Temperatures drop and raincoats emerge from their hibernation. It’s time to trade flip-flops and cold brews for fuzzy socks and pumpkin spice — fall is here.
If you’re not quite ready to part with the summer sun, this collection of movies, books and music will help you embrace all the fall feels.
As the season arrives, The Beacon staff shared the media that we’re falling for this autumn.
“10 Things I Hate About You”
Recommended by Kalena O’Connell, Living Section Editor
A crisp in the air and the crunch of fallen leaves mark the arrival of autumn. But that’s not the only season beginning in late September. Cozy up, it's cuffing season — and what better way to celebrate than with a classic romantic comedy that gives all the season’s charm. “10 Things I Hate About You” follows four teenagers as their two unlikely love stories unfold against the backdrop of cloudy skies and warm fall colors in the Pacific Northwest. Teenage angst princess Kat Stratford meets her match in the effortlessly charismatic Patrick Verona, whom she claims to hate, though, as she later admits, “not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.” The 1999 film serves electric chemistry and back-to-school fall fashion through a modern twist of Shakespeare's “The Taming of the Shrew.” The enemies-to-lovers storyline will have you cuddled up on a rainy day, planning your next messy paintball date.
“Twilight”
Recommended by Samantha Zavala, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Editor
Let me set the scene: a chill in the air, leaves rustling and the sun is nowhere to be found. I could be describing any other autumnal day in the gloomy Pacific Northwest, or it could be the ideal day for a family-friendly game of baseball. Say what you want about the corny lines and the terrible acting, “Twilight” is an amazing watch (and has an even better soundtrack). With a supernatural twist on the tried-and-true love triangle plot, this 2008 adaptation follows Bella Swan as she moves to Washington and discovers the “monsters” lurking in the shadows. While the movie is intended to be a romance, the key to truly enjoying it is to see it as a comedy by laughing at the cringe-worthy lines and overacting. “Twilight” brings the spooky mindset, without having to watch a horror movie that leaves you scared to turn the lights off. So embrace the cringe, and enjoy a sparkly Robert Pattinson gracing your screen this fall.
“Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” by Wu-Tang Clan
Recommended by Kaeden Souki, Sports Editor
“Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers” by the Wu-Tang Clan and “Midnight Marauders” by A Tribe Called Quest — both released on Nov. 9, 1993 — perfectly demonstrate the essence of hip-hop’s golden era. Records of this caliber make it easy to understand why November is recognized as National Hip Hop History Month. While each album reflects the vibe of a cold, autumn night in New York City, “36 Chambers” transports me to a fall in the slums of Shaolin. While the delivery and lyricism of all nine members are gritty and poignant, it is RZA’s eerie, evidently homegrown and innovative production that creates the record’s unmistakable atmosphere. His blend of sampling soul music and martial arts films can make you feel like a traveler through the steps of a windy monastery, a pedestrian on the cold Staten Island sidewalk or hanging out in the grimy basement where much of the album was produced. When I listen, I am transported to the first time I heard the record over Thanksgiving break in 2019. I had flirted with hip-hop for many years, but that autumn, Wu-Tang made me fall in love with the genre. One listen of “36 Chambers” — preferably with an open window and the scent and sound of a cold night’s rainfall — is enough for anyone to experience the magic of hip-hop.
“Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë
Recommended by Kaylee Monahan, Copy and Opinions Editor
As the air gets crisp and the days grow shorter, there’s no better time than the spooky season to dust off an old, gothic classic. Whether it’s been sitting unread on your bookshelf or whispering to you from the stacks at Powell’s, “Wuthering Heights” is calling. In this novel, Brontë delivers a fever-dream of eerie moorlands, obsessive love, ghostly apparitions and tangled family trees. The story chronicles Catherine and Heathcliff, whose forbidden love is thwarted by class differences and familial revenge. It’s dramatic, it’s heady and it’s perfect for fall. So curl up on the couch, brew a warm cup of coffee and let the wind of the Yorkshire moors rattle your windows (and your nerves).
“Coraline”
Recommended by Reem Alshaban, News Reporter
Spooky season is upon us, and what better way to honor the chills and creeps than with a classic, local film. Enter “Coraline,” the most wonderful and fantastical stop-motion movie Oregon has ever produced. The story follows a neglected Coraline Jones, who moves into Pink Palace Apartments in Ashland, Oregon with her mother and father. In her boredom and desire for adventure, she encounters a mysterious door leading to a colorful, whimsical replica of her home and family. But things aren’t as perfect as they may seem. In addition to Coraline’s story being set in our lovely state of Oregon, and the film being produced in Hillsboro, another point of pride is its premiere at the Portland International Film Festival in 2009. With all this in mind, I’d say the Portland community is more than proud to have our eyes on “Coraline” this fall.
