My most anticipated films for 2018
This list is not ordered specifically at all.
High Life
Director: Claire Denis
Acting Talent: Robert Pattinson, Mia Goth
Premise: A father and his daughter struggle to survive in deep space where they live in isolation.
Extras: Pattinson hopefully continues his recent run of good films, he is really beginning to show he is a top calibre actor and it will be interesting to see how he teams up with Mia Goth and indie French film maker Claire Denis.
The Irishman
Director: Martin Scorsese.
Acting Talent: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Bobby Cannavale, Ray Romano, Anna Paquin
Premise: A mob hitman recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa.
Extras: This film is being produced by Netflix with an $100 million budget.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
Director: Terry Gilliam
Acting Talent: Adam Driver, Stellan Skarsgard, Jonathan Pryce
Premise: An advertising executive jumps back and forth in time between 21st century London and 17th century La Mancha, where Don Quixote mistakes him for Sancho Panza.
Extras: The fact we can still in 2018 watch a film by the same man who made Monty Python and the holy grail is a true blessing.
Aquaman
Director: James Wan
Acting Talent: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe
Premise: Arthur Curry learns that he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, and must step forward to lead his people and to be a hero to the world.
Extras: DC needs a big win and maybe James Wan can help deliver it?
Avengers: Infinity War
Director: The Russo Brothers
Acting Talent: Literally everyone ever.
Premise: The Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.
Extras: Superhero fatigue? Nahhhhhhhhh
Boy Erased
Director: Joel Edgerton
Acting Talent: Lucas Hedges, Joel Edgerton, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Xavier Dolan
Premise: The son of a Baptist preacher is forced to participate in a church-supported gay conversion program. (True Story)
Extras: Lucas Hedges is one of the best young actors in the world right now, pair him with Joel Edgerton one of the most underrated filmmakers and actors out there and you should have one damn good film.
The Death and Life Of John F. Donovan
Director: Xavier Dolan
Acting Talent: Natalie Portman, Jessica Chastain, Jacob Tremblay, Kit Harrington
Premise: A decade after the death of an American TV star, a young actor reminisces the written correspondence he shared with him, as well as the impact those letters had on both their lives.
Extras: Another super pairing to be excited for. Xavier Dolan one of the world’s most exciting young filmmakers and actors with Natalie Portman who has had an amazing last 5-10 years.
Ready Player One
Director: Steven Spielberg
Acting Talent: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn
Premise:. When the creator of a virtual reality world called the OASIS dies, he releases a video in which he challenges all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune. Wade Watts finds the first clue and starts a race for the Egg.
Extras: Spielberg takes on the long-awaited adaptation of a beloved novel. Working with a very talented actor Tye Sheridan and tapping into 80’s nostalgia its sure got me excited.
Suspiria
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Acting Talent: Chloe Grace Moretz, Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth
Premise:. A young American ballerina comes to train at a prestigious German dance academy and uncovers the school's dark and menacing secrets.
Extras: Guadagnino proved himself to me with last years “Call me by your name” where in my opinion he demonstrated magnificent talent for directing a film. He is ambitiously taking on the remake of a cult classic horror film.
Black Panther
Director: Ryan Coogler
Acting Talent: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Daniel Kaluuya
Premise:. T'Challa, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king.
Extras: Amazing cast, PERFECT director and you have me super excited for Marvels next big thing.
Isle of Dogs
Director: Wes Anderson
Acting Talent: Scarlett Johansson, Greta Gerwig, Bill Murray, Bryan Cranston, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum
Premise: Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy's odyssey in search of his dog.
Extras: Wes Andersons return to stop motion. A stellar cast. Get Keen.
Radegund
Director: Terrence Malik
Acting Talent: Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Nyqvist, Bruno Ganz
Premise: The Austrian Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious objector, refuses to fight for the Nazis in World War II.
Extras: Terrence Malik. Enough said.
First Man
Director: Damien Chazelle
Acting Talent: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jon Bernthal, Kyle Chandler, Jason Clarke
Premise: A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.
Extras: Academy award winning director Damien Chazelle’s third majorly released film couldn’t have me more excited.
Peterloo
Director: Mike Leigh
Acting Talent: Teresa Mahoney, Adam Long, Rory Kinnear
Premise: The story of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre where British forces attacked a peaceful pro-democracy rally in Manchester.
Extras: An incredible true historical story brought to the screen by an underappreciated director? Sounds like a recipe for a film students wet dream.
