AVENGERS: ENDGAME
The most antecipated movie of the year is the final chapter of the Avengers franchise. After 10 years of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the studio celebrates the end of 10 years of success with what might well be the biggest superhero production ever. Budget hasn't yet been revealed, but considering Infinity War's, I believe Marvel won't mind to spend some more so one of the highest grossing franchises ever ends in big fashion. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johnasson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd & company promise to be back to avenge the world!
(now the TOP 10 in alphabetical order)
- BLACKBIRD
- JOJO RABBIT
Holocaust? It's been a while since Hollywood produced a truly remarkable holocaust movie. Taika Waititi is one of the most charismatic directors these days and he's fresh from the tremendous creative success of Thor: Ragnarok and he brings something totally different from Marvel Cinematic Universe - the holocaust from the point of view of a child and his imaginary friend, Hitler (played by Waititi himself). Also described as a satyre, Jojo Rabbit might well bring something fresh and new to the holocaust genre if it manages to be as clever as serious at the same time. Well... Waititi knows how to build a movie around a child's mind: just have a look at Boy (2010) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016).
- LITTLE WOMEN
Greta Gerwig got a lot of love from audiences and the industry for her directorial debut Lady Bird (2017) and for her second feature film she assembled an impressive cast: Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, Meryl Streep, Timothée Chalamet, Laura Dern or Louis Garrel...!!! And Gerwig took on a timeless classic: Little Women, a novel by Louisa May Alcott, which was previously adapted for cinema already. The last cinematic adaptation earned Winona Ryder a Best Actress nomination back in 1994/95... the role now belongs to Ronan, who leads the second Gerwig film after starring Lady Bird. High hopes for this one!
- ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
The tale of a struggling TV actor and his stunt double who try to make a name for themselves in Hollywood during the time of Charles Manson murders that killed Sharon Tate - Quentin Tarantino is back! The bloody auteur of Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds or Django Unchained, Tarantino has assembled a stellar cast for his upcoming movie (again!): Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Al Pacino, Emile Hirsch, Damian Lewis, Bruce Dern, Dakota Fanning and Damon Harriman. Impressive, right? Plus, Quentin Tarantino was able to get final cut privilege from Sony Pictures, so I'm expecting something great very Tarantino style! Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has everything to be one of the most epic movies of 2019!
- STAR WARS: EPISODE IX
After the massive success of The Force Awakens, J.J. Abrams is back to Star Wars director's chair for Episode IX, after The Last Jedi (directed by Rian Johnson) was met with some criticism. Rey, Kylo Ren, Finn and Poe Dameron are back for the last chapter of the main Star Wars film franchise. We are expecting more action, stellar visual effects and a epic conclusion of Rey's story, but we'll have to wait until December in order to find what happens next. Expect this one to be another major box-office giant and an awards contender! Episode IX's title is yet to be revealed.
- THE IRISHMAN
The biographical drama about Frank Sheeran, a hitman who was also a labor union leader, will be released this year. The director? The one and only Martin Scorsese. The stars? Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci! Too good to ignore! The screenwriter? Steven Zaillian (Awakenings, Schindler's List, Gangs of New York, Moneyball and Girl With the Dragon Tattoo). Netflix will distribute the movie, but DeNiro said The Irishman would have a limited theatrical release, possibly in order to enter next Oscar race. It is Martin Scorsese most expensive movie ever, with a budget of $200M, but it is also one of his passion projects coming true! No matter what, The Irishman will be impossible to ignore!
- UNCUT GEMS
After The Meyerowitz Stories, it seems Adam Sandler still is determined to redeem the awful movie choices of the past years - and this time he's working with the Safdie brothers, the couple of directors who brought the acclaimed 2017's Good Times, starring Robert Pattinson. Uncut Gems is said to be inspired by the Safdies' dad, who worked in Diamond Manhattan District - and we don't know much more about the movie's plot. Considering Sandler can be great under the right direction and with the right script, I'm VERY curious to see how the Safdie brothers will use him! Plus, I'm hoping the Uncut Gems' score to be as delicious as Good Time's!
- UNTITLED NOAH BAUMBACH PROJECT
Noah Baumbach, the director of The Squid and the Whale (2005), Frances Ha (2012/13) or The Meyerowitz Stories (2017) will be back this year with a comedy/drama about a divorce and he cast Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson as the movie's leads. Considering how sharp his screenplays can be, Baumbach might be offering great parts to both Driver and Johansson, two of the best actors of their generation and I believe most movie folks are pretty curious about this movie. Considering Netflix delayed its release from November 2018 to an unspecified 2019 release, it makes me believe executives might try to define a strategy to make Baumbach's next as an awards vehicle. A film festival release seems likely... Cannes? Or do they feel confident enough to release it during Oscary fall film festivals? The Squid and the Whale earned its auteur a Best Original Screenplay nod and Frances Ha generated a lot of Best Actress Oscar talk for Greta Gerwig...
- US
Winston Duke and the always great Lupita Nyong'o play husband and wife. Husband and wife take their children to their beach house. Things get creepy when a bunch of strangers who look exactly like them arrive. And the rest might well be Jordan Peele at his best! After the unexpected success of Get Out (both at the box-office and during the awards season), Us is one of the most natural most antecipated movies of the year. The Us' pedigree is high, very high! The simple fact of having Lupita as the lead gives me confidence to say it can be one of the best movies of the year - Nyong'o has an immaculated resume, wich includes some of the best movies of this decade like 12 Years a Slave, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, The Jungle Book or Black Panther. Just watch the trailer: it is SO creepy!
- YESTERDAY
Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) is back with a feel-good movie full of... The Beatles' music!!! While this kind of movies might be a bit "risky" to build high expectation, truth is I loved the movie trailer! Sometimes, all you need is a good musical comedy that makes you smile - and it seems it will be easy to smile a lot with the story of Jack who plagiarizes The Beatles' songs and becomes a worldwide musical star, because the world forgot who The Beatles were during a global blackout. Both Himesh Patel and Lily Collins channel their most charming spirit... and Kate McKinnon also promises great comedic scene-stealing moments. It might sound too cliché, I know, but Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral) is the screenwriter, so just feel confident to embrace the movie's potential. I believe Yesterday might be one of the year's biggest (good) surprises.
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