This year is shaping up to be a huge one for film. Here's a list of 45+ promising movies to watch out for this year, including basic descriptions, early reviews and trailers. Organised between original and franchise films.

Every year I feel like I miss a heap of movies that I know exist or have been recommended that fly under my radar when they’re in cinemas. This year I starting making a list in Google Keep to keep track of films to watch, and it started getting so big that I figured it’d be worth sharing. There are definitely some really promising sequels and franchise movies coming out this year, but I’ve gone into more detail for the original films given that they don’t tend to have the same marketing presence, and because so many look like they’ll be excellent. Let me know if there’s anything promising that I’ve missed, I’ll come back and keep this last updated so you can refer to it in the future!

First, 28 non-sequel, non-reboot, non-remake films to watch out for (will be updated with 10 more suggestions from the comments):

There’s a huge number of promising original movies here. There’s not a single one here that looks bad on paper (IMO), whether it be because of the director, cast or because of a unique plot.

Battle of the Sexes

A sports drama-comedy starring Emma Stone and Steve Carrell. Directed by the directors of Little Miss Sunshine, written by the writers of Slumdog Millionaire, cinematographer of La La Land and the composer of Moonlight. Plot loosely based on the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.

The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara

An upcoming historical period drama film starring Mark Rylance as Pope Pius IX, Oscar Isaac and Isaac Eshete. Directed by Steven Spielberg and composed by John Williams.

A Ghost Story

“A ghost (Casey Affleck) silently observes his grieving widow (Rooney Mara) in his beloved home.“ Really solid reviews so far, and a great cast. Definitely one to look forward to.

Baby Driver

“Talented getaway driver Baby (Ansel Elgort) relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. After meeting the woman (Lily James) of his dreams, he sees a chance to ditch his shady lifestyle and make a clean break.” A new Edgar Wright original. If that isn't enough to sell you, the movie is so far on 100% with an average rating of 8.5/10 on Rotten Tomatoes. Trailer here.

Gemini

“A heinous crime tests the complex relationship between a tenacious personal assistant and her Hollywood starlet boss.” Directed by Aaron Kratz, extremely positive reviews from critics out of SXSW. Looks like a great mystery-thriller.

Molly’s Game

“The true story of Molly Bloom, a young skier and former Olympic hopeful becomes a successful entrepreneur (and a target of an FBI investigation) when she establishes a high-stakes, international poker game.” Screenplay adapted by Aaron Sorkin and directed by him in his directorial debut. Starring Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Brian d'Arcy James and Chris O'Dowd. Can’t wait for this one, amazing writer, great cast, and a possibly great director (hopefully a bit of David Fincher has rubbed onto Sorkin).

The Death of Stalin

A political satire chronicling the events that transpired after the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953. Directed and written by the creator of Veep and The Thick of It, Armando Iannucci.

Dunkirk

“Follows the true story of the Dunkirk evacuation in WW2.” The next film by Christopher Nolan, starring Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance and others. Can’t wait for this one, obviously. Trailer here.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

“After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter’s murder case, Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), the town’s revered chief of police.” This one looks great. Written and directed by Martin McDonagh, the creator of In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths. This guy doesn’t make movies often, but when he does they don’t disappoint. Trailer here.

The Snowman

“Detective Harry Hole (Michael Fassbender) investigates the disappearance of a woman whose pink scarf is found wrapped around an ominous-looking snowman." Directed by Tomas Alfredson (Let The Right One In, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and starring Michael Fassbender, this is looking to be a pretty great British crime drama. Based on the novel of the same name.

Coco

“Coco follows a 12-year-old boy named Miguel who sets off a chain of events relating to a century-old mystery, leading to an extraordinary family reunion.” An original Pixar film! I’m keen, especially after Inside Out. Trailer here.

Colossal

“A bizarre sci-fi comedy starring Anne Hathaway who discovers that she is strangely connected to a monster attacking Seoul, South Korea. When she moves, the monster moves.” Looks bizarre and creative, with positive (but also divisive) reviews. Seems like the kind of movie that could become a quiet cult classic. Trailer here.

Wind River

“An FBI agent teams up with a veteran game tracker to investigate a murder that occurred on a Native American reservation.” Written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, the writer and director of Hell or High Water. Starring Elizabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner. Really solid reviews so far.

The Disaster Artist

Based on the book of the same name, “The Disaster Artist is a 2017 American biographical comedy film directed, produced by, and starring James Franco. Based on Greg Sestero's non-fiction book of the same name, the film chronicles the making of the 2003 cult film The Room.” Early reviews are fantastic, supposedly Franco’s best work. I’m so excited for this.

Mother

"Centers on a couple whose relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence." Written and directed by Darren Aronofsky, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem and Domnhall Gleeson. What an amazing team, another one I'm very keen for.

The Book of Henry

“When a boy who is being raised by his single mother develops feelings for the girl next door, he plots a murder to protect the girl from the ongoing harm of her father. “ A Colin Treverrow (Jurassic World, Safety not Guaranteed) film starring Naomi Watts, Maddie Ziegler and Jacob Tremblay.

