Fall movies with all the good buzz

Though local temperatures prove otherwise, the fall movie season officially arrived with high profile premieres at the Venice and Telluride film festivals.

With Toronto and New York festivals imminent, we will know soon which movies to prioritize heading into the end of the year.

Here’s a smattering of some of the buzziest titles and when to expect them.

Netflix touts its strongest fall slate in years

Though it releases plenty of slop through most of the year, Netflix usually delivers a few prestige titles in the fourth quarter. The lineup this year might be its most exciting.

Those likely to top the streaming charts for weeks include Guillermo del Toro’s sumptuous adaptation of “Frankenstein” with Oscar Isaac as the deranged doctor and Jacob Elordi as the monster. It arrives Nov. 7 on the streamer after a limited theatrical run. Even more of a sure thing: Daniel Craig returns as brilliant detective Benoit Blanc in “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” hitting Netflix also after a limited theatrical run Dec. 12.

Titles generating some decent buzz at the recent festivals include “Jay Kelly,” about a disillusioned Hollywood A-lister (George Clooney) traveling Europe. Early word suggests co-star Adam Sandler might finally pull his first Oscar nomination (it certainly won’t be for “Happy Gilmore 2.”). “Jay Kelly” will be released Dec. 5. Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow also earned raves for her latest thriller, “A House of Dynamite,” releasing Oct. 24.

An Oscar nomination for the Rock?

After failing to save the previous version of the DC Cinematic Universe with “Black Adam,” Dwayne Johnson obviously needed to make a career shift. For all the box office success, Johnson hasn’t strayed too far from playing a certain type of stoic character. Queue the shift to awards bait-y drama!

For Johnson, that means pairing with “Uncut Gems” filmmaker Benny Safdie for “The Smashing Machine,” a sports drama about MMA fighter Mark Kerr. Emily Blunt also appears to bring more clout to the project.

Look, I’m as cynical as anyone, but “The Smashing Machine” earned raves at its Venice Film Festival premiere, and the crowd gave Johnson a 15-minute standing ovation. Can you SMMMMMMMMMEEEELLLL what the Rock is cooking? In theaters Oct. 3.

Want something sad? Look no further than “Hamnet”

After an admirable-but-misguided foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with “The Eternals,” Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”) earned the most superlative praise of the fall festival season so far with “Hamnet,” a fictionalized drama about the life of William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes, after the death of their 11-year-old son. Judging by the early reviews, this movie is SAD but also apparently wonderful. The film stars Jesse Buckley and Paul Mescal and expands into theaters in December.

More films earning strong reviews out of the festival circuit

• “Bugonia” — The latest oddity from “Poor Things” director Yorgos Lanthimos, starring returning collaborators Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. Expect weird with powerhouse performances. In theaters Oct. 31.

• “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere" — “The Bear” star Jeremy Allen White portrays Bruce Springsteen in an intimate drama about a narrow segment of the Boss’ life. Though heralded as less “crowd-pleasing” than the likes of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “A Complete Unknown,” the film earned strong reviews that will likely propel White to his first Oscar nomination. In theaters Oct. 24.

• “Sentimental Value” — The latest from “The Worst Person in the World” director Joachim Trier already dominated the Cannes Film Festival in May and now it’s continuing its critical reign on the fall circuit. This will likely be the “no name” Best Picture nominee in this year’s Oscar lineup. But anyone who saw “The Worst Person in the World” would dare not refer to Trier as a no name anymore. Expands in theaters in November.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at [email protected].

    Adam Sandler, left, and George Clooney pose for photographers on the red carpet for the film "Jay Kelly" during the 82nd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Aug. 28, 2025.

    This image released by Focus Features shows Emma Stone in a scene from "Bugonia."

    Dwayne Johnson poses for photographers on the red carpet for the film "The Smashing Machine" during the 82nd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Monday.