Here’s a calendar of national release dates for films in the coming months. The dates, which are notoriously slippery, won’t always match the local dates, so consider this more of a primer on the season’s offerings — and watch The Denver Post’s Friday editions for each week’s openings.
September
This weekend:
“Coming Home”
A devoted couple (Chen Daoming, Gong Li) is forced to separate when the husband is arrested and sent to a labor camp as a political prisoner. Finally released in last days of China’s Cultural Revolution, he returns home only to find that his wife suffered from amnesia after an accident and remembers little of her past.
“Hotel Transylvania 2”
Life gets batty when Dracula’s rigid monster-only hotel policy has finally relaxed, opening its doors to human guests. The animation is voiced by Adam Sandler, Mel Brooks and Selena Gomez.
“Stonewall”
Young Danny Winters (Jeremy Irvine) and his community of gays, lesbians and drag queens find refuge at the local watering hole in Greenwich Village. The group soon finds that this is far from a haven and faces daily harassment until putting up a fight, leading up to the Stonewall riots.
“The Disappointments Room”
A mother (Kate Beckinsale) and her young son are haunted by the spirits living in the attic of their rural home.
“The Green Inferno”
Inspired by Italian cannibal films of the past, director Eli Roth presents a horror flick about a group of student activists captured by a native tribe in the Amazon jungle.
“The Intern”
Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro), a 70-year-old widower, tires of the retirement life and seizes an opportunity to get back into the working world at an online fashion site. With Anne Hathaway.
30:
“The Walk”
Set in 1970s New York, Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), guided by his mentor, Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), attempts a high-wire walk between the World Trade Center towers with much opposition. Directed by Robert Zemeckis.
October
2:
“Legend”
From Brian Helgeland comes a film based on the true story of 1960s London’s most notorious gangsters, Reggie and Ron Kray, both portrayed by Tom Hardy.
“Mississippi Grind”
Ben Mendelsohn plays Gerry, a talented but down-on-his-luck gambler whose fortunes begin to change when he meets fellow poker player Curtis (Ryan Reynolds). Together they head to a high-stakes poker game in New Orleans.
“The Martian”
Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and is left to survive alone on Mars with meager supplies.
“Sicario”
FBI agent Kate (Emily Blunt) is enlisted by an elite government task force official (Josh Brolin) to tackle the escalating drug war on the U.S.-Mexico border. Her team is led by a consultant with a questionable past (Benicio Del Toro). Directed by Denis Villeneuve.
9:
“99 Homes”
Single father Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield) is evicted from his home, and his only chance to win it back is to work for the ruthless businessman (Michael Shannon) who evicted him in the first place.
“Big Stone Gap”
Ave Maria Mulligan (Ashley Judd) lives a quiet life running a pharmacy with her mother in 1978. Before she knows it, she turns 40 and resigns to a solitary life — until a long-buried family secret throws everything off-course.
“Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon”
A documentary about National Lampoon’s rise from a counterculture rag to a revered comic institution through the work of Douglas Kenney and Henry Beard, who stuck their middle finger up at the establishment.
“Freeheld”
The film tells the true love story of partners Laurel Hester (Julianne Moore) and Stacie Andree (Ellen Page) and their fight for justice. Laurel, diagnosed with cancer, wants to leave her hard-earned work pension to her domestic partner, but she is met with heavy backlash from county officials.
“He Named Me Malala”
A portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who survived an attack by the Taliban for advocating for girls’ education and continued to become a leading campaigner for girls’ education around the world. Directed by documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth”).
“Labyrinth of Lies”
A public prosecutor (Johann Radmann) comes across important documents in Frankfurt 1958 that help initiate the trial against some members of the SS who served in Auschwitz.
“Pan”
A live-action feature directed by Joe Wright that reworks the beloved classic created by J.M. Barrie. Peter (Levi Miller) is a mischievous 12-year-old boy who escapes his orphanage into a fantastical world of pirates, warriors and fairies.
“Steve Jobs”
Danny Boyle directs a portrait of the founder of Apple (played by Michael Fassbender) and the work that went behind the scenes of three pivotal product launches.
16:
“Bridge of Spies”
James Donovan (Tom Hanks), a Brooklyn lawyer, finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on the near-impossible task to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot in this film written by the Coen brothers and Matt Charman. Directed by Steven Spielberg.
“Crimson Peak”
From director Guillermo del Toro comes a supernatural mystery about a young woman swept away to a mountain of blood-red clay.
“Goosebumps”
Teenager Zach Cooper (Dylan Minnette) is new in town and meets the friendly girl next door, Hannah (Odeya Rush). Zach soon learns that Hannah’s mysterious dad is R.L. Stine (Jack Black), author of the best-selling “Goosebumps” series, who has a dangerous secret.
“Woodlawn”
The real-life story about a high school football team and the rise of its first African-American star player, Tony Nathan, in Birmingham, Ala.
