THE BRUTALIST (Venice, TIFF, NYFF)

At first glance, The Brutalist seems like an Oscar bait movie. Starring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Guy Pearce, it is about a holocaust survivor immigrating to America to live "the American dream." Yawn, right? Well, let's now factor in that this movie is directed and co-written by Brady Corbet. Corbet is anything but traditional, and this film chronicles Brody's character over 30 years of his life, so I imagine it'll feature plenty of Corbet's unique approaches to filmmaking. There is no doubt in my mind that this movie will be one of the buzziest movies of the season, especially given that it has a headlining 215-minute runtime and, at least at Venice and TIFF, will be shown on 70mm print. For those who are willing to take the long trek, my best guess is that this will be a worthwhile journey.

CONCLAVE (Telluride, TIFF)

Fresh off his multi-Oscar-winning film All Quiet on the Western Front, director Edward Berger returns with Conclave, a political thriller starring Ralph Fiennes as a Cardinal tasked with selecting the next Pope. Based on an acclaimed novel of the same name, Conclave's source material is said to be a suspenseful page-turner. Obviously, time will tell how it's adapted, but the trailer does make it seem like Berger's cinematic sensibilities lend themselves to a thrilling experience. Plus, with Fiennes acting alongside the likes of Isabella Rossellini, Stanley Tucci, and John Lithgow, Conclave could be a crowd hit and one of the festival season's most thrilling ventures.

THE END (Telluride, TIFF)

The End might be my personally most anticipated film of the festival season. This is the feature debut of Joshua Oppenheimer, the director of The Act of Killing, generally regarded as one of the greatest documentaries of modern times due to its cinematic approach and big ideas. Now, we get his first narrative feature, a golden-era-style musical about a wealthy family who seemingly caused the end of the world, starring Tilda Swinton, George MacKay, Michael Shannon, and Moses Ingram. I envision this film being an eat-the-rich movie delivering a scathing commentary on one percenters, but given that this is a musical, I really just want to know what Oppenheimer has up his sleeves. 

HARD TRUTHS (TIFF, NYFF)

One of my favourite filmmakers, Mike Leigh, returns with Hard Truths. Starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste, TIFF's website describes the film as a "challenging but ultimately compassionate look at modern family life," and "a psychologically rich ensemble film that only Leigh can cultivate." Now, admittedly, that's pretty vague. However, I don't think Mike Leigh has ever shown signs of slowing down. Many were mixed on Peterloo (I liked it a lot), but in terms of his post-2010s output, Mr. Turner and Another Year are pure Mike Leigh excellence. With Hard Truths looking to be another sobering and smartly written family drama, I couldn't ask for much more from the man. 

JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX (Venice)

Arguably, the elephant in the room this festival season is Joker: Folie á Deux, which will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor and premiere at Venice. Unlike Joker, it seems to be stopping there, which makes some sense. Joker's initial festival run was simply the best thing that could've happened for the film, winning the Golden Lion at Venice, garnering major Oscar buzz for Joaquin Phoenix (who wound up winning Best Actor), and generating obscene amounts of chatter. Now, since that time, Joker has (in my opinion, of course) not aged well, as most people now agree that it's a brilliantly made but pretty empty movie. Enter Joker: Folie á Deux. A film that, even for someone who doesn't love Joker, has me intrigued. I’m intrigued by how Lady Gaga will portray my favourite comic book character, Harley Quinn. I’m intrigued by the musical aspects. I’m intrigued by the interesting turns the trailer seems to suggest. I don't know what Joker: Folie á Deux will wind up being, but I'll be waiting to find out.

MARIA (Venice, Telluride, NYFF)

Director Pablo Larraín is always exciting. I’m not saying he always sticks the landing, mind you, but he's always interesting. Wherever you stand, you have to admit that Jackie and Spencer are two of the most creative and daring biopics we've gotten in the past decade. I love both deeply, so I cannot wait to watch him cap off the pseudo-trilogy with Maria. Starring Angelina Jolie as opera singer Maria Calla in her final years, written by Spencer writer Steven Knight, I can only imagine what discourse is waiting under the bleachers this time around. Larraín's sensibilities are always very engaging in their approach to the historical tragedies at the centre of it all, and if nothing else, he gets great performances. I'm so excited to see what Jolie pulls off.

NIGHTBITCH (TIFF)

What I imagine will be one of the most talked about movies of this season, Nightbitch has my interest piqued to wild levels. I don't know much about the source material, but what I do know is that Marielle Heller, director of the incredible Can You Ever Forgive Me?, wrote and directed this film about a woman convinced she's turning into a dog. I don't know what that entails, but I'm certainly intrigued to see what Heller does with such a bizarre concept. The movie stars Amy Adams in a role that has already won her the Performer Award at TIFF, so I cannot wait for that performance. Nightbitch could lean into the comedy of the situation, or it could lean into the craziness of the concept. Or both. I don't know. All I know right now is I can't wait.

QUEER (Venice, TIFF, NYFF)

For those like me, who absolutely love Challengers and are achingly waiting for what director Luca Guadagnino does next, luckily, we barely had to wait at all. His new film, Queer, written by Justin Kuritzkes, reteaming with Guadagnino after Challengers, is based on a well-reviewed book of the same name by William Burroughs. Set in the 1940s, Daniel Craig plays a man named William Lee, a heroin addict who becomes infatuated with a younger man, played by Drew Starkey. Craig has been my prediction to win Best Actor since the beginning of the year, and whether or not that becomes a reality, I imagine the performance will be unlike anything we've ever seen from him. While the plot does seem dour, I imagine Guadagnino's sensibilities will come through in beautiful ways. I really cannot wait to experience this one.

THE ROOM NEXT DOOR (Venice, TIFF, NYFF)

The great Pedro Almodóvar is back with his first English language film, The Room Next Door. Starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, Almodóvar's latest tells the story of a resentful rift between a mother and a daughter. Based on his past work, I imagine we'll get your typical Almodóvar fair of soapy character drama and incredible lead performances to compliment Almodóvar's excellent writing. Given that this is his first film in English, combined with the fact that he's already a big-name director with a star-studded cast hitting nearly all the major festivals, there is no doubt in my mind that this will end up as one of the season’s most buzzed about.

SATURDAY NIGHT (Telluride, TIFF)

Fun fact about me: I did plenty of research into the 60s-90s era of comedy in high school, and one of the things I am most knowledgeable about is Saturday Night Live's inception. So, when I heard about Saturday Night, I was ecstatic. Director Jason Reitman may not be the most consistent, but given who his father is, he's a really good choice to anchor this story. Set 90 minutes before Saturday Night Live's first show, the film stars Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels struggling to get his, and the show's, shit together before they hit the air. Featuring a stacked ensemble cast including Rachel Sennott, Cooper Hoffman, Willem Dafoe, Matthew Rhys, and J.K. Simmons, the trailer makes the movie seem less like the slightly funny biopic I was expecting and more of a high-octane comedy-thriller, which couldn't possibly make me more hyped.