Following a busy summer, full of blockbusters, including “Jurassic World Rebirth”, “Superman”, and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”, as well as sleeper hits such as “Weapons”, September is looking a bit more sparce in terms of big Hollywood theatrical releases. Particularly since there are no Disney or Superhero titles dropping this coming month. That is not to say there aren’t some noteworthy releases, in the month that will see the start of the fall festival season with Venice, Telluride and TIFF taking place.
Some long running IPs are getting sequels in September, including horror franchises “The Conjuring” and “The Strangers”. There are also new theatrical releases in the manga-to-anime series “Demon Salyer” and TV-to-movie series “Downton Abbey”. There is also a fun legacy sequel to cult mockumentary “This is Spinal Tap”, 41 years on from the original.
The more prestige releases of the month come from acclaimed filmmakers Paul Thomas Anderson, Spike Lee and Kogonada, with “One Battle After Another”, “Highest 2 Lowest” and “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” respectively. Although fans of Lee will have to watch his latest joint on Apple TV+.
Which September release are you most excited for?
Honey Don’t! (15)
Dir: Ethan Coen
Cast: Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, Charlie Day
Synopsis: Small-town private investigator Honey O’Donahue probes a series of strange deaths that are tied to a mysterious church.
The Conjuring: Last Rites (15)
Dir: Michael Chaves
Cast: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Mia Tomlinson, Ben Hardy
Synopsis: Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren try to vanquish a demon from a family’s home.
On Swift Horses (15)
Dir: Daniel Minahan
Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi, Will Poulter, Diego Calva, Sasha Calle
Synopsis: Muriel and her husband, Lee, begin a new life together after he returns home from the Korean War. However, their newfound stability gets upended by the arrival of Lee’s charismatic brother, a wayward gambler with a secret past.
Highest 2 Lowest (15)
Dir: Spike Lee
Cast: Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, ASAP Rocky, Ice Spice
Synopsis: When a powerful music mogul is targeted by a ransom plot, he is forced to fight for his family and legacy while jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma.
The Long Walk (15)
Dir: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Jordan Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer, Mark Hamill
Synopsis: Teens participate in a gruelling high-stakes contest where they must continuously walk or be shot by a member of their military escort.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (PG)
Dir: Simon Curtis
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Michelle Dockery, Paul Giamatti, Elizabet McGovern, Penelope Wilton
Synopsis: In the summer of 1930, the Crawleys grapple with the threat of social disgrace when Mary finds herself at the centre of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (15)
Dir: Rob Reiner
Cast: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner
Synopsis: Documentarian Marty DiBergi follows estranged Spinal Tap bandmates David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls as they search for a drummer and prepare for a reunion concert in New Orleans. Joined by music royalty Paul McCartney and Elton John, Spinal Tap wrestles with their checkered past to put on a show that they hope will solidify their place in the pantheon of rock ‘n’ roll.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle (15)
Dir: Haruo Sotozaki, Hikaru Kondo
Cast: Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kito, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Hiro Shimono, Takahiro Sakurai, Akira Ishida
Synopsis: Tanjiro Kamado and other members of the Demon Slayer Corps find themselves in an epic battle at Infinity Castle.
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (TBC)
Dir: Kogonada
Cast: Margot Robbie, Colin Farrell, Kevin Kline, Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Synopsis: Through a surprising twist of fate, single strangers Sarah and David get to relive important moments from their respective pasts, illuminating how they got to where they are in the present.
Saipan (TBC)
Dir: Glenn Leyburn, Lisa Barros D’Sa
Cast: Steve Coogan, Eanna Hardwicke
Synopsis: On the eve of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the Irish captain Roy Keane forfeits his place in the squad at the team’s preparation base in Saipan, following a heated disagreement with the Irish manager Mick McCarthy.
One Battle After Another (15)
Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti
Synopsis: A former member of a revolutionary group seeks help from other revolutionaries to find his missing daughter.
The Strangers – Chapter 2 (15)
Dir: Renny Harlin
Cast: Madelaine Petsch, Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath
Synopsis: After learning that one of their victims, Maya, is still alive, three masked maniacs return to finish the job. With nowhere to run and no one to trust, Maya soon finds herself in a brutal fight for survival against psychopaths who are more than willing to kill anyone who stands in their way.
Dan Loves Film 
So much to comment on, let me just say this: “Hello Cleveland!” I truly hope the Spinal Tap sequel lives up to the original, and when you put Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio together, I truly hope it delivers as well….sky high expectations. Beyond that, some great new original voices, a few “next sequel in the series” types, and the farewell to “Downton Abbey”, of which I am a big fan as well…terrific list!
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Hopefully with Guest, McKean, Shearer and Reiner back writing, it holds up to the original
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Very nice
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Stranger chapter 2 recap trailler movie
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Do you know when the next James Bond movie’s coming out?
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They have not even announced who is playing Bond, so will be a couple years at least
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