Including this weekend's Gone Girl, over the next four months moviegoing audiences will be treated to films from five of the ten or so best directors working today. And that's just for starters. Check out what we have in store, ranked by my level of excitedness for each:
Interstellar
Christopher Nolan is the best mainstream filmmaker working today, by a fair margin. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited for his latest (and longest) film, Interstellar (November 7).
Blackhat
There's apparently some question as to whether or not Michael Mann's latest, Blackhat, will get a qualifying run for the Oscars. (It's opening wide January 16, 2015.) Given that he hasn't made a film since 2009's Public Enemies, the auteur of alpha's latest can't get here soon enough for me.
Gone Girl
Ross Douthat wondered a few years back if David Fincher is the best filmmaker of his generation. The answer to that question is no (especially since Ross included Nolan in Fincher's generation). But he's right up there. And Gone Girl, which I reviewed here,helps show why.
American Sniper
I am ... ambivalent about Clint Eastwood, director (as opposed to Clint Eastwood, movie star). However, I have to say that the trailer for Sniper (December 25), the latest from the four-time Oscar winner, is pretty darn impressive.
Inherent Vice
Judging by the Twitter chatter following its debut at the New York Film Festival, Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice (December 12) isn't going to be quite my cup of tea. But it's always exciting to get something new from the genius behind There Will Be Blood and Boogie Nights.
Those are the flicks from the auteurs. But there's a bunch of other good stuff on tap. Including:
Foxcatcher
Lots of Oscar buzz for Channing Tatum and Steve Carell. Definitely one to watch for. (November 14.)
Nightcrawler
I love this trailer. Very Fincheresque. And Gyllenhaal looks nuts. Is it just me or has he quietly emerged as one of our better actors in recent years? Prisoners, Source Code, Zodiac. Hm. (October 31.)
Fury
You think to yourself "Oh, a World War II film, they've done all these before from every conceivable angle. But they haven't done one in a tank! (At least, I haven't seen one.) Plus: Brad Pitt! (October 17.)
So yeah. Pretty solid lineup in the coming months. This doesn't even include possible top ten bait such as Whiplash and The Imitation Game or high octane, entertaining trash such as John Wick (which I'm unreasonably excited for). And then there's Ridley Scott's Exodus! We have so much great stuff in the pipeline that I almost forgot about a big budget action adventure flick by Ridley Scott. Man.
Anyway, the next time someone tells you they don't make movies for adults anymore, send them this link, mmkay?