THE BEST FILMS YET TO COME IN 2015: #10-1

Today we continue our countdown of the Best Films Yet To Come in 2015. If you missed the 20-11 list, head over here to get caught up before we dive into the Top Ten…

10. THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 2

After four films and over $2 billion in ticket sales, the biggest YA franchise not involving wizards comes to an action heavy close. The cynical amongst us will scoff at the cash grab of splitting three books into four movies, a worrying trend that seems to have inflicted a lot of franchises of late, but from the looks of this one it will be going out with a bang. If Mockingjay Part 1 was all build-up, then Part 2 will be all pay-off. Whether it manages to appease book fans as well as movie fans will remain to be seen, but with all the important players returning (Lawrence, Hutcherson, Hemsworth, and director Francis Lawrence), we’re optimistic that this series will draw to a satisfying close. May the odds be ever in our favour…

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RELEASE DATE: November 19th

9. LEGEND

Tom Hardy has had a pretty crazy year already, with a trip to hell and back in Mad Max: Fury Road and the film shoot from hell in the upcoming The Revenant, but for his biggest challenge yet, he’s taken on two lead roles in the same movie. Playing identical twin brothers Reggie and Ronald Kray, Hardy is essentially acting opposite himself in this gritty account of the infamous mobster siblings who terrorised the streets of East London in the 1960s. We know Hardy is an undeniable talent, but he is prone to overacting from time to time, so the real test here is whether he can show some restraint and keep things grounded, in keeping with the film’s more serious tone. But we’re quietly confident that double the Hardy will mean double the awesomeness.

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RELEASE DATE: October 15th

8. THE GOOD DINOSAUR

Two Pixar movies in one year! It’s just like Christmas! In fact, the second of the animation powerhouse’s offerings this year (after the glorious Inside Out) comes gift-wrapped for your pleasure on Boxing Day, so it’s exactly like Christmas. There’s not much to go on at this point, apart from the gorgeous and wordless trailer, but from the looks of it The Good Dinosaur seems to pose the question “What would have happened if the extinction-causing asteroid had missed the earth?”. Cue lovable Apatosaurus Arlo, who encounters and befriends a young human boy, and sets off on an adventure. Cue all the feels. It’s cool, we’re not crying, it’s just raining on our faces. The animation on this one looks superb, the characters are almost super-cartoony offset against photo-realistic environments which we are digging. In any case, we’re pumped to see what Pixar has in store for us.

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RELEASE DATE: December 26th

7. BLACK MASS

From the moment we saw the first teaser trailer for Black Mass, we had to double check that Johnny Depp was actually in the film. But sure enough, there he is front and centre, hidden behind a layer of prosthetics and a thick Boston accent. We’ve become accustomed to Depp playing all manner of quirky characters, which its why its so refreshing to see him embracing his darker, grittier side. It’s the kind of showy performance that could earn him a nod come awards season, and he’s not the only big name in a film that also stars Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon and Dakota Johnson. Whether the film’s plot can match the calibre of it’s cast is yet to be seen, but if handled right, it could be this year’s The Departed. 

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RELEASE DATE: October 8th

6. MACBETH

If the name Shakespeare instantly puts you to sleep, you’re probably not as excited for this new take on Macbeth as we are. But with an outstanding cast, lead by Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, and helmed by Aussie Snowtown director Justin Kurzel, this could be the adaptation to change your mind. Equal parts Braveheart and Game Of Thrones, this version of the Bard’s classic tale of power and treachery looks to be dark, gritty and epic. If you can get past the formal language and get into the story, there’ll be so much to savour. With source material this meaty, it should be hard for a team of this calibre to go wrong, and it’ll be one to watch when the award nominations start to roll in. All hail Macbeth!

