Jason Reitman, the Oscar nominated director of Up In The Air and Juno, returns with his new film Labor Day. The film is an adaptation of Joyce Maynard’s 2009 novel of the same name and stars Oscar-winner Kate Winslet and Oscar-nominated Josh Brolin.

Adele (Kate Winslet) is a single mother whose husband has abandoned her and their 13 year old son, Henry (Gattlin Griffith), after an affair with his secretary. A few years later on Labor day, Henry convinces his emotionally shattered, agoraphobic mother to go back-to-school shopping. While looking over a comic rack, Henry is approached by a bleeding man who is in need of a ride (which Adele is forced into giving.) The man’s name is Frank (Josh Brolin), a gentle-speaking escaped convict who wears a foreboding aura. Franks just looking for a place to lay low for a few days, but quickly develops a romance with the lonely Adele.

Labor Day is set for a limited release Christmas day with a much wider release January 31st.

Watch trailer for Labor Day

Garnering heaps of positive buzz (and awards) after running through a slew of festivals is Asghar Farhadi’s sixth film, The Past. Farhadi earned Iran’s first Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film with his 2011 release, A Separation, and looks to be continuing a similar level of excellence with his new film.

Ahmad (Ali Mossa) arrives in Paris to finalize a divorce with his estranged wife, Marie (Bérénice Bejo), who is currently living with her two daughters (not Ahmad’s), new paramour (Tahar Rahim) and his young son. The film looks deliciously melodramatic, relying on tensions not only between lovers old and new, but from eldest daughter Lucie (Pauline Burlet).

If you’re looking forward to watching Bejo’s Cannes award winning performance (like me), it’ll be hitting theaters in LA and New York December 20th with a wider release to follow.

Watch the trailer for The Past

Originally attempting to film a documentary to promote touring country music songwriters, co-directors Brad and Todd Barnes (Peace Queer: The Movie, The Locksmith) ended up with their “hypothetical documentary”(as they describe it), East Nashville Tonight. The film is a gritty—yet light, drug-fueled comedy, that arouses a strong sense freedom while finding a groove between it’s original intent and This Is Spinal Tap. Although the film almost has a “home-movie” quality to it, with parts seemingly carelessly put together, it was this spirit that drew me into the experience. It’s a spirit even mirrored in how the brothers decided to release the film; through their website with marketing from BOND360 and distribution from VHX.

Songwriter Todd Snider, who has worked as a composer for the Barnes previously, stars as himself (while retaining his role as composer) in his second film for the duo. Todd is a man of little inhibition: In the opening scene he’s hanging out with drummer Paul Griffith and drinking sangria while doing some faux Karate and rolling down a hill. Co-star Elizabeth Cook (who is also a touring musician) approaches, and after a couple hugs (and impromptu performance of Snider’s “Beer Run”) reveals that she just tanked a television audition. Faltering under the stress of commitments, including the pressure to make a television show, she’s now gone into hiding. It doesn’t take long for Todd to find an answer for Elizabeth’s problem, but first he offers up hits of acid to his friends.

After Elizabeth performs a beautiful rendition of Frankie Miller’s “Blackland Farmer” Todd reveals his plan to produce a show for her. It’s going to be a late-night style talk show with music, guests, a comedian and it will be filmed in and focus on East Nashville. Elizabeth still seems uncertain, but Todd assures her that it will be great, and he will take care of everything. Moments like this, where the performers get to express their friendship, is where the film really shines. The filmmakers really take advantage of these relationships, allowing them to play out these situations with genuine emotion.

Although the film has a clear narrative, it never really gets bogged down with an urgency to tell its story. Most of the individual scenes are friends hanging out, playing music, and getting high. However, these “hanging out” scenes are broken up with fun sketches that embrace dry humor, like when Todd’s doctor is giving him explicit limits on how much of each type of drug he can take. Todd placing an order with his dealer, asking for triple his normal amount of blow and a “fuck-load of Mushrooms” is another scene that stands out. As he’s waiting for his order (a ticking clock and montage indicates that it’s taking a long time) another patron recognizes him as a musician. He tells Todd that his performance was good, but didn’t like how he “told stories” and should make his show more like Beyonce’s in the Super Bowl. Occasionally these segments feel superfluous (like when Elizabeth pitches a perfume idea), but they don’t hinder the overall experience.

Cinematically the film does some interesting things. Often, to highlight the drug-use and the high that comes with it, the film will fade to a “sketch-filter” or super-impose images. The Barnes brothers and Snider have a great understanding of how to break the “fourth wall” creating an extra layer of authenticity in it’s doc-elements or empathize the comedy in it’s fictional elements. The film experiments with out of character moments; going as far as reincorporating outtakes, which admittedly, ended up taking me out of the film.

Acting-wise, there’s not really much to see as Todd’s is the standout performance (and he only tops out at “pretty good”), but the sense of fun and freedom the filmmakers infuse in their “hypothetical documentary” was more than enough to captivate me. East Nashville Tonight will make you wish you were part of the Nashville music scene. As a matter of fact, I think I’ll go dust of my acoustic guitar.

Dear Mr. Watterson, a documentary by Joel Allen Schroeder, examines the cultural impact of cartoonist Bill Waterson’s famous Sunday comic strip, Calvin and Hobbs, through the perspectives of fans and colleagues. The film was made without any involvement from Watterson himself; according to Schroeder, he “decided that we would not pursue Watterson or his family for the film, as he’s made it very clear that he prefers his privacy… The film is about the impact of his strip, not his life as a cartoonist.” Dear Mr. Watterson looks to be essential viewing for any fan of the strip who, like myself, can remember reading about Calvin’s adventures to put off doing homework or chores.

The documentary was funded through Kickstarter with backers pledging over $120,000. Dear Mr. Watterson will be in theaters and available on iTunes on November 15th. You can also pre-order a copy of the film through Schroeder’s website, DearMrWatterson.com.

Watch the trailer for Dear Mr. Watterson:

If you’re still riding a sugar-high and aren’t ready to let go of Halloween just yet, check out the trailer for Open Grave, a new horror-thriller from Spanish filmmaker Gonzalo López-Gallego (Apollo 18, El Rey de la Montaña, Nómadas). Gonzalo, best known for his 2011 release, Apollo 18—which found financial success despite it’s unfavorable reception—is offering up his second English-language film, which looks to be a step in the right direction.

Sharlto Copley (District 9, Elysium) plays John, a man suffering from memory loss after waking up in a pit of dead bodies. He’s brought to a group of survivors faced with a similar affliction, and tensions increase as layers of the mystery are pulled away. The film offers up a “whodunnit” mystery set against a gritty, Walking Dead aesthetic.

Open Grave premiered at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain. The film will be available on iTunes on December 24th and it will open in select theaters on January 13th of next year.

Watch the trailer for Open Grave: