The last few months of the year are when movie studios release their Oscars and Golden Globe hopefuls. We’ve got it all from superhero sagas to comedies to awards-season contenders! So here are our top picks for autumn 2018 on the big and little screen.
FILM
The Hate U Give- 22nd October
The Hate U Give is based on the critically acclaimed bestseller by Angie Thomas. Starr is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighbourhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right.
Anyone I’d know? Amandla Stenberg (The Darkest Minds, The Hunger Games), Regina Hall (Scary Movie 1-4) and Anthony Mackie (Falcon – Marvel).
Bohemian Rhapsody – 24th October
We’re actually surprised it’s taken this long for a proper movie about Queen’s Freddie Mercury to get made, but Bohemian Rhapsody will do just that. The film follows the rise of Queen, the period where Mercury attempted a solo career and reinvigoration at Live Aid in 1985. It also documents and explores Mercury’s sexuality and diagnosis with AIDS.
Anyone I’d know? Rami Malek (Mr Robot), Mike Myers (Austin Powers) and Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones).
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms- 2nd November
This film looks utterly magical and is based on the classic fairy tale by E.T.A Hoffman. Clara’s godfather leads her to a special key that takes her into the Four Realms—a fascinating new world full of terrifying toys, adorable mice, handsome soldiers, and Keira Knightley (the Sugar Plum Fairy, that is). While the realms sound delightful—the fourth realm is ruled by the scary Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren).
Anyone I’d know? Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald– 16th November
2016’s ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ took us back to JK Rowling’s Wizarding World via 1920s New York, and that was only the beginning. This year, ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ will continue to expand on what was going on back when Harry Potter was not even a twinkle in his parents’ eyes (in fact, Lily and James haven’t even been born yet either).
Anyone I’d know? Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything, The Danish Girl), Jude Law and Johnny Depp.
Robin Hood- 21st November
Taron Egerton is ready to steal from the rich as Robin Hood in the upcoming movie “Robin Hood.”Robin Hood is a war-hardened crusader, with Foxx playing a Moorish commander, mounting a revolt against the corrupt English crown. If you want a gritty, violent version of England with plenty of swordplay and archery, this is the one to watch!
Anyone I’d know? Taron Egerton (Kingsman Series), Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades of Grey) and Jamie Foxx.
The Girl in the Spider’s Web- 21st November
The Girl in the Spider’s Web is a sort of sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. However, instead of being the second book in the series, it is the fourth book in the Millennium series, and it’s written by a different author altogether.
Foy, last seen playing the posh Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, is unrecognizable as Salander. She’s got the piercings, the choppy black haircut, the leather-daddy apparel, and the Swedish accent down pat, swinging into action mode to wreak the character’s very particular brand of havoc.
Anyone I’d know? Claire Foy (The Crown)
Aquaman- 14th December
DC Comics’ lord of the seas is getting his own solo feature in 2018’s Aquaman. Jason Momoa will reprise his superhero role from 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and 2017’s Justice League.
Following the events of 2017’s Justice League, Arthur Curry, the reluctant ruler of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, is caught in a battle between surface dwellers that threaten his oceans and his own people, who are ready to lash out and invade the surface.
Anyone I’d know? Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones), Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge).
TV
The Haunting Of Hill House (Netflix) – 12th October
This modern reimagining of Shirley Jackson’s novel, The Haunting of Hill House, follows a group of siblings who grew up in what would go on to become the most famous haunted house in the country. Now adults, and forced back together in the face of tragedy, they must finally confront the ghosts of their past.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix) – 26th October
A dark re-imagining of the noughties children’s TV staple, ‘The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ follows the dark and twisted life of Sabrina Spellman, a teenage half-witch balancing her magical heritage and mortal relationships. Created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa exclusively for Netflix, this spellbinding neo-noir companion to the comic book adaption Riverdale, is definitely one to watch.
The War of the Worlds (BBC) – October
Mass panic and hysteria swept the United States on the eve of Halloween in 1938, when an all-too-realistic radio dramatisation of The War of the Worlds sent untold thousands of people into the streets or heading for the hills. Eighty years on, the BBC is gifting us with a brand new (and now Edwardian) adaptation of the HG Wells sci-fi novel.
Les Misérables (BBC) – November
The BBC’s new adaptation of Les Misérables is packed full of big-name actors – but they won’t be making a song and dance about it. Quite literally.This six-part drama will set aside the classic songs from the Les Misérables musical, instead taking things back to Victor Hugo’s original novel and delving deep into this story of love and revolution and survival.
Now I think that should sort your calendar out until Christmas….
