It’s going to be a great year at the cinema.
2017 is drawing to a close and while we’ve reviewed our very best films here, we’re already looking forward to what’s coming in 2018.
With that in mind, here are 18 films that you’ll definitely want to see.
Three Billboards Outside Of Ebbing, Missouri
Release date: 12 January
Cast: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Caleb Landry Jones, Abbie Cornish, Sam Rockwell, Peter Dinklage
Director: Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths)
Why we’re excited: The director of In Bruges is back in familiar terrain as he sets his sites on this darkly comic tale about justice in middle America. Very few writers have as much flair as McDonagh when it comes to writing dialogue and with that cast, we’re certain that this will be in contention come Oscar season.
The Post
Release date: 19 January
Cast: Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Bob Odenkirk, Alison Brie.
Director: Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan and loads of other classics)
Why we’re excited: A pair of Washington Post employees battle the federal government over their right to publish the Pentagon Papers. If ever a film screamed Oscars, it’s this. Not to get too bogged down in the subject matter, but it also feels like it’s an incredibly timely release.
Phantom Thread
Release date: 2 February
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville, Vicky Krieps
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia, There Will be Blood)
Why we’re excited: Early buzz around it has placed it as one of the films to beat at the Oscars. Of course, we all know that this will be Day-Lewis’ final film and with a career that spanned remarkable performances in the likes of Lincoln, In the Name of the Father and There Will Be Blood (made by Anderson) we’re expecting fireworks.
Black Panther
Release date: 16 February
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman, Angela Bassett.
Director: Ryan Coogler (Creed, Fruitvale Station)
Why we’re excited: The revolution will not be televised! Marvel has rarely put a foot wrong when it comes to launching their own standalone films and there’s big pressure to get this one right. Make no mistakes about it, this will be a revolutionary step forward for black superheroes and the trailer looked excellent.
The Shape Of Water
Release date: 16 February
Cast: Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael Shannon, Doug Jones, Octavia Spencer
Director: Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone, Blade II)
Why we’re excited: Nobody does gothic fairytales quite like the talented Mexican director – look at Pan’s Labyrinth, the Devil’s Backbone and Cronos for proof of this – but his new monster/horror/romance film is such a labour of love. For years, del Toro has pined to make his own version of Creature From The Black Lagoon and it appears that we’ve got something better. The Academy is usually very finicky about fantasy but that could be about to change. the Shape of Water is already being touted as a Best Picture nominee.
Avengers: Infinity War Part 1
Release date: 27 April
Cast: Deep breath… Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Olsen, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Benedict Wong, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, Scarlett Johansson, Benicio del Toro, Tom Holland, Anthony Mackie, Chadwick Boseman, Danai Gurira, Paul Rudd, Don Cheadle, Letitia Wright.
Director: The Russo Brothers (Captain America: the Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War)
Why we’re excited: Ok, this is what every Marvel fan has been waiting for. Aside from the biggest intergalactic smackdown in the history of comic-book films, there’s one very simple reason why Infinity War should rule, its directors. With The Winter Soldier and Civil War, the Russos have proven that they’re brilliant at balancing action with character development. With so many superheroes in play, we hope that basic elements like plot, humour, and characters aren’t forgotten. We’ve got faith that the Russos are the perfect heroes for this particular job.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Release date: 25 May
Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Thandie Newton, Woody Harrelson
Director: Sorry Phil Lord and Chris Miller, it’s actually Ron Howard (Apollo 13, Rush, A Beautiful Mind) on this one.
Why we’re excited: The most beloved scruffy-looking nerf herder in the galaxy is back but all the talk about this film has revolved around the original directors being fired. This being said, we’re promised that this Star Wars spin-off will play like a gangster film which makes perfect sense for Han Solo. Excited, yes. Nervous, yes. Will it be great? Who knows?!?! This being said, IT’S HAN SOLO!
Will we see the Kessel Run? Will Star Wars fans finally see how met Chewbacca? All to be revealed.
Deadpool 2
Release date: 1 June
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Josh Brolin
Director: David Leitch (John Wick)
Why we’re excited: When it comes to sequels, the general rule of thumb is that they tend to be a bit riskier, bolder and “out there.” After the original, audiences are familiar with the characters and the world they live in. On that note, Deadpool 2 could be f**king nuts because who knows what ‘The Merc with a Mouth’ could say/do. If you’re judging a film solely by its trailer, this should be bloody great.
Sicario 2: Soldado
Release date: 29 June
Cast: Isabela Moner, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Catherine Keener
Director: Stefano Sollima (Gomorrah, Romanzo Criminale)
Why we’re excited: Very few characters have left such a lasting impression on us than Benicio Del Toro’s Alejandro in the original. “You should move to a small town, somewhere the rule of law still exists. You will not survive here. You are not a wolf, and this is a land of wolves now.”
