Fall 2019 Movie Preview: 15 Movies to Put on Your Watch List

As we head into Labor Day, which is the unofficial end to summer for some, it's got us thinking about the end of the season and what's to come. There's still time to squeeze in some warm summer night trips to the cinema, with these August 30 releases — Angel of Mine, Official Secrets, Spider in the Web — and then it’s time to leap into fall.

It doesn't hurt to get a head start, so here's what you can look out for:

1. The Goldfinch (September 13)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcG06hZooHM

Donna Tartt‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Goldfinch has been adapted into a feature film, starring Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars). The story is told retrospectively by Elgort’s character Theo Decker, looking back on his life at 13-years-old (Oakes Fegley). He and his mother were visiting NYC’s The Metropolitan Museum of Art when there was a terrorist bombing, killing his mother. In the chaos of it all, Theo grabs a valuable painting, one of his mother’s favorites, The Goldfinch. He carries a terrible guilt for stealing the painting.

The story goes back and forth in time, eventually progressing to Theo as a young man.

2. Downton Abbey (September 20)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu3mP0c51hE

The Downton Abbey movie has been in the works for over two years and now... it's finally here (well, in about a month's time). We can look forward to seeing the return of original cast members Dame Maggie SmithHugh BonnevilleMichelle DockeryJoanne FroggattLaura CarmichaelLesley NicolAllen Leech and Elizabeth McGovern. And then there’s Matthew Goode, who’s put it on the record that he’s just “popping in” at the end.

We know there is a royal visit, but the storyline is being kept tightly wrapped, making the reveal in theaters even more exciting.

3. Judy (September 27)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98t7aXRaA6w

Renée Zellweger (Bridget Jones’s Diary) is set to take on the role of legendary performer Judy Garland in the forthcoming biopic, simply called Judy. While her career was long and varied — made up of films, TV and live concerts — Judy will detail Garland’s last year living, prior to her death in 1969 at the age of 47. The film takes place in London, where Garland traveled to perform what would turn out to be her final concerts.

Will Zellweger have the vocal range to match Garland's abilities?

4. Lucy in the Sky (October 4)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQP-L2pJzmk

Natalie Portman portrays astronaut Lucy Cola in the biographical drama Lucy in the Sky. After completing her intergalactic mission, she struggles to adjust to everyday life on Earth. All that matters to her is making her return to space. When she learns it's not going to happen, she begins to spiral. You can also look for Anglo fan favorite Dan Stevens (Legion) and AMC alum John Hamm (Mad Men).

The story is loosely based on actual NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak.

5. The Current War (October 4)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FTxKFsWz60

The biopic The Current War dramatizes the competition between genius engineers Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon). Both men developed electrical systems, with Edison having the support of banker J.P Morgan, lighting up all of Manhattan to impress the masses. On the other hand, Westinghouse, who was working with fellow engineer Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult), spotted some flaws in Edison’s design.

While we know the outcome, for the most part, this was quite the battle at the time.

6. The King (October 11)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMJnsTx-TBg

Timothée Chalamet (Beautiful Boy) takes on the role of a young prince by the name of Hal in The King. He grows up to be who we know as King Henry V of England. When his tyrannical father dies, he becomes king unexpectedly. He is thrust into unexpected leadership, left to deal with the war his father began. A new chapter of his life has begun and he feels the weight of the crown he wears.

He tries to surround himself with those he can trust. When ruling a nation, it's hard to determine who, if anyone, that might be.

7. Mary (October 11)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmtRUYMS8_4

Gary Oldman plays a blue-collar captain looking for an upgrade on life in the horror film Mary. When he sees an abandoned sail boat up for auction, he’s drawn to it and buys it impulsively. Emily Mortimer plays his wife, who begins seeing things she can't explain, like bloody footsteps, door handles turning, but no one is there...

The thing about boats, there's nowhere to run.

8. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (October 18)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0OFH4xpPr4

Angelina Jolie returns to reprise her role as Maleficent, an evil-ish fairy in Maleficent: Mistress of Darkness. We say "ish" because in the first film, she used her powers for good to save Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning) from harm's way. In the sequel, Aurora is now grown, with Maleficent having raised her. But it seems Maleficent is quite territorial. When Aurora announces she is getting married, her guardian is not having it and responds with a flat-out "no." Possibly Maleficent senses something is up with the future in-laws.

While Maleficent seems reformed and uses her powers responsibly, she still has evil inside of her.

9. Zombieland: Double Tap (October 18)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlW9yhUKlkQ

Jesse EisenbergEmma StoneWoody Harrelson and Abigail Breslin are all back for the Zombieland sequel, called Zombieland: Double Tap. We can also look for newbies to the franchise Rosario DawsonZoey Deutch and Avan Jogia. The next installment will kick off in Washington D.C. at The White House and will carry out through the heartland of the U.S.

This looks to have the same zest, humor and delightful grossness as seen the first time around.

10. The Lighthouse (October 18)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyag7lR8CPA

Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe both star as lighthouse keepers in director Robert Eggers‘ black-and-white film The Lighthouse. The fantasy-horror flick is set in 1890s, Nova Scotia. The men are assigned to a remote and mysterious island in New England, where Dafoe takes on the role of the more senior lighthouse keeper, Thomas Wake. He’s put in charge of training Ephraim Winslow (Pattinson) in the art of lighthouse keeping.

These two might drive one another mad... but, who first?

11. The Irishman (November 1)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_2RjQwQGV0

Director Martin Scorsese has cast an all-star lineup for his film The Irishman, including Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino and Harvey Keitel. De Niro plays the title role, Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran. The biopic tells of union labor leader Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino), who went missing in 1965 and the role that The Irishman, also a labor teamster, may have played in his disappearance.

Scorsese has worked with De Niro, Pesci and Keitel on earlier projects, but this is the first time he's teamed up with Pacino.

12. Last Christmas (November 8)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=z9CEIcmWmtA

Emilia Clarke (Me Before You) and Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) star opposite each other in Paul Feig‘s Last Christmas, co-written by Emma Thompson. Clarke’s character, Kate, works as an elf in an all-year Christmas shop. She fumbles her way through London, making one bad decision after another. Until… she meets a love interest, Tom (Golding). He can see past her flaws, including the bells on her elf shoes, and the two go from there. Thompson also stars in the film, portraying Kate's over-protective mother.

You may want to bring some tissues to this one, which features a strong George Michael presence, featuring his music.

13. The Good Liar (November 15)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljKzFGpPHhw

Dame Helen Mirren and Sir Ian McKellen are starring opposite each other for the first time in the thriller The Good Liar. Based on Nicholas Searle‘s 2015 novel, McKellen portrays a conman by the name of Roy Courtney. He’s a career criminal who funds his way of life by swindling unsuspecting women out of their savings. He meets a new mark, millionairess Betty McLeish (Mirren).

If this was the typical scam, he’d win her over, steal her money and get out. But, he finds himself falling for Betty.

14. 21 Bridges (November 22)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVZDhunTrYA

Black Panther's Chadwick Boseman will be doing some crime-fighting in the NYC-based action-thriller 21 Bridges. He takes on the role of a disgraced detective who is given a chance to redeem himself. There has been a massive cop killing at a botched break-in and Boseman’s Andre Davis is called in to contain the situation. His first direction is to shut down Manhattan, closing the bridges (all 21 of them).

He is just a man… but even so, we’re getting a super-human feel with his rapid fire instincts.

15. Knives Out (November 22)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGqiHJTsRkQ

Daniel Craig is set to star in the whodunit Knives Out. When a wealthy crime novelist (Christopher Plummer) turns up dead at his own birthday party, in his own home, everyone is a suspect. Craig takes on the role of Detective Benoit Blanc, who steps in to investigate. You can also look for Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon and Toni Collette.

It's kind of fun to try and figure out who the killer is before the ending, let us know if you get it before the credits roll.

Is it fall yet!?