With cinema, there are always films you look forward to that are either sequels, reboots or prequels, as mentioned in my previous blog posts. So when you look ahead you already know to expect superhero action and nostalgic blockbusters for films such as Thor: Love and Thunder and Avatar: The Way of Water. However, for people like myself there are also films which are from critically acclaimed film directors, where regardless of what their next film is it will more than likely match up to the expectations of their previous work.
Some recent examples include Robert Eggers, who has a unique gritty style to his films such as The Witch and The Lighthouse, and he adopted that style into his Viking blockbuster film The Northman, which felt like a film only he could have made. More recently we had Alex Garland, the filmmaker behind films such as Annihilation and Ex Machina, who released his latest folk horror film Men the other week, a film that certainly did not disappoint me as a massive fan of his work. These creatively rich projects highlight a filmmaker’s desire to experiment and tell stories which are usually considered not commercial enough. Saying that we are living in a world where these films are sold on the fact that they’re “an Alex Garland film” or “a Christopher Nolan film”, with these words being a big selling point over the plot of the film itself.
Looking ahead this year, let’s take a look at some more key filmmakers and what films they have coming out;
Ron Howard’s “Thirteen Lives”
Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Gareth Evans’ “Havoc”
Taika Waititi’s “Next Goal Wins”
Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light”
Matthew Vaughn’s “Argylle”
Olivia Wilde’s “Don’t Worry Darling”
Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon”
A common thread with some of these filmmakers is that they usually create films that go on to become awards favourites in the next awards season. Sam Mendes’ last film 1917 was an impressive cinematic story, while Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit won the filmmaker an award for his screenplay. Films such as Thirteen Lives and Babylon will more than likely be big hitters when the Oscars begin next year. It’s not just about films being award-baited, we have Matthew Vaughn who is known for his blockbuster films and Argylle looks action-focused and will more than likely be more of a commercial hit despite it launching on a streaming service first.
Personally, the film I am looking forward to the most this year is Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling. Wilde’s last film Booksmart was her first as a filmmaker and you really couldn’t tell. The actors were all brilliant, the story flipped the coming-of-age genre on its head with some quirkiness here and there as well as themes of friendship and growing up dominating the entirety of the film. Don’t Worry Darling is more of a psychological thriller with Florence Pugh and Harry Styles in the lead roles, and the first trailer has promised a film that pushes the boundaries of cinematic storytelling.
The films described today are just a small handful from some of the industry’s hardest-working directors. This doesn’t neglect the work of filmmakers working on some of the bigger films coming to cinemas, but it provides a nice balance. For every Marvel film, you get a Ron Howard film and vice versa. The film industry relies on storytelling and it is great to see the industry support and nurture new and old talent, and I am sure that this will continue for many years to come.
Thanks for reading today’s blog!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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