Widely hailed as the most celebrated director of this century, Christopher Nolan nine stunning feature films include acclaimed masterpieces including Interstellar, Inception, Memento and The Dark Knight. Since 2006, Nolan has consistently produced a new film every two years but his newly announced upcoming project will leave a three year gap as it has confirmed that his new film will land in July 2017.
So far literally no announcements or rumours have been made regarding plot, genre or cast but we do know that Warner Bros are behind it and it’s competition on that weekend includes Luc Besson sci-fi Valerian (Cara Delevingne, Dane DeHaan, Clive Owen) and comedy musical sequel Pitch Perfect 2 (Anna Kendrick, Hailee Steinfeld, Rebel Wilson). The blockbuster friendly July release date suggests that we won’t be expected a low key noir thriller/drama such as Memento, Insomnia, Following or The Prestige.
Having visited superheroes three times already in The Dark Knight trilogy we can rule that genre out. It seems unlikely that WB would put another sci-fi film to compete with Valerian so we reckon Nolan is moving into a genre he’s yet to mine. Fantasy adventure? Historical epic? Horror? Either way, its almost certain that six-time collaborator Michael Caine will almost certainly star.
Meanwhile, it was also announced that British singer Sam Smith – Stay With Me, Money on My Mind, Lay Me Down – will be singing the theme song for the upcoming James Bond sequel Spectre (succeeding the likes of Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Duran Duran, Paul McCartney, Jack White, Louie Armstrong and Adele). The track is titled Writing’s on the Wall. The reveal was mildly surprising after strong rumours that the job would go to Ellie Goulding or Radiohead. Our own pick would be Florence and the Machine.
Spectre is directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road Perdition) and stars Daniel Craig (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Monica Bellucci (Irreversible), Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained), Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Lea Seydoux (Blue is the Warmest Colour), Ben Whishaw (Cloud Atlas), Naomie Harris (28 Days Later), Rory Kinnear (The Imitation Game), Andrew Scott (Sherlock) and Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy).
There’s a good seven or so months until the Oscars really kick off but even now we might be able to make a few early predictions for some of the big hitters. This list will be rapidly changing over the coming months depending on the reception of some of these films. Gus Van Sant/Matthew MacConaughey drama The Sea of Trees seemed like a viable candidate until its Cannes flop. In some cases, we’re basing the predictions off their critical reception, festival buzz and hype and in other cases the popularity of a filmmaker involved. We’re ranking the selections in order of likelihood.
Best Picture:
40) The Good Dinosaur
Director: Peter Sohn (Partly Cloudy) Starring: Anna Paquin (True Blood), Steve Zahn (Dallas Buyers Club), Frances McDormand (Burn After Reading) Premise: An epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. Odds: Pixar’s second effort of the year may get overshadowed by their first but the studio’s good form might transfer into this look at an alternate history.
39) Creed
Director: Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) Starring: Michael B Jordan (Chronicle), Tessa Thompson (Dear White People), Sylvester Stallone (First Blood) Premise: The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Creed, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed. Odds: The Rocky franchise had seriously drifted after the Best Picture winning original but, by shifting Stallone into and supporting role and bringing new hero Adonis Creed to the foreground, we might have a contender.
38) Secret in Their Eyes
Director: Billy Ray (Breach) Starring: Julia Roberts (Erin Brockivich), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), Nicole Kidman (The Hours) Premise: A tight-knit team of FBI investigators, along with their District Attorney supervisor, is suddenly torn apart when they discover that one of their own teenage daughters has been brutally murdered. Odds: The Argentinian adaptation of the same book won an Oscar for Foreign Language in 2009 but this might turn ought to be another unpopular remake.
37) By the Sea
Director: Angelina Jolie (Unbroken) Starring: Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Angelina Jolie (Changeling), Melanie Laurent (Beginners) Premise: Set in France during the mid-1970s, Vanessa, a former dancer, and her husband Roland, an American writer, travel the country together. They seem to be growing apart, but when they linger in one quiet, seaside town they begin to draw close to some of its more vibrant inhabitants, such as a local bar/café-keeper and a hotel owner. Odds: Jolie hasn’t yet cemented her position as an accomplished director but last year’s Unbroken got three Oscar nods meaning that By the Sea might follow suit.
36) Trumbo
Director: Jay Roach (Meet the Parents) Starring: Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Helen Mirren (The Queen), John Goodman (Argo) Premise: The successful career of Hollywood screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo, comes to an end when he is blacklisted in the 1940s for being a Communist. Odds: The Oscars have a track record of stories about Hollywood and redemption and Bryan Cranston should shine in the role but communist sympathies might not sit too well with the Academy.
35) Spectre
Director: Sam Mendes (Road to Perdition) Starring: Daniel Craig (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Lea Seydoux (Blue is the Warmest Colour), Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained) Premise: A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind Spectre. Odds: Prior to 2012’s Skyfall, Bond hadn’t had a Oscar win in nearly 50 years. If Spectre is an improvement, than the series may be on the way to a first ever Best Picture nomination.
34) Legend
Director: Brian Helgeland (42) Starring: Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises), Taron Egerton (Kingsman), Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind) Premise: The film tells the story of the identical twin gangsters Reggie and Ronnie Kray, two of the most notorious criminals in British history, and their organised crime empire in the East End of London during the 1960s. Odds: The main Oscar buzz about the film surrounds Tom Hardy’s performance(s) but the crime biopic might be a dark horse in the contest.
33) The Martian
Director: Ridley Scott (Blade Runner) Starring: Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) Premise: During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Odds: After back to back success with Gladiator and Black Hawk Down followed by the snubbing of American Gangster, acclaimed director Ridley Scott’s sci-fi epic The Martian may have the goods to put him back on top.
32) Beasts of No Nation
Director: Cary Fukanga (True Detective) Starring: Abraham Attah (Out of the Village), Ama K Abebrese (The Cursed Ones), Idris Elba (Pacific Rim) Premise: A drama based on the experiences of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country. Odds: The Academy may take a big step by nominating a Netflix original production for the first time
31) Everest
Director: Baltasar Kormakur (Contraband) Starring: Jake Gyllenhaald (Nightcrawler), Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men), Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) Premise: A climbing expedition on Mt. Everest is devastated by a severe snow storm. Odds: A traditional disaster flick will hopefully be elevated by the fantastic ensemble.
30) Concussion
Director: Peter Landesman (Parkland) Starring: Will Smith (Ali), Gugu Mbatha Raw (Belle), Alec Baldwin (The Hunt For Red October) Premise: The story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in professional football players. Odds: It’s been years since Smith’s last major critical success but the more serious tone surrounding this true life thriller may lead it Oscar bound.
29) The Walk
Director: Robert Zemeckis (Cast Away) Starring: Joseph Gordon Levitt (Looper), Ben Kingsley (Shutter Island), Charlotte Le Bon (Mood Indigo) Premise: The story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit’s attempt to cross the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. Odds: The fact that the same story was turned into an Oscar winning documentary (Man on Wire) several years ago proves that the premise is more Academy friendly than blockbuster cool but the fact that the story has been visited successfully before may also hinder it.
28) Freeheld
Director: Peter Sollett (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) Starring: Julianne Moore (Still Alice), Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire), Ellen Page (Juno) Premise: New Jersey police lieutenant, Laurel Hester, and her registered domestic partner, Stacie Andree, both battle to secure Hester’s pension benefits when she is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Odds: Moore is on fine form after her win for Still Alice but there hasn’t yet been a remarkable amount of Oscar buzz surrounding it.
