40. “Vox Lux”
Director: Brady Corbet (“Childhood Of A Leader”)
Cast: Rooney Mara, Jude Law
Synopsis: Drama set between 1999 and the present day, following a young woman as she rises from tragedy to become a pop superstar
What You Need To Know: Having done an apprenticeship of sorts by working with an impressive array of European auteurs (including Michael Haneke, Lars Von Trier, Olivier Assayas, Mia Hansen-Love and Ruben Ostlund), Brady Corbet’s been stepping behind the camera in recent years, writing the powerful “Simon Killer” and “The Sleepwalker,” before directing the impressive, if not all-the-way-there “Childhood Of A Leader.” As ever, he’s not lacking in ambition for his second feature: it’s a musical drama telling the story of the 21st century so far, with original songs by Sia, and a pair of A-listers in Mara and Law. Oh, and it’ll be shot on 65mm film too. Even if it’s another swing-and-a-miss like his last movie, it should be a fascinating to watch, and maybe, just maybe, the ambition pays off.
Release Date: Starts shooting in January, so could be ready for Venice or similar.
39. “Thelma”
Director: Joachim Trier (“Oslo August 31st”)
Cast: Eili Harboe, Kaya Wilkins, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Henrik Rafaelsen
Synopsis: A young woman falls in love, only to discover she has terrifying powers.
What You Need To Know: One of the most under-appreciated films of the last year or so was Joachim Trier’s “Louder Than Bombs,” the English-language debut by the Norwegian helmer behind “Reprise” and “Oslo August 31st.” But while the beguiling, fascinating film failed to find much of an audience, we’re as excited as ever by Trier, and news that he’s going into more genre-ish territory for his next film, which sees him return to Norway, only has us more keen. Not much is known exactly how this one will work, but expect it to be very different from most supernatural fare, given the director in charge.
Release Date: A return to Cannes seems fairly likely.
38. “Where Life Is Born”
Director: Carlos Reygadas (“Post Tenebras Lux”)
Cast: Unknown
Synopsis: A bull-breeding rancher is left distraught when his wife leaves him for another man.
What You Need To Know: As one of the most singular talents to emerge this century, the five-year absence of Carlos Reygadas from our screens since “Post Tenebras Lux” has been felt more than most. But that absence is coming to an end, as Reygadas reportedly began shooting his latest feature, “Where Life Is Born” last year, and we should see the fruits soon. Seemingly retaining the Mexican rural setting he’s mostly worked with before now, this apparently examines, among other things, open relationships, and sounds like a potential step away from the experimenta of his last movie. But then, with Reygadas, you never quite know.
Release Date: Surely headed for Cannes.
37. “Kong: Skull Island”
Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts (“The Kings Of Summer”)
Cast: Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John C. Reilly, John Goodman
Synopsis: In the 1970s, a group of scientists, government officials and soldiers travel to an uncharted island in the Pacific, but soon find that they’ve stumbled upon the home of a giant ape named Kong — and he might be the friendliest thing on the island…
What You Need To Know: With only a little more than ten years since we last saw seminal movie monster King Kong on screen, in Peter Jackson’s often great but deeply bloated 2005 film, we wondered if there was much more to do with everyone’s favorite giant monkey. But from the buzz and footage so far, it seems like Jordan Vogt-Roberts has delivered on the promise of his excellent debut “The Kings Of Summer” with a very different take on the story from anything we’ve seen before. Riffing principally on “Apocalypse Now” but with a bunch more influences in the mix too, trailers so far have seemed both genuinely epic and light-footed in tone, thanks in part to a terrific and eclectic ensemble of actors. Potentially the blockbuster surprise of the year.
Release Date: March 10th
36. “Thor: Ragnarok”
Director: Taika Waititi (“Hunt For The Wilderpeople”)
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Synopsis: In an attempt to restore his father to the throne, and fend off new villain Hela, Thor must team with old ally Bruce Banner/the Hulk and his brother Loki for a journey that will cross the Nine Realms.
