10. Triple Nine
Synopsis: A gang of criminals and corrupt cops plan the murder of a police officer in order to pull of their biggest heist yet.
Why you should watch it: Because it’s not everyday you get to see Jesse Pinkman, Marty Hart, and Darryl Dixon sharing the same screen. A plot containing “criminals”, “cops”, “murder”, and “heist” in the same sentence isn’t going to rewrite the book, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have hope for this movie. Director John Hillcoat has poured five years of his life into this movie, so you can count on him doing whatever it takes to make it a success. And seeing as heist movies often live and die by the performance and depth of the cast, this could make for a very entertaining watch, especially for our TV fans. Release Date: September 11
9. Beasts of No Nation
Synopsis: A drama based on the experiences of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country.
Why you should watch it: Big Dris. The British actor has made quite a name for himself recently, and if he bonds with the audience in Cary Fukunaga’s adaptation of the Uzodinma Iweala novel, there could be big things in store for him in the future. Seeing as Fukunaga left True Detective after winning an Emmy in order to pursue movie-making, the pressure is on him to come through. Release Date: October 16, 2015
8. The Light Between Oceans
Synopsis: A lighthouse keeper and his wife living off the coast of Western Australia raise a baby they rescue from an adrift rowboat.
Why you should watch it: Because authors writing the screenplay adaptations of their own novels is hot in the streets. M.L. Steadman wrote the best-seller in 2012 and was persuaded into lending Derek Cianfrance a hand for his biggest scale film to date. Michael Fassbender stars as lighthouse operator Tom Sherbourne in one of his many promising roles of 2015, and the pieces here all seem to be coming into place at the right time. Release Date: TBD
7. High Rise
Synopsis: Life in a high-tech ultra modern tower block descends into carnage as the inhabitant shut themselves off from the world.
Why you should watch it: Because you get to see Tom Hiddleston in another charming, morally ambiguous role. Hiddleston is playing Dr. Robert Laing, the leading role that will tie everything together, so it will be great to see him get more time as a star than a show-stealer. This movie is a novel adaptation, but seeing as the original came out in 1975, the desire to make it into a movie was driven by interest in the source content, not the potential to cash in on an established franchise -- a good sign for those interested in watching it. Featuring Elisabeth Moss and Luke Evans as other members of the 25 story tower that isolates itself from the rest of the world, High Rise has the potential to be a hit if it allows its dynamic stars to breathe new life into the already strong premise.
Release Date: It will likely debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
6. Avengers: Age of Ultron
Synopsis: When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.
Why you should watch it: Everyone is back, Joss Whedon is still present to make sure all of the pieces fit, and James Spader is getting rave reviews for his performance as the main villain Ultron. This appears that it will truly shatter the perception that Marvel movies are lighthearted popcorn flicks as opposed to darker DC films like Nolan’s Batman trilogy, as the seeds for an eminent civil war are going to be planted and it is still a possibility that a member of the team is killed. Marvel has, if possible, increased the buzz for a sequel after the highly successful first Avengers movie, now we just have to hope it lives up to the hype.
Release Date: May 1
5. Sea of Trees Synopsis: A suicidal American befriends a Japanese man lost in a forest near Mt. Fuji and the two search for a way out.
Why you should watch it: The McConaissance rolls on. After a year in which he landed the lead role in Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster Interstellar and gave one of the greatest performances of all time as Rust Cohle in HBO’s True Detective, Matthew McConaughey seems determined to leave his romcom past even further in the rearview. Signing on to play Arthur Brennan for well-respected director Gus Van Sant, McConaughey will be paired with the lesser known but equally able Ken Watanabe as Brennan’s Japanese counterpart Takumi Nakamura. A rather simple premise could make this one a hit or a miss, but the cast, director, and eerily enchanting environment make me lean towards the former.
Release Date: TBD
4. Silence
Synopsis: In the seventeenth century, two Jesuit priests face violence and persecution when they travel to Japan to locate their mentor and to spread the gospel of Christianity.
Why you should watch it: Because Martin Scorsese’s directing it. Granted I’m not as huge a Scorsese fan as some, but his track record speaks for itself. Liam Neeson gets a chance to remind us that he can still do more than play Bryan Mills-esque characters as Father Ferreira, and Andrew Garfield stars opposite of him as Father Rodrigues; it will be interesting to see how two actors from seemingly different worlds come together. This has been Scorsese’s passion project for quite some time, so look for it to have the soul that its (entertaining) predecessor The Wolf of Wall Street intentionally lacked. Release Date: 2016
3. Knight of Cups
Synopsis: A screenwriter living in LA tries to make sense of the strange events occurring around him.
Why you should watch it: Because Terrence Malick is directing it with arguably his best cast yet. This ranks a little low because I’m not a huge fan of films about hedonism, but I trust that Malick won’t just throw in debauchery for the sake of debauchery. The details of the plot are somewhat unknown -- our best hint comes from the cryptic fable-sounding synopsis released during promotion -- but the promise of Malick and Emmanuel Lubezki teaming back up with Christian Bale as the lead is enough to put most concerns to rest. Release Date: December 11
2. The Hateful 8
Synopsis: In post-Civil War Wyoming, bounty hunters try to find shelter during a blizzard but get involved in a plot of betrayal and deception. Will they survive?
Why you should watch it: Because the reception was so positive that Quentin Tarantino decided not to cancel it. When the script first leaked in early 2014, Tarantino was so upset that he threatened to not make the movie. But after a live reading from his cast at the Ace Hotel in L.A. went well, Tarantino was reinvigorated and decided he had to make it. This is likely the final film in his “rewritten history” trilogy started by Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained, so expect another blend of gleeful violence and comedy with occasional social commentary. With Walton Goggins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Channing Tatum, and, believe it or not, Samuel L. Jackson set to star, don’t expect the 51-year-old director to show any signs of slowing down. Release Date: November 13
1. The Revenant Synopsis: A man of many adventures, Hugh Glass goes West in 1822 in the employ of Captain Andrew Henry to do some profitable fur trapping. He is attacked by a bear, and badly injured. Miraculously, he survives, but the terrain makes it impossible to carry him back. Henry tries, but eventually hires two mercenaries to simply stand watch and bury him. They abandon Glass, alone and defenseless, but unfortunately for them, he recovers. He resolves to hunt down the men who abandoned him.
Why you should watch it: I was excited about this movie before I really knew who Alejandro González Iñárritu was. But after Birdman emerged as one of the best films of 2014, we learned what we should have known already -- Leonardo DiCaprio knows how to align himself with good directors. I’ve always been a fan of DiCaprio and look forward to seeing him play the abandoned Hugh Glass alongside Tom Hardy’s John Fitzgerald for the first time since the two joined up for 2010’s Inception. The revenge plot is simple enough that it should give the film room to focus on what will likely make it shine: the performance of the two leads and the director’s vision. Release Date: December 25
Honorable MentionsThe Force Awakens, Mad Max: Fury Road, Trespass Against Us, Southpaw, Victor Frankenstein, Mockingjay Pt. 2, Midnight Special, The Lobster, Black Mass, Legend, Jurassic World