27) 45 Years
Director: Andrew Haigh (Weekend) Starring: Charlotte Rampling (Melancholia), Tom Courtenay (Doctor Zhivago), Geraldine James (Gandhi) Premise: In the week leading up to their 45th wedding anniversary, a couple receive an unexpected letter which contains potentially life changing news. Odds: The low key British drama might prove to be a contender but given the recent snubbing of Mike Leigh’s Mr Turner, the Academy may have turned away from that genre the larger scale Brit flicks such as The Imitation Game
26) The Danish Girl
Director: Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) Starring: Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything), Alicia Vikander (A Royal Affair), Ben Whishaw (Skyfall) Premise: The remarkable love story inspired by the lives of artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda’s marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili’s groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer. Odds: The Danish Girl has all the makings of a Best Picture winner – lavish period setting, Oscar friendly cast and director – but it’ll have to overcome its so far mixed-negative reception.
25) Straight Outta Compton
Director: F Gary Gray (Friday) Starring: Jason Mitchell (Contraband), Corey Hawkins (Non-Stop), Paul Giamatti (Sideways) Premise: The group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood. Odds: Sharing its name with the rap sensation, this unlikely candidate surprised critics and was a smash hit with audiences but that won’t necessarily translate into Oscar success for the musical biopic.
24) Macbeth
Director: Justin Kurzel (Snowtown) Starring: Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave), Marion Cotillard (Inception), Paddy Considine (Dead Man’s Shoes) Premise: Macbeth, a duke of Scotland, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself. Odds: Kurzel might not be experienced with this scale of filmmaking but injecting a flavour of war epic to Shakespeare’s classic should shake things up, not to mention the roles Fassbender and Cotillard were born to play.
23) The Program
Director: Stephen Frears (The Queen) Starring: Chris O’Dowd (Calvary), Ben Foster (Lone Survivor), Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man) Premise: An Irish sports journalist becomes convinced that Lance Armstrong’s performances during the Tour de France victories are fueled by banned substances. With this conviction, he starts hunting for evidence that will expose Armstrong. Odds: The events depicted might be considered too recent to have a major effect on voters and O’Dowd (while talented) hasn’t yet reached Oscar appeal but Frears’ impressive back catalogue should accelerate hype.
22) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Director: Alfonso Gomez Rejon (The Town that Dreaded Sundown) Starring: Thomas Mann (Project X), Olivia Cooke (Bates Motel), Nick Offerman (The Kings of Summer) Premise: High schooler Greg, who spends most of his time making parodies of classic movies with his co-worker Earl, finds his outlook forever altered after befriending a classmate who has just been diagnosed with cancer. Odds: The Fault in Our Stars for the Kings of Summer audience. This charming romance with undoubtedly win the hearts of fans and critics but it might be too low key for the Academy.
21) Snowden
Director: Oliver Stone (JFK) Starring: Joseph Gordon Levitt (Inception), Nicolas Cage (Face/Off), Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) Premise: CIA employee Edward Snowden leaks thousands of classified documents to the press. Odds: Snowden’s story was told recently in the Oscar winning documentary Citizenfour meaning the source material has awards-friendly buzz but all of Oliver Stone’s recent work (Alexander, Money Never Sleeps, Savages) has been a let down. However, anti-American undertones didn’t do Zero Dark Thirty any harm.
20) Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Director: JJ Abrams (Stark Trek Into Darkness) Starring: John Boyega (Attack the Block), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) Premise: New heroes must fight the rising threat of the New Order. Odds: While the reboot of a franchise that hasn’t been good since 1983 may make the Oscars treat The Force Awakens as Bantha fodder, it seems to possess the game changing level of effects that brought Avatar to success and made the original Star Wars a Best Picture nominee.
19) Hail Caesar
Directors: Joel and Ethan Cohen (The Big Lebowski) Starring: Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men), George Clooney (Gravity), Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton) Premise: A Hollywood fixer in the 1950s works to keep the studio’s stars in line. Odds: With four Oscar wins, the Coens are probably the most acclaimed screenwriters of our time but Inside Llewyn Davis’ snubbing might mean trouble for the pair’s more quirky efforts.
18) Silence
Director: Martin Scorsese (The Aviator) Starring: Andrew Garfield (The Social Network), Tadanobu Asano (Thor). Liam Neeson (Schindler’s List) Premise: 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. Odds: Silence seems Oscar bound but production delays and rumours that it’ll debut in Cannes 2016 suggest that the film might not be in competition until the 2017 Oscars.
17) The End of the Tour
Director: James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now) Starring: Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Anna Chlumsky (In the Loop), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) Premise: A magazine reporter recounts his travels and conversations with author David Foster Wallace during a promotional book tour. Odds: The new Almost Famous? Segel and Eisenberg’s pairing will undoubtedly pick up a cult following but might be a bit abrasive for the Oscar crowd.
16) In the Heart of the Sea
Director: Ron Howard (Apollo 13) Starring: Chris Hemsworth (Rush), Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later), Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) Premise: Based on the 1820 event, a whaling ship is preyed upon by a sperm whale, stranding its crew at sea for 90 days, thousands of miles from home. Odds: Ron Howard has experienced mass success with the disaster thriller genre but the merciless snub of his brilliant racing drama Rush hints at an anti-Howard agenda.
15) Mad Max: Fury Road
Director: George Miller (The Road Warrior) Starring: Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises), Charlize Theron (Monster), Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies) Premise: In a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, two rebels just might be able to restore order: Max, a man of action and of few words, and Furiosa, a woman of action who is looking to make it back to her childhood homeland. Odds: This bold action sequel received rave reviews but the fact that its plot can be sketched out on a napkin might put off some of the more traditional Academy voters.
14) Joy
Director: David O. Russell (American Hustle) Starring: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Bradley Cooper (American Sniper), Robert De Niro (Casino) Premise: The story of a family across four generations and the woman who rises to become founder and matriarch of a powerful family business dynasty. Odds: Russell has a surprising three consecutive Best Picture nominees but the flop of his abandoned rom-com Accidental Love earlier this years prevents Joy from being his fourth.
13) Brooklyn
Director: John Crowley (Is Anybody There) Starring: Saoirse Ronan (Atonement), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time), Julie Walters (Billy Elliot) Premise: In 1950s Ireland and New York, young Ellis Lacey has to choose between two men and two countries. Odds: This star studded effort could be a major contender so long as it avoids the pitfalls of a procedural romantic drama (IE Anna Karenina).
12) The Lobster
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth) Starring: Colin Farrell (In Bruges), John C Reilly (Chicago), Rachel Weisz (Enemy at the Gates) Premise: In a dystopian near future, single people are obliged to find a matching mate in 45 days or are transformed into animals and released into the woods. Odds: Merging comedy, romance and sci-fi with a bonkers concept from a Greek director making his English language debut. The Gilliam-esque level of weirdness will attract a lot of attention but may also backfire.
11) Youth
Director: Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty) Starring: Michael Caine (The Dark Knight), Harvey Keitel (Reservoir Dogs), Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener) Premise: Fred and Mick, two old friends, are on vacation in an elegant hotel at the foot of the Alps. While Mick scrambles to finish the screenplay for what he imagines will be his last important film, Fred has no intention of resuming his musical career. But someone wants at all costs to hear him conduct again. Odds: Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty picked up a triple with Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globes in the Foreign Language category so Youth should continue form but Sorrentino’s only other English language feature, This Must Be the Place, was one of his weakest.
