Ex Machina - Dir: Alex Garland; Stars: Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac
Release Date: January 23rd (UK)
Ex Machina is the directorial debut of successful writer Alex Garland who has worked alongside one of my favourite directors Danny Boyle to produce scripts for the films 28 Days Later and Sunshine, 2 sci-fi films with such depth and quality in the screenplay, not to mention overall just superb productions. The plot consists of Gleeson's character who works as a computer coder is sent by his company's CEO to a picturesque house in the mountains for a week only to discover than he becomes part of an experiment involving a new brand of Artificial Intelligence. Not only does the trailer for the film excite me but Oscar Issac, one of the rising stars in Hollywood, is playing the scientist who is creating these AI's and him agreeing to be part of a small indie film with a first time director at the helm can only be encouraging.
Spectre (Bond 24) - Dir: Sam Mendes; Stars: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz
Release Date: November 6th (Worldwide)
A brand new Bond film, Sam Mendes is back as the director, Oscar winning villain Christoph Waltz is the bad guy, gadgets, explosions, cheesy one liners, sweet new looking Aston Martin, Drax the Destroyer (Dave Batista) is a henchman, has that sold you the film yet? :D I love a bit of James Bond. He's the smoothest ladies-man spy ever to grace the screen and to survive 24 films you must be a pretty decent character. Sam Mendes brought a new level of grittiness and intensity to the Bond story with Skyfall which is to date the most successful Bond film ever. James Bond will seemingly never end and long may that continue.
Inside Out - Dir: Pete Docter; Stars: Kaitlyn Dias, Diane Lane
Release Date: July 24th (UK)
Brand new from Pixar, Inside Out tells the story of a young girl called Riley who is guided by her emotions in her head - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness. The emotions are her guide, advising her throughout daily life. Riley has recently moved with her family to San Francisco, as a consequence creates a battle with her emotions as she tries to adjust to her new way of life. That synopsis is absolutely genius. Only the great minds at Pixar could create something as original as this. The trailer is brilliant, stupidly clever. This film has been tipped by journalists to be Pixar's greatest yet. Better than Toy Story? If it is then I'll be praising this film for eternity.
The Walk - Dir: Robert Zemeckis: Stars: Joesph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte La Bon
Release Date: TBA (Late 2015)
The Walk tells the true story of a French nutcase high wire man called Philippe Petit who walked between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York in the 70's. This is set to be released in 3D and IMAX. Will my pants be a shade of brown during the film? Yes. The trailer made me nervous just looking at Joseph Gordon-Levitt balancing on the top of one of the towers with the wind whipping him around. Robert Zemeckis is a legend of Hollywood. He has directed classics such as the Back to the Future franchise, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forest Gump, Castaway. Not a bad list by any means. This film has plenty of potential to be a great this year.
Avengers: Age of Ultron - Dir: Josh Whedon; Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, James Spader
Release Date : April 24th
The comic book fans number one film this year, Avengers: Age of Ultron looks set to be the greatest comic book film ever made and by the looks of the sublime trailer, I don't question it. The first Avengers was such a brilliant film and not just a comic book big blockbluster with no substance. Even though I'm not the biggest Marvel fan (or DC for that matter) I'm really looking forward to another Josh Whedon masterclass.
Whiplash - Dir: Damien Chazelle; Stars: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons
Release Date: January 16th
Whiplash has been universally hailed by critics and finally gets its UK release date at the beginning of the year (a nice birthday present!). Miles Teller plays a young upcoming jazz drummer who joins a top class music group under the tutelage of the explosive and ferocious maestro, Fletcher (J.K Simmons). Together they pit their whits against each other as the two collide to gain the upper hand in the mind games they play throughout. I've heard so many things about this film, J.K. Simmons' character is apparently the biggest a-hole in the history of cinema. That can't be too bad! I can't wait for this indie.
Jurassic World - Dir: Colin Trevorrow; Stars: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard
Release Date: June 12th
The sequel that took 14 years to make, no joke. This film's birth was a complete mess. Originally set for 2005, Jurassic World hit so many various problems. The main issue was the script. It was re-written more times than a best mans speech and directors were dropping out the project like flies. But finally, it's arriving this summer. The trailer got me bouncing with the prospect of hybrid dinosaurs and Chris Pratt becoming a Steve Irwin type dinosaur trainer. The mega dinosaur being teased which is the equivalent of the T-Rex in the first film, is being kept a secret. This could be completely insane.
Crimson Peak - Dir: Guillermo Del Toro; Stars: Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska
Release Date: October 16th
The best horror film of the year could go to Guillermo Del Toro's Crimson Peak. Del Toro is a superb visionary director who has brought the likes of Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy to our screens. This looks set to be a proper old fashioned horror, set in a haunted mansion in Cumbria. I'm interested to see what spin Del Toro takes on a classic haunted house story and what unique ideas he'll bring on board. I can guarantee this won't be your usual bog standard lazy horror film. And a promising horror film coming out near Halloween is a rarity. If this is a good as the quality horror The Babadook last year I'll be delighted.
Mad Max: Fury Road - Dir: George Miller; Stars: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron
Release Date: May 15th
The best trailers I've seen for a film for a long time, Mad Max is back and see's the continuation of George Miller's Mad Max Franchise set in the apocalyptic wastelands of the desert. Again this film took an age to make, 25 years for a sequel but finally after so many delays we finally have what looks to be an incredible visual film. It looks intense, violent and gripping, this could be the biggest blockbuster of the summer potentially beating Avengers 2. Tom Hardy is a great choice for Mad Max and I think he'll be the perfect replacement for Mel Gibson. The trailer's have hyped this film up from out of nowhere a couple of months ago. Let's hope it lives up to expectations.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Dir: J. J. Abrams; Stars: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Issac, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Release Date: December 18th
The most anticipated film of the year, Star Wars is back. A new director on board J. J. Abrams who re-booted Star Trek which has been highly successful, a new cast and the return of the original crew. Yes no more Jar Jar Binks! Star Wars fans have been wanting a suitable follow up to Return of the Jedi since the prequels were at best a disappointment. Luke Skywalker, Hans Solo and Leia are back and that already screams brilliance. The visuals from the teaser trailer look stunning, with people analysing every single detail of the 90 second clip that came out just before Christmas. That's how big this film is going to be. The hype is mega. Even though I'm not the number one Star Wars fan, I can understand why fans are going mental. I'll have to pre book tickets well in advance for this. It'll be a frenzy.
So there you have it. I hope you've enjoyed my selection of films for this year. What are you looking forward to the most? Let me know your thoughts!
Cheers!
