The Ephemeric

Hello and welcome back to 2018's final post from the Hot List. So far we have covered the biggest news in television, videogames, music, and theatre. This week we will be looking at the most exciting new movies set to hit the big screen in 2018 from February onwards, after the cutoff point for this year's awards season.



The Ephemeric finds itself the victim of its own success after some very strong 2017 predictions, featuring a top 4 which included The Darkest Hour, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, and Dunkirk, and a top 15 which included many of the other big awards season players. Who said the film industry wasn't predictable?

Of course this means the pressure is on for this year's Hot List, anything less than a lineup of Oscar winners and box office smashes will be a step back. Fortunately 2018 is looking like a very strong year for films once again, from summer blockbusters, to prestige biopics, and work of a more experimental nature. But with all the strong contenders, there are 15 that stand out among the pack.

So enjoy, the key films to keep an eye on in the coming year (trailers linked in the title where available), starting with number 15:


15. The Old Man and the Gun

Let's start with the new crime thriller from the up and coming David Lowery, who is both writer and director on The Old Man and the Gun.

This is based on the real-life story of criminal and escape artist Forrest Tucker, and stars a formidable ensemble cast which includes Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Sissy Spacek, Danny Glover, Tom Waits, and Elisabeth Moss.

There was initial buzz that the film would drop at this year's festival circuit, but that has not yet materialised. A full release is expected for the latter half of the year when the awards season starts to heat up.

Release Date: Late 2018


14. Ready Player One

Ready Player One, has been a long time coming. This adaptation of Ernest Cline's novel of the same name was originally slated for release as far back as 2016, then switched to Christmas 2017, and finally pushed to spring 2018.

The latest from director and Hollywood legend Stephen Spielberg, Ready Player One is effectively a mystery/treasure hunt set in a futuristic virtual world. The fully stocked cast includes Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, TJ Miller, Mark Rylance, and Simon Pegg.

What's been taking so long in its production, you might wonder? Spielberg describes this as the most difficult film he's done since Saving Private Ryan. Set in a visually ambitious futurescape where physically anything can happen, he allegedly had to attend three hour meetings every week during it's prolonged production in order to make sure the FX work is up to scratch.

The release is almost finally upon us. This looks like the first bona fide blockbuster of the year.

Release Date: 29 March, 2018


13. Mary Queen of Scots

Saoirse Ronan stars in this historical drama film as the titular Mary Queen of Scots. This project is based on the biography by British historian John Guy, and features a strong cast that includes Margot Robbie, David Tennant, and Guy Pearce.

We all love a good costume drama, and the cast on this one is very impressive. Still, in this post-Game of Thrones era, there's always a worry whenever a studio starts talking about doing a "historical drama" - see the mess that is Britannia. Straight-faced historical storytelling seems to be out of fashion at the moment, and cinema is the worse for it.

Still, the hype is strong, and the industry expects big things from this project come next year's awards season. I for one will be hoping this is more The Queen than The Snow Queen.

Release Date: 2 November, 2018


12. Under the Silver Lake

Under the Silver Lake is the follow up film from It Follows writer/director David Robert Mitchell. A mystery dramedy set in an anachronistic middle America, starring Andrew Garfield as unwitting would-be detective Sam.

For those who haven't seen the film that made Mitchell's name, It Follows is probably the best horror movie to have been released in many years. Between that film and his equally well-received debut The Myth of the American Sleepover, Mitchell is establishing himself as one of America's most exciting new directors. His latest looks to be following in the taut, highly stylised footsteps of his earlier work.

Under the Silver Lake releases in June, and we're very excited to see what he's got up his sleeve.

Release Date: 22 June, 2018


11. Creed II

What's this? A sequel on the Hot List, and a franchise movie no less? Creed II is of course the sequel to Creed, the seventh movie of the Rocky Balboa franchise of boxing movies.

If that doesn't interest you then you must not have seen Creed, which was easily the best movie in the franchise since the Oscar winning original. Shifting the focus from Stallone's Rocky to Michael B Jordan's Adonis Creed was a game changer, and leaving directorial duties to Ryan Coogler a master stroke. Creed has reinvigorated the franchise potentially for years to come.