10) Suffragette
Director: Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane) Starring: Carey Mulligan (Drive), Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady), Helena Bonham Carter (Sweeney Todd) Premise: The foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal state. Odds: The all-female writing directing team may face the snubs that Ava DuVernay suffered with Selma last year but the feminist story may tie into the Academy’s own changing times.
9) Black Mass
Director: Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart) Starring: Johnny Depp (Public Enemies), Joel Edgerton (Zero Dark Thirty), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game) Premise: The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf. Odds: A dark and intense modern gangster thriller akin to The Departed and Donnie Brasco. Hopefully, Pirates star Johnny Depp will prove his worth for the first time in years. The massively positive early response is greatly promising.
8) Crimson Peak
Director: Guillermo Del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) Starring: Mia Wasikowska (Stoker), Tom Hiddleston (War Horse), Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) Premise: In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds…and remembers. Odds: A lavish Gothic mood will elevate Crimson Peak from repetitive formulaic horror (The Conjuring, Insidious, Sinister, Annabelle) or even hits like the Carpenter-esque It Follows and indie smash The Babadook. Del Toro might exceed Pan’s Labyrinth’s three Oscar wins while busting the myth that horrors are Oscar immune (see Jaws, The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, Aliens, The Silence of the Lambs).
7) The Hateful Eight
Director: Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction) Starring: Samuel L Jackson (Jurassic Park), Kurt Russell (The Thing), Bruce Dern (Nebraska) Premise: 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? Odds: Tarantino’s three Best Picture nominations may well be added to with this Western thriller. It’d be unlikely for this not to be an seventh consecutive hit for the filmmaker.
6) Carol
Director: Todd Haynes (I’m Not There) Starring: Rooney Mara (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine), Kyle Chandler (Super 8) Premise: Set in 1950s New York, a department-store clerk who dreams of a better life falls for an older, married woman. Odds: Carol has been the bookies’ favourite from the start but more recently more praise has gone towards its stars than the film itself.
5) Sicario
Director: Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners) Starring: Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow), Benicio Del Toro (Traffic), Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) Premise: An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by an elected government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico. Odds: American Sniper, Argo, Captain Phillips, District 9, Gravity, The Hurt Locker, Inception and Zero Dark Thirty have redefined the Oscar’s favour for the action thriller genre.
4) Inside Out
Directors: Pete Docter (Up), Ronaldo Del Carmen Starring: Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation), Bill Hader (Trainwreck), Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks) Premise: After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions – Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness – conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school. Odds: The animation has gained the best reception of any of Pixar’s work since 2010’s Toy Story 3 but it has been five years since the studio has had a major nomination besides Animated Feature.
3) Bridge of Spies
Director: Steven Spielberg (Schindler’s List) Starring: Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips), Amy Ryan (Birdman), Mark Rylance (Wolf Hall) Premise: An American lawyer is recruited by the CIA during the Cold War to help rescue a pilot detained in the Soviet Union. Odds: Spielberg’s career has had nine Best Picture films (including Jaws, The Colour Purple, Saving Private Ryan, War Horse and Lincoln) and 118 Oscar nods are most likely to be added to but the acclaimed director isn’t immune to snubs (Catch Me if You Can, Jurassic Park). Also, Hanks hasn’t had an Oscar nod since 2001’s Cast Away and even his career best in Captain Phillips didn’t sway the Academy.
2) The Revenant
Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Birdman) Starring: Leonardo Di Caprio (Inception), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time), Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) Premise: The frontiersman, Hugh Glass, who in the 1820s set out on a path of vengeance against those who left him for dead after a bear mauling. Odds: Considering the grueling shoot and huge budget, the civil-war era epic could be the new Dances With Wolves (multi-Oscar winner with Kevin Costner) or the new Heaven’s Gate (world renowned flop with Jeff Bridges). Either way, the footage is incredible.
1) Steve Jobs
Director: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) Starring: Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave), Seth Rogen (Knocked Up), Kate Winslet (Titanic) Premise: The true story of the life of visionary Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Odds: While it suffered major development issues – loss of cast members (Christian Bale, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bradley Cooper, Leonardo Di Caprio, Ben Affleck, Tom Cruise, Matthew MacConaughey, Charlize Theronl, Jessica Chastain, Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman) and director David Fincher – we reckon Steve Jobs is your next Best Picture winner.
Here’s a quickfire of the directors and stars we reckon will make the cut.
Best Director:
Steven Spielberg – Bridge of Spies
Denis Villeneuve – Sicario
Danny Boyle – Steve Jobs
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu – The Revenant
George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road
Oliver Stone – Snowden
Guillermo Del Toro – Crimson Peak
JJ Abrams – Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Scott Cooper – Black Mass
F Gary Gray – Straight Outta Compton
Paolo Sorrentino – Youth
Ron Howard – In the Heart of the Sea
Sarah Gavron – Suffragette
David O. Russell – Joy
Quentin Tarantino – The Hateful Eight
Best Actor:
Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs – Steve Jobs
Michael Caine – Fred Ballinger – Youth
Leonardo Di Caprio – Hugh Glass – The Revenant
Johnny Depp – Whitey Bulger – Black Mass
Tom Hanks – James Donovan – Bridge of Spies
Jason Segel – David Foster Wallace – The End of the Tour
Bryan Cranston – Dalton Trumbo – Trumbo
Eddie Redmayne – Lili Elbe – The Danish Girl
Ian McKellen – Sherlock Holmes – Mr Holmes
Jake Gyllenhaal – Billy Hope – Southpaw
Tom Hardy – Ronald/Reginald Kray – Legend
Joseph Gordon Levitt – Edward Snowden – Snowden
Colin Farrell – David – The Lobster
Tom Hardy – “Mad” Max Rockatansky – Mad Max: Fury Road
Tom Hiddleston – Hank Williams – I Saw the Light
Best Actress:
Rooney Mara – Therese Belivet – Carol
Marion Cotillard – Lady Macbeth – Macbeth
Alicia Vikander – Gerda Wegener – The Danish Girl
Emily Blunt – Kate Macer – Sicario
Jennifer Lawrence – Joy Mangano – Joy
Cate Blanchett – Carol Aird – Carol
Charlotte Rampling – Kate Mercer – 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan – Ellis Lacey – Brooklyn
Juliette Binoche – Maria Enders – Clouds of Sils Maria
Carey Mulligan – Maud – Suffragette
Mia Wasikowska – Edith Cushing – Crimson Peak
Charlize Theron – Imperator Furiosa – Mad Max: Fury Road
Julianne Moore – Laurel Hester – Freeheld
Angelina Jolie – Vanessa – By the Sea
Amy Schumer – Amy – Trainwreck
Best Supporting Actor:
Seth Rogen – Steve Wozniak – Steve Jobs
Harvey Keitel – Mick Boyle – Youth
Benedict Cumberbatch – Bill Bulger – Black Mass
Benicio Del Toro – Alejandro – Sicario
Mark Rylance – Rudolf Abel – Bridge of Spes
Jesse Eisenberg – David Lipsky – The End of the Tour
Robert De Niro – Rudy Mangano – Joy
Christoph Waltz – Hans Oberhauser – Spectre
Samuel L Jackson – Marquis Warren – The Hateful Eight
Tom Hardy – John Fitzgerald – The Revenant
Chris O’Dowd – David Walsh – The Program
Josh Brolin – Matt – Sicario
Tom Hiddelston – Thomas Sharpe – Crimson Peak
Will Poulter – Jim Bridger – The Revenant
Harrison Ford – Han Solo – Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best Supporting Actress:
Rachel Weisz – Lena Ballinger – Youth