Make no mistake about it, in Soldado, the wolves are running wild.
Incredibles 2
Release Date: 13 July
Cast: Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Catherine Keener, Bob Odenkirk.
Director: Brad Bird (The Incredibles, The Iron Giant, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol)
Why we’re excited: The Incredibles remains one of Pixar’s best movies to date, and in the current landscape of superhero movies, we could definitely do with a comedic breakdown from our favourite super-powered family. The original director and cast are back on board, and the early teaser of Jack-Jack showing off his multitude of powers shows they’ve lost none of their spark. Plus, the return of Edna Mode? What’s not to love?
Clip via Disney•Pixar
Skyscraper
Release Date: 13 July
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Neve Campbell, Pablo Schreiber.
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber (Dodgeball, Central Intelligence)
Why we’re excited: The Rock in The Towering Inferno! When the world’s tallest building is suddenly set ablaze with thousands of people trapped inside, Johnson is framed for the crime, and it is up to him to find out who the real bad guys are, while also trying to save as many people as possible. This is what popcorn blockbusters are made of!
Mission: Impossible 6
Release Date: 27 July
Cast: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Alec Baldwin, Michelle Monaghan.
Director: Christopher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Jack Reacher)
Why we’re excited: After the fantastic Rogue Nation, we’re excited to see Cruise back as Ethan Hunt, re-teamed with that movie’s femme fatale (or is she?) Rebecca Ferguson. The plot will apparently continue on the hunt for The Syndicate’s members, but really we’re here for the stunts, and to see what Cruise will be hanging off of this time. How can he possibly top the plane sequence from last time? We’ll have to wait and see. Plus Superman aka Henry Cavill rocking a moustache and perhaps single-handedly bringing them back into fashion.
The Predator
Release Date: 3 August
Cast: Olivia Munn, Jacob Tremblay, Thomas Jane, Boyd Holbrook.
Director: Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man 3)
Why we’re excited: For a franchise that people love, there really haven’t been a lot of good Predator movies. Obviously, the first one is a classic, but the Danny Glover sequel is ….. not exactly on par. Then there were those two terrible Alien V Predator movies, and then the profoundly average Predators. Hopefully, we’ll be getting back on track with this one, as the guy who created Lethal Weapon (and actually starred in the original Predator!) is writing the script and sitting in the director’s chair.
Venom
Release Date: 8 October
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Woody Harrelson, Jenny Slate
Director: Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland, Gangster Squad)
Why we’re excited: Man-crush magnet Tom Hardy is back in the super-villain mode, this time as a muscle-bound web-shooter. The plot is still being kept under wraps, and we’ve no real idea if they movie ties into Spiderman: Homecoming or not. Either way, Hardy is surrounded by a very impressive cast, and he has been hitting the gym big time for the role.
Halloween
Release Date: 19 October
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Nick Castle.
Director: David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, Stronger)
Why we’re excited: Jamie Lee Curtis returns to the horror series that she helped kickstart, almost 40 years to the day when she first went face-to-face with her half-brother. With horror powerhouse Jason Blum in the producer’s chair, we fully expect this to be the proper send-off that the franchise deserves.
https://twitter.com/jamieleecurtis/status/925402682835079168
First Man
Release Date: 2 November
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jon Berenthal, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, Jason Clarke.
Director: Damien Chazelle (Whiplash, La La Land)
Why we’re excited: Telling the story of Neil Armstrong and his history-defining trip to the Moon, from the director of two of the most loved movies of the last five years, we imagine this will have a lot of Oscar talk about it when it is released. Plus everyone still pretty much loves Ryan Gosling.
Ralph Breaks The Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2
Release Date: 30 November
Cast: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch, Jack McBrayer.
Director: Phil Johnston & Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph, Zootropolis)
Why we’re excited: We can’t go into too much detail about this one, but let us just see that we have seen some early footage from this, and it was HILARIOUS. Remember the DMV/Sloth scene from Zootropolis? Somehow even funnier than that.
Aquaman
Release Date: 21 December
Cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe.
Director: James Wan (Fast & Furious 7, The Conjuring)
Why we’re excited: One of the highlights of Justice League was Momoa’s gnarly take on the aquatic superhero, so we’re more than happy to head to the bottom of the ocean to get a better idea of his world. Amber Heard was also pretty impressive in her small amount of screen time in JL, so we’ll be looking forward to seeing more from her, too. Plus James Wan has proved to be very effective at every genre he dips his toe into, so we’ll be very excited to see what new takes he can bring to the comic book movie genre.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
