Our guide to summer 2018 at the movies.
Words by Eric Hillis
With the World Cup spanning June and July, summer 2018 isn't as blockbuster heavy as recent years, which means more indies and foreign films getting a chance this year. Here's our guide to the most intriguing movies opening in UK/ROI cinemas this summer.
A Prayer Before Dawn
A Simple Favour
Based on the real life experiences of young English boxer Billy Moore, A Prayer Before Dawn details his time incarcerated in notorious Thai prison 'The Bangkok Hilton', where he applied his athletic skills to survive. The film stars Joe Cole as Moore and is directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire (Johnny Mad Dog).
In cinemas July 20th
Known for comedies like Bridesmaids and the Ghostbusters reboot, writer/director Paul Feig turns to the thriller genre to adapt author Darcey Bell's bestseller. A Simple Favour follows the exploits of a small-town blogger (Anna Kendrick) who investigates the sudden disappearance of her friend (Blake Lively).
In cinemas September 21st.
Allure
It only feels like yesterday that Evan Rachel Wood was playing an adolescent in the controversial 2003 drama Thirteen, but now she's all grown up and portraying a child predator in Allure, in which she plays a piano tutor who becomes obsessed with a young pupil. The film marks the filmmaking debut of visual artists Carlos and Jason Sanchez.
In cinemas May 18th.
American Animals
Inspired by real events, writer/director Bart Layton's feature debut tells the story of four young men (played here by Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner and Jared Abrahamson) who attempt to pull off a daring art heist.
In cinemas September 7th
In cinemas September 7th
BlacKkKlansman
The Book Shop
Spike Lee has been working on the fringes of American cinema in recent years, but his adaptation of Ron Stallworth's book 'Black Klansman' might just bring him back into the mainstream. It tells the story of a black detective (John David Washington) who not only infiltrates a KKK chapter but becomes a powerful figure in the Klan. The cast also features Adam Driver, Topher Grace and I, Tonya's Paul Walter Hauser. Though it shares a very similar title and plot with Ted V Mikels' 1966 film The Black Klansman, it's not a remake.
In cinemas August 24th
Spanish writer.director Isabel Coixet's latest is an adaptation of the novel 'The Bookshop' by Penelope Fitzgerald. Emily Mortimer plays a widow who opens a bookshop in a building said to be haunted, and battles with the local council, who threaten her with eviction. Patricia Clarkson continues her collaboration with Coixet after previously appearing in Elegy and Learning to Drive. Bill Nighy also stars.
In cinemas June 29th
The Boy Downstairs
In the feature debut of writer/director Sophie Brooks, Zosia Mamet (daughter of filmmaker David Mamet and actress Lindsay Crouse) plays a young woman who moves into her dream Brooklyn apartment only to discover that the apartment downstairs is home to her ex-boyfriend (Matthew Shear). Awkward!
In cinemas June 8th
The Breadwinner
The latest acclaimed animation from Irish studio Cartoon Saloon picked up an Oscar nomination earlier this year and finally makes its way to cinemas on this side of the Atlantic. Director Nora Twomey's film follows the life of a young Afghan girl living under the rule of the Taliban.
In cinemas May 25th
The Children Act
Ian McEwan adapts two of his own novels for the screen this summer. On Chesil Beach was a disaster in our opinion, but hopefully he'll fare better with The Children Act. The film stars Emma Thompson as a judge whose latest case involves a young girl whose religion forbids her from undergoing the blood transfusion required to save her life.
In cinemas August 24th
Christopher Robin
Having been charmed by last year's A.A. Milne biopic, Goodbye Christopher Robin, we're curious to see what Disney do with this live action take on Milne's Winnie the Pooh universe. Ewan McGregor plays the adult Christopher Robin, who reunites with his childhood friends Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore et al. The screenplay is penned by the impressive trio of Alex Ross Perry, Tom McCarthy and Allison Schroeder, with Marc Forster directing.
In cinemas August 17th
The Ciambra
Mediterranea director Jonas Carpignano's latest gritty drama, The Ciambra, executive produced by Martin Scorsese, follows the exploits of a young Romani boy in Southern Italy as he finds himself torn between his own community, the local Mafia and African migrants.
In cinemas June 15th
In cinemas June 15th
Columbus
Kogonada established himself as one of the more interesting video essayists to emerge online in recent years and now he turns to filmmaking himself with Columbus. John Cho and Haley Lu Richardson play two strangers who bond over a shared love of architecture in the titular Indiana town.
In cinemas August 31st
The Endless
In a semi-sequel to their 2012 debut, Resolution, filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead take the lead roles of a pair of adult brothers who return to the cult they fled as teenagers after receiving a cryptic message. All manner of mindbending madness follows in one of the smartest genre movies of recent years.
The First Purge
The Happy Prince
This fourth instalment of the hit series takes us back to the beginning with a look at how the controversial Purge Night, when all crime in the US is legal for a 12 hour period, came to be. Series creator James DeMonaco returns as writer, with Gerard McMurray (Burning Sands) taking over directorial duties this time around. Marisa Tomei returns some star power to a franchise that has favoured relatively unknown actors since Ethan Hawke's appearance in the first film.