Kate Winslet – Joanna Hoffman – Steve Jobs
Shailene Woodley – Lindsay Mills – Snowden
Amy Ryan – Mary Donovan – Bridge of Spies
Ellen Page – Stacie Andree – Freeheld
Jessica Chastain – Lucille Sharpe – Crimson Peak
Jane Fonda – Brenda Morel – Youth
Kristen Stewart – Valentine – Clouds of Sils Maria
Julie Walters – Mrs Kehoe – Brooklyn
Melissa Leo – Laura Poitras – Snowden
Rachel McAdams – Maureen Hope – Southpaw
Helen Mirren – Hedda Hooper – Trumbo
Anna Chlumsky – Sarah – The End of the Tour
Helena Bonham Carter – Edith New – Suffragette
Jennifer Jason Leigh – Daisy Domergue – The Hateful Eight
Best Original Screenplay:
Youth – Paolo Sorrentino
The Hateful Eight – Quentin Tarantino
Inside Out – Pete Docter, Ronald Del Carmen, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley
Bridge of Spies – Joel Cohen, Ethan Cohen, Matt Charman
Ex Machina – Alex Garland
Joy – David O. Russell, Annie Mumulo
Sicario – Taylor Sheridan
Hail Caesar – Joel Cohen, Ethan Cohen
Demolition – Bryan Sipe
The Good Dinosaur – Enrico Casarosa, Bob Peterson
Suffragette – Abi Morgan
Trainwreck – Amy Schumer
Southpaw – Kurt Sutter
Crimson Peak – Guillermo Del Toro, Matthew Robbins
Irrational Man – Woody Allen
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Steve Jobs – Aaron Sorkin
Carol – Phyllis Nagy
The End of the Tour – Donald Marguiles
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl – Jesse Andrews
The Revenant – Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Mark L Smith
Mad Max: Fury Road – George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, Nick Lathouris
Silence – Jay Cocks
Snowden – Oliver Stone, Kieran Fitzgerald
Brooklyn – Nick Hornby
The Danish Girl – Lucina Coven
Spectre – John Logan, Neil Purvis, Robert Wade
Macbeth – Jacob Koskoff, Todd Louiso
Black Mass – Scott Cooper, Mark Mallouk
The Martian – Drew Goddard
Star Wars: The Force Awakens – JJ Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan
007 makes his return hunting down a mysterious organisation that is somehow linked to his past in Spectre. The very first trailer has just confirmed some of our many speculative suspicions. The first trailer has now been released and our preview of it is below. What we’ve drawn from the trailer may be wrong but it may also turn out to be a minor spoiler for the film so be warned.
The opening shot shows the rubble of the MI6 headquarters that Javier Bardem’s Silva destroyed back in 2012’s Skyfall. This shows that the events of the previous film are having a lasting effect and that MI6 is still in turmoil from the disaster that M (Judi Dench) left. The rumour is that the head of MI5 (Andrew Scott) is merging the two but this may be Spectre’s ploy to infiltrate MI6. Bond is then seen in possession of some mysterious documents. Look closely and you’ll see it shows that following his parents death, James’ guardians were in fact the Oberhauser family, one of whom is Christoph Waltz’ character – making him a childhood friend of James’. The burnt out face on the photograph is almost certainly him.
Bond is then seen sailing towards the a mountainous chalet. Following shots of the new Bond girl and new sleeker Aston Martin, we discover this is the dishevelled residence of the equally decrepit Mr White (a recurring villain in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace and a lead kingpin of Quantum, what we suspect to be the sister organisation of Spectre).
Finally there’s a glimpse at Spectre’s shadowy meeting room, featuring their twenty one key chiefs and Hans Oberhauser himself. Rumours keep on persisting about this character in fact being the infamous Ernst Stravo Blofeld, the most iconic villain of all of Bond’s history. Honestly, we hope this isn’t true as it’d be even more obvious than the disappointing Moneypenny reveal in Skyfall. The very final (gun)shot, we reckon, is almost identical to the cracked car windscreen glass from the finale of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. There are a couple of disappointing omissions from the trailer such as Q, M and the new henchman Mr Hinx but overall it’s a massively exciting teaser.
Sam Mendes (Road to Perdition, Revolutionary Road, American Beauty) directs the ensemble of Daniel Craig (Layer Cake, Munich), Monica Bellucci (Irreversible, The Matrix), Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Schindler’s List), Lea Seydoux (Blue is the Warmest Colour, Midnight in Paris), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy, Riddick), Naomie Harris (28 Days Later, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom), Ben Whishaw (Cloud Atlas, Paddington), Andrew Scott (Sherlock, Pride), Rory Kinnear (The Imitation Game, Southcliffe), Jesper Christensen (Melancholia, The Young Victoria) and Christoph Waltz (Inglorious, Django Unchained).
We thought we might never get to see this photo but we have the first look at the technology pioneer Steve Jobs biopic. The script, from acclaimed scribe Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, Moneyball, Charlie Wilson’s War, A Few Good Men, The West Wing, The Newsroom), has been in development for years. David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club, Gone Girl) entered and then quit as director while actors being run through the casting mill included Christian Bale (The Dark Knight), Leonardo Di Caprio (The Wolf of Wall Street), Matt Damon (The Bourne Identity), Ben Affleck (Argo), Bradley Cooper (American Sniper), Jessica Chastain (Interstellar), Natalie Portman (Black Swan) and Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers).
With Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Shallow Grace, 28 Days Later, 127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire) at the helm, the film has moved into production with the very first images being revealed. The Oscar favourite will star Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave, Prometheus), Seth Rogen (Knocked Up, The Interview), Katharine Waterston (Inherent Vice), Jeff Daniels (The Purple Rose of Cairo, Looper), Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man, Hugo) and Kate Winslet (Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).
The upcoming Bond film Spectre is yet to have finished all of its production but the release of this poster means that we’re closer to seeing a trailer than we though. The shot seems to show Craig’s 007 looking more similar to Sean Connery. Sam Mendes (Skyfall, American Beauty, Road to Perdition) directs the cast of Daniel Craig (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Lea Seydoux (Blue is the Warmest Colour), Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained), Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Naomie Harris (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), Monica Bellucci (Irreversible), Andrew Scott (Pride), Rory Kinnear (The Imitation Game) and Ben Whishaw (Cloud Atlas) as Q.
Be it Spectre, SPECTRE or S.P.E.C.T.R.E., Bond’s twenty fourth outing is attracting a lot of press attention and Empire has been tracking production from London to Berlin to the Austrian Alps. Their major new unveiling of the film kicks off in this weekend’s issue. As a sneak peak, we now have our first look at two of the film’s villains. Firstly the enforcer Hinx, played by Guardians of the Galaxy’s Dave Bautista, and the mysterious doctor Madeleine Swann (Blue is the Warmest Colour star Lea Seydoux) – pictured with director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead, Skyfall).
This pair are working for our main villain Oberhauser, two time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained, Carnage). This time round, our Bond is Daniel Craig (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), our Bond girl is Monica Bellucci (Irreversible), Moneypenny is Naomie Harris (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom), Ben Whishaw (Paddington) is Q and Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Harry Potter, Schindler’s List, In Bruges) is M. Rory Kinnear (The Casual Vacancy, The Imitation Game) and Andrew Scott (Sherlock, Pride) also take places on the cast.
Yesterday, we got a suited up Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) in the first character one sheet but Shutter Island, The Kids Are All Right and Foxcatcher star Mark Ruffalo dons his motion capture outfit for his Hulk close up. Banner will be posing a greater danger than ever before as the Scarlet Witch begins her mid games.
