Some might contest 2017 was not that great of a year for movies. Well, we disagree (check out our favorite films from last year). Many surprised us, many floored us, and sure, some let us down (I’m looking at you Downsizing, the worst movie I saw in 2017!). Because 2017 was a good year, we are looking forward to 2018. We hope studios take chances, indies get bigger releases, and people surprise us. So here’s our list of 10 movies we are looking forward to in 2018.
Elliot’s Picks
Isle of Dogs
Wes Anderson isn’t necessarily one of my favorite filmmakers, but I’m always curious about his latest effort. Isle of Dogs looks good! I’ve heard skepticism because it’s an animated film. I get it: we’re used to Anderson’s lavish sets, quirky costumes, and eccentric performances. But hey, Fantastic Mr. Fox was good. And I think this one will be as well.
Annihilation
I enjoyed reading Jeff VanderMeer’s first entry into his “Southern Reach Trilogy” quite a bit. Leaves you in the dark while giving you just enough light to keep reading. I hope the movie is in the same vein. Alex Garland, director of Ex Machina has gotten my hopes up because his first film was so good. He’s working with great source material and a solid cast. Can’t wait, even if I am a little nervous the film is being released in February and the producers having some disputes about the final cut.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
We almost had a version of this movie 20 years ago, as documented in the film Lost in La Mancha, where Terry Gilliam attempted to make a Don Quixote film with Johnny Depp, but was done in by a multitude of forces outside of his control. He’s tried to make this movie 8 times! He wrapped up filming last year, working again with Jonathan Pruce. Let’s hope 20 years is worth the wait from one of the more unique directors working today.
Widows
Tell me this movie doesn’t intrigue you: 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. Steve McQueen and Gillian Flynn wrote the screenplay together. And McQueen hasn’t made a bad picture yet, so…you do the math.
Everybody Knows
Asghar Farhadi is one of those directors whose films always pique my interest. The writing, the pacing, it’s always impressive. He’s moving away from his native Iran and filmed his latest feature in Spain, France, and Italy. Naturally, I’m curious to see what’s up to, working with Javier Bardem, Ricardo Darin, and Penelope Cruz. Can’t wait to see what unforeseen circumstances his characters face.
Will’s Picks
The trailer of this movie had me floored. Directed by John Krasinski, starring him and his wife, Emily Blunt, in this seemingly tense and original horror film. Their family lives in a secluded area where only sign language is used to communicate and where precautions have been taken to avoid making any noise whatsoever. I want to know what they could be hiding from and I can’t wait to see what this is all about.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen Tom Hardy really do something like he did in Mad Max and The Revenant. When I heard he would be portraying Eddie Brock I was intrigued. This film has caught my interest more so than other super hero films to be released this year because it takes place outside of the MCU, at least for now. It is also classified as a horror film so that also has gotten me interested to see what kind of take they’re going to have on this character. After all, Topher Grace has already set such a high bar as Venom in Spider-Man 3.
There are two reasons why one should anticipate a bio pic about Neil Armstrong going to the moon. One: Ryan Gosling is still on a hot streak with his role choices. His last few films have been some of my favorite movies to come out in the last few years and I doubt that his streak will end here. Two: He works once again with Damien Chazelle, who I believe to be one of the best up and coming directors of our time. Although Chazelle lacks the quantity of work that one generally needs to prove himself, Whiplash, (one of my favorite films of all time) and La La Land have convinced me of the quality and care he brings to his films and leaves me intrigued as to what he’s up to next. This will be the first film he has directed that he did not also write. Whatever that means, I’m sure he won’t disappoint.
It’s hard to believe that it has taken this long for Scorsese and Pacino to collaborate on a film. That is reason enough to anticipate this movie. Based on a true story of a man named Frank Sheeran (De Niro) who on his death bed in 2003, claimed to have killed Jimmy Hoffa. Hoffa was highly involved in organized crime and labor unions who disappeared in 1975 and was declared dead in 1982. For all of the Goodfellas and Casino fans, there is no reason one shouldn’t be looking forward to Pesci, De Niro, Keitel and Pacino working together with Scorsese in a mafia film. Netflix is funding the movie so hopefully we will see at least a small theatrical release beyond its release on the streaming service.
Remakes are a dime a dozen these days, but one reason you should welcome this remake is because it is written and directed by Shane Black. The Nice Guys made my top ten films of 2016 and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Coincidentally, Black starred as Hawkins in the original Predator film and has been passionate about the franchise ever since. I trust Black will bring something new and interesting to the table and I can’t wait to see what he does with it.
