In the great shuffle of movie releases on the yearly calendar, it’s inevitable that some things get a little lost in the fog. Blockbusters tend to get the biggest marketing pushes, sequels and franchises naturally take up the most attention and then it’s a matter of everything else fighting for scraps. That’s why the few indie darling movies that manage to break through into mainstream attention are held up as incredible, zeitgeist-busting rogue warriors.
The reality is that there is an incredible number of great things to watch every year and way too many of them don’t get the attention they deserve, even AFTER their trailers are released. But if you go looking at the forthcoming slate of releases, there are some that should legitimately get you very, very excited. A whole lot more excited than you might already be for them, anyway…[/nextpage][nextpage]
13. Rocketman
Right off the back of replacing Bryan Singer as director of Bohemian Rhapsody, Dexter Fletcher has been given the auspicious honour of also making Elton John’s biopic, currently called Rocketman. Taron Egerton – whose already played real-life figure Eddie The Eagle Edwards, will be playing the pop music legend opposite Jamie Bell, Bryce Dallas Howard and Game Of Thrones’ Richard Madden.
Like Freddie Mercury’s story, Elton John’s is an important one to tell, given his fame (and infamy, to a certain extent), and while Egerton isn’t as big a draw as Justin Timberlake, who was initially intended for the role, he’s still great.
Even more excitingly, Egerton says the film will be a fantasy musical rather than just a straight biopic, which is all types of great. Particularly as John’s music lends itself so well to such an interpretation.
Release: May 17, 2019[/nextpage][nextpage]
12. Serenity
In October, Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway link up for this stylish-looking neo-noir and on the back of the trailer, it looks intense, taut and totally gripping.
While the title might accidentally excite sci-fi fans for the wrong reason, Serenity has a lot going for it on its own terms. The cast is great, with McConaughey and Hathaway looking on strong form and support from the likes of Diane Lane, Jason Clarke and Djimon Hounsou.
Most exciting is Steven Knight’s name above the door as director. A movie by the creator of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? might not sound all that great, but Knight also has far more interesting credits on his CV as creator and writer. He’s one of the brains behind both Peaky Blinders and Taboo, for instance and has written Allied, Eastern Promises and Locke among others.
He’s supremely talented and his debut definitely looks like an interesting one…
https://youtu.be/lYjMlRjrYZc
Release: October 19, 2018[/nextpage][nextpage]
11. The Sisters Brothers
The Western genre has had some absolutely brilliant releases over the past decade or so without anyone really talking about just how great a condition it’s in. It seems like every time two good horrors are released over a year, we have to read about the Mainstream Horror Revival, but the same simply isn’t said of Westerns.
If that means we continue to get great films like Bone Tomahawk, Hostiles and even the underrated Magnificent Seven remake then it can continue, but it tends to mean upcoming releases fly a little under the radar. Even when they’re made by A Prophet and Rust And Bone’s Jacques Audiard and star Jake Gyllenhaal, Joaquin Phoenix, Riz Ahmed and John C Reilly and the trailer is legitimately excellent.
The Sisters Brothers is a dark comedy Western, which is a new shake up on the recent formula and if you’re not thrilled by the trailer, there’s no hope for you…
Release: September 21, 2018[/nextpage][nextpage]
10. Ad Astra
Having made one of the most legitimately under-rated movies of the past few years in The Lost City of Z, director James Gray now turns his attention to sci-fi with Ad Astra, which is already being talked about as an Oscar contender.
In the grand tradition of lost in space sci-fis, Pitt plays an astronaut seeking his lost father whose mission to Neptune failed and saw his disappearance. We’re essentially looking at a Heart Of Darkness/Apocalypse Now sort of take on the story and that’s the kind of message that should get everyone excited.
If Gray can channel half of what he put into The Lost City of Z, we’re looking at an absolute winner, even if the release date might turn SOME people off. But remember, January isn’t always a graveyard these days.
Release: January 11, 2019
(Excerpt) Read More at: WhatCulture.com[/nextpage]