Joss Whedon (Firefly) commands the returning cast of Jeremy Renner (American Hustle, The Hurt Locker), Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, The Prestige), Chris Hemsworth (Rush, The Cabin in the Woods), Chris Evans (Snowpiercer), Don Cheadle (Boogie Nights), Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother), Stellan Skarsgard (Melancholia), Paul Bettany (Master and Commander) and Samuel L Jackson (The Incredibles) with the newbies Andy Serkis (The Hobbit), Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Aaron Taylor Johnson (Godzilla), Thomas Kretschmann (King Kong) and James Spader (The Blacklist).
Welcome to our BAFTA hub for 2015. Tonight is the biggest night of the British film calender as the esteemed academy elects its triumphant films, directors and stars. Keep on refreshing the page for the latest updates.
If you’re not preoccupied before the ceremony, try out our prediction game. Rank the nominees for Best Film, Director, Actor/Actress, Supporting Actor/Actress, Cinematography, British Film and Rising Star from 1-5. If your number one pick is correct you receive five points, number two gets four, number three gets three and so on. Comment your score from a maximum of 59. Unsure where to start? Try our own predictions as a primer. Get the full nominations list here.
The red carpet lineup is amassing: Benedict Cumberbatch! Eddie Redmayne! Keira Knightley! Steve Carell! Ralph Fiennes! Ethan Hawke! Mike Leigh! Jack O’Connell! Michael Keaton! Mark Strong!
Here we go!
Stephen Fry begins his annual interrogation of the esteemed audience members. Rosamund Pike! Julie Walters! Edward Norton!
Outstanding British Film:
The Theory of Everything
Pride
Under the Skin
The Imitation Game
’71
Paddington
Beckham awards the first win of the night. Does that put Theory in the front seat for Best Film?
Special Visual Effects:
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Interstellar
X-Men: Days of Future Past
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Guardians of the Galaxy
It missed out on the main categories but it made up here. Jones and Hawking’s humour shining through again.
Supporting Actor:
Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Edward Norton – Birdman
Ethawn Hawke – Boyhood
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher JK Simmons – Whiplash
Witherspoon on her way to Leading Actress as she awards J Jonah Jameson a BAFTA.
Next two British greats award a third.
Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema:
BBC Films (Revolutionary Road, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Jane Eyre, Made in Deganham, Notes on a Scandal, Billy Elliott, Coriolanus, Pride, An Education, Quartet, In the Loop, Philomena, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa)
The Butler’s Cuba Gooding Jr dishes out the second acting category.
Supporting Actress:
Rene Russo – Nightcrawler
Emma Stone – Birdman
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Imelda Staunton – Pride
A rising star and Bilbo himself award Birdman’s first win.
Cinematography:
Mr Turner (Dick Pope)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Robert Yeoman)
Interstellar (Hoyte Van Hoytema)
Ida (Lukasz Zal) Birdman (Emmanuel Lubezki)
The ever sharply suited Loki and MI6 Head celebrate a great career beginning.
British Debut:
’71
Northern Soul
Lilting
Kajaki Pride
A fitting tribute to a true great, Lord Richard Attenborough, from Prince William and Robert Downey Jr.
Best Actress favourite Julianne Moore arrives.
Best Original Screenplay:
Richard Linklater – Boyhood Wes Anderson, Hugo Guinness – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alejandro Gonalez Inarritu, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolas Giacobone, Armando Bo -Birdman
Damien Chazelle – Whiplash
Dan Gilroy – Nightcrawler
Two JJ Abrams collaborators on stage. Shared universe? It’s all a conspiracy!
Foreign Language:
Leviathan
The Lunchbox
Two Days, One Night Ida
Trash
Gillian Flynn – Gone Girl Anthony McCarten – The Theory of Everything
Graham Moore – The Imitation Game
Jason Dean Hall – American Sniper
Paul King – Paddington
We taking a minute off to honour the In Memoriam section.
X-Men’s James McAvoy arrives – we forgot he was Scottish again.
EE Rising Star:
Gugu Mbatha Raw
Miles Teller
Shailene Woodley Jack O’Connell
Margot Robbie
Your new one to watch is Jack O’Connell, one of the many protogee’s of E4’s Skins who’s starred in the acclaimed likes of Starred Up, Unbroken and ’71.
Brick is back.
Director:
Alejandro Gonzale Inarritu – Birdman Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Damien Chazelle – Whiplash
James Marsh – The Theory of Everything
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Only God Forgive’s Kristen Scott Thomas compliments her opposite number.
Leading Actor:
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
Michael Keaton – Birdman
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Another crossover in the work: Superman V Captain America!
Leading Actress:
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Amy Adams – Big Eyes Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Reese Witherspoon – Wild
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
That was a surprise: Tom Cruise!
Film:
The Imitation Game
The Theory of Everything Boyhood
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Fellowship:
Mike Leigh (Mr Turner, Life is Sweet, High Hopes, Career Girls, Abigail’s Party, All or Nothing, Topsy Turvy, Secrets and Lies, Naked, Vera Drake, Happy Go Lucky, Another Year)
Here comes the quickfire awards.
Original Music:
Alexandre Desplat – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Documentary:
Citizenfour
Makeup and Hair:
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Production Design:
The Grand Budapest Hotel
British Short Film:
Boogaloo and Graham
British Short Animation:
The Bigger Picture
Editing:
Whiplash
Sound:
Whiplash
Animated Film:
The Lego Movie
Costume Design:
The Grand Budapest Hotel
We managed 53/59 so comment how you did. Here’s the winners leaderboard.
The Grand Budapest Hotel – 5
Boyhood, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash – 3
Ida, Interstellar, The Lego Movie, Pride, Citizenfour, Still Alice, Birdman – 1
The first of the three major awards ceremonies dished out its accolades at last nights Golden Globes. So far Boyhood, Birdman, The Imitation Game, Gone Girl and The Grand Budapest Hotel seemed to be leading the way but this’ll set the town for the rest of the awards season to come.
Best Motion Picture – Drama:
Boyhood Foxcatcher
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical:
The Grand Budapest Hotel Birdman
Pride
St Vincent
Into the Woods
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama:
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
David Oyelowo – Selma
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama:
Julianne Moore – Still Alice Jennifer Aniston – Cake
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy:
Michael Keaton – Birdman Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Bill Murray – St Vincent
Joaquin Phoenix – Inherent Vice
Christoph Waltz – Big Eyes
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy:
Amy Adams – Big Eyes Emily Blunt – Into the Woods
Helen Mirren – The Hundred-Foot Journey
Julianne Moore – Maps to the Stars
Quvenzhane Wallis – Annie
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture:
JK Simmons – Whiplash Robert Duvall – The Judge
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Edward Norton – Birdman
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture:
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood Jessica Chastain – A Most Violent Year
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods
Emma Stone – Birdman
Best Director – Motion Picture:
Richard Linklater – Boyhood Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVernay – Selma
David Fincher – Gone Girl
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu – Birdman
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture:
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaries, Armando Bo – Birdman Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Gillian Flynn – Gone Girl
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Graham Moore – The Imitation Game
Best Original Score – Motion Picture:
Johann Johannsson – The Theory of Everything Alexandre Desplat – The Imitation Game
Trent Reznor – Gone Girl
Antonio Sanchez – Birdman
Hans Zimmer – Interstellar
Best Original Song – Motion Picture:
John Legend/Common, “Glory” – Selma Lana Del Rey, “Big Eyes” – Big Eyes
Patti Smith/Leonard Kaye, “Mercy Is” – Noah
Greg Kurstin/Sia Furler/Will Gluck, “Oppurtunity” – Annie
Lorde, “Yellow Flicker Beat” – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
Best Animated Feature Film:
How to Train Your Dragon 2 Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Lego Movie
The Boxtrolls
Best Foreign Language Film:
Leviathan Force Majeure
Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
Ida
Tangerines
Boyhood’s victory, as well as Linklater, Keaton, Adams, Simmons and Arquette’s wins, was easily predictable but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t any surprises. Three of the four leading categories were wide open an last night put Eddie Redmayne, Julianne Moore and Amy Adams into the lead. Wes Anderson’s whimsical caper The Grand Budapest Hotel toppled dark comedy Birdman in the Comedy/Musical category but Inarritu’s film bounced back for Screenplay. The night’s biggest loser is The Imitation Game, hotly tipped with five noms but not a single win.