23:
“Burnt”
Bradley Cooper stars as a rockstar chef with the bad habits to match.
“Experimenter”
Stanley Milgram (Peter Sarsgaard) designs a controversial psychology experiment at Yale University in 1961 that employs electric shocks to explore people’s tendency to comply with authority.
“Jem and the Holograms”
A small-town girl, her sister and two friends catapult from underground video sensations to global superstars.
“Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension”
The sixth installment of the supernatural horror video franchise.
“Rock the Kasbah”
A has-been rock manager (Bill Murray) stumbles upon the talents of a Pashtun teenager with a beautiful voice in an Afghan cave. Directed by Barry Levinson.
“Room”
A tender exploration of the love between a mother and her child as told through the story of Jack (Jacob Tremblay), a 5-year-old confined to a windowless 10-foot-square space with his mother (Brie Larson).
“The Last Witch Hunter”
A valiant warrior battles a queen witch intent on unleashing the Black Death on the world. With Vin Diesel.
“Truth”
A behind-the-scenes look at news anchor Dan Rather during his final days at CBS News when he broadcast a controversial report on President George W. Bush.
30:
“Nasty Baby”
A gay couple navigate the idea of creating life with the help of their friend Polly (Kristen Wiig) but not without serious complications. Directed by Sebastian Silva.
“Our Brand Is Crisis”
Maverick political consultant Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock) is hired out of retirement to help re-elect an unpopular Bolivian president. Chaos ensues when Jane’s worst enemy, Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton), arrives to work for the opposition.
“Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse”
Three scouts and lifelong friends join forces with a cocktail waitress to take on a zombie invasion in this horror comedy directed by Christopher Landon.
“Suffragette”
A drama from BAFTA Award winner Sarah Gavron and Abi Morgan about the women who fought for equality in early-20th-century Britain. The story centers on Maud (Carey Mulligan), a working wife and mother recruited to join the growing Suffragette movement with the support of outlaw fugitive Emmeline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep).
“The Armor of Light”
Evangelical minister Rob Schenck partners with a mother of a murdered teenager to preach about the growing toll of gun violence in America.
November
6:
“Miss You Already”
Best friends Jess (Drew Barrymore) and Milly (Toni Collette) navigate life’s highs and lows together, even after Milly is hit with a life-altering diagnosis.
“Spectre”
Daniel Craig makes his fourth appearance as James Bond. This time, 007 encounters the global criminal agency SPECTRE and enemy Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz).
“Spotlight”
The true story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe group of reporters who led a year-long investigation of the abuse allegations against the Catholic Church.
“The Peanuts Movie”
Snoopy embarks on a mission to pursue his arch-nemesis, the Red Baron, in this 3-D animated big-screen debut by the “Peanuts” gang.
“Trumbo”
The successful career of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) comes to a crushing end when he and other Hollywood figures are blacklisted for their political beliefs in the 1940s.
13:
“By the Sea”
Inspired by European cinema and theater of the past, the film takes place at a seaside resort in 1970s France as American writer Roland (Brad Pitt) and his wife, Vanessa (Angelina Jolie Pitt), arrive in apparent marriage crisis. Their time with fellow travelers helps them come to terms with unresolved issues.
“Entertainment”
A broken, aging comedian (Gregg Turkington) seeks solace in his onstage persona after getting lost in a cycle of third-rate venues in the California desert and vain attempts to reach his estranged daughter.
“Love the Coopers”
Four generations of the Cooper clan come together for their annual Christmas Eve celebration, and a series of unexpected visitors turns their night upside down.
“My All American”
Freddie Steinmark (Finn Wittrock) is deemed too small to play football by athletic standards. His father trains him hard, and one day Freddie is noticed by legendary University of Texas coach Darrell Royal (Aaron Eckhart).
“Rings”
The material on a videotape strikes terror once again in this third film in the “Ring” franchise.
“The 33”
The world turned to Chile in 2010 as an explosion and collapse of a 100-year-old gold and copper mine bury alive 33 miners. This film documents the events that led to their survival.
“Victoria”
Shot in one single take in two hours, this piece revolves around a young woman from Madrid, who finds herself with four local Berliners on the town for a possibly lethal ride through the city.
20:
“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2”
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) stages an assassination attempt on President Snow (Donald Sutherland) as a last effort to save the nation of Panem with the help of her friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Finnick (Sam Claflin) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson).
“Secret in Their Eyes”
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts and Dean Norris star in this crime thriller by Billy Ray.
25:
“Creed”
Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) has boxing in his blood. He’s the son of the late heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, Rocky Balboa’s fiercest rival. Once in the City of Brotherly Love, Adonis seeks out Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) in hopes of training under his wing and getting his own shot at a title.
“The Good Dinosaur”
The Pixar animation imagines a time when the Earth teemed with dinosaurs that interacted with people. Voiced by Raymond Ochoa.
