New movies to watch in September

After a relatively slow August for major releases, cinema seems to be picking up again, with loads of new movies to watch in theatres in September.

Tim Burton returns to the big screen with Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice (Sept. 6). See our interview with cast members Monica Bellucci and Justin Theroux here. After the disastrous Rise of the Beasts, Transformers One (Sept. 20) looks to redeem the franchise. Brad Pitt and George Clooney team up in Wolfs (Sept. 20), a thriller-comedy about two fixers assigned to the same job. For some essential cancon, Deaner ’89 (Sept. 6) is a hilarious ’80s throwback about the origins of metal headbanger Dean Murdoch. Paul Spence returns as Dean, and the supporting cast is a who’s who of Canadian icons including Stephen McHattie, Will Sasso, Kevin McDonald and Mary Walsh.

Some hotly anticipated independent releases also hit the big screen this month, including Francis Ford Coppola’s self-financed behemoth Megalopolis (Sept. 27). Starring Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza and Jon Voight, the film about a futuristic utopian city is either the best film of the year or the worst, depending on who you ask. For our money, it’s unlike anything else playing in theatres right now and is at least worth the price of admission.

The acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Victor Erice, best-known for his masterpiece The Spirit of the Beehive (1973), is back with Close Your Eyes (Sept. 6) his first feature film in decades. The film is about the mystery of an actor who has disappeared. 

If you can’t wait for spooky season, there are a number of thrillers and horror films to pique your interest this month. James McAvoy stars in Speak No Evil (Sept. 13), a remake of a critically acclaimed Dutch and Danish horror film of the same name, about a family vacation gone wrong. One of the most divisive films at Cannes this year, The Substance (Sept. 20), marks the big-screen return of Demi Moore as a fading celebrity who decides to use a black market drug — a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself. Dennis Quaid and Margaret Qualley co-star. 

Also be sure to check out The Front Room (Sept. 6) starring former popstar Brandy Norwood. Directed by Sam and Max Eggers (co-writers of The Lighthouse), the film is the story of a newly pregnant couple who are forced to take in an ailing, estranged stepmother. Alexandre Aja returns to the director’s chair with Never Let Go (Sept. 27), a survivor horror starring Halle Berry as the matriarch of a family plagued by evil.

Action-heads can check out The Killers’ Game (Sept. 13), starring Dave Bautista as a veteran assassin fending off a hit he placed on himself after learning that the terminal medical diagnosis he received was incorrect. If you prefer something more comedic, Aubrey Plaza stars in My Old Ass (Sept. 13) as a woman who’s been advised by her future self not to fall in love. She’s sure she can follow the advice she’s been given until she meets the boy her older self warned her about.

For some slightly more intimate cinema, His Three Daughters (Sept. 6) features a tour-de-force trio of performances by Elizabeth Olsen, Carrie Coon and Natasha Lyonne as three sisters waiting for their father to pass away. (See our review of the film here.) Kate Winslet stars as Lee Miller in the biopic Lee (Sept. 27), about the American fashion model who became an acclaimed war correspondent for Vogue magazine during WW2. The all-star cast features Alexander Skarsgård, Andy Samberg, Andrea Riseborough, Josh O’Connor, Noémie Merlant and Marion Cotillard.

If you’re looking for something the whole family will enjoy, The Wild Robot (Sept. 27) is a film about a robot named Roz who’s stranded on an island after a shipwreck. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island’s animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose. The animated movie features voice performances from Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Matt Berry, Mark Hamill, Ving Rhames and Catherine O’Hara.

With Cinéma du Parc’s renovations officially being done, the theatre is launching a week of special programming from Sept. 13 to 19, where former programmers will pick their favourite film that once played at Parc. The special program will feature Mulholland Dr., Fish Tank, Parasite, Mohawk Girls, Les nouveaux sauvages and Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!.

And from Sept. 25 to 29, the Montreal Black Film Festival presents a program of Black feature films, shorts and documentaries from around the world, as well as panels, a pop-up market and more. The festival’s 20th edition kicks off with an evening with Spike Lee. ■

For Montreal cinema showtimes, please click here.

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