Fall, winter movies ready to make splash in local theaters
A chill takes to the air as the summer season fades into autumn. The leaves may change, but blockbusters don’t, with many anticipated releases coming out in the next few months.
After Labor Day, September starts things off with thrills and laughter. Horror movies Before I Wake and The Disappointments Room are released on the same day as The Wild Life, an animated and comedic take on Robinson Crusoe. Multiple stories based on true events also come out, like Sully, Snowden, and Queen of Katwe.
October keeps things spooky with prequel Oujia: Origin of Evil and Rings, a sequel to the popular movies, The Ring and The Ring Two. The Girl on the Train is just one of many thrillers that are part of the line-up. But the month also has some lighthearted stories, such as Max Steel and Keeping Up With the Joneses.
November starts strange with Marvel’s newest superhero, Doctor Strange, hitting the big screen. The next few weeks have other big titles, like the movie that is bringing us back into the wizarding world, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Moana, Disney’s newest seafaring hero, releases not long after that.
Please keep in mind, not all movies on this list are guaranteed to come to Myrtle Beach, so be sure to check all local movie listings before making plans. Some movies have not been announced and won’t have a release date until a few weeks in advance rather than a few months, therefore this list is far from all inclusive. Release dates are also subject to change.
Sully
Release Date | September 9
Director | Clint Eastwood
Starring | Tom Hanks, Laura Linney, Aaron Eckhart
Rating | PG-13
An everyday flight for Captain Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger became a matter of life and death for 155 passengers on his plane. This telling of a true story brings to life a momentously stressful and dangerous situation that lasted mere minutes and the repercussions that followed.
Before I Wake
Release Date | September 9
Director | Mike Flanagan
Starring | Jacob Tremblay, Kate Bosworth, Thomas Jane
Rating | PG-13
Not long after adopting an orphaned boy, Jessie and Mark discover their new child has the supernatural ability to bring his dreams to life. Unfortunately, his nightmares also become real as he sleeps.
The Wild Life
Release Date | September 9
Director | Vincent Kesteloot, Ben Stassen
Starring | Yuri Lowenthal, Marieve Herington, David Howard
Rating | PG
An island paradise filled with animals is suddenly disrupted by a strange creature called Robison Crusoe. This band of talking animals befriends the new arrival to help him survive, which ends up taking all of them working together as a team when even greater trouble arrives.
The Disappointments Room
Release Date | September 9
Director | D.J. Caruso
Starring | Kate Beckinsale, Lucas Till
Rating | R
An almost obsessive curiosity drives Dana to discover what lies in the locked attic room in her family’s new house. Beyond the door are secrets and horrors best kept in the dark but once Dana finds the key, there’s nothing to keep them at bay any longer.
When the Bough Breaks
Release Date | September 9
Director | Jon Cassar
Starring | Morris Chestnut, Regina Hall, Jaz Sinclair
Rating | PG-13
After multiple attempts to start a family, a couple hires a surrogate mother to help bring their child into the world. However, as the pregnancy advances so does the surrogate mother’s obsessive thoughts for the husband – to the point of violence.
Bridget Jones’s Baby
Release Date | September 16
Director | Sharon Maguire
Starring | Renée Zellweger, Patrick Dempsey, Colin Firth
Rating | R
Bridget Jones returns to the big screen, now in her forties and seeing a charming American. Roughly around the same time, her ex-boyfriend comes back into her life, and Bridget’s days become even more complicated when she ends up unexpectedly expecting.
Snowden
Release Date | September 16
Director | Oliver Stone
Starring | Joseph Gorden-Levitt, Scott Eastwood, Shailene Woodley
Rating | R
The controversy of Edward Snowden’s decision to leak top secret information from the NSA in 2013 is being brought to the silver screen. This multi-faceted true story still unfolding to this day will pose the question: is Snowden a hero or a traitor?
Blair Witch
Release Date | September 16
Director | Adam Wingard
Starring | James Allen McCune, Corbin Reid, Wes Robinson
Rating | R
More of a sequel than a remake of the original movie with the same name, the terrifying forest is back to haunt your nightmares. After finding a video that may explain what happened to his sister, James and his friends go into those same woods to solve the mystery.