“The Night Before”
A trio of friends, Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Isaac (Seth Rogen) and Chris (Anthony Mackie), set out for one last night of debauchery on Christmas Eve and head to the “Nutcracka Ball,” the holy grail of Christmas parties.
“Victor Frankenstein”
James McAvoy is Victor Frankenstein and Daniel Radcliffe stars as Igor in this twist on Mary Shelley’s classic story told from Igor’s perspective.
DECEMBER
4:
“I Saw the Light”
Marc Abraham directs a biography of Hank Williams starring Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen.
“Krampus”
A dysfunctional family reunites over Christmas, but not without fighting. Their disagreements become so heated that they accidentally unleash the wrath of Krampus, an ancient entity from European folklore.
11:
“In the Heart of the Sea”
Takes place during the winter of 1820, when a New England whaling ship was assaulted by a whale of mammoth size. The ship’s surviving crew is pushed to the limits to stay alive.
“The Lady in the Van”
Maggie Smith re-creates one of her most celebrated roles, the singular Miss Shepherd in Alan Bennett’s big-screen comedic adaptation of his memoir and play.
18:
“Sisters”
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler reunite for a film about two disconnected sisters summoned home to clean out their childhood bedroom before their parents sell the family house. Directed by Jason Moore (“Pitch Perfect”).
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
J.J. Abrams takes on the Lucasfilm franchise 32 years after “Return of the Jedi” with new and veteran stars, including Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis and Harrison Ford.
23:
“Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip”
Alvin, Simon and Theodore do all they can to keep Dave from proposing to his new girlfriend in the fourth installment of the animated series.
25:
“Concussion”
Will Smith stars in Peter Landesman’s thriller about Bennet Omalu, the forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of a football-related brain trauma.
“Daddy’s Home”
A mild-mannered radio executive (Will Ferrell) strives to become the best stepdad to his wife’s two children, but things get out of hand when the kids’ freewheeling and freeloading biological father (Mark Wahlberg) arrives on the scene.
“Joy”
Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and filmmaker David O. Russell team up for a movie inspired by real-life entrepreneur Joy Mangano, a woman who rose to become the founder and matriarch of a powerful family business.
“Point Break”
Young FBI agent Johnny Utah (Luke Bracey) infiltrates a team of thrill-seeking elite athletes suspected of criminal activity.
“Snowden”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Edward Snowden, the former government contractor who leaked classified NSA information, in this political thriller by Oliver Stone.
“The Hateful Eight”
As bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive, Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), race toward the town of Red Rock, where she will be tried for murder, they encounter another bounty hunter (Samuel L. Jackson), a Southern renegade (Walton Goggins) and other mysterious characters in this Quentin Tarantino film.
JANUARY
8:
“The Forest”
Set in the legendary Aokigahara Forest in Japan, a young American woman (Natalie Dormer) goes on a search of her lost twin sister.
“The Revenant”
After a bear mauling, Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is left for dead in the wilderness by his team and seeks vengeance in this film inspired by a true story from filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
15:
“13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi”
The Michael Bay military action thriller, based off the Mitchell Zuckoff book “13 Hours,” tells the story of the security team that attempted to defend an American compound in Benghazi after terrorist attacks.
“Norm of the North”
Polar bear Norm heads to New York City to stop a maniacal developer from building luxury condos in his Arctic back yard.
“Ride Along 2”
Ben Barber (Kevin Hart) graduates from the police academy and gets assigned to a high-profile case in Miami with his very annoyed future brother-in-law (Ice Cube).
“The 5th Wave”
Chloe Grace Moretz stars in the film that adapts the best-selling young adult novel by Rick Yancey about a 16-year-old girl who takes on alien invaders known as “The Others.”
22:
“Dirty Grandpa”
A man is tricked into driving his grandfather, a perverted former Army general, to Florida for spring break. Starring Zac Efron, Robert De Niro and Julianne Hough.
“London Has Fallen”
In this sequel to “Olympus Has Fallen,” the British prime minister’s funeral becomes the target of a terrorist plot, and U.S. president (Aaron Eckhart), Secret Service lead agent (Gerard Butler) and English MI-6 agent (Charlotte Riley) must help stop it.
“Risen”
Follows the Resurrection of Jesus through the eyes of a nonbeliever and Roman military tribune (Joseph Fiennes). Directed by Kevin Reynolds.
“The Boy”
A horror thriller about a nanny hired to care for a family’s lifelike doll after the death of their son.
29:
“Fifty Shades of Black”
Marlon Wayans parodies the popular film and novel “50 Shades of Grey” in this comedy co-written by Rick Alvarez.
“Kung Fu Panda 3”
Po’s reunion with his long-lost panda father is quickly interrupted when they learn that supernatural villain Kai has begun to sweep across China, defeating all the kung fu masters. Voiced by Jack Black, Angelina Jolie Pitt and Jackie Chan.
“The Accountant”
Accountant Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) moonlights as an assassin.
“The Finest Hours”
The true story of the greatest small-boat rescue in Coast Guard history, in February 1952.