What You Need To Know: Amidst the might of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far, the “Thor” films feel like the slightly unloved black sheep, particularly the rightly lamented sequel “The Dark World.” So why are we more excited about the third film in the series than the other two Marvel movies this year? Well, for one, the cast is superb: Ruffalo’s Hulk joining the fun, Cate Blanchett as the villain, Tessa Thompson as new hero Valkyrie, and Jeff Goldblum, Karl Urban and Sam Neill joining all the existing players. But mainly it’s director Taika Waititi, who’s been on a hell of a run after “What We Do In The Shadows” and “Hunt For The Wilderpeople,” and seems like an inspired choice to make the “Thor” universe finally click on screen.
Release Date: November 3rd
35. “The Circle”
Director: James Ponsoldt (“The End of the Tour”)
Cast: Emma Watson, John Boyega, Tom Hanks, Patton Oswalt, Karen Gillan
Synopsis: A young woman lands a job at a mysterious Google-style tech giant
What You Need To Know: Best-selling author and McSweeneys founder Dave Eggers has had mixed success on screen so far — his script for Spike Jonze’s “Where The Wild Things Are” was masterful, his one for Sam Mendes’ “Away We Go” slightly less so, and Tom Tykwer’s adaptation of his novel “Hologram for The King” was kind of a bore. But given James Ponsoldt’s A+ track record so far (with “Smashed,” “The Spectacular Now” and “Master Of None” also on his CV), this tech-world satirical thriller could be something special, particularly the fascinating cast, including John Boyega’s first big post-“Star Wars” role, Ellar Coltrane’s first after “Boyhood,” and America’s dad Tom Hanks in a rare supporting turn.
Release Date: April 28th – we’d guess a SXSW premiere first, or maybe Sundance
34. “Get Out”
Director: Jordan Peele
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Alison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, Lakeith Stanfield
Synopsis: An African-American man visits his white girlfriend’s parents in suburbia for the first time, and though he’s initially welcomed, starts to suspect that something sinister is going on under the surface.
What You Need To Know: With “Key & Peele’ sadly finishing its amazing five-year run in 2015, Keegan-Michael Key has become virtually omnipresent, in both leading roles and supporting ones. But Jordan Peele, their joint star vehicle “Keanu” aside, has been quieter on screen, but that’s because he’s been busy behind camera, with his feature filmmaking debut. And while it seems to show the dark and provocative sense of humor that he’s known for, it’s actually a horror movie first and foremost, with an irresistible — and frankly, timely — premise, and backing from low-budget horror maestro Jason Blum. The cast looks killer (including a well-deserved lead role for Daniel Kaluuya) and the trailer was excellent, so this could well be one of the big sleepers of 2017.
Release Date: February 24th, with possibly a Sundance bow first.
33. “Mudbound”
Director: Dee Rees (“Pariah”)
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Jason Mitchell, Garret Hedlund, Jason Clarke, Mary J. Blige
Synopsis: Henry and Laura, a Memphis married couple move to a cotton farm in the Mississippi Delta in 1946, while Henry’s brother Jamie returns from war with a friendship forged with Ronsel, an African-American son of the tenant farmers on the family farm.
What You Need To Know: Dispiritingly, six years have passed since director Dee Rees premiered her sublime feature debut “Pariah” without her releasing another big-screen movie (though her HBO film “Bessie” won deserved acclaim a few years back). Fortunately, she’s back in 2017 with a melodrama that could turn out to be a stealth Oscar contender. Based on Hillary Jordan’s best-selling 2008 novel that examines racial injustice, PTSD and family tragedy, all timely subjects despite the period setting, and with backing from “The Imitation Game” producer Black Bear, and a terrific cast led by Carey Mulligan, expect to hear a lot more about this one.
Release Date: Filming was wrapped by the summer, so this could be at Cannes, but Telluride/TIFF are probably more likely.
