The Movie Waffler 60 MOVIES COMING THIS WINTER! | The Movie Waffler

60 MOVIES COMING THIS WINTER!

What better way to spend those cold winter months than in a cosy cinema? TMW looks at the movies headed your way across late 2015 and early 2016.*

*Based on UK release dates.







Burnt
Directed by: John Wells
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Alicia Vikander
Having previously played a chef in TV show Kitchen Confidential, Bradley Cooper throws a dishcloth over his shoulder once more to portray a disgraced London chef attempting to redeem himself and win three coveted Michelin stars for his restaurant.


Macbeth
Directed by: Justin Kurzel
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Sean Harris
Based on a play by one W. Shakespeare, Macbeth teams acting powerhouses Fassbender and Cotillard as Macbeth and missus. Justin Kurzel, who grossed audiences out with black as night true-life serial killer drama Snowtown, takes the directorial reins.


The Martian
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig
Ridley Scott returns to sci-fi territory with this adaptation of Andy Weir's novel. Matt Damon is the astronaut who finds himself left stranded on the red planet. An all-star supporting cast find themselves dealing with the guilt of leaving him behind.


Regression
Directed by: Alejandro Amenabar
Starring: Emma Watson, Ethan Hawke, Aaron Ashmore
Spanish horror meister Amenabar directs Ethan Hawke as a detective investigating the sexual abuse of a teenager (Emma Watson) by her father, who has no recollection of the crime. A planned Stateside release was pulled, presumably due to its controversial plot.


Sicario
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Emily Blunt, Jon Bernthal, Benicio Del Toro
Canadian director Villeneuve follows up his cult favourite Enemy with this war on drugs thriller. Blunt is an FBI agent on the trail of a notorious drug lord in what looks like a very Michael Mann influenced work, with ace cinematographer Roger Deakins providing the visuals. The film drew widespread acclaim at its Cannes premiere.


The Walk
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, James Badge Dale
Zemeckis directs Gordon-Levitt in the true story of French tightrope walker extraordinaire Philippe Petit, who famously walked between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. If you've seen the dizzying documentary Man on Wire, you'll be familiar with this tale.


99 Homes
Directed by: Ramin Bahrani
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon, Laura Dern
Garfield is a single father evicted from his home by Shannon's crooked real estate broker, only to end up working for him. Director Bahrani is the filmmaker behind the underseen and under-rated Goodbye Solo.


Crimson Peak
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston
Having dabbled in horror of a Latin persuasion in the past, del Toro takes on English Gothic, evoking the spirit of Hammer with a Rebecca style plot that sees Wasikowska marry Hiddleston's mysterious millionaire, moving into his crumbling, secret filled mansion.


The Lobster
Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Lea Seydoux, Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz
Dogtooth director Lanthinos delivers an equally quirky concept in his English language debut, a sci-fi tale in which singletons are given 45 days to find a mate before being turned into an animal. Reviews from Cannes were overwhelmingly positive.


Pan
Directed by: Joe Wright
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Rooney Mara, Garrett Hedlund
This latest live-action take on the Peter Pan story has seen its release date pushed back several times, leading some to suspect it may be a case of its title reflecting its critical reception. Warner Bros. drew much criticism for casting Mara as the Native-American Tiger Lily.


The Program
Directed by: Stephen Frears
Starring: Lee Pace, Ben Foster, Jesse Plemons
Foster bears an uncanny resemblance to the subject of this Lance Armstrong biopic, the first of several due to hit screens. 


The Last Witch Hunter
Directed by: Breck Eisner
Starring: Vin Diesel, Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood
With a plot that sounds an awful lot like Highlander, Diesel plays an immortal witch-hunter out to save modern day New York from falling under the rule of a wicked coven. A sequel is rumoured to already be in development.


Spectre
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes
The famous shadowy outfit SPECTRE make their first appearance in the rebooted Bond franchise, with everyone expecting Waltz's character Oberhauser to be ultimately revealed as Blofeld. Fiennes takes over as M, while Lea Seydoux and Monica Belluci will no doubt provide distractions for the secret agent.


Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension
Directed by: Gregory Plotkin
Starring: Olivia Taylor Dudley, Chloe Csengery, Maria Olsen
Rumoured to be the final installment of a tired franchise, The Ghost Dimension is the first Paranormal Activity movie released in 3D. The gimmick here is a camera that can capture supernatural images. We're promised answers to all the questions left open by previous installments.


