Here we are once again, the start (kind of...) of a new year that brings about new things to be excited for! I always have somewhat of a hard time writing these lists this early, as more and more films are revealed for the tail end of the year as we go along (which lead to me writing an extra list last June). But that doesn't mean we already don't have a lot to look forward to, as I've compiled a list that we are currently looking forward to in 2018. So let's not waste any more time and dive right in to what will surely be another year of great experiences and new memories, maybe even favourites.

In Alphabetical Order

Annihilation

Alex Garland’s 2015 film, Ex Machina, was a wonderful debut, filled with great visual storytelling, tone, and acting. His follow-up is an adaptation of the first novel in Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy, about an all women team that make up an expedition into an abandoned area, an area that has led prior expeditions to instances of suicide, disappearances, and trauma.
Ex Machina, while great in many forms, showcased that Alex Garland was able to handle nerve-wracking tension phenomenally, and we are bound to be gripping into our seats armrest during his new film. With an all-star cast including Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tuva Novotny, Tessa Thompson, and Oscar Isaac, Annihilation has the makings of the best thriller of this year.

Boy Erased

Proving himself as good behind the camera as he is in front of it with The Gift, Joel Edgerton adapts Garrard Conley’s memoir about his childhood and his enrollment in gay conversion therapy by his fundamentalist Arkansas family. The topic is one that has been discussed in the real world, maybe not even as much as it deserves given how despicable an act it is. It is something that needs to be more widespread, at just how horrendous these acts are and, most importantly, how real and common it is. I have complete faith in Edgerton giving the material the proper attention and care it needs, and it will probably be one of the most heartbreaking, anger-inducing sits of the year, while also quite possibly the most important.

Halloween

It’s easy to not be excited for new entries in old horror franchises. When it was first revealed that there would be a new Halloween film, I couldn’t help but sigh and expect it to end up the way that so many of these films do. Then, more and more information started coming out; John Carpenter decided to come back to “course correct” the franchise, David Gordon Green and Danny McBride had pitched an idea that excited Carpenter, it’s to be a direct sequel to the first, Carpenter will do the music, Jamie Lee Curtis signed on to return as Laurie Strode… it became harder and harder to keep the excitement from growing with every new bit of news. I’m trying to keep my hopes in check, but this may very easily be one of the best entries in the series, and the best in a long time.

High Life

The first English film from the fantastic Claire Denis, and based on an idea she’s had in mind for about 15 years, High Life is about criminals (among them, Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche) being sent into space on a mission to find alternate energy. The fact that it is a new film from Denis’ is exciting alone and will almost guarantee an interesting take on a story such as this. It also adds to Robert Pattinson’s fantastic string of interesting role choices, with his character in this film a very different choice from 2017’s Goodtime, and adding to his resume that secures him as one of the best actors we have of this generation, along with one of the most fearless in terms of film choices.

Incredibles 2

Brad Bird has given us three amazing animated features already. The original Incredibles is now 14 years old, and has become such a hoped for and anticipated sequel (even before news of its actual production was released) that it’s almost nerve-wracking to think whether or not Bird and crew can satisfy. It’s easy to have faith, though, as Brad Bird has repeatedly stated that the only way he would do a sequel is if his idea for it surpassed the original. Seeing the released teaser immediately transported me back to when I initially saw the first one, and I’m sure that feeling will be there while watching it.

Isle Of Dogs

Due to a canine flu, in a dystopian, future Japan, dogs have been quarantined to a remote island. Following five dogs in particular who are fed up with their isolation, their lives change when a young boy arrives in search of his dog. Once authorities show up to retrieve the boy, the dogs make it their mission to protect him.
Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox still stands as one of my favourite films from the director, and his return to stop-motion animation has me ridiculously excited. It goes without saying that Isle of Dogs will surely be just as charming and lovable as the 2009 film, and be one of the sweetest and most heartwarming of the year.

Laika Studio’s New Film

Not only does the new Laika film not have a title, but it doesn’t even have any real news or plot summary to it; and yet, it ranks high on my list because, well, it’s Laika. They have only four films, but all of those rank as some of the best of their respective years. 2016 saw them release Kubo and the Two Strings, a breathtakingly beautiful film that marks their highest point so far. It’s safe to say that the company will try their best to outdo themselves.

