Emma Clarendon selects some of the films she is most looking forward to seeing this year…
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore – it is definitely no secret that I love all things Harry Potter and to see the magical world to have been expanded into the Fantastic Beasts series has been a real joy – even if some of the plot elements haven’t quite worked. This being said, I still can’t wait to see just what twists and turns emerge in this third part and what exactly we learn about Dumbledore and the relationship he had/has with Grindelwald.
Blonde: Marilyn Monroe is a Hollywood legend whose tragic life continues to fascinate and inspire films and books. This new film set to be released on Netflix this year is based on Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 novel, taking us into Monroe’s mind as she navigates life and Hollywood. The film is directed by Andrew Dominick and stars Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe.
Elvis: in another biographical film to be released this year, Austin Butler takes on the role of the iconic singer in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming new film which chronicles 20 years of Elvis Presley’s life. Another personality who continues to fascinate music fans, it will be interesting to see how the King of Rock ’n’ Roll is portrayed. The film also stars Tom Hanks as “Colonel” Tom Parker and Olivia DeJonge as Elvis’s wife Priscilla and it is set to be released in cinemas in June this year.
The Batman: now I’m not a huge comic book or superhero fan by any stretch of the imagination, but when it was announced that Robert Pattinson was going to be taking on the role of this character – it awakened my curiosity to see how he would portray this character. The trailer certainly makes it look impressive: plenty of stylishly filmed action sequences and hints of an intriguing plot to keep audiences engaged but a lot of it will come down to how convincing Pattinson is – so no pressure!
Babylon: Damien Chazelle (La La Land) is set to take audiences back to the late 1920’s with his latest film set to be released towards the end of the year. Starring Brad Pitt as a director who has trouble adjusting to the new sound technology and Margot Robbie as Clara Bow, the real-life so-called “It Girl” who was a colossal box-office draw in both the silents and the talkies, the period drama is set to celebrate the Golden Age of Hollywood. This really sounds very much up my street.
Top Gun: Maverick: this much delayed release of the sequel to the classic 1980’s film is finally arriving this year and I really can’t wait to see it. When I first watched the original I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed it – it had the right balance of action, interesting characters and great casting as a whole that kept me thoroughly engaged so I’ve got high hopes for the sequel.
By Emma Clarendon