There is a crazy amount of must-see fall films

[View this email in your browser]( [Open Ars Technica in your browser]( [Image] [Catalina, an island off the coast of California and the new MacOS release name.]( Want to know how packed this fall movie season appears to be? Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson are set to star in a new film opening this Friday and it feels like that has barely made a blip in a sea of Joker and Downton Abbey (aka, English period piece Avengers). But if Dafoe and Pattinson's [The Lighthouse]( ranks as a small release, that indicates just how strong a fall film season lies ahead for all of us. Artsy horror director Robert Eggers (The Witch) put together this highly-stylized surrealist tale of a tragedy that happens as two Welsh lighthouse keepers ride out a storm in the early 1800s. In typical Eggers fashion, the entire thing has been shot on 35mm black-and-white with the same square frame and aspect ratio (1.19:1) favored by early pioneering filmmakers like Fritz Lang and G.W. Pabst. He shot with camera lenses from the 1930s and used a custom-filter to try and emulate the look of early [orthochromatic film]( (more definition in the wrinkles of Dafoe's face, a bit more dark dread even in clear skies). Eggers wanted so much image control, the film crew built the entirety of the titular lighthouse—but he simultaneously wanted so much realism they relied on the unpredictable and potentially dangerous weather of their environment. "We wanted to build every building, but being responsible, I did try to scout. Nothing had that atmosphere and was accessible, because you need roads [to bring in the equipment]," Eggers told the crowd at the Fantastic Fest screening Ars caught. So, the production ended up in Southern Nova Scotia. "There are moments where Rob is pulling the boat out, and if those were all real waves, we might lose Robert Pattinson to a riptide, which we don't want to do. But in general, the most brutal weather you see is real." That insane granular control extends through all the film's peculiar touches: Eggers studied fish genitalia for some minor VFX, he sought out a trio of performing seagulls (Lady, Tramp, and Johnny from the UK, "the last three cinema gulls" he said) for background actors, and the film's precise sound design will rattle viewers to the core. Execs told Eggers it sounded like "a yeti moaning in the wilderness" when viewing an early cut. Your mileage with The Lighthouse may vary overall, but it is certainly the most unique and visually stunning film you'll catch this fall. "Rob thought this was sufficiently weird," Eggers said when asked how he convinced the enigmatic star to come on board. So with fall film season officially revving up this week, the latest Ars Orbital Transmission is ready with recommendations and dates to mark on your calendar. Yes, a new story in a galaxy far, far away is imminent, but there's so much more than that worth seeing throughout these next few months. —[@NathanMattise]( Orbital Transmission 10.15.2019 [(image) ]( [We have seen the most discussed film of the fall]( Look, [Joker]( is definitely dark and violent. But this film deserves its massive box office success and non-stop discussion. It tries something different in the now well-trodden superhero genre (with varying degrees of success, to be honest), and the film serves as a tremendous vehicle for Joaquin Phoenix. "It's not an understatement to say this film belongs to Joaquin Phoenix, whose masterful performance transforms the narrative into something more than a competent-but-unremarkable tale of hard knocks driving a troubled man to violence," writers Ars critic Jennifer Ouellete. "He even dropped a whopping 52 pounds for the role. Seriously, just give him the Best Actor Oscar already. (Phoenix has been nominated three times and never won.)" [(image) Alien’s origin story chestbursts anew in stirring new documentaryintro image]( [Film nerds' documentary delights on Alien and VFX savant Phil Tippett]( Yes, there are ample new movies to get excited about this fall. But sometimes you just want to luxuriate in a familiar film classic, and luckily a pair of new documentaries indulge this urge. [Memory: The Origins of Alien]( explore why, 40 years after its debut, the definitive space scare still frightens us all. It's already available to rent VOD, and director Alexandre O. Philippe may have been the perfect filmmaker for this gig (having put the lens on The Exorcist and Psycho previously). If you prefer creatures without the blood curdling screams, [Mad Dreams and Monsters]( may be more your speed, as that documentary (still in the festival circuit) takes viewers inside the mind of stop-motion animation king Phil Tippett through his work on Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and Robocop among others. [(image) ]( [Right now, you can see a delightful horror comedy and the best film of the year]( Beyond that high profile trip to Gotham, there are other films worthy of your time right now. South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho is a genre filmmaking legend (from The Host to Snowpiercer) who grew up on a steady diet of Carpenter and DePalma. His latest, [Parasite](, just hit LA and NYC ahead of a wider release this month. It may not be as genre-heavy as his prior works, but phew is it good. Bong's mind continues to be a gift to film fans (as we learned firsthand in an Austin, Texas classroom last month). If you want a bit lighter fare without leaving your home, however, Hulu has you covered—festival favorite [Little Monsters]( hit the service over the weekend, and the world can always use a few more savvy pre-K teachers mowing down zombies. [(image) ]( [Mark your calendars: Jojo Rabbit, Ford v Ferrari, Terminator, *and* new Star Wars]( Folks, the onslaught of enticing films is merely just beginning. Up first this week is [Jojo Rabbit](, Thor: Ragnarok scribe Taika Waititi's satire of facism through a young German boy during WWII who has a particularly mustachioed imaginary friend. (We saw it at Fantastic Fest—definitely some laughs, overall enjoyable, but won't leave you pondering deep philosophical truths about life.) Arguably, the film slate only escalates from there: a [new Terminator]( in early November, racing's great Oscar hope [Ford v Ferrari]( not long after, and then The Most Anticipated Film of 2019™: [Rise of Skywalker]( (which closes out the Rey/Kylo Ren Star Wars trilogy). [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2019 Condé Nast, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Condé Nast One World Trade Center New York, NY 10007 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences](newsletter=ars) or [unsubscribe from this list](newsletter=ars).