In cinemas July 6th
In a role he always seemed destined to play, Rupert Everett is Oscar Wilde in this passion project biopic, which the actor also wrote and directed. Everett has roped in an impressive cast of fellow British thesps, including Colin Firth, Emily Watson and Tom Wilkinson.
In cinemas June 15th
The Happytime Murders
If you're missing the screen presence of The Muppets, this Brian Henson directed caper may satisfy your thirst. In a Who Framed Roger Rabbit? style world populated by a mix of humans and puppets, a private eye hunts down a serial killer responsible for murdering the cast of an '80s TV show. Melissa McCarthy and Elizabeth Banks headline the human cast.
In cinemas August 24th
Hereditary
Earning rave reviews on the festival circuit, Hereditary, the feature debut of writer/director Ari Aster, looks set to be the next big horror hit. Two decades after The Sixth Sense, Toni Collette returns to the genre as a mother who attempts to protect her family from an apparent inherited curse.
In cinemas June 15th
Hotel Artemis
Screenwriter Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3; Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation) makes his directorial debut with this all-star actioner set in a hotel that provides refuge and medical care for criminals. The ensemble cast includes Jodie Foster, Jeff Goldblum and Sofia Boutella.
In cinemas July 20th
In the Fade
Diane Kruger scooped the Best Actress award at last year's Cannes Film Festival for her role in this German thriller from director Fatih Akin. Kruger plays a grieving woman who conducts her own investigation into the deaths of her husband and son in a terrorist attack.
In cinemas June 22nd
Incredibles 2
Belated sequels are all the rage now, and so we have a followup to 2004's Pixar hit. After dabbling in live action filmmaking with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Tomorrowland, Brad Bird returns to write and direct. This one focusses on The Underminer, the John Ratzenberger voiced villain introduced at the end of the first film.
In cinemas July 13th
Jeune Femme
Writer/director Léonor Serraille's feature debut stars Lætitia Dosch as a thirtysomething who struggles to reinvent herself following the end of a 10 year relationship. It sounds like every other female led French movie of the past year (I Got Life; Let the Sunshine In; Lover for a Day), but reviews have praised its insightful take and Dosch's performance.
In cinemas May 18th
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
2015's Jurassic World proved a massive hit, and so the inevitable sequel stomps its way into cinemas. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard return, with A Monster Calls' J.A. Bayona directing. This time Pratt and Howard attempt to save the island's dinos from an impending volcanic eruption.
In cinemas June 6th
L'Amant Double
The prolific French filmmaker François Ozon reteams with his Jeune et Jolie star Marine Vacth for this thriller loosely adapted from a Joyce Carol Oates novel. Vacth is a patient who falls first for her therapist (Jérémie Renier) and then for his sinister twin. Jacqueline Bisset also stars.
In cinemas June 1st
Mary Shelley
The other biopic of a famous British Mary stars Elle Fanning in the title role of the 'Frankenstein' author. The film marks the English language debut of director Haifaa Al-Mansour, who famously risked her life to become Saudi Arabia's first female filmmaker with 2012's Wadjda.
In cinemas July 6th
The Meg
After witnessing Dwayne Johnson fight a 30 foot flying wolf in Rampage, it's time for Jason Statham to go to battle with a 75 foot Megalodon shark. Statham plays a diver tasked with rescuing the crew of a sunken submarine before the titular creature feeds on them.
In cinemas August 10th
Mile 22
Director Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg continue their macho collaboration with Mile 22, an action thriller in which Wahlberg's CIA agent is tasked with extracting a cop with sensitive information out of a foreign country. John Malkovich, Iko Uwais and Ronda Rousey also star.
In cinemas August 10th
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Chloë Grace Moretz is the titular teen in this drama from Appropriate Behaviour director Desiree Akhavan. Based on Emily M. Danforth's novel, it's the story of a teenage lesbian sent to a conversion camp by her conservative family. American Honey's breakout star Sasha Lane plays Moretz's friend.
In cinemas August 31st
Mission: Impossible - Fallout
With his insistence on performing his own stunts, Tom Cruise has morphed into the love child of Buster Keaton and Jackie Chan, and no franchise gives him a greater platform for his daredevil insanity than Mission Impossible. This sixth entry reportedly features Cruise's craziest stunt to date. Rebecca Ferguson, who stole the show in the previous instalment, returns, as does former love interest Michelle Monaghan.
In cinemas July 26th
My Friend Dahmer
Based on the graphic novel by John Backderf, My Friend Dahmer explores the high school years of the infamous cannibal killer Jeffrey Dahmer and his friendship with Backderf. Former Disney kid Ross Lynch has won plaudits for his role as the future killer.
In cinemas June 1st
The Nun
Peppermint
That creepy Nun who emerged from a painting in The Conjuring 2 gets her own spin-off in this latest chapter of the increasingly extended 'Waniverse' franchise. Set in 1952, this one explores the events leading up to the painting of that sinister portrait. Corin Hardy (The Hallow) directs.