Here’s the winner’s list in full:
Boyhood – 3 Birdman, The Theory of Everything – 2 Big Eyes, The Grand Budapest Hotel, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Leviathan, Selma, Still Alice, Whiplash – 1
In TV, the likes of Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey, True Detective and The Missing lost out to Fargo, Transparent, The Honourable Woman, House of Cards and The Affair.
You can find our official Oscar predictions (first nominees, then winners) here very soon.
2015 is the new 2012 (The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall, The Hunger Games, The Hobbit), which itself was the new 1999 (The Sixth Sense, The Phantom Menace, The Matrix, Two Story 2). Its releases should not only be huge financial successes but promise to be delightful watches as well. Here’s what we reckon will be topping the year’s box office in twelve months time.
The Avengers: Age of Ultron – Director: Joss Whedon – $1.7 billion
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens – JJ Abrams – $1.4 billion
Spectre – Sam Mendes – $1.2 billion
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 – Francis Lawrence – $925 million
Furious 7 – James Wan – $875 million
Minions – Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin – $800 million
Jurassic World – Colin Trevorrow – $775 million
Inside Out – Pete Docter – $725 million
Mission: Impossible 5 – Christopher McQuarrie – $700 million
Ant-Man – Peyton Reed – $675 million
The Good Dinosaur – Peter Sohn – $625 million
Ted 2 – Seth MacFarlane – $600 million
Terminator Genisys – Alan Taylor – $575 million
The Fantastic Four – Josh Trank – $550 million
Tomorrowland – Brad Bird – $525 million
We reckon The Avengers sequel will edge Star Wars seeing as the former series’ commercial success is actually growing. Pixar’s double-billed return to original storytelling with Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur should score them impressively but Minions will triumph on the animation front. The only other original work we expect to see doing well is sci-fi adventure Tomorrowland. The race in the new crop of reboots will be won by Jurassic World, beating off competition from Terminator and Fantastic Four. Close to gracing the Top 15 will be sequels to YA franchises (The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials, Insurgent) and there might be an upset for Chris Columbus/Adam Sandler comedy Pixels and Joe Wright/Hugh Jackman fantasy adventure Pan. Should it finally get a major release, The Interview may well be a smash hit.
Now here are our top twenty to one most anticipated releases of the year.
20) The Fantastic Four
Director: Josh Trank Writers: Josh Trank, Simon Kinberg, Jeremy Slater, TS Nowlin Starring: Miles Teller, Jamie Bell, Kate Mara, Michael B Jordan, Toby Kebbell Premise: For a very long time, next to nothing had been revealed about Fox’s Fantastic Four reboot. Star Wars took a similar approach and that sent fans running wild with speculation but no such hype surrounded the FF, exposing a serious lack of interest. Still, Chronicle’s Trank is a promising hope and the the high-end castings of Teller (Whiplash), Bell (Bill Elliot), Mara (House of Cards), Kebbell (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and Jordan (Fruitvale Station) ought to liven things up. Release: August 6th
19) Everest
Director: Baltasar Kormakur Writers: William Nicholson, Mark Medoff, Justin Isbell, Lem Dobbs, Simon Beaufoy Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Robin Wright, Jason Clarke, Elizabeth Debicki, John Hawkes, Emily Watson Premise: An absolute first-rate cast from two teams who embark on an expedition to the peak of the world’s highest mountain, where they also face the world’s toughest terrain. The stills so far reveal some spectacular drama. Release: October 2nd
18) Mission: Impossible 5
Director: Christopher McQuarrie Writers: Drew Pearce, Will Staples Starring: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Alec Baldwin, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Ving Rhames Premise: It’s hard to get excited when all we have to go on is a few on-set snaps but we can still expect a high-end spectacle of action. Uniting Cruise and McQuarrie (star/writer of Edge of Tomorrow) is a solid move and the returning cast of Ghost Protocol (Pegg, Renner, Patton) hints at more franchise continuity than before. Release: December 26th
17) The Man From UNCLE
Director: Guy Ritchie Writers: Guy Ritchie, Lionel Wigram, Jeff Kleeman, David Campbell Wilson Starring: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Hugh Grant, Elizabeth Debicki, Jared Harris Premise: Bond and Hunt are both set in stone in their nationalities but spy reboot The Man From UNCLE pitches a teaming up of the American Napoleon Solo (Cavill) and the Russian Illya Kuryakin (Hammer). With Sherlock Holmes/Snatch director Guy Ritchie helming it ought to be a truly gripping thriller. Release: August 14th
16) Child 44
Director: Daniel Espinosa Writers: Richard Price Starring: Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace, Paddy Considine, Jason Clarke, Dev Patel, Joel Kinnaman, Charles Dance Premise: In Stalin-era Soviet Union, a detective investigates a series of murder, the complication is that the state believes crime doesn’t exist. The cast alone is enough of a reason to get interested and Daniel Espinosa proved his action credentials in Safe House. Release: April 17th
15) Minions
Director: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin Writer: Brian Lynch Starring: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud, Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton Premise: There are very few well favoured comedy spin offs but the first trailer for Despicable Me’s spawn the Minions looked promising. Release: June 26th
14) Untitled Steven Spielberg Cold War Project
Director: Steven Spielberg Writers: Matt Charman, Joel and Ethan Coen Starring: Tom Hanks, Amy Ryan, Alan Alda, Mark Rylance Premise: We know nothing more than the title suggests but another collaboration between Spielberg (Jaws, ET, AI, Minority Report, Schindler’s List, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park) and Hanks (Forrest Gump, Captain Phillips, Cast Away, The Green Mile, Road to Perdition) is a huge attention grabber. The pair’s previous collaborations are Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal and Saving Private Ryan. Release: October 9th
13) Chappie
Director: Neill Blomkamp Writers: Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell Starring: Sharlto Copley, Hugh Jackman, Dev Patel, Sigourney Weaver Premise: The director of District 9 takes on a slightly more light hearted venture as Chappie, a discarded robotic cop, us taken under the wing of a group of scientists who teach it. Soon, others realise that Chappie is potentially dangerous. Release: March 6th
12) The Walk
Director: Robert Zemeckis Writers: Robert Zemeckis, Christopher Browne Starring: Joseph Gordon Levitt, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon, James Badge Dale Premise: As chronicled in the Oscar winning documentary Man on Wire, stuntman Philippe Petit begins his ultimate accomplishment by wire walking from one Twin Tower to the other. This is the first teaming up of the duo Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, Cast Away) and Joseph Gordon Levitt (Looper, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception). Release: October 2nd
11) Ant-Man
Director; Peyton Reed Writers: Gabriel Ferrari, Andrew Barrer, Adam McKay, Edgar Wright Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, Judy Greer
10) Inside Out
Director: Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del Carmen Writers: Michael Arndt, Pete Docter Starring: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling, Lewis Black, Kyle MacLachlan, Diane Lane Premise: Pixar’s second release of 2015 is the brilliantly madcap concept of emotions, symbolised as the characters above, controlling the emotions within our mind. Unlike The Good Dinosaur, this has a Pixar regular, Pete Docter (Monsters Inc, Up), at the helm as well as Toy Story 3 writer Michael Arndt. Release: July 24th
9) Jurassic World
Director: Colin Trevorrow Writers: Colin Trevorrow, Derek Connolly Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Nick Robinson, Ty Simpkins, Omar Sy, Judy Greer, Jake Johnson, Vincent D’Onofrio Premise: We’re well prepared for a sequel that won’t live up to the original’s same magic. Still, Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) and his new set of leads – Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy), Howard (The Help), Robinson (The Kings of Summer) and Simpkins (Insidious) – look set to give a fresh rebranding. Release: June 12th
