It’s finally September. Classes have kicked into full gear, temperatures have hopefully started to drop, and, yes, pumpkin spice lattes have returned to Starbucks. But September is also a time of change at the movies. As summer blockbuster season winds down, studios begin to drop movies that mostly range from passable to downright awful. That being said, if you’re interested in catching a movie this weekend, head over to The Belcourt or your favorite rental or streaming service.
Live on Fridays in the Johnson Large Theater
Solo: A Star Wars Story (Friday at 10 p.m.)
This summer, I wrote a doubtful — some might call negative — preview of “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” but I ended that preview by writing that if the latest piece of Disney’s Star Wars anthology series somehow didn’t completely crash and burn, I’d fully apologize and admit to my incorrect assumptions. Much to my delight and surprise, “Solo” didn’t completely suck. In fact, it was a pretty good time. Don’t get me wrong, there are still several eye-rolling moments — apparently we all really needed to know how Han got his last name — but those are mostly sprinkled throughout a story full of Star Wars fun, action and spirit. So, true to my word, I was wrong about “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” Sorry, Ron Howard. Catch it this Friday night at 10 p.m. in the Johnson Large Theater.
In theaters
The Nun (Opens Friday)
Let’s get something straight. “The Conjuring 2,” which came right off the heels of a genuinely spooky and refreshingly original haunted house flick, was pretty darn underwhelming. The scariest part, hands-down, was the pale-faced demon nun that popped up for maybe less than 10 minutes of the movie’s nearly two-and-a-half hour runtime. Warner Brothers must have thought the same thing, because this weekend we’re getting an entire film dedicated to exploring the creepy, habit-wearing demon and her apparently expansive backstory. While early reviews haven’t exactly set this up as a masterwork of horror cinema — for that, see “Ghost Stories” below — sometimes a 90-minute jumpscare fest can be just what the doctor ordered.
Check it out if you liked: “The Conjuring,” “Annabelle” or “The Conjuring 2”
At The Belcourt
The Miseducation of Cameron Post (Opens Friday)
Just months after Bo Burnham’s acclaimed coming-of-age film, “Eighth Grade,” “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” offers an important and unique perspective to the coming-of-age genre. Chloe Grace Moretz stars as Cameron Post, who is sent to a conversion therapy center after being caught with a girl in the backseat of a car. Through an outlandish and questionable course of conversion techniques and discipline, Post finds support, community and acceptance through an unlikely group of friends at the center. Screenings on Friday, Saturday and Thursday will be followed up with discussion led by the Students of Stonewall from the Oasis Center — a Nashville organization dedicated to helping LGBT teenagers from Middle Tennessee explore their identities and find support, acceptance and a community of their own.
Check it out if you liked: “Moonlight,” “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” or “Eighth Grade”
Redbox/Digital/Streaming
– “Dark River”
– “Ghost Stories”
– “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”
– “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”