The best movies still to come in 2018

It’s been a funny old year.

Half the Avengers died. Deadpool kicked ass. Han Solo sucked. A Quiet Place made a hell of a ruckus. And that was just for starters.

Some of the best flicks are yet to come. They include a return to glory for Nic Cage, more remakes, reboots and sequels than you can shake a stick at, and a black Klansman.

Here are my pics for the movie house in the next five months:

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MANDY (Screening in the NZIFF)

Word at the box office is Nic Cage, massive nutter, has finally found the film that makes the most of his natural talent to aim straight for over-the-top.

Mandy looks like a film from another age – namely the 80s, and the kind of formative, creepy gorefests kids watched secretly in basement rec-rooms. Bring it on.

BLACKKKLANSMAN (August 16)

Spike Lee. That’s all you need to know.

Seriously though, this film may be set back in the day, but its subject matter couldn’t be more timely. Add to that the fact it’s based on a trues story, and you’ve got cinema gold.

THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS (August 23)

I’m pretty sure the majority of this film’s audience will be Avenue Q Fans, Buffy spinoff Angel fans and the plain terminally curious.

It might be one joke that goes on way too long, but I’m still keen to see how it pans out. Also Melissa McCarthy is a mensch.

THE PREDATOR (September 13)

Shane Black plus my all time fav 80s action sci-fi cross over? Even if this film sucks balls it’ll still be worth a look.

Black’s Iron Man III is one of my all time fav films in the Marvel franchise, so I’m pumped for this.

VENOM (October 4)

I am so down for the Spidey-verse. Also, Tom Hardy as a gotcha-journalist? The time is ripe. The time is now.

Also, no shit, Tom Hardy is one of the most watchable dorks on the planet.

FIRST MAN (October 11)

Ryan Gosling seems a little light-weight to play a man who had a genius level IQ and the balls to strap himself to the nose of 500,000 gallons of rocket fuel and fling himself into space.

But I’m such a sucker for anything to do with early space travel, I’m all in on this. It could be Oscar gold, or – unlinke the lunar mission – an awkward near miss.

HALLOWEEN (October 18)

The mother of all survivor girls is back. Jamie Lee Curtis, kicking ass and taking names… well name. One name: Michael Myers.

All the preamble – with the weird checker board prison, the reporters with the mask, the SCREAM-esque recalibration about just who Lori Strode is to the man in the mask – is just making me grabby.

FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD (November 15)

Yes, it’s Creepy McJerkface Depp in it, but I loved this Harry Potter spin-off’s 20s millieu and I adore Eddie Redmayne.

I’m choosing to expelliarmus all thoughts of Depp and enjoying the film for what it is.

ROBIN HOOD (November 28)

This terrible looking film is strictly here for novelty value. And because Taron Egerton is probably a pretty good pick for the role.

God willing this will be less tedious than the King Arthur film I will never speak off again.

MORTAL ENGINES (December 13)

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY! IS IT OUT YET? WHY ISN’T IT OUT YET?  CAN IT BE OUT YET?

AQUAMAN (December 26)

I’m so glad they’ve expunged most of the stinky Snyder from the DCU. I don’t need the original superheroes to turn into Marvel lite, but anything has to be better than the gritty grim nonsense of Man of Steel and Superman vs Batman.

Aquaman looks like it strikes a pretty good balance.

So, did I get everything? What did I miss? What are you looking out for this year?