32. “How To Talk To Girls At Parties”
Director: John Cameron Mitchell (“Hedwig and the Angry Inch”)
Cast: Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman, Ruth Wilson, Matt Lucas, Alex Sharpe
Synopsis: In 1970s London, hapless punk wannabe Enn falls for a girl at a party only to discover she and her friends are aliens sent to prepare the way for a mysterious interplanetary ritual that will put Enn and his newfound love in mortal peril.
What You Need To Know: After two carnal classics in ‘Hedwig’ and “Shortbus‘ director John Cameron Mitchell surprised everyone with a left turn into somber drama with the Nicole Kidman film “Rabbit Hole.” Kidman returns for this whimsical coming-of-ager, based on an award-winning Neil Gaiman short story which the director co-wrote for the screen with Philippa Goslett. It’s a punk-inflected story (so we expect a cracking soundtrack) and a romantic comedy with sci-fi-ish elements, so it’s another brand new string to Mitchell’s bow, and it’s looking increasingly like he can do anything. Plus this cast, with the destined-for-greatness Fanning, and the already-great-in-everything Wilson as well as Kidman? We’re there.
Release Date: No word yet.
31. “T2: Trainspotting”
Director: Danny Boyle (“Trainspotting”)
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Johnny Lee Miller, Ewan Bremner, Kelly MacDonald
Synopsis: Sequel to the cult hit “Trainspotting,” picking up with Renton, Spud, Sick Boy, Begbie and Diane twenty years on.
What You Need To Know: Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose an Oscar-winning movie with “Slumdog Millionaire.” Choose to become a national hero by directing an amazing Olympics opening ceremony. Choose a widely-derided scuzzy thriller follow-up with “Trance.” Choose an Oscar-bait biopic of a tech genius that fails to connect with an audience (undeservedly). Choose to make a long-talked about sequel to the film that broke you into the mainstream. Choose to mostly discard “Porno,” Irvine Welsh’s novel sequel to his original book. Choose to reunite with the A-list actor you made a star but who you fell out with after choosing Leonardo DiCaprio to star in “The Beach” instead of him, as well as the rest of the original cast, many of whom have become U.S. network TV staples since. Choose to release a trailer that suggests the same inventive energy of the original, but with everyone a little bit older. Choose to give your film the same name as “Terminator 2,” for some reason. Choose “T2.”
Release Date: March 3rd, with an earlier UK date of January 27th. Expect a Sundance premiere.
PTA’s TWBB was not set in the Depression-era, it was early the early 20th century, starting even before, in 1898, and ending before the Great Depression, in 1927. Any cinefile would know (though maybe not the specifics), and any idiot knows TGD was in the late 1920s through the 30s.
It may not qualify for this film list, but it’s also worth remembering that Twin Peaks makes its return next year as well (and, if rumors are true, may see some form of theatrical release for selected episodes).
Very much doubt the PTA film will be ready by 2017
“Lady Bird” is NOT Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut. She previously directed “Nights and Weekends”, which is one of the greatest movies of the last decade (at least according to me).
It’s her singular directorial debut though since Nights and Weekends was made with Joe Swanberg, and she’s even talked about it in an interview about how it was a new experience for her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRtveFQxJC0
You overlooked “The Salesman” by Asghar Farhadi, one of the greatest directors working today.
I would guess that they covered it in their list for 2016. A lot of international films that are likely to get US release dates next year were probably covered there.
OK, the omission of Alfonso Cuaron’s next film is a HUGE mistake in so many ways. 1) It represents a hasty job of making this list 2) You guys had him at #12 in your 100 Best Director list, and said about his next film “going back to Mexico to shoot a smaller-scale Spanish-language drama, only makes us love him more”. ?????? 3) It’s freaking Alfonso Cuaron, and he’s making a Mexican-language film. How do you make a mistake like that?
Definitely an oversight.
