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Movies & TV

10th Oct 2015

11 films that you really need to see before 2015 ends

Get yourself to the cinema

Paul Moore

Get yourself to the cinema.

I don’t want to get all Jon Snow on you but winter is coming; we’re all going to need a few decent excuses to stay indoors and avoid that lovely Irish weather that we adore so much.

These upcoming TV shows might do the trick but there are also plenty of reasons to make a trip to your local cinema over the next few months.

The summer blockbuster season may be over but there are plenty of great films to look forward to before 2015 ends.

Here’s our pick of the best and you’ll be able to get our verdict on all them by watching ‘The Big Reviewski‘.

Spectre Waiting

1) Sicario

Release date: October 8th.
Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio del Toro, Daniel Kaluuya, Jon Bernthal.
Plot: A young female FBI agent joins a secret CIA operation to take down a Mexican cartel boss, a job that ends up pushing her ethical and moral values to the limit.
Go see it because: It has deservedly earned rave reviews in the US with a sequel already approved. This could be the franchise that gets closest to matching Jason Bourne for the unique mix of brains and brawn.

2) Crimson Peak

Release date: October 16th.
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam.
Plot: In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds and remembers.
Go see it because: Guillermo del Toro is an absolute genius when dealing with gothic fairytales and dark subject mater; Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone and Hellboy are testament to this. He also wrote the script so you know that it’s a labour of love for the Mexican auteur.

3) The Program

Release date: October 16th
Cast: Ben Foster, Chris O’Dowd, Dustin Hoffman, Jesse Plemons, Lee Pace, Guillaume Canet.
Plot: We all know about Lance Armstrong’s spectacular deceit and subsequent fall from grace but what about the tireless work that journalist David Walsh undertook to prove Armstrong’s guilt?
Go see it because: Stephen Frears is a very reliable director but I’ve a feeling that this film will revolve around the performances. After seeing the trailer, both Ben Foster and Chris O’Dowd seem like they’re at the top of their game.

4) Spectre

Release date: October 26th
Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Monica Bellucci, Andrew Scott, Dave Bautista, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Jesper Christensen.
Plot: A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.
Go see it because: Bond is back! We all know what to expect but the wonderful addition of Christoph Waltz and the mysterious identity of his character has added a whole different dimension to 007’s latest outing.

5) Brooklyn

Release date: November 6th
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emily Bett Rickards, Emory Cohen, Nora-Jane Noone, Michael Zegen, Paulino Nunes, Jenn Murray, Eve Macklin.
Plot: Colm Tóibín.’s 2009 Costa Novel Award winning novel gets the big-screen treatment and the story revolves around a young Irish woman in the ’50s named Ellis Lacey who has to choose between two men and two countries.
Go see it because: It’s a distinctly Irish story that needs to be seen. High Fidelity scribe Nick Hornby is the screenwriter on this one while Once and Begin Again director John Crowley adds to his impressive body of work behind the lens.

6) Steve Jobs

Release Date: November 13th
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Katherine Waterston, Jeff Daniels, Michael Stuhlbarg, Makenzie Moss, Sarah Snook, Adam Shapiro
Plot: Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, “Steve Jobs” takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the tech genius at its epicenter.
Go see it because: Michael Fassbender is steadily ascending into that Denzel Washington/Sam Rockwell/Leo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy category – you’ll watch him in anything because you know that the performance will be great. If you needed a few other reasons to watch this Aaron Sorkin penned the screeenplay, he only wrote The West Wing and The Social Network, but that’s not all, Danny Boyle is directing and he’s nothing short of a genius.

7) Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2

Release Date: November 20th
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Donald Sutherland,
Plot: With the nation of Panem in a full scale war, Katniss confronts President Snow in the final showdown. Teamed with a group of her closest friends Ð including Gale, Finnick, and Peeta Ð Katniss goes off on a mission with the unit from District 13 as they risk their lives to stage an assassination attempt on President Snow, who has become increasingly obsessed with destroying her.
Go see it because: You’ve seen every installment so far and fans of the series probably have their ticket already. If you haven’t seen them yet then this series is definitely worth a watch, mainly due to Jennifer Lawrence’s strong central performance and a wonderful supporting cast.

8) Bridge Of Spies

Release Date: 27 November
Cast: Tom Hanks, Eve Hewson, Amy Ryan, Alan Alda, Billy Magnussen, Michael Simon Hall, Mark Rylance.
Plot: An American lawyer is recruited by the CIA during the Cold War to help rescue a pilot detained in the Soviet Union.
Go see it because: It has been 44 years  since Spielberg made Duel but the world’s most famous director is going into uncharted territory as he finally gets to scratch the ‘political drama’ itch. The Wire’s Amy Ryan is an incredibly good actress while Hanks seems to thrive when working with Señor Spielbergo.

9) The Night Before

Release Date: December 4th
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie, Lizzy Caplan, Jillian Bell, Mindy Kaling, Kanye West.
Plot: In New York City for their annual tradition of Christmas Eve debauchery, three lifelong best friends set out to find the Holy Grail of Christmas parties since their yearly reunion might be coming to an end.
Go see it because: It looks absolutely bonkers and this summer has been devoid of a few decent comedies, this looks like it could change that trend.

10) Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Release date: December 17th
Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow.
Plot: Very little is known apart form the fact that one the good side we have; Luke, Han, Chewiw and Leia (unless they decide to really feck with our minds) with newbies Finn, Rey and Poe Dameron helping out the cause. Sith might hit the fan with the First Order though as Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader Snoke and General Hux plot to destroy any peace in the galaxy.
Go see it because: It’s going to be the GREATEST FILM EVER! It’s Star Wars!

11) In The Heart Of The Sea

Release Date: December 26th
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Benjamin Walker, Ben Whishaw, Tom Holland, Brendan Gleeson, Jordi Moll
Plot: Based on the 1820 event, a whaling ship is preyed upon by a sperm whale, stranding its crew at sea for 90 days, thousands of miles from home.
Go see it because: You can call me Ishmael if this isn’t going to feature draw dropping scenes and some brilliant acting, look at the cast.

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