With 2018 coming to an end, it is time to look forward to what the new year is about to bring us film lovers. And after a little research, we’ve come to the following conclusion: 2019 shapes up to be a great year for cinema.
These are our ten picks for movies we are looking forward to seeing in 2019, ordered by their USA release dates. Let us know in the comments what other movies you are expecting to see this new year.
1. Us (March 15th)
Back in 2016, Jordan Peele hit the jackpot with his satirical horror “Get Out”, which turned out to be one of the most innovative horror movies of this decade and achieved critical acclaim and multiple accolades, including a Best Original Screenplay award and a Best Picture nomination at the 90th Academy Awards.
“Us”, Jordan Peele’s second project, is also a horror and is set to be released on the 15th March. The film will star Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke as a mother and a father who take their two children at their beach house where they are to meet with their friends (Elisabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker). However, throughout the night things get tense after the arrival of some unexpected visitors.
Based on the recently released first looks of the film and considering Peele’s masterful directing and writing on “Get Out”, we can not be more excited for “Us” to be released.
2. Where’d You Go, Bernadette (March 22nd)
Richard Linklater’s upcoming comedy-drama “Where’d You Go, Bernadette”, which is based on Maria Semple’s 2012 novel of the same name, will star Cate Blanchett as Bernadette Fox, a woman who suddenly disappears, leaving her seemingly perfect family behind. It is then up to her 15-year-old daughter Bee to find out where her mother has gone and, in the process, to discover more about her troubled past.
The recently released trailer for “Where’d you go, Bernadette” makes the film look a little mundane, but Blanchett seems to be as good as ever and Richard Linklater has constantly put out good or great films over the last ten year, so we hope he will not disappoint us with this one.
3. The Beach Bum (March 22nd)We’ve seen the trailer to Harmony Korine’s new film and it really gives us “Spring Breakers” vibes.
“The Beach Bum” will star Matthew McConaughey as Moondog, a hard-partying stoner poet who lives a rebellious life in Miami. Among the film’s cast are also Snoop Dogg and Zac Efron and some of you might wonder why we are expecting a Zac Efron film. Well, Korine’s previous film, the aforementioned “Spring Breakers”, was led by Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez and it turned out to be much better than what we were used to see these ex-Disney Channel actresses starring in.
Harmony Korine is not a director for all tastes. His films have always divided audiences and critics alike with their experimental and exploitive nature. “The Beach Bum” shapes out to be another highly provocative addition to Korine’s filmography and while we don’t expect it to be everyone’s cup of tea, we are very curious how it will turn out.
4. The Lion King (July 19th)
This is definitely the most mainstream film we’ve included on this list, but it is hard not to be enthusiastic about this upcoming “The Lion King”’ live-action adaptation directed by Jon Favreau considering how charming his 2016 “The Jungle Book” remake turned out to be.
“The Lion King” is not the sole Disney animation to get a CGI remake in 2019 (“Dumbo” and “Aladdin” are also on their way), but it is by far the most promising one. The 1994 original is by itself an iconic film and it really has the potential to become even better with today’s photorealistic CG animation. If Disney don’t mess too much with the film’s story and keep it as faithful to the original as possible, 2019’s “The Lion King” has the potential to become a modern classic.
5. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (July 26th)
“Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” will be Quentin Tarantino’s first film in five years and will mark his departure from the Western scenarios of “Django Unchained” and “The Hateful Eight”.
The film will feature an ensemble cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Dakota Fanning, Tim Roth, Bruce Dern and Al Pacino, it will be set in Los Angeles in 1969, around the time of Charles Manson’s murders, when a former Western TV star (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double (Brad Pitt) embark on a journey to find fame at Hollywood.
In a recent interview, cinematographer Robert Richardson, who has been a constant collaborator of Tarantino said that “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” described the film’s tone as humorous, serious and spooky and called it “very Quentin”. That can only mean that we are all in for a treat.