20. “Yeh Din Ka Kissa”/“The Meyerowitz Stories”
Director: Noah Baumbach (“Frances Ha”)
Cast: Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Grace Van Patten
Synopsis: An estranged New York family reunite in advance of their patriarch’s career retrospective at an art gallery.
What You Need To Know: After the slightly disappointing receptions to “Margot At The Wedding” and “Greenberg,” Noah Baumbach has rebounded in a big way, with “Frances Ha” (a movie that was secret until it was announced in the TIFF line up), “While We’re Young” and “Mistress America” all proving satisfying to greater or lesser disagrees. The prolific filmmaker’s back soon with a film that’s variously been known as “Yeh Din Ka Kissa” or “The Meyerowitz Stories,” that promises another look at bourgeois New Yorkers, but with arguably his biggest name cast to date: Ben Stiller reunites with the director, but also Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman and in a rare and intriguing “Punch-Drunk Love”/“Funny People”-style move into more artful fare, Adam Sandler. It should look great as well: Andrea Arnold’s DP Robbie Ryan is the man shooting it.
Release Date: Shot in March, so this could be ready as soon as Sundance (though TIFF could be more likely).
19. “Coco”
Director: Lee Unkrich (“Toy Story 3”)
Cast: Benjamin Bratt
Synopsis: A young boy, Miguel, discovers a centuries-old century related to the day of the dead.
What You Need To Know: For the second time ever, we’re getting two Pixar movies in a year in 2017. The first time around, it was something of a mixed bag: the extraordinary triumph of “Inside Out” on one hand, the critical and commercial disappointment of “The Good Dinosaur” on another. Expect something similar this time around, with the summer bringing a third movie in the unloved “Cars” franchise (unless you’re an 8-year-old boy, in which case you go love the shit out of it), but then an original movie from “Toy Story 3” director Lee Unkrich in the fall. It’s said to revolve around the Mexican tradition of the Day of the Dead, but in a way that’s likely to be very different from the Guillermo Del Toro-produced “Book Of Life” a few years ago. Beyond that, not much is known right now, but original Pixar, and from the very talented Unkrich, is something to be welcomed.
Release Date: November 22nd
18. “Annihilation”
Director: Alex Garland (“Ex Machina”)
Cast: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, Oscar Isaac
Synopsis: A biologist heads into an environmental disaster zone with three other scientists in search of her husband, who went missing on a similar expedition.
What You Need To Know: After a successful screenwriting career that saw him reinvent the zombie film and the space movie with “28 Days Later” and “Sunshine,” Alex Garland made one of the most confident and interesting directorial debuts of recent years with “Ex Machina.” For his follow-up, he’s sticking with ambitious sci-fi, albeit with a bigger scope and budget, with this adaptation of a book by Jeff VanderMeer. He’s assembled a superb cast, led by Natalie Portman, and has some atmospheric and fascinating source material to play with, something more reminiscent of Tarkovsky’s “Stalker” than most sci-fi movies.
Release Date: Paramount haven’t dated it yet, but it could end up with a date similar to “Arrival” in the fall.
17. “The Shape Of Water”
Director: Guillermo Del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth”)
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Doug Jones, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer
Synopsis: A fantastical love story set in America during the Cold War.
What You Need To Know: It was fantastic, but unfortunately Guillermo Del Toro’s “Crimson Peak” failed to be the film that melded his more personal and commercial instincts, at least as far as the box office receipts stand. But a return to smaller-scale fare, for the first time since his Oscar-winner “Pan’s Labyrinth,” could be a real boon given the consistently high quality of his work in that mould. Especially with a cast like this, with a host of great character actors (also including Michael Stuhlbarg) and a well-deserved lead showcase for the great Sally Hawkins. Plot details remain under wraps at the moment, but it’s rumored to be a love story between a women and a merman-like aquatic creature, with Del Toro’s regular monster-man Doug Jones in the role, and it’s hard to imagine material more in the great director’s wheelhouse than that.
Release Date: None yet, but filming just wrapped, so expect it in the fall (and possibly earlier — could a return to Cannes be in the cards?).
16. “Mother”
Director: Darren Aronofsky (“Black Swan”)
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Domhnall Gleeson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ed Harris
Synopsis: A young couple receive some uninvited guests in their home.
What You Need To Know: After his last couple of films, it seems a little bit like Darren Aronofsky can do no wrong. Though he’s had commercial failures — “The Fountain,” most notably — Aronofsky made a weird giallo-ish ballet movie and turned it into an Oscar winning worldwide hit, and then made a deeply weird Biblical epic/character study, and made that a blockbuster smash too. It’s too early to say whether his latest can do the same — mainly because no one really knows anything about it, beyond that it’s a psychological thriller shot on glorious 16mm. But given the form he’s been on, and the superb level of talent involved, we can only imagine this’ll be another winner.
Release Date: Unclear, but most likely in the fall.
