As we bid farewell to 2014, our attentions turn to the upcoming year in film. It’s set to be a dizzyingly busy year for blockbusters and sequels, but cinephiles can also look forward to the latest films from a lot of major independent and international directors.
It is early days yet - as ever, many of the inevitable smaller and world cinema gems will stay very much under the radar until later in 2015 - but let’s take a look at some of the films likely to make waves next year.
There are, by the way, a huge amount of sequels due - The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Jurassic World, the final Hunger Games film, Mad Max: Fury Road, Furious 7, Terminator Genesis (we politely refuse to spell it with a ‘y’) and more besides. It would take a whole article to cover them, so we’ll focus on some of the more unique and intriguing offerings expected next year (and the biggest of the sequels, for good measure).
As ever with cinema, the release dates below are subject to change.
Whiplash
Already previewed at a number of screenings in Dublin, the wonderful Whiplash is going on wider release in January. It’s an absolute delight - a blackly comic and incredibly intense look at the relationship that develops between a music school student and his drumming teacher. JK Simmons turns in a superb performance as the teacher, adding depth to what could have been something closer to a caricature. It’s one of the first big releases of the year, but it’s fair to say it’ll be hard to beat Whiplash’s immense climax for pure cinematic catharsis in 2015.
Whiplash will be released in Ireland on January 16th
Inherent Vice
Already attracting rave reviews in the States, Inherent Vice is the latest film from Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Magnolia), a fact which is probably enough to get many film fans into the cinema. But it’s not just the latest from a major filmmaker. It’s an adaptation of an acclaimed Thomas Pynchon novel, features an enviable ensemble (from Benicio del Toro to Reese Witherspoon) and stars Joaquin Phoenix in the leading role. That latter point particularly is something of an event, given Phoenix’s presence has been a significant mark of quality in recent times, thanks to his impressive turns in the likes of Her, The Immigrant and indeed Anderson’s last film The Master.
Inherent Vice will be released in Ireland on 30th January
Selma
Recently released in the US, Selma has been building a whole lot of buzz. Telling the story of the Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches, the film stars David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr and Tom Wilkinson as Lyndon B Johnson. The film has won particular praise for its acting, cinematography and directing. Given current events in the US, its portrayal of the 1960s civil rights movement could not have come at a more apt time.
Selma will be released in Ireland on February 6th
The Duke of Burgundy
Audiences are likely going to be flocking to one film about sadomasochism in February - but it’s a good bet they’ll be flocking to the wrong one. Much more promising than Fifty Shades of Grey is the latest film from Peter Strickland, the director who brought us the fantastic giallo-homage / subversion Berberian Sound Studio, is back with what critics have been calling a playful, inventive, cine-literate and highly stylised film. Likely to prove another treat from Strickland.
The Duke of Burgundy is expected to be released in Ireland on February 20th
While We’re Young
Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha was the great film he had been threatening to make since The Squid and the Whale, so hopefully his next film While We’re Young will hit the same mark. Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried star in the film. Fans of the writer / director will be happy to hear another of his films - Mistress America - is premiering at this year’s Sundance, so there could be two new Noah Baumbach films in 2015.
While We’re Young is expected to be released in Ireland on April 3rd
Tomorrowland
In a year dominated by franchise sequels, Tomorrowland stands out as a big budget blockbuster without a familiar name backing it up. Surprisingly little is known about the film other than an ambiguous teaser trailer and a few vague synopses, but what we do know offers some good reasons to be optimistic. Not least is that it’s Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) behind the camera, who has proven to be one of Hollywood’s most imaginative and accomplished directors. The film stars George Clooney and Hugh Laurie.
Tomorrowland is expected to be released in Ireland on May 22nd
Inside Out
The Good Dinosaur
Did you notice there was no Pixar film in 2014? It was the first time since 2005 that the beloved animation studio missed a year. Luckily, we’re due two Pixar films in 2015 - and original ones at that, which is a relief given the studio has been more ‘sequel happy’ in recent years. Inside Out, from Up director Pete Docter, brings the ‘emotions’ of a young girl to life (the main characters are named Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness), while The Good Dinosaur imagines a world where dinosaurs never became extinct. It has been a few years since a genuine, verified, electrified Pixar masterpiece - here’s hoping we get one, maybe even two, in 2015.
Inside Out is expected to be released in Ireland on July 24th
The Good Dinosaur is expected to be released in Ireland on November 27th
The Look of Silence
Director Joshua Oppenheimer’s devastating, provocative and frightening documentary The Act of Killing was one of 2013’s most remarkable cinematic achievements, and early word suggests the follow-up is just as powerful, potentially even more so. Where the Act of Killing focused on the perpetrators of the Indonesian genocide, The Look of Silence shifts the perspective to give a voice to the victims and their families. While the film is likely to be one of the most emotionally charged and formally challenging of the year, it’s all but guaranteed to also be one of the most important.
The Look of Silence will be released by Dogwoof in 2015
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
A small, under-the-radar independent film due to go on limited release on December 18th 2015. You’ll hear little about it between now and then.
