Top 7 Must See October Movies

by Helen Earnshaw | 1 October 2015

October is set to be a very exciting movie month with a whole host of wonderful looking movies on the horizon over the next few weeks.

Macbeth

There's something for everyone with thriller, drama, horror, and family friendly movies all set to hit the big screen - which movies are you looking forward to the most?

We take a look at some of the films that we cannot wait to see and some of the movies that cannot be missed this October.

- Macbeth - released 2nd October

Ever since Macbeth played at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year it has been one of the most talked about films and is already tipped as a potential Oscar contender.

The movie will mark the return of the fantastic Michael Fassbender in the title role and he has been winning over the critics with his central performance as he teams up with director Justin Kurzel for the very first time.

We do have a little wait until the Oscar nominations are revealed at the beginning of next year but Fassbender has two chances to snag a Best Actor nod - Steve Jobs is also a movie that is on the horizon this autumn.

Macbeth is the first film for Kurzel since he made his feature film directorial debut with Snowtown back in 2011 and he has assembled an impressive cast as Fassbender is joined by Marion Cotillard, Jack Reynor, Sean Harris, David Thewlis, Paddy Considine, and Elizabeth Debicki.

Macbeth is the story of a fearless warrior and inspiring leader brought low by ambition and desire. A thrilling interpretation of the dramatic realities of the times and a reimagining of what wartime must have been like for one of literature's most famous and compelling characters, a story of all-consuming passion and ambition set in war torn Scotland.

- Sicario - released 8th October

Another movie that has been whipping up a storm of late comes in the form of Sicario, which sees Denis Villeneuve back in the director's chair. I was a huge fan of Prisoners back in 2013 and I cannot wait to see what he delivers with this new crime/thriller.

Sicario is another film that is being tipped as a potential Oscar contender and it sees Emily Blunt in a great leading role. We have already seen Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow and this is set to be another action role of the popular actress.

Blunt will be joined on the cast list by Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Victor Garber, and Jon Bernthal and this marks the first time that the actress has teamed up with Villeneuve.

In Mexico, Sicario means hitman. In the lawless border area stretching between the U.S. and Mexico, an idealistic FBI agent [Blunt] is enlisted by an elite government task force official [Brolin] to aid in the escalating war against drugs. Led by an enigmatic consultant with a questionable past [Del Toro], the team sets out on a clandestine journey forcing Kate to question everything that she believes in order to survive.

Sicario could well see Blunt in the Oscar race for the first time and I can't wait to see her central performance when it is released next week.

- Suffragette - released 12th October

Suffragette is the third big early Oscar contender to hit the big screen this month and it looks set to be one of the best British films of the year.

Suffragette sees Sarah Gavron back in the director's chair and this is set to be the movie that sends her filmmaking star rocketing. This is her first film since documentary Village at the End of the World in 2012 and it is her first drama project since she made her debut with Brick Lane in 2007.

There are a whole host of movies that are coming our way boasting impressive cast lists... but there is no film line-up that is more impressive than Suffragette this October. Carey Mulligan is set to take on the central role of Maud Watts and she is joined on the cast list by Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson, Romola Garai, and Anne-Marie Duff.

Suffragette has already won over the critics and it is set to have the honour of opening this year's BFI London Film Festival, which gets underway next week. It is great to see a strong female film being given the spotlight at a major festival.

Suffragette is an intense drama that tracks the story of the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement as they fought for the right to vote, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal State.

These women were not primarily from the genteel educated classes, they were working women who had seen peaceful protest achieve nothing. Radicalised and turning to violence as the only route to change, they were willing to lose everything in their fight for equality - their jobs, their homes, their children, and their lives. The character of Maud, played by Carey Mulligan, is one such foot soldier. The story of her fight for dignity is both heart-breaking and inspirational.

Suffragette is the real-life story that the Academy loves and it could well be one of the major riders during the awards season and at the Oscars.

- Crimson Peak - released 16th October

2015 has not been a great year for the horror genre but Crimson Peak could well be the movie that changes all that as Guillermo del Toro returns to the director's chair.

Del Toro has brought us films such as The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth and no one does gothic horror like this filmmaker and I cannot wait to see what he delivers with Crimson Peak.

Crimson Peak sees Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain team up with the director for the first time, while Charlie Hunnam works with del Toro for the first time since the success of Pacific Rim.

When her heart is stolen by a seductive stranger, a young woman is swept away to a house atop a mountain of blood-red clay: a place filled with secrets that will haunt her forever. Between desire and darkness, between mystery and madness, lies the truth behind Crimson Peak... a house that breathes, bleeds, and remembers.

