Upcoming 2019 Films
Joker has come out but there's more to be excited about
So Joker has come out and it was one of the most talked about and hotly anticipated films of the year. Many of you would have seen it by now, and you might be wondering what else is even coming out the rest of the year? You might feel lost, you might feel a vacuum. Don’t worry – I’ve listed films still yet to come out for wide release this year. There’s still some big blockbusters and some, smaller, Oscar bait films on the horizon. And some of them are looking amazing and you should definitely add them to your to see list.
Hooray! 2019 isn’t over!
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
There’s this small kind of edgy/hipster film coming out in December called Star Wars. You probably haven’t heard of it. Well, for those who are down with it, the 9th episode of the Star Wars saga comes out December 19th and will conclude the reboot trilogy that director JJ Abrams kickstarted back in 2015 with The Force Awakens. It will be intriguing to see how far after the events of the last film this one picks up from. This trilogy has been a massive nostalgia fest, which I’m all here for, bringing back cast members from the original trilogy. To complete this trend we’ll be getting Billy Dee Williams, back as Lando, and the villainous Emperor looks set to make his return. The plot is largely unknown, but one thing is for sure – this will be the biggest film at the cinema comes Christmas time.
Cats
The trailer for this movie scared the shit out of me and it looks like a straight up horror film. I mean look at the state of their faces. But, at least we’ll be getting something a bit different with this one. There’s been very few musicals this year and Cats is adapted from the beloved stage show. Tom Hooper, who also directed Les Miserables (2012), is behind this movie and it has an all-star cast to boast as well. Part of me is thinking this might actually be one of the worst films of 2019, but it might be so bad its good. Time will tell. At least, Jennifer Hudson is in it.
1917
A British film about British soldiers, told by a British director based on his British grandfather, featuring a strong British acting ensemble cast. So logically, it comes out in America before the UK. Since this website is a worldwide phenomenon, thought I’d include this for my US readers who I’m very jealous of. I wrote recently about what I thought of the most recent trailer, and I think this has all the makings of a technical masterpiece. Roger Deakins behind the lens and shooting this film as if it’s one shot promises to make this feel like no war film we’ve ever seen before.
Spies in Disguise
This film looks hilarious and I have no shame in saying I’m excited to see it. Will Smith is the main voice in this upcoming animated film, but he’s joined the likes of Tom Holland, Rashida Jones, Ben Mendelson and DJ Khaled (really?). Will Smith plays a famous super spy who turns to a young scientist to give him gadgets to assist his missions. But things go wrong and he turns into a pigeon. Shut up and take my money.
Last Christmas
This looks so cheesy and so soppy. And even worse, it’s a cheesy, soppy Christmas film. I love Love Actually (2003) as much as the next guy but the trailer doesn’t fill me with hope for this one. But maybe I’m being too cynical. It’s directed by Paul Feig who also directed Bridesmaids (2011) which is genuine laugh out loud comedy. It’s got Emilia Clarke, who I fancy. It’s got Henry Golding, who I think should be considered to play the next James Bond. It’s also set in London at Christmas time. Ok damn it, I bite. See you guys at the midnight screening.
Frozen 2
I don’t know, take your kids to go see it. Or see it yourself. I’ll be skipping this one.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
This film is about the relationship between a pessimistic journalist and the ever-upbeat and optimistic children’s television presenter, Fred Rogers. Tom Hanks plays this much-loved man who impacted many in real life with his unwavering positivity and his willingness to teach kids about difficult topics. I’m really intrigued to learn more about the character, who was an icon in the US but international audiences will likely know much less about. But perhaps more interestingly, is we will see a discussion or conflicts in philosophies and how that plays out. Early buzz for this film is very positive and is currently at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. This might be one of the early Oscar contenders to keep an eye out for.
Ford v Ferrari
Christian Bale is back – hallelujah! He stars alongside Matt Damon in this film, directed by James Mangold, about the 24 hour race of Le Mans. The racing sequences from this movie look unreal and it looks to be a nice combo of action and drama. These two men lead a team of engineers to build a car worthy of defeating the iconic and legendary Ferrari.
Knives Out
This is amongst my most anticipated films of the year. I’ve loved all the trailers for this film and I can’t wait to see it in November. Rian Johnson writes and directs this one, and he’s quickly becoming one of the most exciting filmmakers to follow. A whodunit murder mystery surrounding a family get together. The cast of this film is simply ridiculous and the script is getting a lot of plaudits already.