Words by Eric Hillis (@hilliseric)
Knight of Cups
**TMW Must See** Terence Malick's latest star studded drama is headlined by Christian Bale as a screenwriter in the midst of an existential crisis. As is usually the case with Malick, reviews have been mixed, with the film receiving a chorus of boos at its Berlin Film Festival premiere last February.
Jane Got a Gun
**TMW Must See** Every year it seems we put together a preview that includes Gavin O'Connor's troubled western. Perhaps we'll finally get to see it in 2016 as the film is receiving a Stateside release in January. O'Connor took over when original director Lynne Ramsey pulled out with similar tumult among the cast - Joel Edgerton filling in for Michael Fassbender and Ewan McGregor taking over from Jude Law. Whether O'Connor has managed to deliver a worthwhile film amid all that chaos remains to be seen.
Viral
Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost of Catfish fame direct this horror flick which sees Analeigh Tipton play a survivor of a global virus that has wiped out half the earth's population. Opens in the US in February.
I Saw the Light
Tom Hiddleston takes a trip down the lost highway to play country and western icon Hank Williams. Elizabeth Olsen is his wife and manager, Audrey Sheppard. Love & Mercy renewed our faith somewhat in the music biopic so let's hope Marc Abraham's film continues in similar fashion.
Collide
Another case of actors being replaced, with Nicholas Hoult and the ubiquitous Felicity Jones stepping into roles vacated by Zac Efron and Amber Heard for this action thriller, which also went through a name change, having previously been titled 'Autobahn'. The plot sees Hoult and Jones' vacationing couple caught up in a deadly war between two criminals played by Anthony Hopkins and Ben Kingsley.
Amityville: The Awakening
This is no less than the fourteenth (14!!!) movie to feature the titular troublesome home. This one stars Jennifer Jason Leigh as a single mother who sneakily moves her family into a new home without divulging its troubled past. Franck Khalfoun, of the Maniac remake, directs.
Snowden
It was practically inevitable that Oliver Stone would give us his take on the Edward Snowden story. Taking Luke Harding's book The Snowden Files as its source, Stone's film stars Joseph Gordon Levitt in the title role, alongside Shailene Woodley, Nicolas Cage and Tom Wilkinson.
Maggie's Plan
Greta Gerwig plays an uptight control freak whose life is disrupted by the arrival of Ethan Hawke's hunky professor in this rom-com from director Rebecca Miller. Julianne Moore is said to steal the show as Hawke's crazy ex, a Scandinavian professor.
Genius
Biopic of editor Maxwell Perkins, who worked alongside such literary giants as Ernest Hemingway, F Scott Fitzgerald and Thomas Wolfe. Perkins is played here by Colin Firth with Dominic West, Guy Pearce and Jude Law as the aforementioned writers. Nicole Kidman and Laura Linney also feature.
The Infiltrator
Based on the autobiography of federal agent Robert Mazur (Bryan Cranston), Brad Furman's film focusses on Mazur's involvement in the busting of notorious cartel leader Pablo Escobar.
Underworld: Next Generation
Kate Beckinsale returns for this fifth entry in the vampire saga, joined by Theo James, Lara Pulver and Charles Dance. Longtime Roland Emmerich collaborator Anna Foerster makes her directorial debut. Expect slow motion, rain and leather.
The Great Wall
With Hollywood currently obsessed with that sweet Chinese cash, it was only a matter of time before we saw large scale American-Chines co-productions. The Great Wall is the first and we doubt it will be the last. Chinese filmmaking titan Zhang Yimou directs Matt Damon, Andy Lau and Willem Dafoe star in a sci-fi tale based around the construction of the famed structure.
The Founder
The true story of how Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) transformed brothers Mac and Dick McDonald's hamburger diner into the world's largest fast food franchise. Saving Mr Banks' John Lee Hancock directs.
The Strangers 2
Set for a US release in December, details are scarce for this sequel to the 2008 chiller.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Tim Burton and screenwriter Jane Goldman adapt Ransom Riggs' novel. Asa Butterfield plays a teen who finds himself on an island, the location of a mysterious home for children run by Eva Green, which finds itself attacked by monsters. Judi Dench, Samuel L Jackson and Terence Stamp costar.
Silence
**TMW Must See** A pair of Jesuit priests find themselves in trouble while spreading the word of God in Japan. Martin Scorsese brings Japanese author Shusaku Endo's 1966 novel to the screen. Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Liam Neeson star.
31
After the travesties of his Halloween reboots, rocker turned auteur Rob Zombie displayed some promise with The Lords of Salem, so it will be interesting to see if he can advance with his latest, 31. Zombie reunites with Malcolm McDowell for a story of clown-masked killers terrorising kidnapped carnival workers.
War Machine
After their successful feature debut, Beasts of No Nation, Netflix are giving us another war movie with this adaptation of Michael Hastings' non-fiction book The Operators. The Rover's David Michod directs Brad Pitt as larger than life General Stanley McChrystal.
Cell
Long awaited adaptation of Stephen King's 2006 novel reunites King with actors John Cusack and Samuel L Jackson following 2007's 1408. A signal broadcast through cellphones turns most of the US population into violent lunatics, leading Cusack to search for the source of the signal.
The Neon Demon
Nicolas Winding Refn's latest sees him turn to the horror genre as Elle Fanning's aspiring model finds herself targeted by a group of jealous older women. Keanu Reeves, Jena Malone and Christina Hendricks also feature, but as has been the case with Refn's films, this will be all about Cliff Martinez's soundtrack.
Christine
**TMW Must See** One of America's most exciting new filmmakers, Antonio Campos (Simon Killer) directs Rebecca Hall in the story of TV reporter Christine Chubbuck, who infamously committed suicide during a live broadcast in 1974.
Belgica
The Broken Circle Breakdown's Felix van Groeningen directs a story of two brothers torn apart while running a popular rock 'n roll bar together.
Manchester by the Sea
**TMW Must See** When we made our 50 greatest movies of 2000-2014 list, only one filmmaker could boast duplicate entries. That filmmaker was Kenneth Lonergan (You Can Count On Me, Margaret), so we're very excited for his third feature, in which Casey Affleck returns to his hometown to take care of his nephew following the passing of his brother.
Love and Friendship
Jane Austen's Lady Susan gets the movie treatment courtesy of director Whit Stillman, who reunites with his Last Days of Disco stars Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny. The former is Lady Susan, a society gal in search of a husband amid allegations concerning her private life.
Wiener-Dog
**TMW Must See** Todd Solondz returns to the character of Dawn Wiener, introduced to us as a troubled schoolgirl in his masterpiece Welcome to the Dollhouse. Wiener is now an adult and played here by Greta Gerwig. Julie Delpy and Ellen Burstyn also feature.
Yoga Hosers
Remember those Canadian convenience store clerks from Kevin Smith's Tusk? Probably not, but as they were played by the daughters of Smith (Harley Quinn Smith) and Johnny Depp (Lily-Rose Depp), they've now got their own movie. The duo find themselves battling monsters intent on invading Canada. Depp returns as the highly annoying detective he played in Tusk.
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