Our guide to the most interesting movies coming this autumn.
Words by Eric Hillis
2018 looks set to deliver the biggest autumn movie season in years.
There's a bumper crop of movies coming to cinemas from some of the most revered of today's filmmakers, including Steve McQueen, Sebastian Lelio, Matteo Garrone, Mike Leigh, Hirokazu Koreeda and Nuri Bilge Ceylan.
October usually brings an uninspiring, generic horror sequel/remake but this year we get David Gordon Green's take on Halloween and Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria remake.
And now, more than ever, Netflix are bidding for prestige with new movies from The Coen Brothers, Alfonso Cuaron, Gareth Evans, Paul Greengrass and of course Orson Welles.
Here are our picks of the most exciting movies coming to UK/ROI cinemas and Netflix over October and November.
22 July
The higher profile of two movies coming in October that examine the events of July 22nd, 2011, when Norway was subjected to one of Europe's worst ever terrorist attacks at the hands of far right extremist Anders Breivik. This one is written and directed by Paul Greengrass, who has previously tackled real life tragedies in Bloody Sunday and United 93, and focusses on the experience of a survivor in the aftermath of the attack.
On Netflix and in cinemas October 10th.
A Star is Born
This fourth version of the evergreen backstage drama sees Bradley Cooper (who also directs) in the role previously played by Frederic March, James Mason and Kris Kristofferson, here a grizzled country music star, while Lady Gaga follows in the path of Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand as the ingenue he takes under his wing and into his heart.
An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn
Director Jim Hosking follows up The Greasy Strangler with another offbeat comedy drama filled with oddball characters. Who better to match his unique sensibility than queen of quirk Aubrey Plaza? She plays a woman whose marriage is threatened by the arrival of a mysterious figure from her past in a film that has struggled to win over critics. It seems Hosking is very much an acquired taste.
In cinemas October 23rd.
Anna and the Apocalypse
The zombie genre has given us comedies (zom-coms), romances (zom-roms) and now a full blown musical. This Scottish indie sees a small town succumb to a zombie apocalypse at Christmas, with the titular heroine (Ella Hunt) and her friends belting out tunes as they battle to save their community.
In cinemas November 30th.
Apostle
Gareth Evans follows up his kinetic martial arts movies The Raid and its sequel with something very different, a folk horror starring Dan Stevens as a man who travels to a remote island to rescue his sister from a cult led by Michael Sheen.
On Netflix October 12th.
Assassination Nation
The internet is increasingly known for its angry outraged mobs, but in Assassination Nation, online outrage turns to real life violence when the residents of a small town have their most intimate secrets revealed on the web in this blood-soaked satire.
In cinemas November 23rd.
Bad Times at the El Royale
Writer/director Drew Goddard gathers an all-star ensemble including Dakota Johnson, Chris Hemsworth and Jeff Bridges as seven strangers congregate at the titular hotel only to find the establishment doesn't have rest and relaxation in mind.
In cinemas October 12th.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
One of Netflix's biggest coups sees the Coen Brothers work with the streaming giant for an anthology set in the Old West. Spinning six separate stories, the Coen's quirky western stars Liam Neeson, James Franco and Tim Blake Nelson.
On Netflix November 16th.
Been So Long
Rising British star Michaela Coel (TV's Chewing Gum) headlines this adaptation of the soul/funk stage musical. Coel plays a single mother who meets a handsome stranger (Arinzé Kene) on a rare night on the town.
On Netflix October 26th.
Blindspotting
Like last year's underseen gem Daphne, Blindspotting focusses on the aftermath of its protagonist witnessing an act of violence, in this case a police shooting. The film stars Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs, who also wrote the script, and has won much Stateside acclaim since its debut at Sundance back at the start of 2018.
In cinemas October 5th.
In cinemas October 5th.
Bohemian Rhapsody
With reported interference by the surviving members of Queen and Dexter Fletcher taking over directorial duties from an AWOL Bryan Singer, this biopic of the late Freddie Mercury has been dogged by setbacks and controversy, but footage suggests Rami Malek does the rock icon proud with his central performance.
In cinemas October 24th.
Columbus
Video essayist Kogonada makes his directorial debut with this laid back drama. John Cho and Haley Lu Richardson are excellent as a pair of adrift strangers who bond over the modernist architecture of the titular Indiana city.
In cinemas October 5th.
