March
Game Night
Date: March 2nd
Directors: John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein
Writer: Mark Perez
Cast: Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Jesse Plemons, Billy Magnussen, Kyle Chandler, Kylie Bunbury, Sharon Horgan, Lamorne Morris.
Sometimes, you just need a good old fashioned studio comedy – and this one boasts both an excellent cast, and a fantastic behind-the-camera pedigree. The story has a group of friends meet for their regular game night, only to be told that their usual round of Pictionary is being swapped for a murder-mystery. The question is, which parts are real, and which are faked?
The draw here is the ensemble cast, which includes comedic stalwarts such as Jason Bateman, Billy Magnussen, Lamorne Morris and Sharon Horgan, as well as performers who are usually confined to drama – such as Kyle Chandler, and Jesse Plemons. Directing duo John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein previously helmed Vacation, but are perhaps most noted for writing the Horrible Bosses films, and Spider-Man: Homecoming – all of which is evidence of their perfect comic timing.
Red Sparrow
Date: March 2nd
Director: Francis Lawrence
Writer: Justin Haythe
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Mary-Louise Parker, Joel Edgerton, Ciaran Hinds, Matthias Schoenaerts, Joely Richardson, Jeremy Irons, Sergei Polunin, Charlotte Rampling, Sakina Jaffrey.
Based on the novel by Jason Matthews, this spy thriller has Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence starring as a ballerina who is recruited into the Russian intelligence service – known as Sparrow School. When her inaugural mission has her targeting a CIA agent, her actions have the potential to threaten both Russia, and the U.S. While this project could be viewed as the Black Widow movie we should have had five years ago, the notion of Lawrence leading an action-packed thriller as a Russian spy will undoubtedly draw big audiences.
Thoroughbreds
Date: March 9th
Director: Cory Finley
Writer: Cory Finley
Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Olivia Cooke, Anton Yelchin, Paul Sparks.
Sadly, this independent movie will now likely be forever remembered as Anton Yelchin’s last film, since he tragically died shortly after its completion. Cory Finley’s feature debut drew praise after a screening at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, however, with its murderous plot about two highly privileged teenage girls and their nefarious plans.
A Wrinkle In Time
Date: March 9th
Director: Ava DuVernay
Writer: Jennifer Lee
Cast: Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Pena, Levi Miller, Andre Holland, Will McCormack.
This highly anticipated, high profile movie release is based on the hugely popular novel by Madeleine L’Engle, and is directed by Academy Award nominee Ava DuVernay. In her first big budget, studio tentpole project, DuVernay has assembled an enviable cast – and early snippets of footage have indicated a family film of the highest quality.
Pacific Rim: Uprising
Date: March 23rd
Director: Steven S. Deknight
Writers: Steven S. DeKnight, T.S Nowlin, Kira Snyder, Emily Carmichael
Cast: John Boyega, Rinko Kikuchi, Scott Eastwood, Adria Arjona, Charlie Day, Tian Jing, Burn Gorman.
The sequel to 2013’s popular Pacific Rim sees John Boyega move into a producer role, as well as starring as the lead character. It’s set a decade after the events of the first film, and sees an escalation in both the Jaeger program, and the nature of the Kaijus they must battle.
Isle Of Dogs
Date: March 23rd
Director: Wes Anderson
Writers: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola, Kunichi Nomura, Jason Schwartzman
Cast: Tilda Swinton, Scarlett Johansson, Jeff Goldblum, Greta Gerwig, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Live Schreiber, Bill Murray, Fisher Stevens, Harvey Keitel, F. Murray Abraham, Ken Watanabe, Courtney B. Vance, Bob Balaban, Yoko Ono, Akira Ito.
A strange and devastating canine flu has swept Japan, causing the banishment of all dogs to a remote and isolated island. An intrepid young boy breaches the quarantine to search for his beloved pet, and a group of determined hounds band together to help him. Using his iconic animation style, Academy Award nominee Wes Anderson appears to have woven another heartwarming tale – this time, about a boy and his dog.
Ready Player One
Date: March 30th
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Zak Penn and Ernest Cline
Cast: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, T.J Miller, Hannah John-Kamen, Simon Pegg, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance, Letitia Wright, Lena Waithe.
Novelist Ernest Cline co-writes the screen adaptation of his own best-selling book here, as his celebration of pop culture and video gaming heads for theatres with Steven Spielberg at the helm.
The story is set in a somewhat desolate future that finds mankind seeking escape in a virtual reality world known as the OASIS. When the creator of the OASIS dies, a video announcement from him states that the player who finds his Easter Egg will inherit OASIS, and his $240 billion fortune. Regular player Wade Owen Watts works with his friends to find the Easter Egg, while a giant corporation will stop at nothing to prevent them from doing so.
This is a highly anticipated adaptation of a book that has become very popular among gaming communities, and Young Adult audiences. The fact that the virtual world in which the story is set incorporates vast amounts of pop culture references means that Ready Player One will doubtless appeal to older and younger generations alike.