Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

18th November

It’s been five years since the last Harry Potter movie, set in J.K Rowling’s wizarding world, graced our screens. But after eight films, seven books, two spin-offs, a dedicated website and a play, Harry Potter fans still weren’t satisfied, and this November a magical new adventure will hit the big-screen. Set in New York, seventy years prior to Harry Potter’s birth, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will give viewers an insight into the underground community of American witches and wizards whilst following the adventures of Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Cambridge’s own Eddie Redmayne) on his quest to recapture the escaped magical creatures wreaking havoc in the No-Mag (muggle) community. The book on which the film is based is described in the Harry Potter series as a textbook used at Hogwarts and was written by Rowling in aid of Comic Relief in 2001. David Yates (director of the last four Harry Potter films) has teamed up not only with David Heyman (producer of the Harry Potter film series) but with Rowling herself, who has written the screenplay of the film. With such a team behind it, and with an enormous budget of $225 million, the film surely has the ingredients for success, but the question remains; can it ever match up to its predecessors?

Moana

2nd December

Disney’s latest animated film is scheduled for release late this Autumn and clearly represents an effort by the studios to achieve something new. Moana features a female lead and, on top of this, seeks to explore Polynesian culture by drawing on the various legends of Māui – a heroic figure who, amongst other things, is said to have brought the Hawaiian islands up from the ocean floor with his fish-hook and to have slowed down the sun. Through the central character of Moana (Auli’i Cravalho), who has no love interest but does possess the magical ability to control the ocean, the studio also seems to have created an empowered and independent female character reminiscent of Queen Elsa in Frozen. It is safe to say that the recent controversy and accusations of cultural appropriation, sparked by the Māui costume sold and then discontinued by Disney, has cast a shadow over the film’s release. Nevertheless, when the film is released in early December, we must judge Moana for ourselves and it will, at least, be interesting to see how directors Ron Clements and John Musker have chosen to portray Polynesian culture and legend and how viewers will respond to this.

Queen of Katwe

21st October

Directed by Mira Nair, Queen of Katwe is based on the true story of Phiona Mutesi – a now twenty-year-old chess prodigy, from Katwe in Uganda, who rose to become one of the first Ugandan women to gain the title of Woman Candidate Master after her performance in the 40th Chess Olympiad. The film follows Phiona (played by Madina Nalwanga), from her introduction to chess through a Sports Outreach Program in Katwe to her eventual success – and some of the complications that came with it. The film stars Lupita Nyong’o as Phiona’s mother, Nakku Harriet, and David Oyelowo as Robert Katende, Phiona’s coach. Indeed, Queen of Katwe is already being praised in America for its all African-American cast – an important aspect which will surely add to the authenticity of the movie. The trailer alone is enough to bring a tear to your eye; Katende tells us that “chess helps us solve our problems […] it teaches us to make a plan”; and the film itself promises to be a moving mixture of uplifting and poignant.

Doctor Strange

25th October

For someone who doesn’t usually engage with Marvel films I am actually quite intrigued by the upcoming film Doctor Strange. Doctor Strange will be the fourteenth film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and tells the story of the fictional neurosurgeon Stephen Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) car crash and subsequent recovery; it is during his recovery that he encounters the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and learns about the ‘mystic arts’. Honestly, this all means very little to me – after at least half an hour of Googling, I’m still not sure who the Ancient One is. However, the portrayal of alternate realities and the incorporation of this within a superhero film does seem to have the potential to add an exciting new dimension to the movie. In the trailer these alternate realities and the manipulation of them are represented through mind-bending visual effects and Benedict Cumberbatch seems to be channelling an element of Sherlock in his portrayal of the intelligent and gifted Doctor Strange. Highly anticipated for many marvel fans, perhaps this movie also has a chance of attracting some newcomers to the superhero scene.

Arrival

11th November

Based on Ted Chiang’s ‘Story of Your Life’, Arrival tells the story of linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) as she attempts to decipher the language of the (possibly alien) creatures residing inside the large space-crafts appearing all over the world with the threat of global war hanging over her. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, also starring Forest Whitaker and Jeremy Renner, and with a budget of $50 million, you can also expect some stunning C.G.I and visual effects, previewed in the trailer. However, Arrival seems to go beyond the boundaries of science-fiction and raise questions of linguistic relativity and of the power and influence of language. The film could also be in contention for an Academy Award this year and perhaps Amy Adams’ performance could land her with not just a nomination but a win this year.