8) Tomorrowland
Director: Brad Bird Writers: Damon Lindelof, Brad Bird Starring: Britt Robertson, George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Judy Greer Premise: One f the year’s most secretive releases comes from Pixar protogee Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) and, while it is a fairly original prospect, it’s in fact roughly based upon Walt Disney’s own bright and bold vision of the future. Release: May 22nd
7) Mad Max: Fury Road
Director: George Miller Writers: George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, Nick Lathouris Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Zoe Kravitz, Nicholas Hoult Premise: Pleasing the die hard fans of the original will be a tough task but the footage so far revealed for this sequel is phenomenal. It’ll be massively entertaining to see Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises, Locke) in a rawer action role. Release: May 15th
6) The Martian
Director: Ridley Scott Writer: Drew Goddard Starring: Matt Damon, Jessican Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kirsten Wiig, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Michael Pena, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean Premise: The film’s tone, either epic or dramatic, has yet to have been established but it sees Damon’s astronaut stranded on the red planet. Still, we’re immediately excited to see what legendary Brit director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Black Hawk Dawn, Alien, Blade Runner) can bring next. Release: November 27th
5) Spectre
Director: Sam Mendes Writers: John Logan, Neil Purvis, Robert Wade Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Monica Bellucci, Andrew Scott, Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Jesper Christensen Premise: After Skyfall became one of the undisputedly great Bond films (rivalling Dr No, Goldfinger, GoldenEye and Casino Royale) and its follow up is hoping to be just as successful. In this new adventure, Bond (Craig) tracks a mysterious signal from a previous mission and finds a secret organisation, led by Waltz’s Oberhauser. Release: October 23rd
4) In the Heart of the Sea
Director: Ron Howard Writers: Charles Leavitt, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Charlotte Riley, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson Premise: Fresh off of smash hit racing drama Rush, Ron Howard (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind) returns with a period thriller based on the true story that inspire Moby Dick. Hemsworth’s whaling crew are stranded in the see for weeks on end as the most fearsome whale they have ever witnessed haunts them. The trailer is awesome, terrifying and truly monstrous. Release: March 13th
3) Crimson Peak
Director: Guillermo Del Toro Writers: Guillermo Del Toro, Matthew Robbins, Lucinda Coxon Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Charlie Hunnam, Doug Jones, Burn Gorman Premise: The masterful Mexican Del Toro, director of Pan’s Labyrinth and Pacific Rim/writer of The Hobbit trilogy, returns to properly gothic horror as aspiring author Edith Cushing (Wasikowska) moves into a new home with her sinister new husband Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston). If it’s what it promises to be, we could have a chilling masterpiece on our hands. Release: October 16th
2) The Avengers: Age of Ultron
Director: Joss Whedon Writer: Joss Whedon Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, James Spader, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Samuel L Jackson, Andy Serkis, Cobie Smulders, Don Cheadle, Stellan Skarsgard, Hayley Atwell, Thomas Kretschmann Premise: Stark’s robot peacekeeping program gets out of hand as his creation begins its own global dominations. Marvel’s other properties (Inhumans and Doctor Strange) are being set up elsewhere but this is sowing the seeds of Civil War, Black Panther and Infinity War. Still Whedon’s superhero sequel will be darker, bolder, bigger and better. Release: April 24th
1) Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens
Director: JJ Abrams Writers: JJ Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan Starring: Andy Serkis, Max Von Sydow, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, Warwick Davis, Christina Chong, Iko Uwais, Maisie Richardson Sellers Premise: Besides the setting (30 years on from Return of the Jedi) we know almost nothing but how could anything else be number one? Perhaps it would have been lower down before that trailer landed but it just blew 90% of our worries out the water. We’re equally terrified and excited to what JJ will produce. Others may be surefire hits but this is the one we hope for the most. Release: December 18th
It was mysterious and secretive right up until it didn’t want to be and JJ Abrams’ (Super 8, Lost, Star Trek) new Star Wars sequel has become the year’s biggest hype monster. We new nothing until the entire cast were announced in one swoop. Newcomers to the series Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), John Boyega (Attack the Block), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Adam Driver (Tracks), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Max Von Sydow (Minority Report) and Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Lord of the Rings) will rub shoulders with the original crew of Mark Hamill (The Big Red One), Carrie Fisher (The Blues Brothers), Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Warwick Davis (Willow) and Harrison Ford (Blade Runner, The Witness, Raiders of Lost Ark).
The Force Awakens was revealed as the title and this phenomenon of a trailer was released.
4) The Interview – when Hollywood enters world politics
We continue proceedings with the most recent and easily the most controversial scoop of the year. The Interview began harmlessly as a Sony comedy project poised to be the directorial follow up for This Is the End Team Evan Goldberg (Superbad) and Seth Rogen (Knocked Up, 50/50) with regular collaborator James Franco (Spider-Man, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 127 Hours). Lizzy Caplan (Cloverfield, Masters of Sex) was recruited to star but things kicked off when the film’s full extent was revealed.
The Interview would see extravagant broadcaster Dave Skylark (Franco) and producer Aaron Rapaport (Rogen) are enlisted by the FBI to infiltrate North Korea, via an interview with their real-life leader Kim Jung-Un (here played by Randall Park), and assassinate him. Production went swimmingly but the release is where trouble was aroused. To provide some political context, Kim Jung-Un is the successor of Kim Jung-Il. This dynasty, responsible for the atrocities or just the face of the oppression, are allegedly conducting massacres of their own people but the (and I know this is a woeful understatement) tightly regulated press cannot confirm any story of the like.
North Korea’s potential response was always dreaded but it was only in the past month that events spiralled. The country seemed placid enough until declaring it an act of war. The first aggressive move was made when Sony were mysteriously hacked and numerous stories (a clean slate for Spider-Man?) and entire films, including The Interview, were leaked online. North Korea denied responsibility for the hack but the methods bared great similarity to another attack on the South Korean government. The nation then made the grave threats of 9\11 style attacks on all cinemas showing the film – not even Team America prompted this sort of retaliation.
And so Sony had to pull the release. It’s still unclear if they plan to postpone or entirely cancel the film, if the latter Sony will have suffered losses of $40 million on budget, $30 million on marketing as well as whatever money they claimed from the box office. You can see why Sony would be keen to negotiate some form of release. If so cult stardom awaits.
Not only this film was pulled (Oscar hopeful Foxcatcher, starring Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum, has suffered delays) due to the attack and this isn’t the only film of this year to have caused major political impact; action sci-fi sequel The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 was forced to scrap its Taiwan release, worried that the rebellious themes would stir public unrest.