15. “You Were Never Really Here”
Director: Lynne Ramsay (“We Need To Talk About Kevin”)
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Alessandro Nivola, Ekaterina Samsonov, John Doman
Synopsis: A former FBI agent who’s dedicated his life to rescuing women from sex trafficking becomes embroiled in a case involving a powerful New York politician.
What You Need To Know: After she exited “Jane Got A Gun” on the eve of production, sparking a slew of rumors, recriminations and lawsuits (the lousy resulting Ramsay-less film rather vindicating the treatment of her), we’d worried that Lynne Ramsay might struggle to get another movie going, given the double standards that women usually face in this business. But fortunately, Ramsay is back, and with one of the hottest prospects on this list. This sees her going into dark noir territory, with an adaptation of a novel by “Bored To Death” author Jonathan Ames, and with Joaquin Phoenix in the lead, something that never fails to feel like an event. And if that’s not exciting to you, we don’t know how to help you.
Release Date: Expect it at Cannes, with A24 likely to put it out in the fall after that.
14. “Logan Lucky”
Director: Steven Soderbergh (“Ocean’s Eleven”)
Cast: Channing Tatum, Daniel Craig, Adam Driver, Hilary Swank, Katherine Waterston
Synopsis: Two brothers plan a heist against the backdrop of a NASCAR race.
What You Need To Know: Steven Soderbergh actually full-on retiring always felt like a long shot, and indeed, he never really left filmmaking, directing ten movies worth of material across two seasons of “The Knick.” But his return to the big screen for the first time in four years still feels like an event, particularly with a project as enticing as this one. His recent muse Channing Tatum was the one that tempted him back, with a project with echoes of “Ocean’s Eleven” but that likely has a more hard-boiled crime tone, and with a pleasingly eclectic cast — alongside the names above, we also get Riley Keough, Katie Holmes, Sebastian Stan, Macon Blair, Katherine Heigl (!), Seth MacFarlane (!!) and Gerry from “Parks & Rec” (!!!). Details are thin otherwise, but, man, this is Soderbergh, so we’ll be there opening day.
Release Date: August 18th
13. “The Snowman”
Director: Tomas Alfredson (“Let The Right One In”)
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, J.K. Simmons, Val Kilmer
Synopsis: A hard-drinking Norwegian detective investigates what could be the country’s first serial killer.
What You Need To Know: His “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” is one of the best movies of the last decade, but we haven’t heard from Tomas Alfredson since, after a few projects failed to get going. But he’s finally back this year, and that can only be a good thing, especially with a hard-boiled crime tale starring Michael Fassbender. It might have missed the Nordic noir trend by a few years, but given that this is something that Martin Scorsese came close to directing, we have to assume that there’s something really meaty to the source novel by Jo Nesbo (who penned the book that Morten Tyldum’s “Headhunters” was based on). And the Alfredson and Fassbender pairing is bound to be an unmissable one.
Release Date: October 13th
12. “The Killing Of A Sacred Deer”
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos (“The Lobster”)
Cast: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Raffey Cassidy, Bill Camp, Alicia Silverstone
Synopsis: A surgeon takes a young boy under his wing, only for the boy to turn out to be more sinister than he imagined.
What You Need To Know: Not every foreign-language filmmaker can transfer successfully to English-language work, but Yorgos Lanthimos did it with flair with “The Lobster,” one of the most wonderfully bizarre and uncompromised sleeper hits of recent years. And the great news is, he’s already back, reteaming with Colin Farrell (who did career-best work in their last collaboration) for a film that looks to be an extremely dark follow-up — according to its star, he felt “nauseous” after reading it, which we take as a strong recommendation from the man who made “Dogtooth.” Nicole Kidman (who excels with more daring choices like this), “Tomorrowland” breakout Raffey Cassidy, rising star Barry Keoghan and, uh, Alicia Silverstone also star, and we’re truly psyched.
Release Date: We’d bet good money on a Cannes debut.
11. “The Kidnapping Of Edgardo Mortara”
Director: Steven Spielberg (“Schindler’s List”)
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Mark Rylance
Synopsis: In the 1850s, the Catholic Church take a young Jewish boy whose nurse baptized him when he was sick, forcing his family to fight for years for his return.
What You Need To Know: After a three-year gap between “Lincoln” and “Bridge Of Spies,” Steven Spielberg seems to be gearing up for a prolific few years: “The BFG” opened in the summer, and he’s nearly wrapped on “Ready Player One” for 2018, and will shoot “Indiana Jones 5” that year. But in between (though actually set for release before the others), he’s going back to more serious territory, with a drama based on a real-life incident, as adapted by his “Munich” and “Lincoln” writer Tony Kushner. At a time when Trump’s America is seeing a horrifying rise in antisemitism, it could be the most relevant film he’s ever made, and he’s already got two great cast members on board, in shape of current muse Mark Rylance, and the outstanding Oscar Isaac.
Release Date: Nothing firm yet, but bound to be in the heart of awards season.
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!