“Blonde on Blonde” by Bob Dylan
Recommended by Brady McCracken, News Reporter
Fall is the most beloved season for a reason. It’s colorful, it’s messy, it’s fleeting and it’s romantic. It comes in hot, and it goes out cold. It’s the last dramatic act before the year’s finale. The same words can be used to describe Bob Dylan’s “Blonde on Blonde.” Dylan himself describes the album as having a “thin, wild, mercury sound.” The closest he ever got to replicating music as he heard it in his head. And while it is often remembered as the third and final long play of his “going-electric” era, “Blonde on Blonde” has a distinct metallic shine that sets it apart from the rest. Tracks like “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” and “Most Likely You’ll Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine)” are rambunctious, vivid and technicolor. Other tracks range from slow-moving love ballads, such as “Visions of Johanna,” “Just Like a Woman” and “Temporary Like Achilles,” to jangly carnival rock songs like “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again” and “Absolutely Sweet Marie.” The 1966 album is packed with vibrant melodies and gut-punching lyrics that will either have you walking to class with a pep in your step or staring out the window with all the fall feels.
“Harry Potter”
Recommended by Regina Castillo, News Reporter
Right in the middle of fall, the audience saw for the first time how a young, acclaimed wizard discovered a magical world. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” was released in theaters on Nov. 16, 2001, as the first part of an eight-movie series. The film mixes the playful, innocent eyes of 11-year-old Harry, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, with the foreshadowing of the magical war, and the return of “He Who Must Not Be Named.” The entire saga mirrors the transition of the seasons, with shifts in coloring and visuals that bring the theme increasingly darker. The foggy landscapes, floating candles and the warm glow of Hogwarts is the perfect comfort for those windy days waiting for winter. This fall, bring back memories from the very first time the world saw the fantasy of Harry Potter and the wizarding world.
“The Thing”
Recommended by Camille Kuroiwa-Lewis, Editor-in-Chief
Though the movie’s setting in Antarctica is nothing short of a winter wonderland, the tense soundtrack, body horror and general mystery surrounding a research station overtaken by a deadly thing makes this movie well worth your next spooky watch. The movie starts with Norwegian researchers trying, and failing, to kill a dog in Antarctica. As the dog escapes and finds a group of American researchers, viewers learn something sinister is amiss with the husky. Soon, researchers seemingly fall victim to the same monstrous infection that plagues the dog. One by one, the characters die — but the real mystery isn’t who the killer is, but what the killer is. I recommend you watch this movie with the lights on and with pets kept far away. You won’t look at Lassie the same.
1970s disco-funk & rock
Recommended by Clara Pehling, News Reporter
No musical artist captures the fall season quite like alternative rock bands Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead. These artists appeal to the yearners, the Spotify listeners whose daylists are titled “Moody introspective alt-rock afternoon.” I can’t deny that I have been one of those listeners. But this year, it’s time to leave the edginess in the past and declare disco-funk as the new genre of the season. I recommend listening to “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire, “Orange Blossoms” by JJ Grey & Mofro and “Southern Nights” by Glen Campbell. There is a certain magic to 70s funk that puts you in a good mood, regardless of the skies becoming cloudy and the sun setting earlier. These songs will have you boogying before you know it. So why dwell on your seasonal melancholies when you could have disco as the soundtrack of your days?
“Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott
Recommended by Rieve Randall, Community Engagement Editor
Where do I even begin? “Little Women” is a transformative American classic that has had a profound impact on modern literature. It has been adapted hundreds — dare I say, thousands — of times into plays across the globe and numerous hit movies. It is the perfect book that is best accompanied by your coziest quilted blanket and your warmest seasonal beverage. Do you want to picture yourself in a tranquil attic with golden sunbeams illuminating your face? There’s a chapter for that. Or would you rather cry your eyes out by a crackling fireplace? Oh, there are many chapters for that, too. Whether you are a hopeless romantic or an exhausted student wishing to bring out your inner child, “Little Women” is a quintessential autumn read.
This list was compiled by The Beacon staff. We can be reached at beaconeditor@upbeacon.com.