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RELEASE DATE: October 1st

5. BRIDGE OF SPIES

Any project that unites the supreme talents of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks is worth getting excited about, but this cold war era spy film has Oscar written all over it. Co-written by the Coen brothers and based on a true story involving the rescue of an American pilot detained by the Soviet Union in 1960, it bears more than a passing resemblance to 2013’s Best Picture winner Argo. But more than the awards buzz, its just great to see Spielberg and Hanks working together on the kind of weighty political thriller Hollywood shies away from in this age of the modern mega-blockbuster. At the end of the day, as long as this is better than their last outing together (2004’s rather forgettable The Terminal) it’ll be considered a success.

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RELEASE DATE: October 22nd

4. THE MARTIAN

Maaattt Daaammon in space! If that’s not enough for you to get excited, then let us continue. Based on the bestselling novel, and helmed by legendary director Ridley Scott (known for his work on a little space film called Alien), The Martian sees Matt Damon playing Astronaut Mark Whatney, marooned on the red planet after a fierce storm cuts him off from his crew. With only limited supplies, and potentially years away from a rescue mission, Whatney has to, in his words, “science the shit out of this” and try to make a go at living in the hostile environment on Mars while his crew and NASA try to get back to him. With the very definition of an all-star cast, including Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Mara, and Sean Bean, this looks likely to sit amongst the greats in the space movie pantheon. Part Castaway in space, part Apollo 13, we’re all in.

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RELEASE DATE: October 1st

3. CRIMSON PEAK

It’s been almost 10 years since Guillermo Del Toro’s gothic masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth blew audience’s away, and now the director is back in familiar territory, having been given the keys to his very own haunted house. Crimson Peak‘s cast is impressive (Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam and Jessica Chastain) and the premise is suitably creepy (a house that breathes, bleeds and remembers) but it’s the gorgeous production design that grabs the attention most. Utilising his generous budget, Del Toro was able to build his nightmarish creation for real as a massive practical set, and from what we’ve seen from the trailers and publicity stills, it was worth every penny.

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RELEASE DATE: October 15th

2. SPECTRE

Ever since we saw the first teaser for Spectre, we’ve been all shaken and stirred up for the imminent return of the super spy. Following on from the last stellar entry Skyfall, Bond’s 24th movie adventure finds him battling the villainous organisation SPECTRE, known to Bond aficionados from such classics as Dr No and Diamonds Are Forever, and their mysterious leader Franz Oberhauser. It’s Daniel Craig’s 4th time round donning the tux, and at this point he wears it like a second skin. Christoph Waltz provides the villany as Oberhauser, who may or may not be vintage Bond villain Blofeld, and Léa Seydoux (Blue Is The Warmest Colour) brings the sass and sex as the latest Bond girl. We’ve really enjoyed this new iteration Bond since Craig took over, and with director Sam Mendes (Skyfall) back at the helm it looks to be another cracker effort incorporating elements of the classic Bond mythology (Aston Martin, SPECTRE) into this very personal story of the man behind the spy facade. Bring on November 12th!

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RELEASE DATE: November 12th

1. STAR WARS: EPISODE VII – THE FORCE AWAKENS

This films top placement on our list should come as no surprise to even the most casual cinema-goer. This is the one we never thought would happen, and yet here we are…mere months away from the release of a new Star Wars movie, and not just any Star Wars movie, the freaking sequel to Return of the Jedi!

From the very beginning, it was clear the franchise was in good hands, with the filmmakers consistently backing up their original promise of  honouring the original trilogy while keeping things as real and grounded as possible. Producer Kathleen Kennedy and director JJ. Abrams have fed the hype machine with almost medical precision, drip feeding us tantalizing plot details, footage and images for what feels like an eternity. Whether Disney breaks the 1, 2 or even 3 billion dollar mark isn’t important; if The Force Awakens is even half as good as the original films, and feels like a natural continuation of the story we started almost 40 years ago, it will be deemed a success in the eyes of fans everywhere.

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RELEASE DATE: December 17th

So there you have it folks! What are you looking forward to seeing before the end of the year? Think we’ve missed anything? Sound off in the comments below!

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