Annihilation
Director: Alex Garland
Acting Talent: Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Premise: A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition where the laws of nature don't apply.
Extras: Ex Machina was one of the most incredible film directorial debuts in cinematic history and has put Alex Garland on the map massively. His second film has a great premise and a terrific cast. Sign me up.
If Beale Street Could Talk
Director: Barry Jenkins
Acting Talent: Dave Franco, Pedro Pascal, Ed Skrein
Premise: A woman in Harlem desperately scrambles to prove her fiancé innocent of a crime while carrying their first child.
Extras: The man who directed 2016’s best picture winner “Moonlight” gets to work again on this race sensitive piece which has me highly intrigued.
Roma
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Acting Talent: Marina de Tavira, Daniela Demesa, Marco Graf
Premise: A story that chronicles a year in the life of a middle-class family in Mexico City in the early 1970s.
Extras: After 5 long years one of the world’s best filmmakers makes his return to directing. Alfonso Cuaron is back baby!
Widows
Director: Steve McQueen
Acting Talent: Elizabeth Debicki, Jon Bernthal, Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Viola Davis, Daniel Kaluuya, Robert Duvall
Premise: Set in contemporary Chicago, amidst a time of turmoil, four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands' criminal activities, take fate into their own hands, and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.
Extras: Steve McQueen makes his long-awaited return to directing with this incredible cast. Add in the writer of Gone Girl and you have yourself one of the year’s most highly anticipated films.
A Wrinkle in Time
Director: Ava DuVernay
Acting Talent: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Premise: After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space in order to find him.
Extras: Amazing female director, interesting science fiction premise. What more could you ask for in 2018?
The Favourite
Director: Jorgos Lanthimos
Acting Talent: Emma Stone, Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Weisz, Olivia Coleman
Premise: A bawdy, acerbic tale of royal intrigue, passion, envy and betrayal in the court of Queen Anne in early 18th century England.
Extras: Jorgos Lanthimos has been excellent since his transition from foreign to U.S based films and now he tries something new with this period piece which he will surely attempt to blend with his niche thriller/ suspense tendency’s.
A Rainy Day In New York
Director: Woody Allan
Acting Talent: Timothee Chalamet, Elle Fanning
Premise: Two young people arrive in New York for a weekend where they are met with bad weather and a series of adventures.
Extras: Two of the most talented young actors and actresses in the same film. In Love. I’m in.
Beautiful Boy
Director: Felix van Groeningen
Acting Talent: Timothee Chalamet, Steve Carell
Premise: Chronicles meth addiction and recovery through the eyes of a father who watches his son as he struggles with the disease.
Extras: Chalamet and Carell the father son team up I never knew I needed.
Backseat
Director: Adam McKay
Acting Talent: Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Bill Pullman
Premise: The story of Dick Cheney, the most powerful Vice President in history, and how his policies changed the world as we know it.
Extras: Written and Directed by Adam McKay, that’s enough insurance for my admition ticket. Add in this wonderful cast and I’m there opening night.
The Little Stranger
Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Acting Talent: Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Wilson, Wil Poulter
Premise: THE LITTLE STRANGER tells the story of Dr Faraday, the son of a housemaid, who has built a life of quiet respectability as a country doctor. During the long hot summer of 1947, he is called to a patient at Hundreds Hall, where his mother once worked. The Hall has been home to the Ayres family for more than two centuries. But it is now in decline and its inhabitants - mother, son and daughter - are haunted by something more ominous than a dying way of life. When he takes on his new patient, Faraday has no idea how closely, and how terrifyingly, the family's story is about to become entwined with his own.
Extras: Abrahamson’s last film “Room” changed my life, his one before that “Frank” wasn’t half bad either so once again I’m in.
Mid 90’s
Director: Jonah Hill
Acting Talent: Lucas Hedges, Katherine Waterston
Premise: The story of a boy growing up in Los Angeles in the 1990s.
Extras: Jonah Hill makes his film directorial debut with Lucas Hedges in a starring role.
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Acting Talent: Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dog
Premise: The story of a boy growing up in Los Angeles in the 1990s.
Extras: Matthew McConaughey plays a stoner named Moondog, that’s all I needed to know.
The Kid Who Would Be King
Director: Joe Cornish
Acting Talent: Patrick Stewart, Rebecca Ferguson, Tom Taylor
Premise: A band of kids embark on an epic quest to thwart a medieval menace.
Extras: A bit of an unknown quantity but could have potential considering the writer/director wrote Attack the block, Tin-Tin and Ant-Man.