I have been a big fan of del Toro for many years and I am always excited when one of his movies is on the horizon. Over the years, he has told some great stories and created some unforgettable characters - not to mention he is one of the most visionary filmmakers around. Crimson Peak really looks set to be del Toro at his best and is a movie that I have been looking forward to for some time.

- Pan - released 16th October

When it comes to British filmmakers, Joe Wright is one of the best around and he is back this October with his latest film Pan. Wright has been behind films such as Pride and Prejudice, Atonement, and The Soloist and this is the first time that he has tackled a family-friendly project.

Pan is the first time that we have Wright in the director's chair since Anna Karenina and is based on the Peter Pan character created by J.M. Barrie - however, this is a new interpretation of the Peter Pan story that we all know so well.

The movie is going to introduce us to the acting talents of Levi Miller, who is set to take on the title role. This is the biggest acting role of his career to date and could well send his star rocketing.

Hugh Jackman is set to play Blackbeard - in a rare villainous role for the actor - while Garrett Hedlund and Rooney Mara are also on board as Hook and Tiger Lily. Amanda Seyfried, Cara Delevingne and Nonso Anozie complete the impressive and very exciting cast list.

Offering a new take on the origin of the classic characters created by J.M. Barrie, the action adventure follows the story of an orphan who is spirited away to the magical Neverland. There, he finds both fun and dangers, and ultimately discovers his destiny - to become the hero who will be forever known as Peter Pan.

If you are looking for a film that the whole family can enjoy together this autumn, then Pan could well be the one for you as Pan will be another great adventure in Neverland.

- The Last Witch Hunter - released 21st October

It has already been a great year for Vin Diesel with the billion dollar success of Fast & Furious 7 and now he is set to return with The Last Witch Hunter.

The Last Witch Hunter will see Diesel team up with filmmaker Breck Eisner as he returns to the director's chair for the first time since The Crazies back in 2010.

The Last Witch Hunter may not have yet hit the big screen but the studio is already moving forward with a sequel and this looks set to be another great franchise for the popular actor.

Diesel is set to take on the central role of witch hunter Kaulder and is joined on the cast list by Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood, and the fantastic Michael Caine.

The modern world holds many secrets, but the most astounding secret of all is that witches still live amongst us; vicious supernatural creatures intent on unleashing the Black Death upon the world. Armies of witch hunters battled the unnatural enemy across the globe for centuries, including Kaulder, a valiant warrior who managed to slay the all-powerful Queen Witch, decimating her followers in the process.

In the moments right before her death, the Queen curses Kaulder with her own immortality, forever separating him from his beloved wife and daughter in the afterlife. Today Kaulder is the only one of his kind remaining, and has spent centuries hunting down rogue witches, all the while yearning for his long-lost loved ones. However, unbeknownst to Kaulder, the Queen Witch is resurrected and seeks revenge on her killer causing an epic battle that will determine the survival of the human race.

- Spectre - released 26th October

we have already looked at some of the great movies that are coming our way this October, but there is no film that is bigger and more anticipated than Spectre.

Spectre is the twenty-fourth Bond film and comes three years after the billion-dollar success of Skyfall back in 2012. Spectre has been one of the most talked about films of the year so far and will see Daniel Craig take on the role of Bond for the fourth time.

The movie also sees Sam Mendes back in the director's chair for his second consecutive Bond movie at the helm. There was a time when it looked like Mendes would not be returning but I am thrilled to see back with this great franchise.

The cast list is a mix of familiar faces and new names as Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, and Ben Whishaw are back, while Monica Bellucci, Dave Bautista, Léa Seydoux, Andrew Scott and double Oscar winner Christoph Waltz are some of the great new additions to a very exciting cast list.

A cryptic message from the past sends James Bond on a rogue mission to Mexico City and eventually Rome, where he meets Lucia Sciarra (Bellucci), the beautiful and forbidden widow of an infamous criminal. Bond infiltrates a secret meeting and uncovers the existence of the sinister organisation known as Spectre.

Meanwhile back in London, Max Denbigh (Scott), the new head of the Centre for National Security, questions Bond's actions and challenges the relevance of MI6, led by M (Fiennes). Bond covertly enlists Moneypenny (Harris) and Q (Whishaw) to help him seek out Madeleine Swann (Seydoux), the daughter of his old nemesis Mr White (Christensen), who may hold the clue to untangling the web of Spectre. As the daughter of an assassin, she understands Bond in a way most others cannot. As Bond ventures towards the heart of Spectre, he learns of a chilling connection between himself and the enemy he seeks, played by Waltz.

Spectre is set to be one of the biggest films of the year but if it can be as successful as Skyfall remains to be seen. There's not long to go until the wait is finally over.