Suffragette
Directed by: Sarah Gavron
Starring: Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter
The true story of Britain's revolutionary suffragette movement, who fought for equality at the turn of the 19th century. Approproately, the film has cast a trio of female acting powerhouses in Streep, Mulligan and Bonham Carter.




Carol
Directed by: Todd Haynes
Starring: Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Sarah Paulson
Haynes continues his obsession with mid 20th century America with this adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel The Price of Salt. Mara is a department store clerk who falls for a married woman (Blanchett). It may not have landed the top prize, but it was the most widely acclaimed movie to debut at Cannes.


The Club
Directed by: Pablo Larrain
Starring: Roberto Farías, Antonia Zegers, Alfredo Castro
Chilean filmmaker Larrain follows up his fantastic 2012 political thriller No with a look at the sins of the Catholic Church. Four priests are holed up in a small Chilean town, having committed various crimes, when a fifth man arrives, forcing them to confront their pasts.


Bridge of Spies
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Hanks, Austin Stowell, Alan Alda
The true story of Gary Powers, the spy-plane pilot shot down over the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War in 1960. Hanks plays the lawyer attempting to negotiate his release. With Thomas Newman providing the score, it's the first Spielberg movie in 30 years not to feature a John Williams score.


Brooklyn
Directed by: John Crowley
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen
We got to see Crowley's latest a while back but with an embargo still in place, we can't divulge an opinion. Ronan is a young woman who leaves her '50s home in rural Ireland for the titular NYC borough, where she meets and falls for Cohen's Italian-American local.


The Dressmaker
Directed by: Jocelyn Moorhouse
Starring: Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, Hugo Weaving
Winslet's dressmaker returns to her Australian hometown, where she had previously been accused of murder, to take care of her mother. Director Moorhouse describes her film as "Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven with a sewing machine."


Kill Your Friends
Directed by: Owen Harris
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Ed Skrein, Rosanna Arquette
In this '90s set black comedy, Hoult plays an A&R man who will do anything for a hit record in the Britpop era. Screenwriter John Niven adapts his own novel.

Black Mass
Directed by: Scott Cooper
Starring: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson
The true story of notorious Boston mobster Whitey Bulger sees Depp don a not too convincing bald patch (this year's Steve Carell's Foxcatcher nose) in the lead role. Cumberbatch plays his Senator brother William.


The Hallow
Directed by: Corin Hardy
Starring: Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic, Michael McElhatton
A British family find themselves plagued by demons in their new home in the Irish countryside. Pitched as "Straw Dogs meets Pan's Labyrinth" by director Hardy. Early reviews have been positive.


Steve Jobs
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen
Following a little seen version starring Ashton Kutcher, Fassbender steps into the Dad jeans for his portrayal of Apple founder Steve Jobs. With a script by Aaron Sorkin and Danny Boyle directing, expect this to feature heavily at next year's Oscars.


The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
The Young Adult juggernaut finally come to an end with this fourth installment, the second half of the final novel broken into two parts (for artistic reasons of course!). This will be the late Philip Seymour Hoffman's final screen appearance.


Victor Frankenstein
Directed by: Paul McGuigan
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy, Jessica Brown Findlay
Radcliffe's Igor takes centre stage in a new take on Mary Shelley's classic creation, hooking up with McAvoy's Victor, who has a few crazy ideas about creating life. What could go wrong?



Krampus
Directed by: Michael Dougherty
Starring: Adam Scott, Toni Collette, Allison Tolman
Having previously fetishised Halloween with Trick 'r Treat, Michael Dougherty turns his attention to the holiday season with this horror comedy. The title refers to a seasonal demon from Germanic folklore who knows when you've been naughty and punishes you for your wrong-doings.

By the Sea
Directed by: Angelina Jolie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Mélanie Laurent
Jolie and Pitt tempt fate by playing a married couple whose relationship unravels during a mediterranean holiday. Jolie both writes and directs, and claims to draw inspiration from '70s European cinema.


Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Directed by: JJ Abrams
Starring: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher
Disney have done a pretty good job of keeping details under wraps, releasing just enough material to whet appetites and drive speculation. Everyone expects this to be the year's biggest hit, and if it doesn't topple Jurassic World, questions will be asked.


