The October Watchlist

There is nothing better than watching a good movie during a cozy, rainy Friday evening in October with a warm drink in hand. But sometimes, choosing a movie to watch can go on for hours and the desire to watch a movie might slip away with each minute. That's why I took this task upon myself and made a list of perfect movies for October!

1. Little Women (2019) 

Directed by Greta Gerwig - rated PG

Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War. The movie is based on a novel by Louisa May Alcott which is based on the real-life experiences of her and her three sisters.

2. Dead Poets Society (1989)

Directed by Peter Weir - rated PG

At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.

3. Good Will Hunting (1997)

Directed by Gus Van Sant - rated R

Headstrong yet aimless, Will Hunting has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he secretly solves highly difficult graduate-level math problems, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau, who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. When Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, Professor Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he gets court-ordered therapy. Eventually, therapist Dr Sean Maguire helps Will confront the demons that are holding him back.

4. Meet Joe Black (1998) 

Directed by Martin Brest - rated PG13

Bill Parrish has it all - success, wealth and power. Days before his 65th birthday, he receives a visit from a mysterious stranger, Joe Black, who soon reveals himself as Death. In exchange for extra time, Bill agrees to serve as Joe’s earthly guide. But will he regret his choice when Joe unexpectedly falls in love with Bill’s beautiful daughter Susan?

5. Before Sunrise (1995)

Directed by Richard Linklater - rated R

An unexpected meeting on a train leads two travelers to spend an evening wandering through Vienna. As the night unfolds, they share stories and conversations about life and love, exploring new ideas while a quiet intimacy grows between them, knowing it may be their only night together.

6. Soul (2020)

Directed by Pete Docter - rated PG

Joe Gardner is a middle school teacher with a love for jazz music. After a successful audition at the Half Note Club, he suddenly gets into an accident that separates his soul from his body and is transported to the You Seminar, a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child. Joe must enlist help from the other souls-in-training, like 22, a soul who has spent eons in the You Seminar, in order to get back to Earth.

7. Remember the titans (2000)

Directed by Boaz Yakin - rated PG

After leading his football team to 15 winning seasons, coach Bill Yoast is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone - tough, opinionated and as different from the beloved Yoast as he could be. The two men learn to overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions.

8. Coraline (2009)

Directed by Henry Selick - rated PG

Wandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice.

9. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron - rated PG

Year three at Hogwarts means new fun and challenges as Harry learns the delicate art of approaching a Hippogriff, transforming shape-shifting Boggarts into hilarity and even turning back time. But the term also brings danger: soul-sucking dementors hover over the school, an ally of the accursed He-Who-Cannot-Be-Named lurks within the castle walls, and fearsome wizard Sirius Black escapes Azkaban. And Harry will confront them all.

TIP - If you haven’t watched any of the Harry Potter series, they are perfect for fall!

10. Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Directed by Joe Wright - Rated PG

A story of love and life among the landed English gently during the Georgian era. Mr. Bennet is a gentleman living in Hertfordshire with his overbearing wife and five daughters, but if he dies their house will be inherited by a distant cousin whom they have never met, so the family’s future happiness and security is dependent on the daughters making good marriages. 

11. Stepmom (1998)

Directed by Chris Columbus - rated PG13

Jackie is a divorced mother of two. Isabel is the career minded girlfriend of Jackie’s ex-husband Luke, forced into the role of unwelcome stepmother to their children. But when Jackie discovers she is ill, both women realize they must put aside their differences to find a common ground and celebrate life to the fullest, while they have the chance.

12. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Directed by Gil Junger - rated PG13

On the first day at his new school, Cameron instantly falls for Bianca, the gorgeous girl of his dreams. The only problem is that Bianca is forbidden to date until her ill-tempered, completely un-dateable older sister Kat goes out, too. In an attempt to solve his problem, Cameron singles out the only guy who could possibly be a match for Kat; a mysterious bad boy with a nasty reputation of his own. 

13. The Notebook (2004)

Directed by Nick Cassavetes - rated PG13

An epic love story centered around an older man who reads aloud to a woman with Alzheimer’s. From a faded notebook, the old man’s words bring to life the story about a couple who is separated by WW2, and is then passionately reunited, seven years later, after they have taken different paths.