Upcoming movies 2019: best films to watch this year

Vox Lux

Natalie Portman dazzles as an abrasive chameleonic popstar in Vox Lux, Brady Corbet's daring film of stardom and sorrow.

There’s nothing subtle about the holy structure of the narrative, anchored by the shadow of death and rebirth narrated by an ominous voiceover from Willem Dafoe that’s almost laughable in its theatricality.

But the film believes in itself, in all its contradictory, glittering glory.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

Zac Efron plays serial killer Ted Bundy in an upcoming biopic that has already shocked audiences at the Sundance Film Festival.

The film is told from the perspective of Bundy’s girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer (Lily Collins), as she struggles to reconcile the man she knows with the crimes he’s committed. John Malkovich also features as Edward Cowart, the judge who presided over Bundy’s trial.

High Life

For her first English-language feature, the spellbinding master of French cinema Claire Denis has gone stratospheric.

She's taken Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Mia Goth and Andre 3000 with her in High Life, a portrait of sexual revolution and species-defining existentialism. It's quite unlike anything else you've seen for years.

The Souvenir

After rave reviews at both Sundance at the Berlinale, Joanna Hogg's personal portrait of a young woman on the cusp of adulthood is set to be one of the most exciting releases of the year.

Tilda Swinton's daughter, Honor Swinton Byrne, makes her big screen debut opposite Tom Burke. The film is a quiet masterpiece, an elegant glimpse at the past that savours the dangers of those in-between years.

Booksmart

Fresh from Texas film festival SXSW, feelgood comedy Booksmart wowed audiences and has already been dubbed as the gleeful cross between Superbad and Lady Bird.

Actress Olivia Wilde (House, Drinking Buddies, Life Itself) has made her directorial debut with a fresh, fun comedy about two teenage girls who realise there's still more fun to be had – even as good girls.

Rocketman

Taron Egerton gears up for the most fantastical role of his career, as he'll be playing Sir Elton John in upcoming biopic Rocketman.

The film is produced by John himself, alongside his husband David Furnish and Matthew Vaughn, yet it doesn’t seem to shy away from showing the alcohol-fuelled excesses of the singer's heyday.

The Lion King

It's difficult to know where to start with Jon Favreau's upcoming remake of The Lion King. Beyoncé. Donald Glover. James Earl Jones. Chiwetel Ejiofor. John Oliver. Seth Rogen. Enough? There's probably more.

An astounding number of names fills the bill for the star-studded event of Summer 2019, which has been described as 'technologically groundbreaking', in keeping with Favreau's 2016 version of The Jungle Book. Although it's impossible to detach the thought of live-action glamour, the upcoming film is said to use photorealistic animation. Stay tuned for Beyoncé's new look then – she's rarely one to disappoint.

Midsommar

Hereditary was easily one of the best and most traumatic films of 2018. Ari Aster's directorial debut was no fluke, and the indie darling has already prepared one of the most enigmatic titles of next year.

Midsommar follows some similar themes: a summer road trip turns sinister as a couple finds themselves in the hands of a pagan cult. Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter and William Jackson Harper (The Good Place) star in a nightmare to remember.

Joker

Batman's arch-nemesis is getting his own standalone film, revealing the untold story of the Joker. Joaquin Phoenix plays the eponymous villain, and Robert De Niro co-stars.

Joker, curiously helmed by The Hangover director Todd Phillips, posits itself as a simultaneously more humble and epic offering within the superhero canon – there's no big ensemble or fight between Good and Evil, and yet the stakes feel so much higher, with a heavily theatrical portrait of a man on the brink of insanity.

Frozen 2

They just couldn't let it go. Disney will be returning cinemagoers to the snowy kingdom of Arendelle this November, although it won’t be quite as we have seen it before.

With songwriters Robert Lopez and Kirsten Anderson-Lopez returning with seven new songs for the movie. Under the guidance of co-director and writer Jennifer Lee, and co-director Chris Buck, the core cast of Frozen will be joined by Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld) and Sterlin K. Brown (This Is Us) in unconfirmed roles.