The Peanuts Movie
Directed by: Steve Martino
Starring: Francesca Capaldi, Madisyn Shipman, Noah Schnapp
Charles Schulz's famed creation gets the CG 3D treatment, but early signs suggest this should be a faithful adaptation, with Schulz's son Craig and Grandson Bryan working on the script.


In the Heart of the Sea
Directed by: Ron Howard
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson
Based on the real life events that inspired Moby Dick, Howard's film takes Nathaniel Philbrick's 2000 non-fiction book as its source for a tale that also involves cannibalism.




The Hateful Eight
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Samuel L Jackson
Russell dons his Tombstone facial hair once more to play a bounty hunter holed up in a stagecoach stopover with his prisoner (Leigh) and a bunch of equally villainous characters. Ennio Morricone provides the score, his first for a western since 1981.


Youth
Directed by: Paolo Sorrentino
Starring: Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz
Caine's orchestra conductor holidays in the alps with his daughter (Weisz) and friend (Keitel) in Sorrentino's second English language production. The film debuted at Cannes to mixed reviews.


The Danish Girl
Directed by: Tom Hooper
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Amber Heard
The true story of Einar Wegener, who became Lili Elbe in the 1920s in one of the world's first cases of gender reassignment. The role initially attracted female stars like Charlize Theron, Gwyneth Paltrow and Uma Thurman before director Hooper cast Redmayne.The ever present Vikander and Matthias Schoenarts finally cross paths here.

Joy
Directed by: David O Russell
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro
Russell reteams with Lawrence, Cooper and De Niro yet again for this biopic of Joy Mangano, a single mother of three children and inventor of the er... 'Miracle Mop'.


Rings
Directed by: F. Javier Gutiérrez
Starring: Aimee Teegarden, Johnny Galecki, Laura Wiggins
Third installment of the American Ring series. No plot details have been released but director Gutierrez dismissed rumours it would serve as a prequel to the first movie.

Concussion
Directed by: Peter Landesman
Starring: Will Smith, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alec Baldwin
Drawing inspiration from a 2009 GQ magazine article, Concussion casts Smith as a doctor who exposes the dangerous effects of head trauma among American Football players.

The Light Between Oceans
Directed by: Derek Cianfrance
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender, Rachel Weisz
When an infant child washes ashore, a lighthouse keeper (Fassbender) and his wife (Vikander again) decide to raise her as their own. Whether the child grows up with superpowers is unclear at this stage, but given this is from the director of Blue Valentine, don't expect it to go without a hitch or two.

Point Break
Directed by: Ericson Core
Starring: Teresa Palmer, Luke Bracey, Ray Winstone
The trailer for this controversial remake drew many weary sighs from viewers of a certain age. Said to amp up the extreme sports element, this reboot replaces Keanu Reeves with relative newcomer Luke Bracey, Patrick Swayze with Edgar Ramirez.


13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
Directed by: Michael Bay
Starring: John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber, James Badge Dale
Michael Bay adapts Mitchell Zuckoff's 2013 book 13 Hours, which deals with the events of the Benghazi American diplomatic compound attack of 2012. With Bay in charge, this ain't gonna be subtle.


The Revenant
Directed by: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Starring: Tom Hardy, Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Poulter
Left for dead in the harsh Dakota territory of 1823, DiCaprio's fur-trapper sets out for revenge on the men who left him to face a mauling at the hands of a bear. The production is rumoured to have gone over budget and over schedule to an alarming degree, thanks in no small part to Inarritu's desire to shoot using natural light.


The 5th Wave
Directed by: J Blakeson
Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz, Liev Schreiber, Maika Monroe
Based on yet another trilogy of YA novels, The 5th Wave pits Moretz against an invading alien force while striving to save her younger brother. If the movie is a hit, expect the third book to be split into two films.


London Has Fallen
Directed by: Babak Najafi
Starring: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Charlotte Riley
As with TV's 24, the 'Has Fallen' franchise moves to the British capital as Butler's secret service man attempts to stop terrorists from killing world leaders. The poster suggests he fails to save Big Ben or the London Eye however.


Trumbo
Directed by: Jay Roach
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren
A post Breaking Bad Cranston plays blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo in this biopic. Expect Oscar noms for Cranston and Mirren, who plays Hedda Hopper.