Mute
Director: Duncan Jones
Acting Talent: Alexander Skarsgård, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux
Premise: A mute bartender goes up against his city's gangsters in an effort to find out what happened to his missing partner.
Extras: I was first drawn to Duncan Jones as a filmmaker after I saw “Moon”. Lately I have been disappointed by his directorial efforts but I’m hoping this film described as Bladerunner meets Casablanca.
The Predator
Director: Shane Black
Acting Talent: Olivia Munn, Jacob Tremblay, Yvonne Strahovski
Premise: A re-make of the 1987 sci-fi film "Predator”
Extras: Shane Black is an excellent filmmaker, it’ll take a mighty effort to give this franchise life again though.
Light of My Life
Director: Casey Affleck
Acting Talent: Casey Affleck, Tom Bower, Timothy Webber, Anna Pniowsky
Premise: A father and his young daughter find themselves trapped in the woods.
Extras: Casey Affleck follows in his brother’s footsteps as he ventures into the director/actor role with this exciting sounding flick.
The House That Jack Built
Director: Lars Von Trier
Acting Talent: Riley Keogh, Uma Thurman, Matt Dillon
Premise: The story follows Jack, a highly intelligent serial killer over the course of 12 years and depicts the murders that truly develop Jack as a serial killer.
Extras: Experimental and controversial filmmaker takes the helm of this highly intriguing thriller/horror film.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Director: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Acting Talent: Liev Schreiber, Mahershala Ali, Shameik Moore
Premise: Spiderman Reimagined.
Extras: Holy shit we are finally getting Miles Morales!
Halloween
Director: David Gordon Green
Acting Talent: Judy Greer, Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak
Premise: Laurie Strode comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.
Extras: There could be hope for this iconic horror franchise after all as Blum House takes control of the wheel.
The True History of The Kelly Gang
Director: Justin Kurzel
Acting Talent: Travis Fimmel, Dacre Montgomery, Nicholas Hoult, Russell Crowe, George McKay.
Premise: Based on Peter Carey's novel. The story of Australian bush-ranger Ned Kelly and his gang as they flee from authorities during the 1870s.
Extras: Director Justin Kurzel leads this astonishing cast as they retell the story of the greatest known aussie outlaw.
The Sisters Brothers
Director: Jacques Audiard
Acting Talent: Jake Gyllenhaal, Joaquin Phoenix, Carol Kane, John C. Reilly, Riz Ahmed
Premise: In 1850s Oregon, a gold prospector is chased by the infamous duo of assassins, the Sisters brothers.
Extras: Sounds like the exact kind of movie I want to watch, Incredible cast as well.
Incredibles 2
Director: Brad Bird
Acting Talent: Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter, Catherine Keener
Premise: Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) is left to care for Jack-Jack while Helen (Elastigirl) is out saving the world.
Extras: After 15 long years, the famous super-hero family returns to our screens.
Unsane
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Acting Talent: Claire Foy, Juno Temple, Aimee
Premise: A young woman is involuntarily committed to a mental institution where she is confronted by her greatest fear--but is it real or is it a product of her delusion?
Extras: Claire Foy looks set to have the kind of 2018 that Rooney Mara had in 2017.
Captive State
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Acting Talent: Vera Farmiga, John Goodman, Madeline Brewer
Premise: Set in a Chicago neighbourhood nearly a decade after an occupation by an extra-terrestrial force, Captive State explores the lives on both sides of the conflict - the collaborators and dissidents.
Extras: I am one of the few who loveeeeesss Rupert Wyatt and I’m so excited to see him team up with the like of John Goodman.
Hold the Dark
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Acting Talent: Riley Keough, Alexander Skarsgård, James Badge Dale
Premise: After the deaths of three children suspected to be by wolves, writer Russell Core is hired by the parents of a missing six-year-old boy to track down and locate their son in the Alaskan wilderness.
Extras: The director of Green Room takes on this kind of source material! Sounds like a gripping thriller that will have me hooked!
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Director: Ron Howard
Acting Talent: Emilia Clarke, Alden Ehrenreich, Paul Bettany, Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover
Premise: Han Solo and Chewbacca's adventures before joining the Rebellion, including their early encounters with Lando Calrissian.
Extras: Its Star Wars!!!!!!
Bohemian Rhapsody
Director: Dexter Fletcher/Bryan Singer
Acting Talent: Rami Malek, Aidan Gillen, Mike Myers, Lucy Boynton
Premise: A chronicle of the years leading up to Queen's legendary appearance at the Live Aid (1985) concert in 1985.
