This is rather belated, but lo and behold my top 10 most anticipated films of the year! I’m sure my final top 10 list will bear hardly any relation to this, since a lot of my ultimate favourites tend to be films I only discover over the course of the year, but I still find this a fun exercise. Enjoy, and be sure to let me know your picks!
(These films are listed in no particular order - I want to see them all equally!)
Annihilation, dir. Alex Garland
Synopsis:A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition where the laws of nature don’t apply.
Why be excited? I absolutely loved Ex Machina, which was Garland’s directorial debut, and all the signs point towards Annihilation being equally, if not more, brilliant. The enigmatic story sounds extremely intriguing, and the cast (which includes Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason-Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez and Oscar Isaac) is absolutely top tier. The trailers have only cemented my excitement. My only concern with this one is the lingering question of whether it will get a theatrical release in the UK, given its shaky distribution status.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, dir. Terry Gilliam
Synopsis: 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.
Why be excited? Terry Gilliam has been trying to make this film for over 20 years, and it looks like he has finally succeeded. The story sounds appropriately surreal and eccentric, and I could not be more excited to see one of my favourite directors work with my favourite actor (Adam Driver plays the lead - be still my beating heart!). This really could be Gilliam’s magnum opus, serving as the perfect distillation of his artistic obsessions. I can’t wait for irrefutable proof of its existence (i.e. a trailer).
Widows, dir. Steve McQueen
Synopsis: 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.
Why be excited? Steve McQueen is one of the most talented directors working today, and 12 Years a Slave broke my heart into little pieces before stitching them back together again (albeit with scars showing). This is an original script that seems to be about a group of women coming together despite their differences, and the talent involved is thrilling - seriously, just look at these names: Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Rodriguez, Daniel Kaluuya, Colin Farrell and Liam Neeson. That combo should be positively electric.
Hereditary, dir. Ari Aster
Synopsis: The Graham family starts to unravel following the death of their reclusive grandmother. Even after she’s gone, the matriarch still casts a dark shadow over the family, especially her loner teenage granddaughter, Charlie, whom she always had an unusual fascination with. As an overwhelming terror takes over their household, their peaceful existence is ripped apart, forcing their mother to explore a darker realm in order to escape the unfortunate fate they’ve inherited.
Why be excited? This film wasn’t on my radar at all until the Sundance Film Festival, where it received rapturous acclaim. The trailer came out today and cemented my excitement for this - while you can’t place absolute faith in a trailer, this is easily one of the most tense and haunting previews I can remember. I hate blood-and-guts slasher films, but can always get solidly behind a clever and well-constructed psychological horror. I need a new Babadook in my life, and this could well be it.