Creed 2
Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone return to the roles of Adonis Creed and Rocky Balboa for this latest instalment in Hollywood's most enduring series. This time Creed is battling the son of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), the Russian giant who killed Creed's father in Rocky IV.
In cinemas November 30th.
Disobedience
Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio follows up his Oscar winning A Fantastic Woman with his English language debut. Rachel Weisz stars as a woman who returns to the Orthodox Jewish London community she left earlier in her life. Rachel McAdams is the local woman she begins an affair with.
In cinemas November 30th.
Dogman
Matteo Garrone (Gomorrah) returns to the Italian crime milieu with this tale of a mild-mannered dog groomer (Cannes Best Actor awardee Marcello Fonte) who becomes dangerously linked with a violent ex-boxer (Edoardo Pesce) who terrorises his local community.
In cinemas October 19th.
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot
Joaquin Phoenix screams out for awards season acknowledgment in director Gus Van Sant's biopic of John Callahan, who became a quadriplegic at the age of 21 following a car crash and went on to become a highly respected cartoonist. Jonah Hill and Rooney Mara also star.
In cinemas October 26th.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
The Harry Potter spinoff continues with this second adventure of protagonist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). This one sees Scamander team up with Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) to thwart the evil world conquering plans of Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).
In cinemas November 16th.
First Man
La La Land director and star Damien Chazelle and Ryan Gosling reteam to tell the story of first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong (Gosling). With Claire Foy as Armstrong's wife Janet, expect a blend of family drama and space race adventure.
In cinemas October 12th.
Gangsta
This stylish Belgian crime caper comes from the filmmaking duo of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who are now headed for Hollywood to direct upcoming sequels Bad Boys for Life and Beverly Hills Cop 4.
In cinemas October 19th.
The Girl in the Spider's Web
The Guilty
Claire Foy continues her meteoric rise as she steps into the role of Lisbeth Salander, the vengeful Swedish hacker previously played by Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara. Don't Breathe's Fede Alvarez directs this latest chapter in the Dragon Tattoo series.
In cinemas November 21st.
Denmark's Oscar entry is an acclaimed thriller about an alarm dispatcher (Jakob Cedergren) who answers a drastic call from a kidnapped woman and finds himself drawn into an ever-growing mystery.
In cinemas October 26th.
Halloween
Director David Gordon Green discards all previous sequels to John Carpenter's 1978 slasher masterpiece to pick up the story 40 years after Michael Myers' night of terror. Jamie Lee Curtis returns to the role of the ultimate 'final girl', Laurie Strode, who has been preparing herself for Michael's return.
In cinemas October 19th.
The Hate You Give
Much like Blindspotting, this adaptation of a young adult novel concerns the fallout of a police shooting, as a young African-American girl (Amandla Stenberg) finds herself torn between her black neighbourhood and the predominantly white school she attends when her childhood friend is shot dead by the cops.
In cinemas October 22nd.
Juliet, Naked
Nick Hornby's novel hits the screen with Rose Byrne in the role of a British woman who begins a romance with the American singer-songwriter (Ethan Hawke) her boyfriend (Chris O'Dowd) idolises.
In cinemas November 2nd.
Mandy
It seems like every new Nicolas Cage movie is billed as boasting the ultimate Cage performance, but the hype is particularly loud for Mandy. Beyond the Black Rainbow director Pano Cosmatos' new film is said to be a psychedelic, psychotronic revenge tale and has been described as a Heavy Metal album sleeve brought to life. Sold!
In cinemas October 12th.
Nancy
Not to be confused with Mandy, Nancy also stars that film's female lead, Andrea Riseborough. In this one she plays a troubled woman who claims to be the subject of a kidnapping in the '80s. Ann Dowd and Steve Buscemi also star.
In cinemas October 12th.
Operation Finale
Director Chris Weitz tells the true story of the quest by Israeli agent Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac) to track down high ranking Nazi Adolf Eichmann (Ben Kingsley).
On Netflix October 3rd.
The Other Side of the Wind
Orson Welles' final film finally sees the light of day after the tireless work of a Netflix funded restoration team. John Huston stars in the somewhat autobiographical story of a once respected filmmaker's struggles to complete his masterpiece.
On Netflix November 2nd.
