Although Fall signals cold winter days ahead, it also signals great movie releases to look out for marking the beginning of Hollywood’s race to the Academy Awards. This Fall 2013, Hollywood has quiet an impressive lineup of movies to watch out for. From the LRFF2013 Closing Night Film ‘Don Jon’ to ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ (starring Leonardo Dicaprio, directed by Martin Scorsese) to the star studded August: Osage County (starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor) there are options galore for all movie buffs. So take your picks from the below list of Fall 2013 movie releases and jump in on Hollywood’s race to the Oscars.
Riddick – directed by David Twohy.
Release date: Sept. 6
Vin Diesel reprises his role as Riddick — an escaped convict wanted by every bounty hunter in the galaxy — this time finding himself facing alien predators on a desolate planet.
The Family – directed by Luc Besson
Release date: Sept. 13
A mafia family (Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Dianna Agron and John D’Leo) is relocated to Normandy, France, under the witness protection program, where fitting in becomes challenging as their old habits die hard. Tommy Lee Jones also stars.
Insidious: Chapter 2 – directed by James Wan
Release date: Sept. 13
Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne return for this sequel as the haunted Lambert family seeks to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world.
Enough Said – directed by Nicole Holofcener
Release date: Sept. 20
A divorced woman (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) decides to pursue a relationship with a man (James Gandolfini, in one of his final roles) while also becoming friends with his ex-wife. Also starring Toni Collette, Catherine Keener and Ben Falcone.
Prisoners – directed by Denis Velleneuve
Release date: Sept. 20
After his 6-year-old daughter and her best friend go missing, a man (Hugh Jackman) takes matters into his own hands after feeling failed by the police. Also starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Paul Dano.
Rush – directed by Ron Howard
Release date: Sept. 20
Director Ron Howard recreates the 1970s Grand Pris rivalry between race car drivers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Br?hl). Olivia Wilde also stars.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 – directed by Cody Cameron, Kris Pearn
Release date: Sept. 27
Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris and Benjamin Bratt reprise their voice roles for this animated sequel, which finds inventor Flint Lockwood (Hader) discovering his machine is churning out menacing food-animal hybrids.
Don Jon – directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Release date: Sept. 27
Writer/director Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as a modern-day Don Jon with a pornography addiction who sets out to find happiness and intimacy. Also starring Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Glenne Headly, Brie Larson and Tony Danza.
Gravity – directed by Alfonso Cuaron
Release date: Oct. 4
A medical engineer (Sandra Bullock) and a veteran astronaut (George Clooney) must fight to survive after an accident leaves them stranded in space.
Captain Phillips – directed by Paul Greengrass
Release date: Oct. 11
Captain Phiilips is based on the true story of Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) and the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama cargo ship by Somali pirates.
Machete Kills – directed by Robert Rodriguez
Release date: Oct. 11
Danny Trejo returns as Machete for this sequel, in which the U.S. government recruits him to battle through Mexico to take down an arms dealer looking to launch a weapon into space. Also starring Sofia Vergara, Mel Gibson, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Antonio Banderas, Lady Gaga and Charlie Sheen (credited under his real name, Carlos Estevez)
Romeo and Juliet – directed by Carlo Carlei
Release date: Oct. 11
Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth portray the star-crossed lovers in this new adaptation of Shakespeare’s tale. Also starring Ed Westwick, Damian Lewis, Stellan Skarsgard, Paul Giamatti and Kodi Smit-McPhee.
Kill Your Darlings – directed by John Krokidas
Release date: Oct. 16
A murder in 1944 draws together the great poets of the beat generation: Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe), Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston) and William Burroughs (Ben Foster). Also starring Michael C. Hall, Elizabeth Olson, Kyra Sedgwick and Dane DeHaan.
12 Years a Slave – directed by Steve Mcqueen
Release date: Oct. 18
The film is based on the true story of Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man abducted and sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War United States. Also starring Michael Fassbender, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Alfre Woodard and Benedict Cumberbatch.
All is Lost – directed by J.C. Chandor
Release date: Oct. 18
Robert Redford is the only cast member in this film about a man struggling to survive after a shipping container collides with his boat during a solo voyage in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
Carrie – directed by Kimberly Peirce
Release date: Oct. 18
Chloe Moretz stars as the outcast teen with telekinetic powers — and Julianne Moore plays her fanatical mother — in this modern-day take on Stephen King’s horror tale.
The Fifth Estate – directed by Bill Condon
Release date: Oct. 18
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Julian Assange in this drama focusing on the early days of Wikileaks. The film also stars Daniel Bruhl, Laura Linney, Stanley Tucci, Anthony Mackie, David Thewlis and Dan Stevens.
The Counselor – directed by Ridley Scott
Release date: Oct. 25
From a screenplay by Cormac McCarthy, a lawyer (Michael Fassbender) finds himself in over his head when he gets involved in drug trafficking. Also starring Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem.