The Big Sick

“The Big Sick is based on the real courtship of Kumail Nanjiani and his now-wife, Emily Gordon. Kumail's traditional Muslim family are unhappy with his relationship with Emily, an American. When Emily is waylaid by a mysterious illness, Kumail must take charge of the crisis with her parents, Beth and Terry“. Written by and starring Kumail Nanjiani. If the extremely positive reviews from SXSW are anything to go by, this is worth a watch.

Free Fire

“Set in Boston in 1978, a meeting in a deserted warehouse between two gangs turns into a shootout and a game of survival.” A fun, intense, “bottle-episode” kind of movie starring Brie Larson, Armie Hammer, Sharlto Copley and Cillian Murphy. Coming in April, and early reviews are very solid. Unlikely to be a game-changer, but apparently a really enjoyable watch. Trailer here.

Lucky

“Lucky follows the spiritual journey of a 90-year-old atheist — played by Harry Dean Stanton — and the quirky characters that inhabit his off-the-map desert town. He finds himself at the precipice of life, thrust into a journey of self-exploration.” Directed by John Carroll Lynch and starring Harry Dean Stanton. Another film with great reviews out of SXSW.

Raw

“Stringent vegetarian Justine (Garance Marillier) encounters a decadent, merciless and dangerously seductive world during her first week at veterinary school.” A directorial debut from Julia Ducournau, Raw is apparently hard to watch, but also hard to look away from. Trailer here (NSFW).

Small Town Crime

“An alcoholic ex-cop finds the body of a young woman and, through an act of self-redemption, becomes hell-bent on finding the killer.” Directed by Eshom and Ian Nelms, starring John Hawkes and Octavia Spencer. Early reviews and first thoughts are quite promising.

Wonder

“Auggie Pullman (Jacob Tremblay) is a young boy born with a facial deformity who moves into a new school and tries to fit in.“ Directed by Stephen Chbosky (writer and director of Perks of Being a Wallflower), also starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson.

American Made

“American Made tells the story of Barry Seal (Tom Cruise), a pilot who is recruited by the CIA to help counter the emerging communist threat in Central America. Seal's role in this major CIA covert operation led in turn to his involvement with the Medellin carte”. A biographical drama crime-thriller, directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow).

Personal Shopper

“A young American in Paris works as a personal shopper for a celebrity. She seems to have the ability to communicate with spirits, like her recently deceased twin brother. Soon, she starts to receive ambiguous messages from an unknown source.” Directed by Olivier Assayas and featuring an apparently excellent performance by Kristen Stewart. Good to great reviews so far.

Logan Lucky

“Trying to reverse a family curse, brothers Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and Clyde Logan (Adam Driver) set out to execute an elaborate robbery during the legendary Coca-Cola 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina during Memorial Day weekend.” Directed by Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s 11, Out of Sight, Contagion), starring Channing Tatum, Daniel Craig, Adam Driver, Hilary Swank and more. Absolutely stacked cast, and a great director. Can’t wait for this.

The Dark Tower

Based on the book series by Stephen King, I except the IMDB plot will not do the story justice: “The Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, roams an Old West-like landscape where "the world has moved on" in pursuit of the man in black. Also searching for the fabled Dark Tower, in the hopes that reaching it will preserve his dying world.”. Directed by Nikolaj Arcel and starring Idris Elba, Kathryn Winnick and Matthew McConaughey.

The Circle

“A young tech worker takes a job at a powerful Internet corporation, quickly rises up the company's ranks, and soon finds herself in a perilous situation concerning privacy, surveillance and freedom.” Directed by James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now, End of the Tour), and starring Emma Watson and Tom Hanks. Trailer here.

Get Out

“A young African-American man visits his Caucasian girlfriend's mysterious family estate.” This has been out for a while in the US (unfortunately will have to wait til May in Australia!), but I’ve included it just in case. Sitting at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes with only a single rotten review. Apparently excellent.

And the sequels, reboots and big franchises:

I’m excited for a ton of these movies (kind of in order actually!). Here’s hoping they all turn out to be as good as I thought Logan was.

• Star Wars: Episode VIII
• Blade Runner 2049
• Guardians of the Galaxy 2
• Logan
• John Wick 2
• Alien Covenant
• War for the Planet of the Apes
• Pirates of the Caribbean 5
• Kingsman: Secret Service 2
• Spider-Man: Homecoming
• Justice League
• Thor: Ragnarok
• Wonder Woman
• It
• Ghost in the Shell
• Kong: Skull Island
• The Mummy 3
• Fate of the Furious: 8
• Power Rangers
• The Lego Batman Movie
• Beauty and the Beast
• Transformers 5

All together that comes to 50 movies, about 30 of which I wanna see in cinemas. I'm going to go broke, yay.

Hope you found a few you hadn't heard of and are interested in, and let me know if I've missed anything!

Submitted March 28, 2017 at 07:28PM by xaviertobin http://ift.tt/2o1TlcN