READY OR NOT

63rd BFI London Film Festival
2-13.Oct.19

13th Iris Prize Festival
Cardiff, 8-13.Oct.19

• GREENER GRASS. THE LODGE. TREMORS. BLACK AND BLUE. I LOST MY BODY. BAD EDUCATION. THE BIRDCATCHER. THE DUDE IN ME. NON-FICTION. FAMILY ROMANCE LLC. THE REPORT. JOKER. OFFICIAL SECRETS. LITTLE JOE.
• HOTEL MUMBAI. SKIN. BLISS. HILDA. THE RACER. TEHRAN: CITY OF LOVE. THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE.
* NOMAD: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BRUCE CHATWIN. SILVANA.
* Raindance: KROW'S TRANSFORMATION. LFF: CLEMENCY. DEERSKIN. ON A MAGICAL NIGHT. RIALTO. FrightFest: A SERIAL KILLER'S GUIDE TO LIFE. Outfest. LIFF. Tribeca. Flare. Thessaloniki.
• THE AERONAUTS. GEMINI MAN. THE IRISHMAN. THE LAUNDROMAT.

ADAM
AGA (Bul)
ALL CREATURES HERE BELOW
AUGGIE
THE BLOND ONE (Arg)
COME TO DADDY
END OF THE CENTURY (Arg)
EUPHORIA
HARPOON
LITTLE WOODS
THE MOUNTAIN
NEVRLAND (Aut)
ROOM FOR RENT
THE SOUND OF SILENCE
SPIDER IN THE WEB
SUMMER NIGHT
SUPERVIZED
THIS IS NOT BERLIN (Mex)
TU ME MANQUES
THE WEDDING YEAR

* films I've seen, reviews en route

GEMINI MAN

dir Ang Lee; with Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong, Douglas Hodge, Ralph Brown, Linda Emond, EJ Bonilla 19/US
release US/UK 11.Oct.19

Frankly this looks like it could be pretty terrible, a gimmicky action movie in which Will Smith takes on his younger self in battle. But with Ang Lee directing, there is a chance that it might be more than expected. Not only is he adept at harnessing new tech for story purposes rather than just to be flashy, but he also has the ability to cut through a thin story to find something interesting. None of that is visible in the trailer, but we can hope.

THE IRISHMAN

dir Martin Scorsese; with Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel, Joe Pesci, Anna Paquin, Jesse Plemons, Stephen Graham, Jake Hoffman, Bobby Cannavale 19/US
release US 27.Sep.19 (NYFF), UK 13.Oct.19 (LFF)
The mega-wattage in this true drama is a little overwhelming, reuniting Scorsese with De Niro, Pesci and Keitel, plus Pacino, Paquin, et al. The story of Jimmy Hoffa has never been told on-screen, and the use of digital make-up to make the actors look youthful seems eerily effective (hopefully not too gimmicky). It's only listed as premiering at festivals in New York and London, and surely if Netflix wants to take over awards season (again), they'll also make sure it gets into cinemas.

FRANKIE

dir Ira Sachs; with Isabelle Huppert, Marisa Tomei, Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson, Jeremie Renier, Sennia Nanua, Pascal Greggory, Vinette Robinson 19/US
release US 25.Oct.19, UK tbc
The trailer for this drama is a little oddly put together, which leaves the film feeling a little out of reach. But with a cast like this, it's impossible to ignore. Huppert is simply magnificent in everything, and it will be intriguing to see her mix with the likes of Tomei and Kinnear. Gleeson and Renier are a bit more to her style, both also worth seeing in anything they do. And Ira Sachs has made a series of stunning dramas leading up to this one. There's no UK release date, but I'm hoping for a London Film Fest slot.

DOCTOR SLEEP

dir-scr Mike Flanagan; with Ewan McGregor,Rebecca Ferguson, Jacob Tremblay, Cliff Curtis, Bruce Greenwood, Zahn McClarnon, Carel Struycken, Emily Alyn Lind 19/US
release UK 31.Oct.19, US 8.Nov.19
There isn't much reason to expect a lot from this movie, especially as it's written and directed by Flanagan, who has kind of slipped into a horror rut of late. But the cast is intriguing, potentially very interesting. And the fact that this is based on Stephen King's sequel to The Shining will make it impossible to ignore. Having read the novel, I know it's a completely different story, centring on the now-adult Danny as he continues to struggle with his "gift". As long as Flanagan doesn't dumb it down for a movie audience....

LAST CHRISTMAS

dir Paul Feig; with Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Emma Thompson, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Serafinowicz, Patti LuPone, Rob Delaney, Sue Perkins, Rebecca Root 19/UK
release US 8.Nov.19, UK 15.Nov.19
Frankly, the trailer for this Christmas rom-com looks pretty terrible. But then you stop and look at the facts: it's directed and written by people who know what they're talking about; it has Thompson, Yeoh, Serafinowicz and LuPone in the cast, none of whom are missable; and Clarke and Golding can be adorable in the right material. So let's hope this is the right material, and not the Love Actually-with-added-Wham rehash it looks like it might be.

JOJO RABBIT

dir Taika Waititi; with Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Taika Waititi, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Rebel Wilson, Alfie Allen, Stephen Merchant 19/US
release US 18.Oct.19, UK 3.Jan.19
Taika Waititi is such a clever filmmaker that it's impossible not to look forward to him poking fun at the Nazis. With the ability to find comedy everywhere (vampires, Marvel), he's becoming an unmissable filmmaker. And this one looks frankly wonderful. The UK release date is very oddly delayed until January, but it's screening at the London Film Festival in October, so hopefully I can catch it there.

OPHELIA

dir Claire McCarthy; with Daisy Ridley, Naomi Watts, Clive Owen, Tom Felton, George MacKay, Daisy Head, Sebastian De Souza, Dominic Mafham, Anna Rust 19/UK
release US 28.Jun.19, UK tbc
Yet another big-name British film without a British release date, this looks like a clever reworking of Shakespeare's Hamlet through a new perspective. There's no expectation that this is as clever as Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, but the cast is intriguing enough to make the film worth a look. Reviews on the US release have been ok (not raves), which may explain the lack of anticipation over here. But we still want to see it.  

---

Also on my want-to-see list...
Autumn: THE DEATH OF DICK LONG  21 BRIDGES 
THE ADDAMS FAMILY  DOLEMITE IS MY NAME 
JAY & SILENT BOB REBOOT  JEXI  JOKER 
THE LODGE  LUCY IN THE SKY  OFFICIAL SECRETS 
3 FROM HELL  CHARLIE'S ANGELS  FROZEN II 
LE MANS '66 (aka FORD V FERRARI)  MARRIAGE STORY 
MIDWAY  THE REPORT  THE TWO POPES 
Winter: BOMBSHELL  CATS  LITTLE WOMEN 
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER  JUST MERCY 
Spring/Summer: MULAN  TOP GUN: MAVERICK 
No UK release date: THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE 
WHERE'D YOU GO BERNADETTE