1. Gone Girl (October 3) - There are endless reasons to be excited about Gone Girl. David Fincher is one of the best directors working today, and is coming off of back-to-back masterpieces, The Social Network and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Gillian Flynn's novel is a fantastic mystery, with compelling characters, truly shocking twists, and plenty of darkness for Fincher to tap into (Flynn also serves as screenwriter here, which is neat). The cast is a bizarre treasure trove, with perfectly cast Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike in the leads (the latter finally getting the meaty part her talent deserves) and a supporting cast that includes Tyler Perry and Neil Patrick Harris. This is going to be a brilliant bit of pitch-black master filmmaking, and will likely be one of the year's best movies.
2. Birdman (October 17) - Already the winner of the year's most compelling full title, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) also looks to be one of the year's most compelling films, full stop. Michael Keaton plays a former onscreen superhero attempting to mount a Broadway play, all while dealing with his massive ego, his family, and the difficulties of reviving a career when one is already an icon. It's a strong parallel to Keaton's actual career: the one-time Batman has been relegated to supporting work in movies like Robocop and Need For Speed in recent years (it's telling that I had to Google what he's been in lately). Birdman comes from visionary director Alejandro González Iñárritu and shot and edited to look as though the film is one take (with help from the magical Emmanuel Lubezski as director of photography). Expect this one to be a wonder to behold, a la last year's Gravity.
3. Whiplash (October 10) - Somehow, Miles Teller is pegged as an up-and-coming actor to watch year after year. It's unclear why he hasn't exploded into full-blown stardom, as he's one of the most talented young actors around, balancing prestigious fare like Rabbit Hole and The Spectacular Now with bigger movies like Project X and Divergent. He's on the verge of becoming a huge deal with next year's Fantastic Four reboot, but Whiplash could seal the deal even sooner. The film has received rave reviews and standing ovations all year long, as it's travelled from festival to festival. Teller plays a percussion student at a top music conservatory, where he clashes with an instructor (J.K. Simmons) whose methods are akin to a drill sergeant's (think Full Metal Jacket). Simmons has received the most praise of all, and even has some Oscar buzz as we head into awards season. This could be one of the indie breakouts of the year.
4. The Tale of Princess Kaguya (October 17) - While Hiyao Miyazaki has bid filmmaking adieu (or so he says), Studhio Ghibli isn't quite done yet. The Tale of Princess Kaguya comes from Isao Takahata, and is his first film since My Neighbors the Yamadas back in 1999. Based on a 10th-century Japanese folktale, the film follows a tiny princess who is found in a bamboo grove, who then grows up to receive marriage proposals from five fine suitors. What makes The Tale of Princess Kaguya especially exciting is the gorgeous animation, composed of vivid brushstrokes and shocks of color. For the English dub, Chloe Grace Moretz voices the heroine, and the voice cast also includes Oliver Platt, James Caan, James Marsden, and Lucy Liu. Hopefully audiences will be able to see it in its native Japanese, too, though we might have to wait for a home release for that.
5. Nightcrawler (October 31) - It's not often a director's debut film makes it onto this chart; a filmmaker's previous work is usually one of the major sources of excitement fuel. But the reactions to Nightcrawler are so positive, and Jake Gyllenhaal has been on such a roll lately (Enemy remains one of the year's best, with great dual performances from him), that it's impossible not to get psyched for Dan Gilroy's first outing in the director's chair. Gyllenhaal plays a man looking for work who stumbles into the world of nightcrawling - the underground reporting of LA's crime scene. The thriller is said to have plenty of bite, challenging viewers to think about the way we devour the horrors that fill the daily (and nightly) news.
Other Notable Releases: Men, Women, & Children (October 1), The Good Lie (October 3), Left Behind (October 3), The Homseman (October 7), Giuseppe Makes a Movie (October 7), The Judge (October 10), The Overnighters (October 10), The Canal (October 10), Mudbloods (October 14), Learning to Drive (October 15), Fury (October 17), The Book of Life (October 17), Dear White People (October 17), Young Ones (October 17), Listen Up Philip (October 17), Ouija (October 24), St. Vincent (October 24), Laggies (October 24), White Bird in a Blizzard (October 24), Force Majeure (October 24), Camp X-Ray (October 28), Goodbye to Language 3D (October 31), Horns (October 31
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