You may have noticed that I tend to have quite a serious retrospective approach to cinema as in I tend to waffle on about movies that were made before I was born!
BUT! I do watch and enjoy some contemporary films so here are a few I am looking forward to in the future mostly in 2024.
I may have seen the first two by the time this is published!
Ferrari (Neon / STX International)
Directed by Michael Mann, Written by Troy Kennedy Martin based on the book Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine by Brock Yates, Starring Adam Driver & Penelope Cruz.
I do like Michael Mann his movie "Manhunter" is in my top 30 movies of all time. I really respect Adam Driver as an actor and I do enjoy a good biopic. I also have a low-key interest in cars and motor racing so this has the potential to be a home run for me.
Release Date 25th of December 2023 (UK)
Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures)
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos,
Written by Tony McNamara
based on the novel by Alasdair Gray, Starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo & Willem Dafoe.
This piqued my interest when I first heard about it back in September after it premiered at the Venice Film Festival mainly due to it being Yorgos Lanthimos’s new movie.
Lanthimos is a massively talented, imaginative and daring filmmaker.
Also, Poor Things the original novel was written by the late Alasdair Gray who was a Scottish Novelist, Artist, playwright, academic, teacher, poet, muralist, and illustrator from Glasgow.
So I think it's going to be pretty amazing.
Plus Willem Dafoe!!
Release Date 12th of January 2024 (UK)
Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Directed by Denis Villeneuve,
Written by Denis Villeneuve & Jon Spaihts,
Based on the novel “Dune” by Frank Herbert, Starring Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson and Josh Brolin.
I love science fiction so I love Dune. I really enjoyed part one and I think Villeneuve is a truly gifted filmmaker.
So I am all in on this one… can't wait.
Release Date 15th of March 2024 (UK)
The Boy and the Heron (Studio Ghibli)
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, Written by Hayao Miyazaki, with a voice cast including Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh.
This is the final film from Animation Legend Hayao Miyazaki before he enjoys a well-deserved retirement. The films he has produced with his team at Studio Ghibli are nothing short of magical. He has a body of work that not only changed the attitudes towards animation as a legitimate art form in Japan but also in Europe and North America. I have high hopes for this one. Plus Willem Dafoe!
Release Date 26th of December 2023 (UK)
Drive-Away Dolls
(Focus Features / Universal Pictures)
Directed by Ethan Coen, Written by Ethan Coen & Tricia Cooke,
Starring Margret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein,
Pedro Pascal and Matt Damon.
I dont know a great deal about this but it is a feature film directed by Ethan Coen So I am here for it !
Release Date T.B.C February 2024 (UK)
Mickey 17 (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Directed by Bong Joon-ho, Written by Bong Joon-ho, based on the novel Mickey 17 by Edward Ashton, Starring Robert Pattinson, Steven Yeun and Toni Collette.
I have high hopes for this. the book is supposed to be a multilayer, fun sci-fi romp.
That is being birthed by the man who brought us The Host, Snowpiercer and Parasite should be great. I was also surprised by how much I have enjoyed Pattinson’s post-wizard and sparkly vampire output. He is fantastic in High Life, Good Time, Tenet, The Lighthouse and The Batman. Really keen to see this.
Release Date 29th of March 2024 (UK)
Furiosa (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Directed by George Miller, Written by
George Miller & Nico Lathouris, Starring
Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth & Tom Burke.
George Miller is bringing us a spin-off / prequel to 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road.
Anya Taylor-Joy will portray the younger (Impreator Furiosa) the role played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road.
I love that this has not been rushed and it’s not a crass sequel or cheap origin story. If we get a repeat of the high-paced, high-octane practical motor vehicle chaos we got in Fury Road it should be an other real thrill ride.
Release Date 24th of May 2024 (UK)
The Movie Critic (Sony Pictures)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino, Witten by Quentin Tarantino.
Tarantino is apparently making his
“Last Film” and it’s coming out this year.
Next year? who knows!
It's rumored to star anyone you can think of who is known to have worked with Tarantino before! We will just have to wait and see.
Quentin announced he was retiring from directing at 60 but Covid and strikes have happened and I don't know how much they affected his production schedule.
He is currently 60 years old and will be until March 27th 2024. I'm not holding my breath for this one it may be a long way off and putting it on a 2024 list is probably optimistic.
Release Date T.B.C (UK)
Due to lack of poster art I have used a photograph of Quentin in his natural habitat.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
(Sony Pictures)
Directed by Gil Kenan,
Written by Jason Reitman & Gil Kenan, Starring Paul Rudd, Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt & the surviving original Ghostbusters crew.
As an example of me not being dead inside I am looking forward to this one.
I am a massive fan of the original movie “Ghostbusters” from 1984. I even have a soft spot for “Ghostbusters 2” (1989) I loved
“The Real Ghostbusters” cartoon series when I was a kid. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” was such a pleasant surprise it was a genuinely fun shot of nostalgia that put a smile on my face. What more can I ask for and it looks like Frozen Empire will deliver the same again.
Release Date 24th of May 2024 (UK)
MaXXXine (A24)
Directed by Ti West, Written by Ti West, Starring Mia Goth
This is the third instalment of Ti West’s trilogy of horror films based around retro adult film production/performers. This is a sequel to his film “X” which came out in 2022 he also released “Pearl” which is a prequel to “X” the same year. Ti West working with Mia Goth seems to be a winning formula.
Release Date T.B.C 2024 (UK)
Love Lies Bleeding (A24)
Directed by Rose Glass, Written by Rose Glass & Weronika Tofilska, Starring Kristen Stewart, Dave Franco, Jena Malone & Ed Harris.
Rose Glass is an English filmmaker who released her debut film “Saint Maud” in 2019 and it knocked my socks off! I have been very eager to see whatever she makes next. “Love Lies Bleeding” is a romantic thriller set in Albuquerque, New Mexico and filmed there over three months in 2022.
Release Date T.B.C 2024 (UK)
Nosferatu (Focus Features / Universal Pictures)
Directed by Robert Eggers, Witten by Robert Eggers, based on Nosferatu - Eine Symphonie des Grauens by Henrick Galeen which was plagiarised from Dracula by Bram Stoker, Starring Bill Skarsgard, Nicholas Hoult, Lilly-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Willem Dafoe, Simon McBurney, Ralph Ineson.
I am a Robert Eggers fanboy! I have loved everything he has made and don't foresee him letting me down. Very excited to see he is continuing to work with cinematographer Jarin Blaschke who has shot all his films to date and they all look stunning they are obviously a winning combination. Plus Willem Dafoe!!!
Release Date 25th of December 2024 (UK)
Again!! the movie powers at be failed to programme a major horror movie for Halloween!
I’m pretty happy there are so many reasons to go to the cinema between now and the end of 2024. I hope you can mark a few on your calendar and make the effort.
I genuinely fear for the future of cinemas in the UK.
as always thanks for reading.
