Fall Film Preview

So little time, so many new movies this fall film season. Our rundown focuses on a handful of new LGBTQ-themed films plus a smattering of work from influential filmmakers likely to qualify for the annual Oscar sweepstakes.

Julieta In Pedro Almodovar's holiday treat opening Christmas Day, our heroine (Emma Suarez) is sharing a Madrid flat with a boyfriend. The couple is about to move to Portugal when Julieta reconnects with the best friend of her long-absent adult daughter Antia. Heartbroken that her child, now married and living in Switzerland with three kids, has not been in touch for 12 years, Julieta cancels her trip and returns to her old apartment, hoping that Anita will know where to find her.

Command and Control Documentarian Robert Kenner returns with a new film sounding the alarm about how the U.S. military is handling maintenance of our nation's nuclear weapons stockpile.

Do Not Resist Docmaker Craig Atkinson delves into the federal government's attempt to divert military weapons hardware to local police departments and law enforcement agencies around the country. Filmed over two years, using the Ferguson, MO riots as a template for examining the alarming escalation of weapons and military tactics by small-town American police departments, this doc won a Tribeca Film Festival Jury Award.

Company Town Locally produced doc connects the dots on the Silicon Valley tech moguls who are exercising an ever-increasing role in shaping the future of San Francisco and the once-diverse communities within.

The Eagle Huntress Visually powerful examination of the journey of a 13-year-old nomadic Mongolian girl to become the first female eagle hunter in 12 generations of her Kazakh family. In the course of telling Aisholpan's story, the film also addresses female empowerment, the natural world, and the onset of modernity.

Elle Dutch director Paul Verhoeven returns with Isabelle Huppert as Michele, owner of a profitable videogame company who's equally ruthless in the bedroom and the boardroom. After being assaulted in her home, Michele locates her attacker. The film pivots on the odd and dangerous relationship that ensues.

Blood Father Mel Gibson as an elderly action hero? The veteran Aussie film star, widely attacked for his racist and homophobic slurs, returns as an ex-con trying to save the life of his daughter, running from a murderous drug cartel. With Erin Moriarty and Diego Luna. Jean-Francois Richet directed.

Don't Breathe Three young people invade a blind man's home to pull off the perfect heist. Fede Alvarez directed.

Edge of Winter Joel Kinnaman plays a divorced father trying to bond with his sons on a day trip. When they end up stranded in a cabin with a snowstorm approaching, the boys realize Dad may not be that stable. And there are guns in the house. Rob Connolly directed.

Hands of Stone Edgar Ram'rez plays Roberto Duran, the Panamanian welterweight boxer who defeated Sugar Ray Leonard in 1980. Duran became famous for knowing when to say "No mas." Usher Raymond plays his opponent. Written and directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz.

The Intervention Clea DuVall wrote, directed and appears in this comic drama about four couples on a weekend getaway that turns out to be a covertly arranged marriage intervention. Melanie Lynskey won a special jury prize at Sundance for her performance. With Cobie Smulders, Jason Ritter, Vincent Piazza and Natasha Lyonne.

A Man Called Love From Sweden, a comedy about an odd-couple friendship. Parvaneh and her family move into a new neighborhood; she backs into Ove's mailbox. The biggest curmudgeon on the block, Ove is a widower who likes to think he runs the condo association and everybody's lives. Directed by Hannes Holm.

Max Rose Jerry Lewis plays a retired jazz musician who learns, just before his wife dies, that she may have cheated on him in the '50s. His challenge is to get through grief and betrayal at the same time. With Kevin Pollak, Kerry Bishe, Claire Bloom, and Dean Stockwell as the other man. Daniel Noah wrote and directed.

Southside with You A summer day in Chicago, 1989. A young male law-firm intern and a young, female lawyer go on their first date. It's a daylong affair, including a museum, a movie ("Do the Right Thing") and their first kiss. They married three years later and moved into the White House 17 years after that. Parker Sawyers plays Barack Obama, and Tika Sumpter is Michelle Robinson. Richard Tanne wrote and directed.

Me Estas Matando Susana takes us on Eligio's quest to find and recover his wife Susana, who left Mexico City for a writer's conference held in the chilly U.S. heartland. Roberto Sneider directs the work of Jose Agust'n (novel) and Luis Camara (screenplay), with Gael Garcia Bernal, Veronica Echegui and Ashley Hinshaw.

We Don't Belong Here A matriarch of a dysfunctional family is pushed to her tipping point by the disappearance of her son (Anton Yelchin). Peer Pedersen directs a cast that includes Catherine Keener and Kaitlyn Dever.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch play father and son coroners who get a mysterious homicide victim with no apparent cause of death. Andre Ovredal directs a script by Ian B. Goldberg and Richard Naing.

The Runaround A work-obsessed dad attempts to visit his daughter during an LA stopover, only to discover that she's disappeared. Gavin Wiesen directs Seth W. Owen's script, with an ensemble that includes Analeigh Tipton, J.K. Simmons, Kristen Schaal and Emile Hirsch.