The Magnificent Seven
Release Date | September 23
Director | Antoine Fuqua
Starring | Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke
Rating | PG-13
Seven outlaws and misfits are hired by a small town that is regularly ravaged by a cruel band of thieves. Though vastly outnumbered, these magnificent seven agree to use all their cunning, wiles, and resourcefulness to complete what may be an impossible job.
Storks
Release Date | September 23
Director | Nicholas Stoller, Doug Sweetland
Starring | Andy Samberg, Jennifer Aniston, Ty Burrell
Rating | PG
Storks no longer deliver babies. They have moved up in the world and now deliver products with high demand, like cellphones. But when a baby order is accidentally placed, a stork and his friend have to rectify the situation before the boss finds out.
Queen of Katwe
Release Date | September 30
Director | Mira Nair
Starring | Madina Nalwanga, Lupita Nyong’o, David Oyelowo
Rating | PG
From the slums of Uganda to the Chess Olympiad, Phiona defies the expectations and odds that are stacked against her. Based on a true story, follow this chess prodigal who learns from chess that even a pawn can become a queen.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Release Date | September 30
Director | Tim Burton
Starring | Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Samuel L. Jackson
Rating | PG-13
A peculiar place to keep peculiar children safe is discovered by young Jacob, who quickly learns that not everything is as it seems. When his new friends are threatened by an enemy that has hunted their kind for centuries, he must stand with them and fight back.
Deepwater Horizon
Release Date | September 30
Director | Peter Berg
Starring | Mark Wahlberg, Dylan O’Brien, Kate Hudson
Rating | PG-13
An enormous explosion on a deep-water oil drilling rig in 2010 cost lives, billions of dollars, and millions of gallons of gas. The largest oil-spill in history is dramatically retold from a more personal perspective on the Deepwater Horizon.
Masterminds
Release Date | September 30
Director | Jared Hess
Starring | Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson
Rating | PG-13
Originally slated to be released this time last year, Masterminds follows the (mostly) true tale of two normal armored truck drivers convinced to steal $17 million. After being double crossed, the couple does everything they can think of to turn the tides back in their favor.
The Birth of a Nation
Release Date | October 7
Director | Nate Parker
Starring | Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, Mark Boone Junior
Rating | R
When given the opportunity to use his knowledge as a preacher to mollify fellow slaves, Nat Turner instead convinces them to rise up and rebel. What ended up being a short but violent revolt in August of 1831 had lasting and cruel repercussions.
The Girl on the Train
Release Date | October 7
Director | Tate Taylor
Starring | Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Edgar Ramírez
Rating | R
Every day on the train, she has a glimpse of what she imagined to be a beautiful and content life filled with love. That idyllic assumption is shattered in an instant and when she brings her suspicions to the police, her reliability – and sanity – is brought into question.
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
Release Date | October 7
Director | Steve Carr
Starring | Griffin Gluck, Thomas Barbusca, Lauren Graham
Rating | PG
Transferring to a new school is tough, but even tougher when you have a principal who has rules for everything. The new student chooses to stand up against the ridiculous restrictions with the help of a few troublemakers who aren’t afraid to break the rules.
The Accountant
Release Date | October 14
Director | Gavin O’Connor
Starring | Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons
Rating | R
The accountant, with a talent for numbers seen perhaps once in a generation, is employed by many clients to complete difficult work with impeccable speed and accuracy. However, his clients are also the kind who would kill him if he became even a small liability.
Kevin Hart: What Now?
Release Date | October 14
Director | Leslie Small, Tim Story
Starring | Kevin Hart, Halle Berry
Rating | R
The stand-up routine that popular comedian Kevin Hart performed live in front of over 50,000 people is now being brought to the big screen. With skits added, there is more hilarity to be enjoyed than ever before.