The Finest Hours
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Eric Bana
True story of a dangerous 1952 Coast Guard mission to rescue the crews of two stricken oil tankers. Expect The Perfect Storm in period garb.




Deadpool
Directed by: Tim Miller
Starring: Morena Baccarin, Ryan Reynolds, Gina Carano
Cult comic hero Deadpool arrives on screen with Reynolds donning the spandex. The comic-con crowd lost their marbles over the trailer. We remain skeptical.


Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Directed by: Burr Steers
Starring: Lena Headey, Lily James, Jack Huston
Seth Grahame-Smith's gimmicky novel gets the inevitable big screen adaptation. With Jane Austen's characters facing the undead, let's hope it's better than the awful Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.

The Accountant
Directed by: Gavin O'Connor
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal
We're still awaiting a release date for O'Connor's troubled western Jane Got a Gun, but in the meantime the director delivers this thriller, in which Affleck plays an accountant by day, assassin by night. His name's not Bruce Wayne.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Eva Green, Kim Dickens, Samuel L Jackson
Burton adapts Ransom Riggs' novel of the same name. A teenager helps protect the inhabitants of the title institution from evil creatures. Not a Johnny Depp cameo to be found!

Hail, Caesar!
Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Starring: George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum
The Coens return to their unique brand of humour for a '50s set tale of a Hollywood fixer investigating the disappearance of an actor. The all-star cast also includes Josh Brolin, Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes.



Secret in their Eyes
Directed by: Billy Ray
Starring: Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Remake of the Oscar winning Argentine thriller. This time it's personal, with FBI agent Roberts' daughter a victim of the killer. Will the movie attempt to repeat that incredible 'one-take' stadium sequence of the original?


Ben Hur
Directed by: Timur Bekmambetov
Starring: Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman, Rodrigo Santoro
Lew Wallace's 1880 novel gets the cinematic treatment once more, this time under the stewardship of Bekmambetov, Kazakhstan's answer to Michael Bay. Expect a slo-mo chariot race and plenty of CG.

Sisters
Directed by: Jason Moore
Starring: Amy Poehler, John Cena, Tina Fey
Fey searches for a post 30 Rock hit with this comic tale of sisters (Fey and Poehler) throwing one final party in their childhood home.


Risen
Directed by: Kevin Reynolds
Starring: Tom Felton, Joseph Fiennes, Cliff Curtis
Competing with Ben Hur is this costume epic from action auteur Reynolds. Set in the aftermath of the resurrection of Christ, Fiennes plays a Roman Centurion tasked with locating the body of Jesus.

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams
After the mess that was Man of Steel, DC Comics are hoping this can boost their flagging cinematic franchise. Having caused the deaths of thousands of innocent Metropolis citizens in the first movie's climax, Cavill's Supes is the villain here, facing the wrath of Affleck's Batman.




The Jungle Book
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Bill Murray
After the low key Chef, Favreau returns to a big budget with this latest rendition of Rudyard Kipling's tale. Disney are calling this “one of the most technologically advanced movies ever made,” melding animation and live action in a revolutionary new process.

Mechanic: Resurrection
Directed by: Dennis Gansel
Starring: Jessica Alba, Jason Statham, Michelle Yeoh
Sequel to 2011's remake of The Mechanic sees the Stath forced to carry out a series of assassinations to prevent the murder of his lover (Alba).

The Huntsman
Directed by: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
Starring: Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt, Chris Hemsworth
With Kristen Stewart reinventing herself as an indie superstar, we get a prequel to the Snow White tale. Hemsworth and Theron do return in the roles of Huntsman and Queen Ravenna.

Captain America: Civil War
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson
Set to be the biggest installment of the never-ending Marvel franchise, Civil War boasts a massive all-star costumed cast. Inspired by a 2006 comic series, the film sees the Avengers split over opinions on how they should be governed. Don't expect any confederate flags.


Gods of Egypt
Directed by: Alex Proyas
Starring: Gerard Butler, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Brenton Thwaites
Two gods (Butler and Coster-Waldau) face off in a battle to rule the Nile River Valley. With Proyas in charge, be prepared for a whole lot of green-screen.

Criminal
Directed by: Ariel Vromen
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot, Alice Eve
A death row inmate is implanted with the memories and skills of a dead CIA agent in order to unwittingly complete a mission. This one has been kept quiet but it boasts an all-star cast with Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Oldman in supporting roles.