Sadly, Coogler has not returned, with the untested Steven Caple Jr in the hotseat, but otherwise the two main stars return, along with old favourite Dolph Lundgren. Creed was an excellent movie, if this is half as good then it will be worth your time.

Release Date: Q4 2018


10. Widows

Widows is the latest from acclaimed director Steve McQueen, best known for 12 Years a Slave, but also directed the well received Hunger and Shame.

Widows is essentially an old fashioned heist movie, where four robbers are killed attempting a break-in, and their widows team up to complete the job. It features a strong core cast of Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki and Colin Farrell.

Release date is set for November. Possible awards contender? Doesn't seem like it from the genre, but with this talent involved who knows.

Release Date: 16 November, 2018


9. Beautiful Boy

One of 2017's biggest breakout stars, Timothée Chalamet has no shortage of offers in Hollywood right now. 2018 will see him star in the new Woody Allen movie, but I'm more excited by Beautiful Boy, the new film from writer/director Felix Van Groeningen.

Not light viewing, a hard wrought story of drug addiction and recovery that will see Chalamet star alongside Steve Carell, himself enjoying a great run of serious roles of late, and Amy Ryan.

This will be the latest from Amazon's increasingly well regarded film production studio which has already produced the critically acclaimed likes of The Neon Demon, Manchester by Sea, and The Big Sick. Release is expected in the latter half of the year.

Release Date: TBA 2018


8. The Front Runner

The Front Runner is a very exciting prospect indeed. A biographical political dark comedy that tells the true story of former US Senator Gary Hart's doomed Presidential bid in 1988, which was derailed by scandal and extra-marital affairs.

Movies about political scandal appear to be very much in vogue right now, possibly due to current events, or maybe out of a sense of nostalgia for when something as simple as an extra-marital affair was enough to stop someone becoming President.

What makes this one particularly exciting is the presence of director Jason Reitman, best known for Juno and Up in the Air, and a cast which includes Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga, and JK Simmons.

Expected to release in time for awards season towards the end of 2018.

Release Date: Q4 2018


7. If Beale Street Could Talk

Director Barry Jenkins is one of the hottest talents in Hollywood following breakout hit Moonlight, an excellent film in its own right but perhaps most notable for derailing what seemed to be a La La Land inevitability at the Oscars two years ago.

So Jenkins is now the man that everyone wants to work with, and everyone wants to see what he comes up with next. If Beale Street Could Talk is an adaptation of the novel by James Baldwin, a story of love, racism and courtroom battles. Jenkins has gone with a fairly low-key cast which includes Kiki Layne, Stephan James, Dave Franco, and Ed Skrein.

This film is due for release sometime late in 2018, and big things are expected.

Release Date: TBA 2018


6. Roma

The last time we saw Alfonso Cuaron, he was waltzing his way to the Academy Award for best director for Gravity. It's been five long years, but Cuaron is back and he's returned to his roots, filming small-scale projects in his native Mexico. His newest project Roma is a family drama set in 1970s Mexico City, and featuring a cast of unknowns.

One of the "three amigos" of acclaimed Mexican filmmakers that includes Cuaron, Gonzalez Inarritu and Guillermo Del Toro. All three have won Oscars in the last few years, but Cuaron was the first to find success, and considered by many to be the best of the bunch. He is best known for Gravity, but this was only the latest chapter in a very promising career that has included the excellent Children of Men.

Taking a step back from big budget Hollywood success to make something on a smaller scale is an unusual move. Just ask Christopher Nolan if he's ever going to make a film like Memento again. Nevertheless the thought of a new Cuaron movie is an exciting prospect, and we can't wait to see what he comes up with.

Release Date: TBA 2018


5. Annihilation

This is the latest film of acclaimed writer/director Alex Garland, and the follow up to his brilliant directorial debut Ex Machina. Beyond this last film, many of you will know Garland for his work with director Danny Boyle on 28 Days Later and Sunshine, as well as his novels The Beach and The Tesseract.

Annihilation is an adaptation of the first of a series of novels by Jeff VanderMeer, which sees a group of four scientists set out into a remote and mysterious Area X, a place in which all previous expeditions have met with unfortunate fates. He is joined by the Academy Award winning Natalie Portman, Academy Award nominated Jennifer Jason Leigh, and following up their collaboration on Ex Machina, the up and coming Oscar Isaac.

Garland has a penchant for complex, thought-provoking sci-fi, and early reactions suggest that this is no different. Annihilation will see a cinematic release in the US, Canada and China at the end of February, and the rest of the world on Netflix. This is undoubtedly one of the most exciting releases of 2018.

Release Date: 23 February, 2018

4. Where'd You Go Bernadette

This is a new collaboration between director Richard Linklater, director of Boyhood, and Annapurna Studios, titled Where'd You Go Bernadette.

Based on the novel of the same name, Bernadette is the story of an agoraphobic architect who leaves home to try and figure out what happened to her missing mother. The cast includes Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Kristen Wiig, Judy Greer, and Laurence Fishburne.

Originally slated for a summer release, Annapurna ultimately decided to push back to the awards season in October. Great talent involved and a studio with an eye for a good film, this is one to watch.

Release Date: 19 October, 2018


3. Mute

Mute is the latest film from director and screenwriter Duncan Jones. Sure, that's David Bowie's son, but more importantly he's the director of the critically acclaimed Moon and Source Code, both of which were pretty brilliant. The cast includes Alexander Skarsgard, Justin Theroux, and intriguingly Paul Rudd.

Mute is essentially a neo-noir mystery film, set in a futuristic Berlin. The aesthetic direction Jones has taken is earning the film comparisons with the likes of Blade Runner and other settings of a cyberpunk/retrowave persuasion. Jones himself has described this film as something of a tribute to his late father, hence the Berlin setting, the heavy 1980s influence and other retro references.

Billed as a spiritual sequel to Moon, Mute has been in production for years, held up only by Jones' brief foray into making mindless summer blockbusters. Adding to the film's intrigue is the fact that Netflix of all studios have ultimately picked up distribution rights, which presumably means an online premiere, and probably being ignored by the Hollywood establishment. Whatever the case, this is a big first for Netflix to release such a major film, it will be indicative to see just how that plays out. Release date is set for February, if Mute is half the film that Moon and Source Code were, it will be one of the highlights of the year.

Release Date: 23 February, 2018


2. Vice

Christian Bale is known for his physical transformations, extreme displays of mass addition and weight loss so as to fully immerse himself in a role, whether it's to bulk up for Batman's muscular physique or emaciate himself for his Oscar winning performance in The Fighter. With Vice, Christian Bale's gut will face its sternest challenge yet, piling on the pasta to fit into Dick Cheney's size 70s.

Yes, Vice (Formerly known by its working title “Backseat”) is the story of Dick Cheney, the highly controversial Vice President under George W Bush's turbulent administration. It features a strong ensemble cast which includes Bale, Amy Adams, Sam Rockwell, and Steve Carell, but the real highlight is the involvement of writer/director Adam McKay, his first project since the award winning The Big Short took cinema by storm.

This is being brought to the screen by Annapurna, one of the best production companies in the business, and they are targeting an awards friendly December release date. This is going to be a contender.

Release Date: 14 December, 2018


1. First Man

And we finish with one of the most exciting productions that's come along in years, First Man.

This is the Neil Armstrong biopic directed by Damian Chazelle, one of Hollywood's hottest talents right now, and his first film since La La Land. Ryan Gosling will play the film's subject, and be joined by a supporting cast of The Crown's Claire Foy, Kyle Chandler, and Corey Stoll.

Prestige cast, prestige director, and prestige subject matter makes this a home run. But for all the hype about Chazelle currently, it's worth noting that he has never made a film like this before. Indeed it will be interesting to see how he copes with a more traditional, non-musical subject matter. Based on what we've seen so far of his talents, we have high hopes.

First Man releases in October.

Release Date: 12 October, 2018



So there you have it folks: The 2018 Hot List. Here's to a fantastic year, and the Hot List will return in 2019!