Upstate NY’s FilmColumbia Festival returns this month, and the lineup is one of the best ever. So many awards contenders and highly-anticipated, star-studded releases will be shown over a 10-day period.
They include several dramas with potential Best Actor nominees. Sony Classics has the duo of “Living” with Bill Nighy (Oct. 21) and “The Son” starring Hugh Jackman (Oct. 25). And from A24 it’s Jeremy Pope in “The Inspection” (Oct. 22) and Brendan Fraser in “The Whale” (Oct. 26).
Also on deck is “Armageddon Time” (Oct. 23) from Focus Features. The cast is led by Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong and Anthony Hopkins (who’s also in “The Son”). Roadside Attractions presents “Call Jane” with Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver on Oct. 28. MGM & United Artists are showcasing Timothee Chalamet in “Bones and All” (Oct. 24) and director Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking” (Oct. 29).
NEON documentary “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” will screen on Oct. 22. A24 also has “The Eternal Daughter” with Tilda Swinton on Oct. 27. Walton Goggins, Casey Affleck and Zooey Deschanel headline “Dreamin’ Wild”, screening on Oct. 29. And on Sunday Oct. 30, it’s “Sr.”, the Robert Downey, Sr. & Robert Downey, Jr. documentary coming to Netflix later this year. I recently screened “Sr.”, and it’s fantastic. A unique, deep, bold, personal look at two cinema icons.
Per tradition, FilmColumbia also has the Saturday Night Sneak. You don’t know what the movie is until the curtain opens. FilmColumbia has been doing this long before Regal got underway with its $5 Monday Mystery Movie (the second of which will be Nov. 7).
Last year, FilmColumbia’s Sneak was “Spencer”. Past films include Best Picture Oscar winners “Spotlight” and “Green Book”, along with triple Academy Award winner “Dallas Buyers Club” and nominees “Loving” and “Lady Bird”. This year my pick for the Sneak (which will play Oct. 29) is “The Fabelmans” — Steven Spielberg’s love letter to movies and his childhood. Hope I’m right!
For complete schedule and ticket info, go to FilmColumbia.org.