If there’s one thing I love about the fall, it’s the movie trailers. It’s not the cool weather. It’s definitely not the return of tests and homework. It’s not even football. Nope, the best thing about September is the onslaught of cinematic tease we start to receive from some of the major studios, as well as some of the more critically concerned independents.
Feast your eyes upon these trailers for the five fall and winter movies I’m most excited about.

1. “Birdman,” October 17, 2014
This is probably the best stand-alone trailer I’ve seen in a while. I could watch it on loop for two hours and it would be better than half the movies I’ve seen this year. Seriously, this movie looks flawless.  Although that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be, the trailer seems to suggest that it will. Michael Keaton seems remarkably self-aware in a role that references his “Batman” origins almost comically.  Keaton is joined by rising stars Zach Galfianakis and Emma Stone, not to mention Naomi Watts and Edward Norton.  Surrealist and beautiful, this trailer does more than wow you—it enthralls you.

2. “Rosewater,” November 7, 2014
“Rosewater” represents an intriguing idea: that a comedian can make a dramatic departure from his genre of choice and, in his first foray into directing, touch on an incredibly serious topic without breaking a sweat. Such is the case for Jon Stewart, whose debut film chronicles the capture and lengthy interrogation of London-based journalist Maziar Bahari. The trailer, despite its blatant if not purposeful borrowing from the taglines and themes of “The Shawshank Redemption,” is chilling to watch. In the theater, I remember actually tearing up during this one with goosebumps running up the length of my arms.

3. “Nightcrawler,” October 31, 2014
Jake Gyllenhaal looks spectacular in this one. The story of a man living in Los Angeles who stumbles onto the seedy world of freelance journalism, “Nightcrawler” looks to be right in that morally ambiguous zone audiences have come to love so much. From Batman to Frank Underwood to Walter White, audiences in recent film and television have eaten up the idea of a shady protagonist, something Gyllenhaal’s character appears to be imitating. There’s absolutely nothing that can keep me from fitting this into my Halloween schedule.

4. “The Homesman,” November 7, 2014
Man, this movie looks good. It’s currently competing with “Interstellar” for the best cast of the season, at least as far as I’ve seen, with “Birdman” coming in close behind. Tommy Lee Jones looks amazing in a role that seems far outside his norm, and Hilary Swank looks equally fantastic in her starring role. The premise of this seems especially original, particularly for a western, as Jones’ and Swank’s characters are responsible for transporting three women who’ve lost their minds across the Mississippi River for proper care. Their rapport looks realistically uncomfortable. I’m excited for this one.

5. “Interstellar,” November 7, 2014
This trailer’s got it all: cameos from every lead actor, a chilling monologue that’s both implausible in everyday speech as well as thought-provoking and a signature Hans Zimmer score. Perhaps it gives away too much.  While we expect to get the conflict from a trailer, we don’t want to know what the solution is. It’s debatable whether we can confirm anything for sure about the film but one thing is certain, for Nolan’s first foray into true science fiction it’ll be difficult to live up to expectations.