Big budget blockbusters don’t need our help when it comes to getting attention.
Not that we don’t love talking about amazing (and even not-so-amazing) blockbusters until you’re pleading with us to stop, but we’re always on the look out for that less-well-known movie that has the capacity to blow us away.
In the last few years we’ve had the likes of John Wick, La La Land, The Babadook, Nightcrawler, Under The Skin, Split, It Follows, Her and the upcoming Get Out, all of which completely took us by surprise with their high quality and under-the-radar amazingness.
To that end, we’ve coming up with a list of 13 movies that are due for release in 2017, all of which have us very excited despite the fact that things have mostly been quite hush-hush about them.
So this is where you get to have one up on all your mates and say “Oh, that? I heard about that months ago…” You’re welcome.
Raw
When’s it out? April 7
Who’s involved? We’d be very surprised if you knew anyone of the cast or the director, to be honest.
Why so excited? As with any horror movie worth watching, there are stories of people passing out during screenings. It tells the story of a young vegetarian woman who is forced to eat meat during a hazing ritual in her veterinary school, which awakens a lust for meat in her. And not just any old meat…
The Belko Experiment
When’s it out? April 21
Who’s involved? The writer of Guardians of the Galaxy and the director of Wolf Creek (an amazing Australian horror movie, check it out!), with Michael Rooker and John C. McGinley (Dr. Cox from Scrubs!) in the cast.
Why so excited? On top of GOTG, writer James Gunn also wrote the remake to Dawn of the Dead and his own original horror-comedy Slither. The plot involves 80 American employees locked into a massive office building and told to kill each other, or be killed. So it’s basically a grown up, very violent version of The Hunger Games.
Miss Sloane
When’s it out? May 12
Who’s involved? John Madden (Shakespeare In Love) directs Jessica Chastain and Mark Strong.
Why so excited? The story of a D.C. lobbyist who gets involved in a case that may be over their head definitely has vibes of the underrated George Clooney gem Michael Clayton, plus Chastain is without a doubt one of the best actresses of her generation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rYObDDvVOo
Annabelle 2
When’s it out? August 11
Who’s involved? Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings) and Anthony LaPaglia (Without A Trace) get directed by David F. Sandberg (Lights Out).
Why so excited? Truth being told, the first Annabelle wasn’t very good, but it cost $6.5 million to make, and grossed $257 million at the box office, so a sequel was inevitable. But this time they’ve attached an up-and-coming horror director – Lights Out was quite good, definitely worth a watch – and there are similarities to the recent better-than-the-original horror Ouija: Origin of Evil to the very creepy teaser below. All signs are positive so far.
Atomic Blonde
When’s it out? August 11
Who’s involved? David Leitch (John Wick) directs Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Sofia Boutella and Toby Jones.
Why so excited? This is probably the best trailer we’ve seen in years. That is all.
Logan Lucky
When’s it out? August 25
Who’s involved? Steven Soderbergh directs Daniel Craig, Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Katherine Waterston, Katie Holmes, Sebastian Stan, Hilary Swank and Seth McFarlane.
Why so excited? Soderbergh has officially come out of retirement to bring us another heist movie, having pretty much reinvented them with the Ocean’s 11 movies. That cast is incredible, and this time the backdrop isn’t Vegas, but a massive NASCAR race. Expect stunts. BIG stunts.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
When’s it out? Sept 29
Who’s involved? Matthew Vaughn returns to direct original cast members Taron Egerton, Mark Strong and Colin Firth (?!), along with newcomers Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore.
Why so excited? The first one came out of nowhere, making $414 million on a $81 million budget, while being SUPER violent and very, very funny. And while we’re very happy to see the original director return with such an incredible cast, really we’re just very curious to see how he manages to get Colin Firth back in the mix. Y’know, considering…
The Snowman
When’s it out? Oct 13
Who’s involved? Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Val Kilmer (remember him??), J.K. Simmons, Chloe Sevigny and Charlotte Gainsberg.
Who so excited? Cripes, where to begin… maybe because it’s coming from the director of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, one of the best spy movies ever made. Or that the script is from the guys behind Drive and World War Z. Or that it’s based on a book by Jo Nesbo, one of the most popular authors in the world right now. There’s a lot going on with this one…
Red Sparrow
When’s it out? Nov 11
Who’s involved? Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgarton, Joely Richardson, Jeremy Irons, Ciaran Hinds
Why so excited? The book was flippin’ fantastic, plus it sees Jennifer reteam with Francis Lawrence (no relation), the guy who made the best entries in The Hunger Games franchise. Here she’s playing a sexy Russian spy who falls in love with a CIA agent (Edgarton) and considers becoming a double agent. Or does she….?
Murder On The Orient Express
When’s it out? Nov 24
Who’s involved? Kenneth Branagh directs himself as Agatha Christie’s Poirot, with fellow train passengers played by Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Josh Gad, Michelle Pfeiffer, Penelope Cruz, Willem Dafoe and Judi Dench.
Why so excited? Did you see that cast-list? This has “classy Oscar contender” written all over it. Plus, the script is from the guy who recently wrote Logan, and later this year will provide the screenplays for Alien: Covenant and Blade Runner 2049, so you could say he’s been having a bit of a moment right (write?) now. And this is the set where Josh Gad keeps torturing Daisy Ridley with questions about Star Wars Episode VIII…
God Particle
When’s it out? Dec 1
Who’s involved? David Oyelowo, Chris O’Dowd, Elizabeth Debicki, Daniel Bruhl, Ziyi Zhang.
Why so excited? Remember when 10 Cloverfield Lane came out and everyone was like “WHAAAAA?” Well, this is basically that again, except they’re giving us all a bit more of a heads up. Producer J.J. Abrams has said God Particle is the next entry in the expanding Cloverfield universe, with the international space station crew making a shocking discovery that could potentially end life as we know it. How it ties in with Cloverfield and 10 Cloverfield Lane? We’ll have to wait and see.
Under The Silver Lake
When’s it out? TBC 2017
Who’s involved? Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough and Topher Grace.
Why so excited? All anyone knows about it yet is from the IMDb one-line description: “Modern noir crime thriller set in Los Angeles.” The only other thing we know is that it is written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, the man behind It Follows, one of the greatest horror movies of the last decade. If he can turn the crime thriller inside out the way he did horror, then we’ve got something truly great coming on the horizon.
Annihilation
When’s it out? TBC 2017
Who’s involved? Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson and Gina Rodriguez.
Why so excited? The book by Jeff VanderMeer is one of the scariest we’ve ever read, and it is getting adapted by the guy who gave us the sublime Ex Machina. Portman plays one of a number of scientists sent on a dangerous expedition into a cordoned-off area where the laws of nature no longer apply in search of a missing mission leader (Isaac). But nobody realises that the mission leader is actually Portman’s estranged husband…
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