Extras: Rami Malek is surely going to give an award worthy performance in this film so keep your eyes peeled. Can we just try and forget Bryan Singer was ever attached ok?
Love, Simon
Director: Greg Berlanti
Acting Talent: Katherine Langford, Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner
Premise: Everyone deserves a great love story. But for Simon it's complicated: no-one knows he's gay and he doesn't know who the anonymous classmate is that he's fallen for online. Resolving both issues proves hilarious, scary and life-changing.
Extras: Two incredible young actors, I hope this is great more than I think it will be though.
Mary Magdalene
Director: Garth Davis
Acting Talent: Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Premise: The story of Mary Magdalene.
Extras: Biblical films are rarely ever good and even rarer are they beloved, but with this show stopping cast maybe they can pull something off, Garth Davis sure had a hit in 2016 with Lion.
A Quiet Place
Director: John Krasinski
Acting Talent: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Noah Jupe
Premise: A family lives an isolated existence in utter silence, for fear of an unknown threat that follows and attacks at any sound.
Extras: When Emily Blunt is involved so am I.
The New Mutants
Director: Josh Boone
Acting Talent: Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Maisie Williams
Premise: Five young mutants, just discovering their abilities while held in a secret facility against their will, fight to escape their past sins and save themselves.
Extras: I have loved basically all the X-Men Films and I’m looking forward to this new direction for the franchise.
Venom
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Acting Talent: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate, Riz Ahmed, Woody Harrelson
Premise:
Extras: I was disinterested when I first heard Sony were making this but slowly this film has amassed some serious talent on an off the screen and now I am getting excited.
Mowgli
Director: Andy Serkis
Acting Talent: Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis, Christian Bale, Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomie Harris, Jack Reynor
Premise: A human child raised by wolves, must face off against a menacing tiger named Shere Khan, as well as his own origins.
Extras: I was underwhelmed by Andy Serkis’s film last year “Breathe” but I still have high hopes for his “Jungle Book” adaptation, the property is a personal favourite of mine and with this excellent cast I could care less about the fact it has been done recently.
Mary Queen of Scots
Director: Josie Rourke
Acting Talent: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Joe Alwyn
Premise: Mary Stuart's attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution.
Extras: Traditionally a stage director Josie Rourke has a massive film in front of her and im excited to see what energy she can bring to this incredible true story that is famous for its twists, turns and vengeance. Two of 2017’s best performing female actresses Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan are starring in lead roles and I couldn’t be more excited for this one.
Slice
Director: Austin Vesely
Acting Talent: Joe Keery, Zazie Beetz, Paul Scheer
Premise: When a pizza delivery driver is murdered on the job, the city searches for someone to blame: ghosts? drug dealers? a disgraced werewolf?
Extras: Don’t know much about this one but looks like a talented line up.
Uncut Gems
Director: Ben and Josh Safdie
Acting Talent: Joe Keery, Zazie Beetz, Paul Scheer
Premise: A Crime Mystery.
Extras: Ok im slightly cheating with this one because we aren’t sure if it will be released in 2018 just yet (though I suspect it will) but any chance I get to talk about the Safdie brothers I will take. To visceral young filmmakers and I can’t wait for this follow up for Good Time.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kindgom
Director: J.A. Boyona
Acting Talent: Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Jeff Goldblum
Premise: When the island's dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen and Claire mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event.
Extras: The recent trailers soured me slightly on this one but with J.A. Boyona behind this im hoping for something superb.
Marry Poppins Returns
Director: Rob Marshall
Acting Talent: In Depression-era London, a now-grown Jane and Michael Banks, along with Michael's three children, are visited by the enigmatic Mary Poppins
Premise: Dick Van Dyke, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep
Extras: Like previously stated Emily Blunt is always a draw for me but with her taking up such an iconic role I definitely cannot afford to miss this one.
Tomb Raider
Director: Roar Uthaug
Acting Talent: Alicia Vikander, Hannah John-Kamen, Walton Goggins
Premise: Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond her limits when she finds herself on the island where her father disappeared.
Extras: It has been a bleak few years for video game film adaptations especially in the Fassbender household. Hopefully Vikander can return the smile to her husband’s face as she takes over the iconic character of Lara Croft. Roar Utaug is a bold choice as director and I’ve only heard good things about his fil “The Wave” so im excited to see what he can bring to this project.
Thanks for reading!