Words by Eric Hillis (@hilliseric)
All dates are based on the current UK release calendar and are subject to change.
At Any Price
Almost a full three years after its US release, UK and Irish cinema-goers finally get to see Ramin Bahrani's rural family drama, starring Dennis Quaid as a farmer and Zac Efron as his race-car driving son. Unlike his well received 99 Homes, Bahrani's prior film received mixed reviews on its Stateside release. Read our review here
The Danish Girl
Despite much criticism over his controversial casting, Eddie Redmayne is one of the favourites to take home an Oscar for his performance as Lili Elbe, who, in the 1920s, became one of the first ever recipients of a gender reassignment operation. The ubiquitous Alicia Vikander and Matthias Schoenarts co-star. Read our review here
Joy
Director David O Russell reteams with the acting trio of Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro. Joy is a biopic of Joy Mangano, inventor of the 'Miracle Mop', and follows her as she builds her business empire. Read our review here
The Hateful Eight
Following Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino sticks to the Western genre, confining his action to a single location for this ensemble piece. What's most interesting about The Hateful Eight is the advanced age of its cast, with 79 year old Bruce Dern joining a pair of leading men - Kurt Russel and Samuel L Jackson - both in their sixties. And, of course, there's Ennio Morricone's original score.
Creed
**TMW Must See** The wildly positive Stateside reviews for Creed show you shouldn't mock any filmic concept, no matter how groan inducing it may originally sound. Basing a movie around the son of Apollo Creed seemed at first like little more than a derivative cash grab, but it seems Creed is an effective drama that stands on its own feet. Sylvester Stallone returns as Rocky Balboa, trainer to Michael B Jordan's second generation Creed.
The Revenant
**TMW Must SEE** After the faux one-take trickery of Oscar winner Birdman, director Alejandro Inarritu continued to push himself by shooting this revenge western in natural light, which led to many production delays. Early reports say this is one gruelling piece of cinema, with critic Jeff Wells controversially stating his belief that women couldn't handle its intensity.
Room
Irish director Lenny Abrahamson adapts Emma Donoghue's novel about a young woman and her son held captive in the titular confined location. Brie Larson is the bookies' favourite to take a Best Actress Oscar for her part. Read our review here.
The 5th Wave
If you thought the conclusion of the Hunger Games franchise signalled the end of dystopian Young Adult sci-fi adaptations, think again. Chloe Moretz hopes to emulate the success of Jennifer Lawrence by starring in this tale of alien invasion, and choosing between cute boys no doubt!
The Assassin
**TMW Must See** Hou Hsiao-Hsien's period martial arts epic was named the best film of 2015 by British publication Sight & Sound, having been one of the highlights of Cannes, where Hsiao-Hsien took home the Best Director prize. Shu Qi plays the title killer, who finds herself tasked with assassinating her childhood sweetheart.
The Big Short
Bale, Carrell, Gosling, Pitt, Tomei - The Big Short features one of the strongest casts you'll find all year. It's a tale of a bunch of suits who found a way to take advantage of the global credit crisis. Director Adam McKay swaps his comedy comfort zone for a stab at 'serious' drama.
Our Brand is Crisis
A remake of a 2005 documentary, David Gordon Green's latest didn't fare too well on its recent US release, with audiences staying away and critics offering generally negative reviews. Sandra Bullock is a political consultant hired by a Bolivian politician to help him win an election. Sounds like a concept someone like Hal Ashby would have knocked out of the park, but it seems like a misfire for Green.
13 Hours
The true story of the 2012 attack on the US diplomatic compound at Benghazi, as told in no doubt subtle fashion by director Michael Bay in between Transformers movies. The last time Bay tackled a real life story the result was Pain & Gain, so forgive us for not getting too excited over this one.
The 33
Another drama pulled from a recent news story is this adaptation of the 2010 Chilean mining disaster, which saw 33 men trapped for over two months. The movie opened recently to poor reviews in the US. Antonio Banderas stars.
Spotlight
**TMW Must See** Another true story (it's that time of year!) is Spotlight, which recounts the work of The Boston Globe in exposing widespread sexual abuse covered up by the Catholic Church. Many are calling this the Best Picture favourite. Read our review here.
Youth
We've so far been unable to get behind the over-bearing, sub-Fellini aesthetic of Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, but perhaps Youth will finally convince us of his worth. Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel star as a pair of rich old white guys reflecting on their lives while holidaying in the Swiss Alps. It's a hard life!
Partisan
Vincent Cassell stars in this Australian tale of a cult of child assassins, one of whom decides he's had enough of taking orders and seeks a way out of the only life he's ever known. Read our review here.
A War
Tobias Lindolm follows up his acclaimed piracy drama A Hijacking with a similarly themed story of a group of a Danish soldier accused of war crimes while serving in Afghanistan. Read our review here
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