In cinemas September 7th
Taken's Pierre Morel directs this action thriller starring Jennifer Garner as a mother who goes on a Death Wish style rampage of revenge following the murders of her husband and daughter.
In cinemas September 21st
The Predator
This latest entry in the Predator franchise sees writers Shane Black (who also directs) and Fred Dekker reteam three decades after penning The Monster Squad together. With the Predators returning bigger and badder than ever, a crack team of soldiers and scientists is assembled to save the Earth.
In cinemas September 13th
Racer and the Jailbird
From director Michaël R. Roskam (Bullhead, The Drop), Racer and the Jailbird stars Blue is the Warmest Colour's Adèle Exarchopoulos as a race driver who falls for a Brussels gangster (Matthias Schoenaerts).
In cinemas July 13th
Redoubtable
The Artist's Michel Hazanavicius pays homage to the visual style of late '60s Jean Luc Godard while poking fun at the public persona of the Swiss auteur in this hilarious biopic that examines the disintegrating relationship between Godard and his young wife Anne Wiazemsky.
Revenge
First-time director Coralie Fargeat deconstructs the disreputable rape-revenge genre while indulging in its cinematic excesses in one of the most assured filmmaking debuts of recent years.
The Rider
Blurring the lines between fiction and documentary, Chloé Zhao's film stars young rodeo rider Brady Jandreau as a fictional version of himself, coping with the aftermath of an injury that could put an end to his career. It's an affectionate tribute to the sort of rural working class folk American media usually portrays with contempt or condescension.
The Secret of Marrowbone
Best known for his writing work with director J.A. Bayona on The Orphanage and The Impossible, Sergio G. Sánchez makes his directorial debut with this supernatural thriller starring an impressive quartet of young British stars - George Mackay, Anya Taylor-Joy, Mia Goth and Charlie Heaton.
In cinemas July 13th
Sicario: Day of the Soldado
The bad news is Denis Villeneuve doesn't return to direct this sequel to his 2015 thriller. The good news is his place is taken by Suburra director Stefano Sollima (son of spaghetti western stalwart Sergio). This one focusses on Benicio del Toro's undercover agent, who teams with Josh Brolin's CIA operative to take down a Mexican cartel involved in smuggling terrorists across the US border.
In cinemas June 29th
Sicilian Ghost Story
Inspired by a real life case in which a young boy was murdered by the Sicilian mafia in order to silence his father from testifying against them in court, Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza's film adds fantastical elements as a young girl searches for her missing friend.
Skyscraper
After saving America from giant rampaging monsters, Dwayne Johnson must save his family from a...umm...towering inferno in Skyscraper. Johnson is the architect behind a newly opened tower, only to find his family in danger when he is framed by an arsonist.
In cinemas July 13th
Slender Man
The Slender Man meme, in which a mysterious scrawny figure appears in the background of photos, usually at some point before the death of whoever might be in the foreground, played out several years ago, but it's finally getting the big screen treatment in this horror movie from director Sylvain White.
In cinemas August 24th
Solo: A Star Wars Story
The first standalone Star Wars spinoff, 2016's Rogue One, was granted a mixed reception, and with Ron Howard brought in late in the day to replace original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, rumours of turmoil have dogged this Han Solo origin story. Trailers suggest a lighter tone than the recent crop of Star Wars movies, which many disillusioned viewers may welcome.
In cinemas May 24th
Teen Titans Go! To the Movies
Under the Tree
Will Arnett, Nicolas Cage and Kristen Bell headline the voice talent in the big screen debut of DC Entertainment and Cartoon Network's cult animated show. As the title suggests, our heroes head to Hollywood in search of fame in a movie that pokes more than a few digs at the superhero genre.
In cinemas August 3rd
Iceland are back in the World Cup this summer, defying the odds once again, and the tiny Nordic nation has been punching above its weight in the cinema as much as on the pitch in recent years. This drama from writer/director Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson explores the growing tension between two sets of neighbours brought about by the refusal to trim an overgrown tree.
In cinemas August 10th
The Wife
In director Björn Runge's The Wife, Glenn Close plays the devoted and loyal spouse of an acclaimed writer (Jonathan Pryce). When she accompanies her husband to Sweden, where he is to receive the Nobel prize for literature, she begins to confront the sacrifices she has made for her marriage. Max Irons, Christian Slater and Alix Wilton Regan also star.
In cinemas September 28th
Yardie
Idris Elba makes his directorial debut with an adaptation of Victor Headley's cult novel. Aml Ameen stars as a young Jamaican man whose past, and with it the threat of violence, catches up with him in 1980s London.
In cinemas August 24th
Zama
Acclaimed Argentine filmmaker Lucrecia Martel returns with this period drama, her country's submission for the most recent Academy Awards. Set in 17th century Paraguay, the narrative follows a Spanish corregidor (a colonial judicial functionary) as he pines for his homeland.