Every movie you need to know about for October, including Ticket To Paradise, Black Adam, and the final Halloween

Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington lead a stacked cast—including Robert De Niro, Rami Malek, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Rock, Zoe Saldaña, and so many more—in , a frantic 1930s murder-mystery caper from David O. Russell (American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook). When an army general dies under mysterious circumstances, his daughter (Taylor Swift) asks two former soldiers from his unit (Bale and Washington) to look into it. Together with a nurse and aspiring artist (Robbie) they befriended in Amsterdam after the war, the trio uncovers a conspiracy deeper than any of them could have imagined.The political undertones linking this period piece directly to what’s going on in the country today will likely become a major talking point, as will the showy performances by the actors come awards season. It’s not hard on the eyes, either, although there is a running gag where Bale’s character keeps losing his fake one. If that sort of comedy sounds appealing, this should be right up your (very dark) alley. [Cindy White]

Cate Blanchett’s forte on screen is women unraveling. Think Blue Jasmine (2013) or Notes On A Scandal (2006). Her characters are often barely holding it together, with circumstances conspiring to make them completely lose it. Blanchett seems to have found another opportunity to tear into such a role and give another ferocious, searing performance. In Todd Field’s , Blanchett plays the fictional Lydia Tár, an internationally renowned composer and the first-ever female chief conductor of a major German orchestra. As she prepares to record her greatest symphony, her world comes crashing down when a scandal threatens both her personal and professional lives. An actor (Eyes Wide Shut) as well as director, Field made two highly acclaimed films in the early Aughts: In The Bedroom (2001) and Little Children (2006). Many projects have been announced since then, and none came to fruition until Tár, which he wrote specifically for Blanchett. was through the roof; critics are embracing Field’s comeback after a 16-year absence and Blanchett’s performance has been hailed as another peak in her much-lauded career. [Murtada Elfadl]

The title refers to the area between the eyebrows that contains the “worry wrinkle,” frequently and swiftly botoxed by the rich and vain. The director is Ruben Östlund, making his English-language debut after wowing audiences at Cannes and elsewhere with The Square, his scathing satire of pretentiousness in the arts, and the way real life often imitates performance art. In , he targets pomposity on the part of the rich in general and social media influencers in particular.Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (the late ) play models on an extravagant cruise that appears to have everything … except protection against storms. Under the command of a drunken Marxist ship captain (Woody Harrelson), nerves fray, an extravagant meal leads to copious amounts of vomiting and diarrhea, and eventually it turns into a Lord Of The Flies desert island scenario. Popular Filipina actress Dolly de Leon plays the toilet manager, who presumably has more than her metaphorical hands full. If you’re not the type to be easily put off by a poster of a wealthy woman vomiting liquid gold, proceed. [Luke Y. Thompson]

Hellraiser, written and directed by Clive Barker, and based on his novella The Hellbound Heart, wowed horror fans in 1987 with its gore, mounting tension, and perverse sensuality. The plot centered on a mysterious puzzle box that, when solved, unleashed Cenobites, demonic creatures that derive pleasure from torturing their victims. Doug Bradley, as the lead Cenobite—later called Pinhead—chewed the scenery, earning his place as a horror convention staple alongside Robert Englund, Tony Todd, Linda Blair, etc. Sadly, after 1988’s Hellbound: Hellraiser 2, the eight subsequent Hellraisers proved frightfully bad, devoid of budget, story, or both.That brings us to October 7, when Hulu—via Disney Platform Distribution!—will unleash , a reboot that reanimates the source material. The trailer won’t make sense to non-fans, but for the Hellraiser faithful, its effects and familiar notes from the original’s score look promising. David Bruckner (The Ritual, The Night House) directs, Odessa A’zion stars as Riley, a young addict who comes into possession of the puzzle box, and Jamie Clayton, the trans Sense8 sensation, plays the new Pinhead. Best of all, Barker is a producer and was reportedly hands-on. [Ian Spelling]

One of the biggest shocks in all of cinematic history is the sheer perfection that is and its somehow-even-better . Nothing could prepare audiences for the cuteness, the cleverness, and the simple loveliness of them both. Naturally, studios are looking to copy that template and Sony Pictures is first out of the gate with a live-action adaptation of a popular classic children’s book: . The film’s trailer reveals a family discovering Lyle the crocodile in their bathtub, opening their front door to find his owner (Javier Bardem, dressed like a grungy circus owner) standing there looking creepy, as he is wont to do. Cue the uplifting music as a young boy tries to convince everyone that the croc isn’t dangerous but instead highly talented at singing (indeed, Lyle is voiced by pop star Shawn Mendes). We’ll find out how charming another live-action talking animal vehicle is when Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile hits screens on October 7. [Don Lewis]

