This summer hasn’t exactly been a classic. Not in terms of the shocking weather and certainly not when you look at what’s been on at the cinema. Harry Potter was the first brilliant blockbuster of the year and a couple of other crackers followed, notably Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Captain America.
The last quarter of the year however looks like it could be great. There’s a raft of new films coming out between now and my birthday at the end of December that I’m already looking forward to seeing.
Here are just five – in order of their release dates:
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Released 16 September)
This is the first big screen adaptation of John Le Carre’s classic cold war thriller. We were shown special extended previews at Empire Big Screen and I was absolutely hooked – Gary Oldman is almost unrecognisable as George Smiley and the supporting cast is made up of the cream of British action talent. This is an absolute must-see.
Contagion (Released 21 October)
A deadly virus is on the loose in Chicago and an international team of doctors is brought in to control the outbreak. Could be appalling, but the cast includes Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard and Lawrence Fishburne. They have the talent and abilities to make this a winner.
The Ides of March (Released 28 October)
George Clooney’s fourth stint in the director’s chair stars Ryan Gosling as an idealistic young campaign manager who goes on a crash course of dirty tricks and underhanded behaviour during his candidate’s bid for the Presidency. Could almost be the story of my life!
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Released 26 December)
I enjoyed Stieg Larsson’s Millenium trilogy at lot and given some of the violent scenes it’s a brave move to bring it to a mainstream film audience. I hope David Fincher has done it justice – some of the recent images released were encouraging.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Released 26 December)
The trailer for this fourth installment in the Mission Impossible series has just been released. It looks fast, frenetic, daft and really quite exciting. I do quite like Tom Cruise and his supporting cast includes rising star Jeremy Renner and Brit favourite Simon Pegg. I think this will be the perfect film to watch after stuffing your face with turkey, chocolates and leftover trifle on Boxing Day.
Hi Louise. I agree with all of you picks! My top three in the coming months are Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Contagion and The Rum Diary.
The trailer for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is fantastic – I love Karen O’s version of The Immigrant Song. Have you seen it?
I’ve seen the trailer for Ides of March and while not at the top of my list, I think I will try and catch it. It has man of the moment Ryan Gosling in it so I may watch it just for him 😛
Haven’t heard it – will look out for it. I’m not too sure about The Rum Diary. Not a massive fan of Hunter S. Thompson but look forward to your review – it might change my mind.