Easy, by him pulling a totally moronic move like making a mexican movie in mexican language. if you want a movie watched, if you want to share some message with your film, it needs to be in ENGLISH, period. It is the de facto standard international language. . It gains the director nothing because it paints him as some douche bag trying to get labled as artistic and brilliant when in reality it just makes you an ignorant ass who doesnt care about his potential viewing audience. The film loses because no one is going to watch it except for hipster douchebags and mexicans who are just going to pirate it because they cant afford a burrito, let alone going to a movie. Us potential viewers lose big time because we miss out on something that might of been a great flick by a talented directed who fkced the pouch by putting it out in mexicali. Its one thing if your uneducated and dont speak english to make a foreign him. But if you not only know english, you have demonstrated you can make a phenomenal english language film,.your just being a moron at best to make a film in anything but english and at worse an arrogant asshat Who thinks making a film in such a way that he guarentees it wont bewatched by almost anyone is some sort of artistic statement instead of being a fool
yep
The PTA movie is set in London not in New York.
‘Woody Allen (“Scoop”)’
wat
You need an editor. For starters, where is The Lost City of Z? You’re not eager to see it next year? It was one of the best reviewed films at the NYFF just a few weeks ago (at 87% on RT right now), ten years in the making, and directed by James Gray. How do you explain an oversight like that? Especially when this list has some real junk. And in what universe is Olivier Assayas considered a “smart young filmmaker”? Bad editing. Pattinson is working with lots of smart, young filmmakers, and I’m far more excited about seeing Damsel, from the Zellner brothers than anything that Assayas might put out. Idol’s Eye is still a pipe dream, Assayas doesn’t know if he can even get it together (according to his latest interview out of a film festival in Argentina). I’d even rather see Harmony Korine’s The Trap than Idol’s Eye.
Seeing as Olivier Assayas is a month away from turning 62, I would wholeheartedly agree he is not young! But the majority of his films have received acclaim (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/olivier_assayas/). He’s obviously nothing to sneeze at. On a different note, agreed that Lost City of Z and Damsel (and also Alfonso Cuaron’s currently-in-production drama set in Mexico City) were unduly snubbed.
Lost City of Z we’ve already seen and reviewed so that goes on another list which you’ll see soon.. Harmony Korine’s The Trap is currently on hold, fyi and he may not even make it- certainly not in 2017. So it’s actually the trap that’s a pipe dream whereas Idol’s Eye is actually going forward and has money and backers, etc.. The Cuaron was an omission that we rectified.
The Sicario sequel, Soldado, is actually filming right now and is expected in 2017.
So right about a Phoenix film always feeling like an event 🙂 The films don’t always come through for me, but he does. My favorite film of late is The Immigrant. His performance shook me to tears
Phoenix is on the roll this decade – The Master, Her, The Immigrant, Inherent Vice. Even when the final result is a little bit underwhelming (Irrational Man) he makes the movie interesting. And I agree about ‘The Immigrant’, excellent film and very underrated. Can’t wait for ‘Mary Magdalene’.
I could not get on board with The Lobster. I guess it’s just the whole genre. I didn’t find it funny. But your right Farrell was great. He’s just gotten better and better these days. Raffey Cassidy is so adorable, little nervous about seeing her in a Yorgos film
I loved the hotel section of The Lobster. I thought it got way less interesting once he escaped.
So appropriate to have a PTA/DDL reunion at #1. There Will Be Blood was brilliant and Day Lewis created one of the greatest characters ever, endlessly quotable. You look like a fffffool, dont you Tilford?
I agree I can’t wait I just don’t see how it will be coming out in 2017. My prediction is that it hits Cannes 2018.
“I AM THE THIRD REVELATION !!!” lol
hahaha yes
This is always one of my favorite features of the year, I refer to it often. Thanks, ya’ll.
Thanks guys, great list. Ignore the morons.
Your opinions are insufferable. It seems like you hate pretty much everything, except the usual stuff internet geeks love (PTA etc.). You put Alien Covenant, the new Polanski and the new Allen movies on the list, but rip their recent work apart in the text. Makes no sense.