One might naturally assume this to be a movie about Emmett Till, the 14-year-old whose brutal 1955 lynching drew national attention to the Civil Rights movement and inspired the likes of Rosa Parks. But rather than dwell on the violent murder, actually focuses on the life of his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler), and her pursuit of justice over the years. Whoopi Goldberg plays her mother Alma, and Frankie Faison is her brother John. Doctor Who’s Tosin Cole plays slain activist Medgar Evers, with Roger Guenveur Smith as activist Dr. T.R.M. Howard.Emmett Till’s late cousin Simeon Wright served as a consultant on the project, which draws on years of research and the reopening of the case in 2004, a year after Till-Mobley died. Director Chinonye Chukwu follows 2019’s impressive, Sundance-winning anti-death penalty movie, starring Alfre Woodard, with what is sure to be an equally powerful look at racial injustice. We can only hope that some of the people in this country who could really use a refresher on the subject actually take it in. [Luke Y. Thompson]

Haddonfield’s real estate market must be dead by now. The small town has served as the slaying grounds for Michael Myers, the masked slasher who began his carnage in John Carpenter’s 1978 Halloween. Many sequels later, director David Gordon Green ditched most of the muddled canon and revitalized the franchise with 2018’s Halloween and 2021’s . Those two installments once again pitted iconic Final Girl Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) against the murderous Michael. Laurie failed to stop his reign of terror and Ends culminated with her daughter, Karen (Judy Greer), meeting a gory demise at the hands of The Shape. The final chapter of Green’s trilogy, , promises a brutal showdown between Laurie and Michael. But can evil truly die? Ends picks up four years after Michael’s previous bloodfest. Laurie is in a good place. She’s taken steps to put all the fear behind her. But that tranquil existence soon shatters when a young man is accused of killing the boy he was babysitting. Somehow, that death ties into Michael, and with his return, Laurie must summon the strength to put this boogeyman to rest … once and for all. But considering the movie’s trailer teases an intense kitchen brawl with Michael throwing Laurie around and almost jamming her hand down a garbage disposal, it might be this Final Girl’s last stand. [Bryan Cairns]

Based on the first book in the series by Soman Chainani, this fairytale fantasy follows two best friends who are drafted into an elite program that trains both heroes and villains. They soon learn that all the stories they thought were make-believe are actually based on past graduates of the school. When the two girls are set on very different paths, their friendship is tested in unexpected and perilous ways.Directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters), the film stars Sophia Anne Caruso and Sofia Wylie as the two students (one of which is also named Sophie, just to make things more confusing). The teaching staff is filled with recognizable names and faces, including Kerry Washington, Charlize Theron, Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Serafinowicz, Rob Delaney, Mark Heap, Patti LuPone, Ben Kingsley, and Rachel Bloom. The plot will reportedly not follow the original book exactly as written, but Chainani, who is credited as an executive producer, did give input on the changes and made sure to preserve the standout moments, so fans can be assured that the project is in good hands. [Cindy White]

Harry Styles is everywhere right now: atop the pop charts, on a sold-out world tour, dating Olivia Wilde, fronting music videos for his songs, making hearts everywhere beat just a little faster, and acting in two fall movies. You may have heard he stars opposite Florence Pugh and Chris Pine in September’s Wilde-directed psychological thriller , and alongside Emma Corrin and David Dawson in , which will open on October 21 in limited theatrical release before streaming on Amazon Prime Video on November 4.My Policeman seems like the more daring choice for the versatile Styles. He stars as Tom, a young, closeted policeman in 1950s England who marries school teacher Marion (Corrin) while carrying on a romance with museum curator Patrick (Dawson). How long can Tom and Patrick keep their secret … a secret? Not for long, if award-winning stage director Michael Grandage, making his second feature (after Genius), sticks to Bethan Roberts’ 2012 novel on which the movie is based. Linus Roache, Gina McKee, and Rupert Everett play the older versions of Tom, Marion, and Patrick. [Ian Spelling]

Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke team up for this dark comedy about a pair of estranged half-brothers forced to reunite after their mutual father dies. McGregor plays Raymond Harris, who must inform his younger brother Ray, played by Hawke, of their father’s death—and his last request, that his sons not only attend his funeral together but dig his grave. To learn more about the man they both despised, they seek out the people who knew him best near the end of his life, including his last wife (Maribel Verdu), their son Simon (Maxim Swinton), his pastor (Vondie Curtis-Hall), and his nurse (Sophie Okonedo). In these second-hand accounts they discover a softer side of him they never knew existed.Colombian director Rodrigo García (whose work you’re likely to have seen on TV series like In Treatment, Six Feet Under, and The Sopranos) leads this exemplary cast through Raymond & Ray’s unexpectedly emotional journey of grief, pain, resentment, hope, and catharsis. We probably never would have thought to pair these two up as siblings, but it works. [Cindy White]