Outlaw King
Director David Mackenzie reenlists his Hell or High Water star Chris Pine for this historical biopic of Scottish hero Robert the Bruce. Netflix have reportedly chopped 20 minutes out of the film following a poor critical reception on its Toronto Film Festival premiere.
On Netflix November 9th.
Overlord
Once believed to be the latest entry in the Cloverfield franchise, Overlord combines the horror and war genres as a team of American soldiers find themselves battling violent Nazi created monsters on the eve of D-Day.
In cinemas November 7th.
Peterloo
Mike Leigh spins what might be his largest scale story in this period drama set around the 1819 massacre of protesters at Peterloo, Manchester by government forces.
In cinemas November 2nd.
Pili
This Tanzanian drama follows the titular young mother, who struggles to hide her HIV status while single-handedly raising two children. The largely amateur cast features several HIV positive performers.
In cinemas October 12th.
Possum
Having become typecast in creepy villain turns, Sean Harris gets a rare lead role as a disgraced puppeteer who returns to his childhood home with the intent of destroying a puppet that once menaced him as a child.
In cinemas October 26th.
Postcards from London
This LGBT drama stars Harris Dickinson (Beach Rats) as a young man who falls in with a group of rent boys when he leaves his home for the bright lights of London.
In cinemas November 23rd.
Robin Hood
Taron Egerton is the latest actor to pull on the tights of the English folk hero, and this Robin Hood can speak with a British accent! Is there a market for a Robin Hood movie in 2018 or will it follow King Arthur into the bargain bin?
In cinemas November 21st.
Shoplifters
Combining quality with quantity, Hirokazu Koreeda continues to fire out critically acclaimed gems at a staggering pace. A mere half a year after The Third Murder hit UK cinemas, Koreeda returns with the Palme d'Or winning Shoplifters, another of his trademark family dramas, this one focussing on a family forced to survive through petty crime.
In cinemas November 23rd.
Sink
Character actor Martin Herdman is a sensation in the role of working class man struggling to stay afloat in this charming drama which confounds expectations of British kitchen sink drama at every turn.
In cinemas October 12th.
Slaughterhouse Rulez
A fracking site uncovers a sinkhole that releases a menacing force into the woods beside a boarding school in this horror comedy. Simon Pegg, Asa Butterfield and Michael Sheen star.
In cinemas October 31st.
Suspiria
Horror remakes are usually as welcome as dentist appointments, but with Call Me by Your Name's Luca Guadagnino at the helm, this reworking of the Dario Argento classic is one of the highlights of the 2018 cinephile calendar. Dakota Johnson is the ballerina who uncovers spooky goings on at a German dance academy run by Tilda Swinton.
In cinemas November 16th.
Tehran Taboo
Animation has been utilised effectively to tell Middle Eastern stories in films like Waltz with Bashir, The Breadwinner and Persepolis. Tehran Taboo focusses on three women and a male musician and their struggles to conform with Iran's strict society.
In cinemas October 5th.
Utøya - July 22
The second film to tackle Norway's darkest day is a Norwegian language drama which focusses its attention on a young girl (Andrea Berntzen) who attempts to survive the massacre while helping others.
In cinemas October 26th.
Venom
This spinoff from the Spider-Man universe stars Tom Hardy as a disgraced journalist who becomes the unwitting host of an alien symbiote, transforming him into the titular creature. Michelle Williams and Riz Ahmed also star.
In cinemas October 3rd.
Waru
From New Zealand comes this drama which unfolds through eight short films (all helmed by female Māori directors) to examine the death of a young Māori boy at the hands of a caregiver.
In cinemas November 9th.
Widows
Steve McQueen's first film since his Oscar winner 12 Years a Slave sees him collaborate with Gone Girl writer Gillian Flynn for a movie adaptation of an '80s British TV series. Viola Davis heads the eponymous crew of women who, after being left widowed by the deaths of their criminal spouses, decide to continue their husbands' work.
In cinemas November 6th.
The Wild Pear Tree
Turkish auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Winter Sleep) offers another bladder busting piece of slow cinema with this drama centering on a wannabe author who finds himself caught up in his father's debts when he returns to his hometown.
In cinemas November 30th.
Wildlife
Paul Dano makes his directorial debut with this adaptation of Richard Ford's 1990 novel. Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan star as a married couple whose relationship is seen disintegrating through the eyes of their son (Ed Oxenbould).
In cinemas November 9th.