Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/768342
maltatoday, SATURDAY, 31 DECEMBER 2016 38 This Week The most anticipated Resident film critic TEODOR RELJIC splits up some of the most hotly anticipated films of the coming year into distinct categories. Because yes, it's come to that: film releases have become so rote and risk-averse that we can easily predict their patterns IN CINEMAS TODAY Embassy Cinemas Valletta Tel. 21 227436, 21 245818 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (12A) 10:30, 14:30, 18:00, 21:00 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (PG) 10:25, 14:15, 17:45, 20:45 Bad Santa 2 (15) 16:15, 18:25, 20:50 Moana (PG) 10:35, 13:45, 16:10, 18:35, 21:00 Allied (15) 20:30 Ballerina (U) 10:00, 12:10, 14:15, 16:20, 18:25 Passengers (12A) 10:15, 13:30, 16:00, 18:30, 21:00 Eden Cinemas St Julian's Tel. 23 710400 Moana (PG) 11:25, 13:50, 16:15, 18:40, 21:10 Arrival (12A) 11:30, 13:55, 16:20, 18:50, 21:15, 23:50 Offi ce Christmas Party (15) 11:35, 14:00, 16:20, 18:40, 21:00, 23:20 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (12A) 11:40, 14:30, 15:30, 17:30, 18:20, 20:30, 21:15, 23:15 Bad Santa 2 (15) 11:45, 14:10, 16:25, 18:40, 20:55, 23:00 Ballerina (U) 12:00, 14:20, 16:25, 18:25, 20:30 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (PG) 13:10, 15:50, 18:30, 21:15, 22:35 Allied (15) 13:30, 16:00, 18:35, 21:10 Doctor Strange (12A) 13:35, 16:05, 18:35, 21:05, 23:35 Passengers (12A) 14:00, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15, 23:45 Sully: Miracle on the Hudson (12A) 14:05, 16:15, 18:25, 20:40, 22:55 Trolls (U) 14:10, 16:20, 18:25, 20:35 Empire Cinemas Bugibba Tel. 21 581787, 21 581909 Offi ce Christmas Party (15) 11:15, 13:35, 16:05, 18:30, 20:45 Moana (PG) 10:50, 13:35, 16:00, 18:30, 20:55 Passengers (12A) 11:00, 13:30, 16:00, 18:30, 21:00 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (12A) 10:35, 13:15, 15:55, 18:35, 21:15 Ballerina (U) 11:30, 14:00, 16:30, 18:30 Allied (15) 18:30, 21:05 Sully (12A) 11:15, 14:00, 16:05, 18:30, 20:45 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (PG) 10:45, 14:00, 21:00 OF course, prediction is a fool's errand by any stretch, because life has a way of surprising you: as we've all bitterly learned by now, hav- ing somehow survived the heart-rending and pitfall-ridden year that is 2016. And it's something of a given that, on the sub- ject of the most eagerly anticipated film releases of the coming year, those of us on the lookout for the soon-to-be-discussed to death cinematic duds or gems will latch onto the ones with the most far-reaching PR machines. You know, the films which have had eminently shareable trail- ers out for quite some time, or the ones with already-healthy film festival buzz on their tail. But despite all of that, it's fun to consider which of that bunch we'll be talking about in 2017. But given the rote nature of it all, we thought it reasonable enough to break it up into distinct categories this year – for the ease of your reading experience, as well as to match the regimented and risk-averse industry we're celebrating here. SUPERHEROES Superheroes are the blockbuster gold standard of the moment – even if it's becoming sneakily evident (law of entropy, and all that) that their time in the spot- light is numbered. Still, what with Marvel Studios having mapped out their releases all the way up to 2020 and their (both comic book and film adaptation) arch-rivals DC do- ing their utmost to keep up, we can rest assured that our cinemas will be stocked with superhero produce in the near fu- ture, come rain or shine. Perhaps the most curiosity-stoking of the bunch in this cat- egory will be Justice League, DC's answer to Marvel's Aveng- ers saga, teased during 2016's Batman v Super- man: Dawn of Justice and seeing Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne/Batman gather up a team of superheroes after Superman's (Henry Cavill) self-sacrificing demise, including The Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cy- borg (XX) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), who will also be served with her own WWI-set origin story which appears to be capitalizing on the beats and aesthetic of Marvel's Captain America: The First Avenger (2013???). Marvel's heavy-hitters will be reaching for the stars this year though, with Thor: Ragn- arok re-jigging the cataclysmic gods-on-gods battle from Norse mythology to the universe of their comic book counterpart, and Guard- ians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the follow-up to the Studio's most surprising and warmly received space-hopping action-comedy from 2014. Fea- turing the return of the most beloved arboreal character in film history and sure to feature yet another inspiring soundtrack of pop classics, James Gunn's humorous strand of the Marvel franchise is bound to win hearts and minds yet again. But Spider-Man: Homecoming will also be on hand with some zippy one-lin- ers, as the webslinger gets yet another go at the big-screen with Tom Holland – whom we've previously seen shooting the webs during this year's Captain America: Civil War – taking the lead. The same cannot be said for Lo- gan, Hugh Jackman's seemingly final take on the character that helped make his career – the titular feral mutant of the X- Men franchise, also going by 'Wolverine' – in this post- apocalyptic retelling of the quasi-immortal character's twilight years, whose trailer hits an appropriately bitter note with Johnny Cash's 'Hurt' washing over the battered and broken char- a c t e r s as they squint their way across a desolate land- scape. SEQUELS & REBOOTS Some high-end science fiction stalwarts will be rearing for a comeback in the coming year, the most nervously anticipated of which is Blade Runner 2049 – nervously, because it can't just be written off as a cash-in right off the bat since not only is former Blade Runner himself Harrison Ford blessing it with his presence alongside the consistently competent Ryan Gosling, but it's also helmed by the brilliant French-Candian director Denis Villeneuve (Si- cario, Arrival). On more rocky ground is Alien: Covenant, whose appropriately gory trailer and hints of intriguing conspiracy place it alongside a fine franchise tradition established by director Ridley Scott way back when. But it's also a direct sequel to Scott's dismal Prometheus (2013???), a non-committal and narratively messy prequel to the Alien saga. 2017 will also be spewing out yet another Pi- rates of the Caribbean sequel with Dead Men Tell No Tales, along with a new Transformers movie (The Last Knight), while Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson will headline no less than three high-profile franchise offshoots: The Fate of the Furious (yes, that's 'Fast & The Furious 8'), Jumanji and Baywatch, the latter of which will put a parodic spin on the 90s boobs 'n beaches TV mainstay. Speaking of 90s television trash, Power Rangers will also be getting another stab at cinematic glory, while the early nough- ties Kate Beckinsale-starring vampire vs were- wolves saga returns with Underworld: Blood Wars. That won't be all for some classic mon- ster fun though, as Tom Cruise will take on The Mummy in Universal Studios's second attempt at reviving their trademark beasties for the big screen after the botched mess that was Dracula Untold (2015), while Kong: Skull Island pits a star-studded cast against the titular ape and a host of other creatures in a hi-octane actioner which looks to have an environmental message SUPERHEROES Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Spider-Man Homecoming Logan Justice League Kong Skull Island