The Nightingale

The Babadook, four years after the fact, still holds as not just one of the best modern-era horror films, but one of the best film debuts of the last few years. The Nightingale serves as Jennifer Kent’s sophomore feature, a period-film set in 1825 Tasmania, where a young woman (Aisling Franciosi) embarks on a quest of revenge with an Aboriginal outcast as she hunts for a soldier that killed her family. While a completely different film from The Babadook, in terms of story and genre, the prior feature proved that Kent is a phenomenal director who is masterful at creating suspense, and a story such as this, set against the backdrop of British Colonialism, will undoubtedly be a tense sit, along with the inner turmoil the main character is bound to go through.

The Other Side Of The Wind

Amongst his many projects, The Other Side Of The Wind may rank as Orson Welles’ most famous unfinished film. Written and directed by Welles’ and starring John Huston, Bob Random, Peter Bogdanovich, Susan Strasberg and Oja Kodar, the film was made in a mockumentary style as a satire of 70’s New Hollywood along with the passing of Classic Hollywood. Shot over the course of six years, there have been many attempts to finish the feature, primarily by Peter Bogdanovich over the last 14 years. There has been endless amounts of stories of its troubled production, as well as its impact and reflections on Hollywood itself and its standing amongst Welles’ other works.
Netflix announced in 2017 that they will be responsible for distributing it, and in March of last year the post-production process began yet again. Is there a chance we may see it at some point this year? It may not be certain, but last month a rough cut was screened for a very small group of invite-only attendees, so we can only hope that, after 40 years, we finally are treated to what will unarguably be a masterful addition to Welles’ already famous filmography.

The Predator

Shane Black has decided to write and direct a Predator movie. That is enough to warrant excitement, with the possibilities being endless in terms of his direction of action and suspense mixed with his usual, hilarious and witty dialogue. Not only that, he has re-teamed with Fred Dekker for the screenplay. The cast consists of Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Thomas Jane, Olivia Munn, Keegan Michael-Key, Sterling K. Brown, and Jacob Tremblay, all of whom I am excited to hear give the great dialogue they are sure to have. It feels like an obvious thing to say, but The Predator seems tailor made to become one of the most fun times at the movies this year.

Roma

Five years after the release of Gravity, Alfonso Cuarón returns with a film that chronicles a family living in Mexico City in the 1970’s over the course of a year. There is very little else we know at the moment, but the fact that Cuarón has a new project on the way is enough to be worth all kinds of excitement. We can guarantee that it will be one of the best films of the year.

Suspiria

The one film that I am looking forward to just as much as I am nervous for, Suspiria is an interesting case. The original is, without a doubt, one of my favourite films of all-time. The news of the remake didn’t sit well with me at first, as much as I try to be open minded about these things, but it is known as quite possibly the most beautiful horror film of all time. Then it was announced that Luca Guadagnino was directing, and intended to make a film that was more of a re-imagining than a remake, taking the elements of the original and using its story to encompass a new theme. It’s the perfect idea, and one of the ways that a remake can excel, taking an original source and knowing how to use its story to tell cover new ground. It’ll be interesting to see how it all comes together.

Widows

Steve McQueen’s new film, which he co-wrote with Gillian Flynn based on the 1983 British series, revolves around the widows of four bank robbers who died during a heist, who decide to finish the job themselves. Steve McQueen is three-for-three in terms of making fantastic films that also feel different from each other, and with an all-star cast that includes Viola Davis, Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Colin Farrell, Liam Neeson, Daniel Kaluuya, Robert Duvall and more, this may be one of the best ensembles of the coming year.

You Were Never Really Here

We Need To Talk About Kevin seems like so long ago, and we are finally getting Lynn Ramsay’s follow-up this year, starring Joaquin Phoenix as a war veteran who sets out to rescue a senator’s daughter from traffickers. A version of the film has already been shown at 2017’s Cannes Film Festival where it was met with critical acclaim, earning Phoenix the Best Actor award and Ramsay Best Screenplay. I have been working hard at avoiding all spoilers or details, but with Ramsay’s direction, along with Phoenix’s performance, we are surely in for a tense, heart-wrenching experience.