Coming soon (2018)

So what's coming up in 2018 that deserves attention?

• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – January 12th
• From Martin McDonagh, director of Seven Psychopaths and In Bruges, comes a dark comedy in which a mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder, when they fail to catch the killer.
• Starring Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, John Hawkes and Peter Dinklage.
• My pick for the Oscars (it is about time they took a comedy seriously).

• Darkest Hour – January 12th
• From director Joe Wright comes a look back at the early days of Winston Churchill as Prime Minister and whether he should negotiate with Nazi Germany or fight against them.
• Starring Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James and Ben Mendelsohn.
• Can Britain's greatest living actor finally win an Oscar?

• Phantom Thread – February 2nd
• From director Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood and The Master) comes the final ever performance from Daniel Day-Lewis.

•  I, Tonya – February 23rd
• Margot Robbie stars as controversial figure skater Tonya Harding.

• Tomb Raider – March 16th
• Can we finally get a good film based on a video game?
• Following the same mould as the successfully rebooted Tomb Raider video game franchise, in terms of realism, grittiness and darkness atmosphere.
• Starring Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft; co-stars Walton Goggins, Kristin Scott Thomas, Dominic West and Nick Frost.

• Isle of Dogs – March 30th
• The new film from Wes Anderson, his first since The Grand Budapest Hotel.
• An animation, in the same mould as Fantastic Mr Fox, set in Japan about a boy's odyssey for his missing dog (nothing to do with the Docklands).
• An all-star ensemble cast as to be expected - Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Bryan Cranston, Jeff Goldblum, Bob Balaban, Scarlett Johansson, Greta Gerwig and so on.

• Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – June 8th
• Jeff Goldblum is back...This, uh, could, uh, go, uh, either, uh, way...uh.
• Thank God Bryce Dallas Howard is now running around in more appropriate shoes.

•  Sicario 2: Soldado – June 29th
• I loved Sicario, so hopes and expectations are high for this.
• New director - Stefano Sollima (best known for the TV adaptation of Gomorrah).
• Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin return.

• The Incredibles 2 – July 13th
• I watched The Incredibles not that long ago and had forgotten how much I was a fan of it; it was like the Fantastic Four, but it was good.
• Most of the original cast are returning, including Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter and Samuel L. Jackson.

• The House with a Clock in its Walls – October 19th
• Based on a graphic horror novel from the 1970s, young orphan Lewis Barnavelt goes to live with his magical uncle and together they must locate a clock powerful enough to bring about the end of the world.
• Stars Cate Blanchett, Jack Black and Kyle MacLachlan.
• My only concern - it is a film for young adults, but directed by Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel and The Green Inferno); it is kinda like George Romero directing a Harry Potter film or Sam Raimi directing a Wizard of Oz film...oh wait, that did happen.

• The Jungle Book – October 19th
• Yes, I know we had a live-action Jungle Book back in 2016, but this one is directed by Andy Serkis.
• Promises to be closer to the original Rudyard Kipling book and intended for an older audience.
• Starring Serkis as Baloo, Benedict Cumberbatch as Shere Khan, Cate Blanchett as Kaa and Christian Bale as Bagheera.

• First Man – November 2nd
• A biopic of Neil Armstrong, leading up to him becoming the first man on the moon in 1969.
• From the La La Land duo of director Damien Chazelle and actor Ryan Gosling.
• Co-stars Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll and Kyle Chandler.

• The Man Who Killed Don Quixote – TBC
• From director Terry Gilliam, an advertising executive jumps back and forth between 21st century London and 17th century La Mancha and Don Quixote mistakes him for Sancho Panza.
• Starring Adam Driver, Jonathan Pryce, Olga Kurylenko and Stellan Skarsgård.

•  Bohemian Rhapsody – December 28th
• The long-awaited biopic of Freddie Mercury, culminating with Queen's legendary performance at Live Aid in 1985.
• Was going to be directed by Bryan Singer, who abruptly dropped out. Now it's up to Dexter Fletcher (Sunshine on Leith and Eddie The Eagle).
• Was going to star Sacha Baron Cohen, who left due to creative differences with Brian May and Roger Taylor. Now it's Rami Malek in the lead role.