This fall, students and townies alike will have a brand new theater to enjoy as Carmike Cinemas, the owner of Manhattan’s current theater, will open a new 13-screen theater in the mall with one of those screens being an IMAX.
Movie enthusiasts will also be able to enjoy new dine-in capabilities with Carmike’s Ovation Cinema Grill, a service that is only available in three other Carmike theaters across the country.
In honor of the new theater and the fall and winter movie seasons (the best time of year for movies in my opinion) here are five (or six) movies coming out this semester to keep an eye on.
1. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
Last Christmas, Star Wars fans were probably given the best present imaginable as “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” was released. “Rogue One” marks the second of six Star Wars movies Disney plans on making, and the first of three standalone pictures. Felicity Jones (“The Theory of Everything”) plays Jyn Erso, a rebellion soldier picked to be part of a team to attempt to steal the plans for the first Death Star. This movie takes place before “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” and is rumored to have a young (not prequels-young but younger) Darth Vader as one of its villains. “Rouge One: A Star Wars Story” is set to open Dec. 16.
2. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
Based on the textbook of the same name from the Harry Potter book and movie series, Eddie Redmayne stars as Newt Scamander, a wizard who has let magical creatures loose in New York City. Potter author J.K. Rowling penned the script to this spin-off that is set to be a trilogy. With the play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” that was released this July wrapping up Harry’s story, this new movie is sure to offer more opportunities to get lost in Rowling’s wizarding world. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” premieres Nov. 18.
3. “The Birth of a Nation”
Probably one of the most intriguing and buzzed about movies on this list, Nate Parker (“The Great Debaters,” “Non-Stop”) writes, directs and stars in this movie about a literate slave named Nat Turner (Parker) who leads a slave uprising in the South before the Civil War. An early favorite to take the top prize at the Oscars, Parker’s picture surely will resonate even more due to the political climate of the country over the past year. “The Birth of a Nation” opens Oct. 7.
4. “Doctor Strange”
The newest superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch of “Sherlock” and “Star Trek Into the Darkness”) is the protagonist in what could be the trippiest and most visually interesting Marvel movie to date. Strange was an accomplished and arrogant neurosurgeon who loses it all after a car crash. Learning the secrets of mysticism and alternate dimensions, he becomes Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme. This will be the first Marvel movie after this summer’s “Captain America: Civil War” saw the Avengers split up. “Doctor Strange” hits theaters on Nov. 4.
5 and 6. “Sully”/”Snowden”
I combined these movies into one because they are very similar. Both are biopics based on events that have happened in the last 10 years (The Miracle on the Hudson in 2009 and Snowden leaking NSA documents in 2013). Both are directed by Oscar-winning directors (Clint Eastwood directing “Sully” and Oliver Stone directing “Snowden”). Both have big names filling the title roles with Tom Hanks playing Sully Sullenberger and Joesph Gordon-Levitt playing Edward Snowden, and both are total Oscar bait. Expect both of these movies to get plenty of attention come award season. You can see “Sully” starting Sept. 9, while “Snowden” opens the week after on Sept. 16.