reunites the trio of Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and writer-director Martin McDonagh, which should be plenty enticing for any self-respecting moviegoer. But McDonagh also has our curiosity piqued as to how he’ll manage to take his wisp of a story idea and expand it into one of his trademark tales of masculinity tested and found into something sad and slightly ridiculous. Gleeson plays a brooding fiddler named Colm who, without any apparent reason, suddenly decides he no longer wants to be friends with his longtime pub mate, Pádraic (Farrell). As the hurt and confused Pádraic presses Colm for a reconciliation, or at least an explanation, Colm threatens to cut off one of his own fingers with a set of shears every time Pádraic talks to him.Look for Farrell, who’s getting better with age, and Gleeson to have a field day with McDonagh’s brilliant dialogue, which can be acerbic, poetic, and recognizably human, often at the same time. The film, which co-stars Kerry Condon (Better Call Saul) and Barry Keoghan (Eternals) takes place during the Irish Civil War and was shot on an island off the Irish coast that looks appropriately bleak and isolating. It’s the perfect location for this interpersonal drama about a grievance that is both petty and existential, one that explodes into a conflict as tragic yet unavoidable as the war that wages across the unyielding sea. [Mark Keizer]

Only 13 years old when her debut hit “Delta Dawn” propelled her out of the Nashville bubble and into the pop stratosphere, honey-voiced hellraiser Tanya Tucker defiantly bucked the conventions expected of country queens. On and offstage, she favored skintight Elvis Presley pants over flowy, flowery Loretta Lynn gowns, reigning as a sexy, non-conforming outlaw who followed her own muse until time and a hard-living lifestyle took a toll. Seventeen years after her last album, with life and experience adding even greater, smokier authenticity to her voice, finds her coaxed back into the studio by none other than Brandi Carlile—a young fan she inspired who also found her own way to superstardom—revealing the country icon’s life journey through song. This Sony Pictures Classics documentary provides an intimate glimpse into Tucker’s at-first hesitant steps into what would become a glorious professional comeback, as well as an argument for her rightful place in the country music pantheon, all as one contemporary musical success story pays tribute to a legacy artist who bravely paved the way. [Scott Huver]

George Clooney and Julia Roberts in a good, old-fashioned lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers-again romantic comedy? Yes, please! While the rest of October’s releases may be dark, scary, heavy, or at least edgy in some way, this lighthearted rom-com set in gorgeous Bali is like a tropical holiday for your overworked brain and frazzled nerves. Give them both the night off and give in to the pure fluff of .The two ultimate A-listers play a divorced couple who discover on the way to their daughter’s (Kaitlyn Dever) destination wedding that the only thing they still have in common is a desire to keep her from making the same mistake they did. They agree to make amends long enough to stop the wedding from happening. Will they come to their senses and realize that she’s old enough to make her own decisions? While also rekindling their still-smoldering romance? It wouldn’t be much fun if they didn’t. The real enjoyment here is in watching it all happen and appreciating the crackling chemistry between two legendary romantic leads. [Cindy White]

Have you heard? The hierarchy of the DC Universe is about to change. While the tagline is more likely a pithy marketing strategy courtesy of Dwayne Johnson than a factual statement, does look like it’ll be an entertaining entry into the DCEU and deliver classic superhero smash-up action and visuals. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Jungle Cruise), Black Adam is centered on the antihero Teth-Adam, granted powers by the gods and awakened 500 years after his imprisonment. His harsh form of justice puts him in the crosshairs of do-gooders like The Justice Society of America: Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan). But they must put aside their differences to stop the demonic villain, Sabbac (Marwan Kenzari).Black Adam has been a passion project for Johnson since 2007, and the actor has been very hands-on throughout the film’s development, calling it his most challenging role to date. While the character, best known as a Shazam antagonist, isn’t one of DC’s most well-known characters, there’s a lot riding on the film. From sequels to spin-off projects revolving around the JSA, and even a much-rumored clash with Superman, Black Adam could very well decide the future of the DCEU as it enters a new transitional period. So hopefully whatever The Rock’s been cooking for 15 years wins over DC fans and global audiences. [Richard Newby]

The master filmmaker memoir is becoming a cinema mainstay. Alfonso Cuarón started this recent resurgence with 2018’s Roma, and we’ve since seen 2019’s Pain and Glory from Pedro Almodóvar, 2021’s Belfast from Kenneth Branagh and The Hand of God from Paolo Sorrentino. Soon we’ll have The Fabelmans from Steven Spielberg. All of these directors have revisited their childhoods to devise fictionalized stories inspired by events they lived through. is James Gray’s version. The director of and has always tried to examine the validity of the American Dream in his movies, and it seems that he continues to do that with this memoir piece. And rather than a rosy nostalgia exercise, Gray means to explore the structural inequities of the American experience. This story centers on a young Russian Jewish boy from Queens, New York, based on Gray and played by Banks Repeta, and his friendship with a Black boy from the neighborhood played by Jaylin Webb. An incident of boyish transgression sends the friends on completely different paths due to both their actions and the community’s response. Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, and Anthony Hopkins round out the cast as the lead character’s parents and grandfather, respectively. [Murtada Elfadl]