22 Hollywood Films To Look Forward To In 2017

Lion

This is the emotional and unbelievable true story of a man who sets out to find his real family after being separated from them at age five. Starring Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman and Priyanka Bose among others, the film is already creating Oscar buzz. We can’t wait for it to reach Indian shores.

Read our interview with Dev Patel, here.
Read our interview with Priyanka Bose, here.

Logan

Hugh Jackman’s swan song as Wolverine (he has been playing the character for about 17 years!) looks refreshingly small and intimate in scale. It’s set in a dystopian future where most mutants are dead, and Wolverine and Professor X must save a young female mutant. The trailer looks emotional and gritty, but that may have more to do with being scored to Johnny Cash’s Hurt, and less due to the film itself.

Hidden Figures

The film is based on the true story of a team of African-American women who provide NASA with important data for the launch of their first successful space missions. The film stars Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson and Janelle Monae. The reviews from the film’s American release are all positive, promising a heartwarming and empowering experience. If you enjoyed The Help, this should be on your list.

Wonder Woman

DC Comics’ previous superhero films, dreary as they were, don’t give us much hope for this one. However, we think Gal Gadot will make a charming lead and from the looks of the trailer, this film seems much brighter. The World War One setting will also be an interesting departure from sky-scraper dotted cities. Directed by Patty Jenkins, this is the first big-budget studio superhero film to be helmed by a woman.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Chris Pratt’s Star Lord aka Peter Quinn and his band of misfits continue their adventures in this second volume of one of Marvel’s most fun superhero offerings. This time they attempt to unravel the mystery of Peter Quinn’s true parentage. His dad is played by new cast member Kurt Russell playing a planet called Ego. What we’re really excited about though are Baby Groot and the Awesome Mixtape #2.

Dunkirk

All Christopher Nolan films are among the most anticipated films of any year and Dunkirk is no different. Set during the WWII, it’s based on the true events that transpired during the Battle of Dunkirk, including an evacuation of the Allied troops from a French beach surrounded by the German army. Starring Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Harry Styles and Kenneth Branagh, the trailer looks suitably grim and stylistically sombre.

Baby Driver

As fans of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, we await any film by Edgar Wright. A young getaway driver is forced into one last heist before he retires. Of course, things go wrong. While Baby Driver, written and directed by Wright, has a been-there-seen-that premise, we can’t wait to see what this innovative man, with a track record of hilarious action movies, will do with it. The star cast includes Ansel Elgort, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Lily James and Kevin Spacey.

Song to Song

If an upcoming Terrence Malick film excites you, you are probably in the minority. However, the next film by the director known for his esoteric style might just appeal to more than his fan base. Starring Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender, Rooney Mara and Natalie Portman, the film is set in the music scene of Austin, Texas and centers on two love triangles.

Blade Runner 2049

Fans of the original Blade Runner should be excited about the release of this long-in-the-works film. Set 30 years after the events of the original film, this one stars Ryan Gosling as an LA cop who sets out to find Harrison Ford’s long-lost blade runner. The reason we are kicked about what is essentially yet another franchise-hopeful reboot is because the film is helmed by Denis Villeneuve of Sicario and Arrival, a man with a talent for telling visually beautiful and moody dramas full of ambiance.

Logan Lucky

Steven Soderbergh coming out of retirement to make another movie is cause for celebration by itself. If the cast of the movie happens to include Channing Tatum, Daniel Craig, Katherine Waterston, Adam Driver, Hilary Swank, Katherine Heigl and Seth MacFarlane among others, then we expect a wildly fun experience. Very cryptic details have been revealed about the film so far, with this synopsis – ‘two brothers attempt to pull off a heist during a NASCAR race’.

Thor: Ragnarok

In the third installment set in Asgard, The God of Thunder will face off against Hulk and try to save his planet from an enemy played by Cate Blanchett. Tom Hiddleston returns as Thor’s delightfully evil brother along with the usual host of Asgardian characters and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange is set to make an appearance. The reason we have some hope for this one is the director Taika Waititi, whose previous film was the funny vampire mockumentary What We Do in The Shadows.