Many of Hollywood’s elite, including The Secret Life of Walter Mitty star Ben Stiller, criticized Sony’s response for caving in and not exercising freedom of speech. US President Barack Obama himself condemned Sony but I doubt he’d have been so critical if a matter so trivial as a farcical comedy film were to bring harm to others.
3) Marvel’s Third Phase – difficulty casting Strange and creative power struggle for Ant-Man
Four films based upon Marvel comics dominated the financial skyline of this year: Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ($708 million – 6th highest grossing film of the year), Fox’s X-Men: Days of Future Past ($746 million – 4th) and the official Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($714 million – 5th) and Guardians of the Galaxy ($772 million – 2nd). After next year’s Avengers sequel Age of Ultron, the MCU are advancing with its third phase. It was confirmed all in one massive, mid-week presentation.
Captain America (starring Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr) and Thor (starring Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston) are receiving their third films (Civil War and Ragnarok respectively; Guardians of the Galaxy is getting the sequel treatment; the Avengers will return in a two part event titled Infinity War and the new properties of Black Panther (starring Chadwick Boseman), Captain Marvel and Inhumans will be put into production.
One of Marvel’s most promising projects was Ant-Man, a sci-fi that Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim VS The World) had been developing for years. The casting of Paul Rudd (Anchorman), Corey Stoll (House of Cards), Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug), Michael Pena (American Hustle) and Michael Douglas (The Game) went swimmingly but Wright’s departure sent the film spiralling. There was a scramble for a replacement saw comedy veterans Rawson Marshall Thurber (We’re the Millers) and Adam McKay (Anchorman) in consideration but Peyton Reed, still best known for Yes Man, got the job. Annoyingly the decision has all the signs of a last minute filler job.
Doctor Strange had an easier time picking its helmer in the form of Sinister’s Scott Derickson. Casting was far trickier. Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) and Benedict Cumberbatch were the first to be rumoured for the role in a long chain of names featuring Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club), Jack Huston (Broadwalk Empire), Edgar Ramirez (Deliver Us From Evil) and Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) with the persisting, if far fetched, claims of Adrien Brody (The Pianist) and Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean). In the summer Joaquin Phoenix (Her, Walk the Line, Inherent Vice) was revealed to be in talks but didn’t immediately sign on and he seemed reluctant to be joining.
Indeed he was and his departure left the casting process at square one. After this a host of actors were mentioned in connection: Matthew MacConaughey (Interstellar), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), Ethan Hawke (Before Sunrise), Ewan MacGregor (Transpotting), Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler) and Ryan Gosling (The Ides of March). Eventually Marvel circled back to Golden Globe nominee Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek Into Darkness, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, 12 Years a Slave, The Imitation Game). Despite these delays the franchise is interlocking into place.
2) Homegrown talent triumphs at Oscars
Besides Spike Jonze’s awful robo-romance Her, 2014’s Academy Awards Best Picture selection was phenomenal. The strong contenders were American Hustle (’70s set hustler drama starring Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Jennifer Lawrence), Captain Phillips (hijacking thriller with Tom Hanks), Gravity (spaceship disaster action with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney), Philomena (Steve Coogan written comedy/drama starring Coogan and Judi Dench) and Scorcese’s modern crime flick The Wolf of Wall Street.
Unsurprisingly it was the thoroughly acclaimed period drama 12 Years a Slave that triumphed. While it is a largely American production, the film, depicted a harrowing account of slavery through the story of Solomon Northup, but has an immense amount of British. The film’s grand ensemble (including Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson, Scoot McNairy, Quvenzhane Wallis, Paul Giamatti and Brad Pitt) picked up three acting nominations: Brit Chiwetel Ejiofor for Best Leading Actors; Irish-Germanic star Michael Fassbender for Best Supporting Actor; Mexican-born unknown Lupita Nyong’o won for Best Supporting Actress.
The ceremony’s most important victor was Steve McQueen. Although the Brit lost out on Best Director to Gravity’s Alfonso Cuaron his work became the first Best Picture winner to have been directed and produced by a black filmmaker. This year, 12 Years a Slave made film history.
1) Spectre-falls
Spectre triumphs as our most exciting news story of 2014. The mega-announcement revealed the title of the twenty fourth Bond instalment as well as the cast and some plot details. Sam Mendes’ (Road to Perdition, Revolutionary Road, American Beauty) follow up to the billion dollar success of Skyfall sees James Bond tracking down a mysterious signal that leads him to uncovering a hidden organisation. The cast includes Daniel Craig (Munich), Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained), Lea Seydoux (Blue is the Warmest Colour), Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Andrew Scott (Sherlock), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), Naomie Harris (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom), Jesper Christiansen (Melancholia), Rory Kinnear (The Imitation Game) and Ben Whishaw (Cloud Atlas).
The first of the three truly major awards ceremonies, the other two being the BAFTAs and the Oscars, has at last pushed its cards from its chest. Unsurprisingly, the likes of Boyhood, Birdman, Foxcatcher, The Theory of Everything, The Imitation Game and The Grand Budapest Hotel feature prolifically but there’s a few unexpected mentions for the films Selma, Pride, Annie, St Vincent, Nightcrawler and Into the Woods and the stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Bill Murray, Naomi Watts, Jennifer Aniston and Meryl Streep. A phenomenal nine Brits have cropped up in the acting nominations (Benedict Cumberbatch, David Oyelowo, Eddie Redmayne, Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones, Rosamund Pike, Emily Blunt, Keira Knightley and Helen Mirren). Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will host the ceremony next Spring.
Best Picture – Drama:
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Best Picture – Musical or Comedy:
Birdman
Into the Woods
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Pride
St Vincent
Best Director:
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVernay – Selma
David Fincher – Gone Girl
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Best Actor – Drama:
Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
David Oyelowo – Selma
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
Best Actress – Drama:
Jennifer Aniston – Cake
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild
Best Actor – Musical or Comedy:
Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Michael Keaton – Birdman
Bill Murray – St Vincent
Joaquin Phoenix – Inherent Vice
Christoph Waltz – Big Eyes
Best Actress: Musical or Comedy:
Amy Adams – Big Eyes
Emily Blunt – Into the Woods
Helen Mirren – The Hundred-Foot Journey
Julianne Moore – Maps to the Stars
Quvenzhane Wallis – Annie
Best Supporting Actor:
Robert Duvall – The Judge
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Edward Norton – Birdman
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
JK Simmons – Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress:
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Jessica Chastain – A Most Violent Year
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Emma Stone – Birdman
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods
Best Screenplay:
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Gillian Flynn – Gone Girl
Alejendro Gonzalez Inarritu – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Graham Moore – The Imitation Game
Best Original Score:
Alexandre Desplat – The Imitation Game
Johann Johannsson – The Theory of Everything
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross – Gone Girl
Antonio Sanchez – Birdman
Hans Zimmer – Interstellar
Best Original Song:
Big Eyes – Big Eyes – Lana Del Rey
Glory – Selma – John Legend, Common
Mercy Is – Noah – Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye
Opportunity – Annie – Greg Kurstin, Sia Furler, Will Gluck
Yellow Flicker Beat – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 – Lorde
Best Foreign Language Film:
Force Majeure
Gett: The Trial of Vivianne Amsalem
Ida
Leviathan
Tangerines
Best Animated Feature:
Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The Lego Movie
Here’s the list of the biggest nomination holders:
Birdman – 7
Boyhood – 5
The Imitation Game – 5
Gone Girl – 4
The Grand Budapest Hotel – 4
Selma – 4
The Theory of Everything – 4
Big Eyes – 3
Into the Woods – 3
St Vincent – 3
Foxcatcher – 3
tuorhothmovies 