DVD/Blu-ray Release Calendar: September 2018

▣ Adrift Trailers

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After tackling Everest, director Baltasar Kormákur decided to take on the Pacific Ocean with another true tale of survival. Adrift tells the story of Tami Oldham (Shailene Woodley) and Richard Sharp (Sam Claflin), two avid sailors who set out on a journey from the South Pacific to San Diego but found themselves stranded midway after a category 5 hurricane wrecked their boat. Some critics liked it, but others didn't appreciate the romance half of the story or the casting.

▣ Beast Trailers

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The feature film debut of writer-director Michael Pearce is a combination of crime thriller and modern fairytale. Moll (Jessie Buckley) lives in an isolated community where young girls have been turning up dead. After a night of clubbing on her birthday, Pascal (Johnny Flynn) saves Moll from being raped. The two form a bond and move in with each other, but their love is tested when Pascal becomes a suspect in the local murders. Inspired by the true story of the Beast of Jersey, the film received plenty of good reviews for its May release, with Buckley earning especially strong praise.

▣ Ghost Stories Trailers

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In their debut feature, writer-directors Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman successfully adapt their 2010 British stage show for the big screen. Nyman stars as Professor Philip Goodman, a TV celebrity and debunker of the paranormal. When a man asks him to look into three cases—a night watchman haunted in an asylum, a young man who survived a horrible car crash, and a former banker (Martin Freeman) spooked by the ghost of his unborn son—they test Professor Goodman’s skepticism.

▣ Hereditary Trailers

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One of the best-reviewed films to emerge from this year’s Sundance comes from the festival's Midnight section. Writer-director Ari Aster’s debut feature stars Toni Collette as Annie, an artist who works with miniatures (used to great effect by Aster), a wife who’s married to Gabriel Byrne’s Steve, and a mother to a teenager (Alex Wolff) and his younger sister (Milly Shapiro). After Annie’s mother dies, a terror takes hold of the family, and that terror has spooked every critic who has seen the film.

▣ Won't You Be My Neighbor? Trailers

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20 Feet From Stardom and Best of Enemies director Morgan Neville profiles the life of PBS star Fred Rogers in one of this year's most enjoyable documentaries. Neville tracks Rogers’ transition from Presbyterian minister to television host, highlighting his ability to tackle difficult subjects on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, the beloved children's show that bore his name from 1968-2001. This nostalgic look back at a time when civility existed on TV screens offers a perfect antidote to the current state or the world.

▣ Filmworker Trailers

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This well-reviewed documentary by Tony Zierra profiles Leon Vitali, who, after playing Lord Bullingdon in Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, became the director’s right-hand man until Kubrick’s death in 1999. Before devoting his life to Kubrick, Vitali was a working actor on the rise, but he gave it all up to work in the shadows of the revered auteur.

▣ The Guardians Trailers

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This acclaimed French drama from writer-director Xavier Beauvois (Of Gods and Men) is set in the countryside during the first World War. While the men have gone up to battle, it is up to a pair of women (Nathalie Baye and newcomer Iris Bry) to run the family farm. The story is adapted from a 1924 novel by Ernest Pérochon.

▣ Hearts Beat Loud Trailers

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Writer-director Brett Haley’s fourth feature, following I’ll See You in My Dreams and The Hero, is an affectionate look at the relationship between single dad Frank (Nick Offerman) and his daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons), who’s heading off to college soon. Connecting through their shared love of music, they form a band and write a song that becomes a minor Spotify hit. It’s another heartfelt indie drama from Haley, with four original songs from Keegan DeWitt and a strong supporting cast that includes Ted Danson, Toni Collette, Sasha Lane, and Blythe Danner.

▣ Ocean's 8 Trailers

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Sandra Bullock plays Debbie Ocean, Danny Ocean’s sister, in this spin-off from Stephen Soderbergh’s successful Ocean’s franchise. Soderbergh’s friend, director Gary Ross (The Hunger Games), steps into the director’s chair for this breezy heist story, which finds Bullock putting together a crew of Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter, Awkwafina, and Rihanna to steal diamonds at the Met Gala. Anne Hathaway, Richard Armitage, and James Corden also star.

▣ Damsel Trailers

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The latest from brothers David and Nathan Zellner (Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter) is an oddball comedic (and sometimes violent) western that follows a man (Robert Pattinson) as he searches the wild west for his true love (Mia Wasikowska). It's not for everybody, but the film certainly had its admirers when it debuted at Sundance in January.

▣ Fahrenheit 451

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Michael B. Jordan, Michael Shannon, and Sofia Boutella star in HBO's film adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s classic 1953 novel set in a dystopian, book-burning future. Ramin Bahrani (99 Homes) directs and co-writes, and his cast also includes Khandi Alexander, Martin Donovan, and Lilly Singh. Though all those names may sound impressive, the film ultimately proved to be a disappointment, with critics finding the result a bit too generic, simplistic, and obvious.

▣ Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Trailers

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Four years after the events of Jurassic World, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) return to Isla Nublar in an attempt to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from destruction. However, that’s just the beginning of a plot that involves Owen’s beloved Blue and the creation of the “most dangerous creature that ever walked the Earth.” Directed by J.A. Bayona (A Monster Calls), this fifth (and far from best) movie in the series features Rafe Spall, James Cromwell, Ted Levine, Justice Smith, and Toby Jones, as well as the return of Jeff Goldblum.

▣ Summer 1993 Trailers

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This Spanish (actually Catalan) feature from first-time director Carla Simón impressed at last year's Berlinale, and finally made its way to American theaters this spring. The period drama follows six-year-old Frida—newly orphaned after both parents die of AIDS—as she moves in with her aunt and uncle in the country and adjusts to her new environment.

▣ Mountain Trailers

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The director of 2015's best documentary, Sherpa, returned this year with another examination of mountain climbing—and another cinematic peak, so to speak. Jennifer Peedom's new film travels around the world to follow a variety of adventurers and athletes who seek thrills at the highest elevations. The stunning visuals combine with a score from the Australian Chamber Orchestra and narration from Willem Dafoe to provide a complete experience.

▣ The Seagull Trailers

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Directed by Michael Mayer from a script by Stephen Karam, this adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s classic play captures the romantic entanglements of an aging actress (Annette Bening), her son (Billy Howle), his love interest (Saoirse Ronan) and her crush, a famous novelist played by Corey Stoll. Reviews were mixed, as tends to be the case with Chekhov (whose material seems to work better on stage than screen), though the cast earned high marks.

▣ Solo: A Star Wars Story Trailers

Despite a troubled production which resulted in Ron Howard taking over directing duties from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (a running theme for Disney and Lucasfilm after major reshoots on Rogue One), the second stand-alone "Star Wars Story" was somewhat less of a disaster than first feared, even if it became the rare Star Wars film to disappoint at the box office. The film follows a young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) as he enters the criminal underworld, meets Chewbacca, gambles with Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) and gets involved with a gang led by Woody Harrelson’s Tobias Beckett. Emilia Clarke, Paul Bettany, and Thandie Newton also star, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) provides the voice of droid L3-37.

▣ Uncle Drew Trailers

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