Recent Ridley Scott isn’t that great. Hoping this is better.
Rooney Mara certainly knows how to choose interesting projects. Her only mistake this decade was ‘Pan’.
She seems to have access to anything she wants
WEIGHTLESS should be in the Top 20 at least. I completely understand why people aren’t enthusiastic about this project anymore but it deserves much more for that glorious cast alone. Best ensemble of the decade ? I think so !
We don’t know how many of them will even make the cut though and how many scenes they’ll get. Knight of Cups had a great cast too but some actors were basically a glorified cameo if you could even identify them to begin with.
Really want a trailer already though.
I hope that at least main six (Gosling, Mara, Fassbender, Portman, Bale, Blanchett) are in the final cut and with as much screen time as possible. If Weightless premieres in Berlin (and it’s likely) then we can expect trailer this month (that was the case with Knight of Cups). Seriously, I’m tired of waiting for this movie.
I hope The Beguiled delivers, and make Elle Fanning earn her first Oscar nomination.
Wait, why was “Loving Vincent” not mentioned? There’s no chance that film is going to be anything other than a mindblowing spectacle of animation. Is it still that relatively unknown?
Are you serious with that Polanski write up? Why are you joking about him sexually assaulting a minor? Is that really not that big a deal to you, do you think it shouldn’t cloud peoples views of his films??
Uh… what?
I got the complete opposite reaction to that. It’s a joke, sure, but a very serious one. What possible reason would they have to mention it so many times if they felt it wasn’t a big deal or shouldn’t cloud peoples views of his films? I mean, I honestly can’t understand how you can have gotten that impression.
I’m a fairly loud feminist and even I found it kind of needless. The only person who deserves to hate him is his victim and she has forgiven him and wants to move on with her life. You can see something close to a filmed apology with the way Polanski handles TESS and DEATH AND THE MAIDEN.
I think an apology would have a greater impact if it wasn’t “assumed” but actually spoken.
he should be in jail
I would put The Glass Castle higher. Short Term 12 was tremendous, should have been the film Larson won for.
1. Episode 8
2. Justice League
3. Dunkirk
4. PTA Fashion Drama
5. Free Fire
Nolan was nominated for an Oscar twice
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is easily Clooney’s best directorial effort, what are you guy’s talking about?
I’m actually really excited for Power Rangers!
{though the themes of racism and police brutality will undoubtedly make it feel just as of-the-moment}……
Oliver Dear: You neglected to add In Obama’s America to the bracketed statement.
Alien Covenant at 91 is madness, for one I will never understand the Prometheus hate, that was an excellent movie and worthy prequel, the abortion scene is one of the best body horror scenes of all time, for another to get Scott back with the Xenomorphs is just about the most hype thing to happen in cinema for a while.
it sucked
looking forward for the movie “Berlin Syndrome”
I’m a little bummed. Nothing from Leonardo Dicaprio this year??? No!! Would make an interesting awards season with Day/Dicaprio/Phoenix/Oldman…….
I thought Prometheus was great. Don’t write like your opinion is fact.
Seriously. Didn’t even make it through this.
you are wrong and it’s a fact
So you just put Polanski’s next movie on here to remind people 38 times that he’s a convicted sex offender, right?
rightfully so
Woof that Godard biopic sounds fuckin dreadful.
Also, “Venus in Furs” was not “pretty awful.”
Oy.
Well gee, could you at least leave out the innuendo about Polanski? And you said the film stars his “partner”. Your journalistic skills are indeed lacking if you can’t IMDB him and find out Emmanuelle Seigner is not his partner, but his WIFE of 28 years. So please, next time do your actual research and find out that said “13 year-old” has been staunchly on his side for the past almost four decades. So again, you do yourself a great disservice when you don’t get the facts straight.
stop defending a rapist
I don’t know, Kingsman: The Golden Circle seems much more exciting than the rest of these movies (at least to me), but I forgot that it’s a shitty racist, sexist, and homophobic movie that nobody should like.
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is good!