Justice League

The makers of the DC Comics films seem to have taken audience feedback into account while making the Justice League film, because the trailer looks much lighter and more light-hearted than their usual offerings. Among the superheroes coming together in this film are Batman played by Ben Affleck, Wonder Woman played by Gal Gadot, Superman played by Henry Cavill, the Flash played Ezra Miller, Cyborg played by Ray Fisher, and Aquaman, the most promising character of the lot, played by Jason Momoa. Here’s hoping this one gets a warmer reception.

Darkest Hour

Joe Wright, the director of films like Anna Karenina, Atonement and Pride and Prejudice is back with a period drama about Winston Churchill rallying the British public and taking a stand against Adolf Hitler in the early days of WWII. Gary Oldman in a meaty role is always a pleasure to watch, and the rest of the cast, consisting of Lily James, John Hurt, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ben Mendelsohn also sound promising. This historic drama has Oscar-bait written all over it.

The Lego Batman Movie

If you saw The Lego Movie, you know that everything is (likely to be) awesome about this spin-off of what was clearly a surprisingly hilarious, oddball film. This one focusses on Batman, voiced by Will Arnett, who has to fight Gotham’s criminals while also raising a boy he adopted. The film features the voices of Jenny Slate, Rosario Dawson, Ralph Fiennes, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera and Mariah Carey among others. If it has any of the infectious energy of its predecessor, this is going to be the most entertaining Batman film to come out in a while

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Fans of Guy Ritchie should look forward to this gritty take on the legendary monarch’s tale, and not just because it’s the British director’s first film since 2015. Charlie Hunnam plays Arthur, while other stars in the film include Jude Law, David Beckham and Eric Bana. Expect the director’s signature stylistic action sequences and flourished of humour.

Molly’s Game

Based on Molly Bloom’s memoir, the film is about a former Olympic hopeful who becomes a successful entrepreneur and the target of an FBI investigation when she sets up a high-stakes poker game. Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Michael Cera and Kevin Costner star in this film, which also happens to be Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut. Now you know why it should be on your list.

The Book of Henry

The film’s premise may not sound new — a single mother raises a genius child — but the film’s stellar cast has us looking forward to the drama. It stars Lee Pace, Naomi Watts, Sarah Silverman, everyone’s favourite child actor Jacob Tremblay and Sia’s dancer of choice Maddie Zielgler. The film is directed by Colin Trevorrow. To see what he can do with a small emotional drama, see the charming Safety Not Guaranteed and skip the loud and boring Jurassic Park.

A Quiet Passion

Literature nerds should put this film on their to-watch list. It traces the journey of Emily Dickinson from her days as a young schoolgirl to becoming a reclusive artist. Cynthia Nixon plays the revered American poet and Terence Davies directs the project.

Okja

Joon-ho Bong, the South Korean filmmaker whose English-language debut was Snowpiercer is back with another feature, and this one’s premise alone is enough to intrigue us. A young girl named Mija tries her best to prevent a large multinational corporation from kidnapping her best friend, a massive animal called Okja. Since it also stars the superbly talented Tilda Swinton, along with Lily Collins, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Paul Dano, we’re definitely going to be checking it out.

Downsizing

Director Alexander Payne is back with an undeniably weird-sounding science-fiction comedy drama about a man who joins a community of miniaturised people after shrinking himself. The film has an absolutely stellar cast that includes Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Sudeikis, Christoph Waltz, Margo Martindale and Alec Baldwin.

T2 Trainspotting

The sequel brings Danny Boyle back together with the original cast of his box-office hit film 20 years after its release. The film shows Ewan McGregor’s character Renton reuniting with his pals played by Johnny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle and Ewen Bremner. The film borrows elements from Irvine Welsh’s follow-up novel Porno.

Rock That Body

Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, Zoe Kravitz, Ilana Glazer, Ty Burrell and Demi Moore — we’ll watch almost anything that has a cast as good as this one. The story is that of a bachelorette party weekend that goes horribly wrong, with the male stripper ending up dead. We’re hoping for a Bridesmaids meets The Hangover vibe.