s usual roles, but his isn’t the name you should base your ‘will I watch it’ decision on. The source material comes from a killer gene pool. The film is based on a thriller novel written by Joe Hill…the son of Stephen King.

November 26th – Horrible Bosses 2

Summary: They’re baaaaack. With one boss in jail, one dead and one played by a sexually charged Jennifer Aniston, Dale, Kurt and Nick decide to start their own business and be their own bosses. As you might imagine, hijinks ensue.



Conversation Starter: Kevin Spacey is still around offering advice from prison, but new additions to the cast include Christoph Waltz and Chris Pine as a father-son duo the trio will try to extort.

November 28th – I Am Ali

Summary: I Am Ali is a documentary that hopes to glean insight into the life of the greatest fighter in the world through unprecedented access to Muhammad Ali’s personal archive of audio journals. Interviews with Ali’s daughters, son, ex-wife plus legends from the boxing ring help tell his story.



Conversation Starter: Back when he was in his prime, Ali was gifted a boxing robe from Elvis Presley that had the words ‘The People’s Champion’ on the back. Ali wore the robe in his next fight but lost. Thinking it was bad luck, Ali never wore the robe again.

September 26th – Jimi: All Is By My Side

Summary: This Jimi Hendrix biopic only covers a year in Hendrix’s life from 1966-67 when he moved to London and was just on the verge of rock stardom.



Conversation Starter: Andre Benjamin (née 3000) from OutKast does an incredible job of nailing down Hendrix’s idiosyncrasies. Almost to the point that you won’t even notice the lack of Jimi Hendrix music; the musician’s estate refused to loan the film music rights.

October 10th – Kill the Messenger

Summary: A reporter delves into the CIA’s role in arming Nicaraguan rebels and importing cocaine into California. The film is based on the true story of journalist Gary Webb with Jeremy Renner in the main role.



Conversation Starter: The film has an impressive cast that includes Renner, Michael Sheen, Ray Liotta, Michael K. Williams, Andy Garcia, Barry Pepper and Oliver Platt. You know, just to name a few.

October 1st – Nas: Time Is Illmatic

Summary: This feature length documentary covers the making of Nas’ 1994 debut album Illmatic and the social conditions that influenced its creation. The film goes even further back by tracing Nas’ musical legacy to his jazz musician father.



Conversation Starter: Work on this film began a decade ago on the album’s tenth anniversary with filmmakers tracking down every person who was still alive and had something to say about some element of the album. The film leaves no stone unturned and covers everything from the album’s cover art and liner notes to the lyrics.

October 10th – Whiplash

Summary: A promising young drummer enrolls at a music conservatory where his every beat is monitored and critiqued by a sadistic yet brilliant instructor played by the always great J.K. Simmons.



Conversation Starter: The film’s star Miles Teller wouldn’t be told when a scene was over, the director wanted him to play until he was exhausted. As a result, Teller hands would blister and his drumsticks would be coated with his blood.