Desierto
Release Date | October 14
Director | Jonás Cuarón
Starring | Gael Garcia Bernal, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Alondra Hidalgo
Rating | R
The dangers of crossing a desert were already quite drastic; a sniper makes it nearly impossible to survive. Desperate for the chance at a better life, a group of immigrants illegally cross the border only to be murdered one by one, surrounded only by sand and rocks.
Max Steel
Release Date | October 14
Director | Stewart Hendler
Starring | Ben Winchell, Ana Villafañe, Andy García
Rating | N/A
Teenager Max discovers the bizarre ability to generate power beyond human limitations, but he doesn’t know what to do with it. A mechanical type alien makes contact with him and when the two combine, Max’s powers and the alien’s control create a new type of superhero.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
Release Date | October 21
Director | Edward Zwick
Starring | Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders, Robert Knepper
Rating | N/A
Normally preferring to drift from one city to the next, Jack Reacher finally returns to the headquarters that once employed him. However, this former Army cop is framed for a homicide over a decade old and must now fight his way to freedom and whoever is pulling the strings.
Ouija: Origin of Evil
Release Date | October 21
Director | Mike Flanagan
Starring | Elizabeth Reaser, Annalise Basso, Lulu Wilson
Rating | PG-13
Ouija: Origin of Evil, a prequel to the 2014 horror movie, is the story of a young family who make a living by performing séance scams. A new trick to improve the performances takes a bad turn when an actual evil spirit possesses the youngest daughter.
Boo! A Madea Halloween
Release Date | October 21
Director | Tyler Perry
Starring | Tyler Perry, Bella Thorne
Rating | PG-13
Madea returns in this comedic take on Halloween and things that go bump in the night. What was supposed to be an easy night keeping teens from getting in trouble at a local college party ends up with Madea and her friends haunted by all manner of spooky beings.
Keeping Up With the Joneses
Release Date | October 21
Director | Greg Mottola
Starring | Isla Fisher, Zach Galifianakis, Gal Gadot
Rating | PG-13
A regular husband and wife duo find they have nothing interesting to do with the kids away at camp for the summer. Out of boredom, they begin watching their new neighbors, only to realize that something quite suspicious surrounds the seemingly perfect neighbors.
Inferno
Release Date | October 28
Director | Ron Howard
Starring | Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Ben Foster
Rating | PG-13
Professor Robert Langdon of The Da Vinci Code fame once again faces an enormous challenge, one that all his experience and knowledge might not be able to solve quickly enough. The stakes and intrigue are higher than ever before and the professor can trust no one – not even himself.
Rings
Release Date | October 28
Director | F. Javier Gutiérrez
Starring | Laura Wiggins, Aimee Teegarden, Johnny Galecki
Rating | N/A
The dark urban legend of a cursed video that kills you seven days after watching it has returned. After watching the video to keep her boyfriend from becoming cursed, Julia discovers throughout the week of gruesome haunting something more to the legend.
Doctor Strange
Release Date | November 4
Director | Scott Derrickson
Starring | Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen
Rating | N/A
Distraught after an accident ruined his talent as a neurosurgeon, Dr. Strange embarks on a mission to find a way to regain his ability. The journey takes him much farther than he ever imagined, with his new purpose in life to protect his own dimension from the countless others.
Trolls
Release Date | November 4
Director | Mike Mitchell, Walt Dohrn
Starring | Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Zooey Deschanel
Rating | PG
Trolls are cheerful, funny, and imaginative creatures with a penchant for music and color. Branch doesn’t quite fit in with the crowd, but when the trolls’ greatest enemy comes and kidnaps most of the community, he partners with optimistic leader Poppy to save them.
Loving
Release Date | November 4
Director | Jeff Nichols
Starring | Ruth Negga, Joel Edgerton
Rating | PG-13
Based on the true events that lead to Loving v. Virginia in 1967, this movie follows the interracial couple that defied the state law to become man and wife. They were arrested in 1958 which began their long journey of fighting for their rights and their freedom.
