We gave you the original films that will be coming out this Winter Movie Season, so here are the not so original ones. And that’s not an insult at all, that’s just to say that they aren’t based on original ideas. In going over this list, it became obvious that every film on it is based on a book, with the exception of Death Wish, which is a remake of a film and Pacific Rim: Uprising, which is a sequel.
Because of the nature of this list there will be a few repeats from our 20 Must-See Films of 2018 list, but more than half of this list is made up of films that did not make it there. That list was reserved for the films we think will likely be some of the biggest hits of the year. These seasonal lists concentrate more on smaller films that are as deserving of audience time and money.
So without further ado, here’s our list.
For the TL;DR version of this list, watch the video above.
Mary and the Witch’s Flower – January 19th
Written by: Riko Sakaguchi and Hiromasa Yonebayashi.
Directed by: Hiromasa Yonebayashi.
Starring: Ruby Barnhill, Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Kate Winslet, Jim Broadbent, Teresa Gallagher, Ewen Bremner, Rasmus Hardiker, Morwenna Banks and Lynda Baron.
Synopsis: Based on The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart, a strange flower grants a girl magic powers. –IMDB.
The 15:17 to Paris – February 9th
Written by: Dorothy Blyskal.
Directed by: Clint Eastwood.
Starring: Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone, Judy Greer, Jenna Fischer and Ray Corasani.
Synopsis: In the early evening of August 21, 2015, the world watched in stunned silence as the media reported a thwarted terrorist attack on Thalys train #9364 bound for Paris—an attempt prevented by three courageous young Americans traveling through Europe. The film follows the course of the friends’ lives, from the struggles of childhood through finding their footing in life, to the series of unlikely events leading up to the attack. Throughout the harrowing ordeal, their friendship never wavers, making it their greatest weapon and allowing them to save the lives of the more than 500 passengers on board. – Warner Bros.
Black Panther – February 16th
Written by: Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole.
Directed by: Ryan Coogler.
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker and Andy Serkis.
Synopsis: Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” follows T’Challa who, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. But when a powerful old enemy reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king—and Black Panther—is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people and their way of life. – Marvel.com.
Annihilation – February 23rd
Written and Directed by: Alex Garland.
Starring: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny and Oscar Isaac.
Synopsis: A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition where the laws of nature don’t apply. – IMDB.
Game Night – February 23rd
Written by: Mark Perez.
Directed by: John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein.
Starring: Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Kyle Chandler, Jesse Plemons and Jeffrey Wright.
Synopsis: A group of friends who meet regularly for game nights find themselves trying to solve a murder mystery. – IMDB.
Red Sparrow – March 2nd
Written by: Justin Haythe.
Directed by: Francis Lawrence.
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise Parker and Jeremy Irons.
Synopsis: Dominika Egorova is many things.
A devoted daughter determined to protect her mother at all costs.
A prima ballerina whose ferocity has pushed her body and mind to the absolute limit.
A master of seductive and manipulative combat.
When she suffers a career-ending injury, Dominika and her mother are facing a bleak and uncertain future. That is why she finds herself manipulated into becoming the newest recruit for Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people like her to use their bodies and minds as weapons. After enduring the perverse and sadistic training process, she emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow the program has ever produced. Dominika must now reconcile the person she was with the power she now commands, with her own life and everyone she cares about at risk, including an American CIA agent who tries to convince her he is the only person she can trust. – 20th Century Fox.
Death Wish – March 2nd
Written by: Joe Carnahan.
Directed by: Eli Roth.
Starring: Bruce Willis, Vincent D’Onofrio, Elisabeth Shue, Dean Norris and Kimberly Elise.
Synopsis: Dr. Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) is a surgeon who only sees the aftermath of his city’s violence as it’s rushed into his ER -until his wife (Elisabeth Shue) and college-age daughter (Camila Morrone) are viciously attacked in their suburban home. With the police overloaded with crimes, Paul, burning for revenge, hunts for his family’s assailants to deliver justice. As the anonymous slayings of criminals grabs the media’s attention, the city wonders if this deadly avenger is a guardian angel…or a grim reaper. Fury and fate collide in the intense action-thriller Death Wish. – IMDB.
A Wrinkle in Time – March 9th
Written by: Jennifer Lee.
Directed by: Ava DuVernay.
Starring: Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Peña, Storm Reid, Zach Galifianakis and Chris Pine.
Synopsis: After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space in order to find him. – IMDB.
Love Simon – March 16th
Written by: Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger.
Directed by: Greg Berlanti.
Starring: Nick Robinson, Katherine Langford, Alexandra Shipp, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Miles Heizer, Keiynan Lonsdale, Logan Miller, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel and Tony Hale.
Synopsis: Everyone deserves a great love story. But for seventeen-year old Simon Spier it’s a little more complicated: he’s yet to tell his family or friends he’s gay and he doesn’t actually know the identity of the anonymous classmate he’s fallen for online. Resolving both issues proves hilarious, terrifying and life-changing. Directed by Greg Berlanti (Riverdale, The Flash, Supergirl), written by Isaac Aptaker & Elizabeth Berger (This is Us), and based on Becky Albertalli’s acclaimed novel, LOVE, SIMON is a funny and heartfelt coming-of-age story about the thrilling ride of finding yourself and falling in love. – 20th Century Fox.
Pacific Rim: Uprising – March 23rd
Written by: Emily Carmichael, Kira Snyder, T.S. Nowlin and Steven S. DeKnight.
Directed by: Steven S. DeKnight.
Starring: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Cailee Spaeny, Jing Tian, Adria Arjona, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman and Rinko Kikuchi.
Synopsis: The globe-spanning conflict between otherworldly monsters of mass destruction and the human-piloted super-machines built to vanquish them was only a prelude to the all-out assault on humanity in Pacific Rim Uprising.
John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) stars as the rebellious Jake Pentecost, a once-promising Jaeger pilot whose legendary father gave his life to secure humanity’s victory against the monstrous “Kaiju.” Jake has since abandoned his training only to become caught up in a criminal underworld. But when an even more unstoppable threat is unleashed to tear through our cities and bring the world to its knees, he is given one last chance to live up to his father’s legacy by his estranged sister, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi)—who is leading a brave new generation of pilots that have grown up in the shadow of war. As they seek justice for the fallen, their only hope is to unite together in a global uprising against the forces of extinction.
Jake is joined by gifted rival pilot Lambert (The Fate of the Furious’ Scott Eastwood) and 15-year-old Jaeger hacker Amara (newcomer Cailee Spaeny), as the heroes of the PPDC become the only family he has left. Rising up to become the most powerful defense force to ever walk the earth, they will set course for a spectacular all-new adventure on a towering scale. – Pacificrimmovie.com.