Dallas Buyers Club – directed by Jean-Marc Vallee
Release date: Nov. 1
Based on the true story of Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), a man diagnosed with HIV in 1986 who began smuggling non-FDA-approved medications into the U.S. and created a way for other HIV-positive patients to get access to them. Also starring Jared Leto and Jennifer Garner.
Diana – directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel
Release date: Nov. 1
Naomi Watts stars as Diana, Princess of Wales, in this drama focusing on the last two years of her life, including her relationship with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan (Naveen Andrews) and her humanitarian efforts.
Ender’s Game – directed by Gavin Hood
Release date: Nov. 1
After an alien race attacks Earth, centers around a gifted young man (Asa Butterfield) is sent to an advanced military school in space to prepare for a future invasion. Based on the book by Orson Scott Card, the futuristic film also stars Harrison Ford, Abigail Breslin, Hailee Steinfeld, Ben Kingsley and Viola Davis.
Last Vegas – directed by Jon Turteltaub
Release date: Nov. 1
Kevin Kline, Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro and Michael Douglas star as four pals in their sixties who throw a bachelor party in Las Vegas for the last one of them to be getting married.
Thor: The Dark World – directed by Alan Taylor
Release date: Nov. 8
Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Tom Hiddleston return as Thor, Jane Foster and Loki in this Marvel superhero sequel, in which they face off against a primeval race led by the villain Malekith (Christopher Eccleston).
The Book Thief — directed by Brian Percival
Release date: Nov. 15
Based on the bestselling book of the same name, the film tells the story of a young girl living in World War II-era Germany who finds solace in books, as her adoptive parents shelter a Jewish man in their basement. Starring Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson and Sophie Nelisse.
The Wolf of Wall Street – directed by Martin Scorsese
Release date: Nov. 15
Leonardo DiCaprio reteams with Martin Scorsese for this film, playing real-life former stock broker Jordan Belfort, who was earning almost $50 million a year in the 1990s before serving 20 months in prison for refusing to cooperate in a massive securities fraud case. Also starring Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Jean Dujardin and Kyle Chandler.
Grace of Monaco – directed by Olivier Dahan
Release date: Dec. 25
Nicole Kidman stars as Princess Grace of Monaco as she faces a crisis of marriage and identity during a dispute between Monaco’s Prince Rainier III and France’s Charles De Gaulle and a looming French military invasion of the principality in the early 1960s. Also starring Tim Roth, Frank Langella, Parker Posey and Milo Ventimiglia.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – directed by Francis Lawrence
Release date: Nov. 22
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the districts of Panem. Also starring Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
Nebraska – directed by Alexander Payne
Release date: Nov. 22
An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize.
Oldboy – directed by Spike Lee
Release date: Nov. 27
Spike Lee’s remake of a 2003 South Korean film of the same name stars Josh Brolin who is obsessed with vengeance and sets out to find out why he was kidnapped and locked up into solitary confinement for 20 years without reason. Also starring Sharlto Copley, Elizabeth Olson and Samuel L. Jackson.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom – directed by Justin Chadwick
Release date: Nov. 29
Idris Elba stars as Nelson Mandela in a film based on the former South African leader’s autobiography, tracing his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison before becoming president of South Africa.
Inside Llewyn Davis – directed by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Release date: Dec. 6
A week in the life of a young singer (Oscar Isaac) as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. The film also stars Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund and Adam Driver.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – directed by Peter Jackson
Release date: Dec. 13
Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit” trilogy continues with this second film, as Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and the dwarves continue their journey to get their gold back from the dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch).
Saving Mr. Banks – directed by John Lee Hancock
Release date: Dec. 13
Tom Hanks stars as Walt Disney as he tries to persuade P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson), the uncompromising author of “Mary Poppins,” to let him adapt the book into a movie. Also starring Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Colin Farrell and B.J. Novack.
Her – directed by Spike Jonze
Release date: Dec. 18
A lonely writer (Joaquin Phoenix) develops an unlikely relationship with his newly-purchased operating system that’s designed to meet his every need (voiced by Scarlett Johansson).
The Monuments Men – directed by George Clooney
Release date: Dec. 18
George Clooney directed and stars in this film based on the true story of a crew of art historians and museum curators who unite to recover renowned works of art stolen by Nazis before Hitler destroys them. With Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman and Jean Dujardin.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues – directed by Adam McKay
Release date: Dec. 20
With the 1970s behind them, Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and the rest of the news team (Paul Rudd, Steve Carrell and David Koechner) reunite to join a 24-hour news channel. Also starring Christina Applegate, Vince Vaughn, Kristen Wiig and James Marsden.
August: Osage County – directed by John Wells
Release date: Dec. 25
This adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, directed by John Wells, boasts a star-studded cast (Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Abigail Breslin, Margo Martindale and more) playing members of a dysfunctional family.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – directed by Ben Stiller
Release date: Dec. 25
Ben Stiller directs and stars as an office worker who lives inside fantasy worlds where he gets to live an adventurous life while romancing his co-worker (Kristen Wiig), and sets off a global journey to fix things when both of their jobs are threatened. With Adam Scott, Sean Penn, Kathryn Hahn, Shirley MacLaine and Patton Oswalt.