【99 Moons】

Welcome to our 2019 Fall Movie Preview. All week long we're covering the films you need to know about as we head into the final months of the year9 Moons from indie gems to awards hopefuls to blockbuster smashes.

The cooler months tend to bring people together, whether to celebrate the holidays or just to cuddle up and feel cozy. But the problem with having so many loved ones in the same place is that it can be difficult to figure out what to dowith all of them. Maybe a movie? But which one?

Ahem. We're here to help.

Here's what to watch if you're with the family...

... and you bond over costume dramas: Downton Abbey (Sept. 20)

Downton Abbeywas an ideal hanging-with-the-parents binge when it aired between 2010 and 2015. The movie, then, seems like the natural choice if you're looking to watch something with them this year. The Crawleys and their servants reunite for a visit from King George V and Queen Mary -- but fans know the realspecial occasion here is the simple fact of our being allowed to see them all again.

... and you may have some parental issues to work through: Ad Astra (Sept. 27)

There's nothing like space to make a person confront their familial angst, as we've seen in films from Interstellarto Gravityto First Man. Ad Astracasts Brad Pitt as an astronaut sent to uncover the truth about his father, who disappeared on an expedition decades ago. It's not a family film in the sense that you should bring your kids along for the ride -- but if you need a grown-up way to work out your own parental dramas, this should be the way to do it.

... and you're pet people: Abominable (Sept. 27)

It might be literally impossible to look at the character design for Everest the Yeti and not melt a little -- especially if your family is the animal-loving type. Abominableshould fit right alongside How to Train Your Dragon, Pete's Dragon, and Bumblebeein that heartwarming subgenre of kid-and-pet movies, pairing Everest with an adventurous young musician named Yi (Chloe Bennet) on a fantastical journey.

... and you all grew up with Mr. Rogers: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Nov. 22)

Fred Rogers is the rare public figure who seems to bring just about everyone together in an outpouring of love and affection. Tom Hanks is another. Put them together, and you have what might be theideal family outing to the movies, satisfying everyone from your old-fashioned father-in-law to your cynical big sister to your sentimental little cousin.

... and you'd like to see a clan more dysfunctional than yours: Knives Out (Nov. 27)

If the holidays are the perfect time to remember why you love your family, they can also be an effective reminder of all the things that drive you absolutely batty about them. But at least your last party didn't end in literal death, as the Thrombreys' does in Rian Johnson's Knives Out. When you find yourself in desperate need of a breather, get yourself to the theater to watch Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, and Jamie Lee Curtis play out a murder mystery in swanky digs, and in the process help you appreciate that, actually, yeah, Thanksgiving dinner could've gone a lot worse.

... and the kids are feeling extra-silly: Spies in Disguise (Dec. 25)

Spies in Disguiseis inspired by an animated short film called Pigeon: Impossible(!!) and frankly, that seems like reason enough to just go with its goofiness. But if you need more reasons, this is a movie that features the voice of Will Smith as a Bond-like secret agent... who gets turned into a pigeonthanks to an awkward science whiz voiced by Tom Holland. Your kids won't know what hit 'em, and you probably won't either.

Come back to learn what to watch if...

Monday: ... you want to be creeped out Tuesday: ... you just wanna have fun Wednesday: ... you're with the family Thursday: ... you're all about awards season Friday: ... you've only got time for 6 movies

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