Hacksaw Ridge
Release Date | November 4
Director | Mel Gibson
Starring | Andrew Garfield, Teresa Palmer, Luke Bracey
Rating | N/A
The Battle of Okinawa was definitely not an ideal place to stand up for your beliefs, yet that’s exactly what Desmond Doss did. He refused to kill the enemy but saved dozens of his fellow soldiers, and become the first conscientious objector to win the Medal of Honor.
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
Release Date | November 11
Director | Ang Lee
Starring | Joe Alwin, Kristen Stewart, Garret Hedlund
Rating | N/A
At 19 years old, Billy Lynn has experienced war – killing the enemy and watching friends die. He and his fellow survivors are hailed as heroes and sent on a victory tour throughout the United States, but Billy doesn’t feel like a hero at all, no matter what the media has to say.
Almost Christmas
Release Date | November 11
Director | David E. Talbert
Starring | Danny Glover, Gabrielle Union, Nicole Ari Parker
Rating | PG-13
Family gatherings can be difficult even at the best of times, but this family hasn’t gotten together since their mother died. For Thanksgiving, they decide to give it a chance and work out their problems, although new problems seem to rise up every day.
Shut In
Release Date | November 11
Director | Farren Blackburn
Starring | Naomi Watts, Charlie Heaton, Jacob Tremblay
Rating | N/A
In between taking care of her son who is in a vegetative state, a child psychologist takes clients in her house. She welcomes a new case to stay at her home, but when the child disappears, her guilt and anxiety causes her to see and hear things that may or may not be real.
Arrival
Release Date | November 11
Director | Dennis Villeneuve
Starring | Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker
Rating | N/A
Mysterious ships from space have landed in multiple places across the planet, and no one knows how to communicate with them. An expert linguist leads a team into one of the crafts to determine if they can discover some answers before it’s too late.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Release Date | November 18
Director | David Yates
Starring | Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Colin Farrell
Rating | PG-13
Decades before Harry Potter became The Boy Who Lived, Newt Scamander visits New York with an enchanted suitcase to meet with the Magical Congress. In that suitcase, dangerous creatures are being held, and when some escape, the wizards must quickly get them back.
The Edge of Seventeen
Release Date | November 18
Director | Kelly Fremon
Starring | Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Haley Lu Richardson
Rating | N/A
One person can make even difficult times bearable, but when that person starts dating your older brother, well your life is pretty much over. At least Nadine thinks so. Already awkward and insecure, she struggles to find confidence and become comfortable with herself, by herself.
Moana
Release Date | November 23
Director | Ron Clements, John Musker
Starring | Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Tudyk
Rating | PG
A young woman born in a line of navigators from ancient Oceania sets off to explore the ocean in this new beautiful animated film from Disney. She’s joined on her adventure by Maui, a demi-god from myths, who helps her face other legends, friendly and dangerous alike.
Allied
Release Date | November 23
Director | Robert Zemeckis
Starring | Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Lizzy Caplan
Rating | N/A
Behind enemy lines in North Africa during World War II, an American intelligence officer crosses paths with a French resistance fighter. The two develop a relationship in unlikely circumstances, but they can’t escape the war, even back in London.
Rules Don’t Apply
Release Date | November 23
Director | Warren Beatty
Starring | Alden Ehrenreich, Lily Collins, Warren Beatty
Rating | N/A
A young actress in 1950s Hollywood begins working for an unconventional billionaire, and is introduced to her new chauffeur. Their instant attraction to each other goes against the rules of the company and religious beliefs.
Bad Santa 2
Release Date | November 23
Director | Mark Waters
Starring | Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Kathy Bates
Rating | R
Christmas has never been so obscene. Convinced to do one more scam, Willie puts on the Santa suit again and hopes for the greatest payout of all. Of course, nothing ever goes smoothly for these troublemakers, especially with new faces and old favorites showing up along the way.
Lion
Release Date | November 25
Director | Garth Davis
Starring | Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman
Rating | N/A
After being rescued off the streets and adopted by an Australian couple, Saroo doesn’t remember much of his childhood home. Over twenty years later, memories start to return and he embarks on a journey of discovery to discover his roots and any family he left behind.
This story was originally published September 8, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Fall, winter movies ready to make splash in local theaters."