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maltatoday SUNDAY 31 DECEMBER 2017 This Week 41 earlier pairing. Still on the sci-fi spectrum, though with a more intel- lectually rigorous and experimen- tally-edged focus comes Annihila- tion, writer-director Alex Garland's adaptation of the first volume in Jeff VanderMeer's critically-acclaimed and internationally bestselling 'Southern Reach' novel trilogy. Starring Natalie Portman and coming off of Garland's sharp and clever techno-chiller Ex Machina, this looks to be a promising trek into the deep, deep unknown, as a group of researchers take a leap into an "infected" natural reserve to dis- cover what exactly claimed either the lives – or consciousnesses – of their predecessors. Despite its clout and promise, Annihilation will only be getting a limited cinematic release in the US and parts of China, going instantly to Netflix in the UK and – it seems – pretty much the rest of Europe. It's a sad though telling state of affairs that even a film with this amount of sheer wattage – Portman, Garland, respected source material – ends up being treated like a too-risky offcut. It seems as though you're either a su- perhero film, or you're nothing. But representation also domi- nates this erstwhile category, start- ing off with Annihilation's virtually all-female cast and continuing on with the equally female-centric, but also African-American focused A Wrinkle in Time, directed by Ava DuVernay (13th, Selma), starring the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Reece Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling and adapted from the high-concept sci-fi novel from Madeleine L'Engle. THE STUFF THAT COULD GO EITHER WAY Though based on a much-hyped and bestselling novel by Ernest Cline which capitalises on the kind of geek nostalgia-teat which Stran- ger Things got plenty of mileage out of, Ready Player One, directed by none other than Steven Spielberg, also seems to play into some of the most facile and reactionary 'white male hero' narratives out there – which is not a great look in the post- Gamergate, post-Trump era. Feeding off of a similar pop cul- ture source but taking a welcome swerve into what looks like a fresh direction, Bumblebee takes a mi- nor character from the Transform- ers universe and gives them a more delicate, whimsical touch courtesy of the acclaimed studio Laika – the brains behind the utterly charming Kubo and the Two Strings. Meanwhile, a couple of franchises will continue independently of their original directors. First up is Pacific Rim: Uprising, with TV director Steven S. DeKnight stepping in to fill Guillermo del Toro's shoes in what, unlike Bumblebee, looks to be a creation worthy of Transform- ers-peddler Michael Bay. Could be entertaining, but we'll have to wait and see. Sicario 2: Soledad continues the Mexican drug war story with neither visionary direc- tor Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Blade Runner 2049) nor star Emily Blunt on board, though it does retain Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin. Red Sparrow sees Jennifer Law- rence re-teaming with former Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence for a ballerina-turned- superspy schlocker that appears to come in equal portions of deli- cious and ridiculous, while the long-awaited but troubled Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhap- sody, starring Mr Robot's Rami Malek, comes in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations for former director Bryan Singer – with actor- director Dexter Fletcher (Eddie the Eagle) stepping in to oversee the fi- nal stages of production. THE REMAKE ROAD Horror remakes are often a slip- pery slope into a worse hell than even its most darkly imaginative writer and directors can possibly dream up, but this year we may be forced to concede that there's might just be something worthwhile in giving them a shot. First up is Luca Guadagnino's take on the Dario Argento witches-coven classic Suspiria. The fact that it stars Chole Grace Moretz may not calm the nerves – after all, the rising star also headlined the risible and ill-advised Carrie reboot a couple of years back – and neither should the addition of generic-eccentric Tilda Swin- ton. But Guadagnino has directo- rial weight to spare, and is currently basking in well-deserved accolades off of his acclaimed coming-of-age drama Call Me By Your Name. It's an industry narrative that runs counter to the idea that such re- makes are just hived off to either amateurs or low-ambition hacks, much as is the case with the upcom- ing Halloween, helmed by fratboy comedy boy done good David Gor- don Green (Pineapple Express, Joe, Stronger). It's a reboot of the genre- defining John Carpenter slasher that appears partly (re)animated in- to action by the desire to extinguish the risible Rob Zombie remakes and prequels out of existence, as it sees the return of the original 'final girl' Jamie Lee Curtis once again taking on the role of Laurie Strode for what promises to be an adequately 'final' confrontation with her mute, white- masked serial killer brother Michael Myers. But speaking of bona fide horror hacks, another remake that is per- haps regrettably on the horizon is Death Wish, with Eli Roth (Hostel, Knock Knock, The Green Inferno) asking Bruce Willis to step into Charles Bronson's shoes as he vows vigilante justice on all lawbreakers in Chi- cago. Going by intuition, perhaps all tempted by what will doubtlessly be another facile and politically dubious hack- job by Roth would be better served catching up with Marvel's Punisher on Netflix. THE JUICY ARTHOUSE TREATS Hiding behind the sound and fury of bombastic blockbusters desper- ate for your attention will be some quieter films that promise sub- stance and longevity. A clear con- tender for international awards sea- son will be Everybody Knows, for which superlative Iranian director Asghar Farhadi (A Separation, The Past, The Salesman) shifts his focus to Spain to make a thriller starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem – an intriguing enough proposi- tion even without a plot summary attached. On a more reassuringly whimsical note comes Isle of Dogs, which sees geometrically-obsessed master of twee Wes Anderson (Grand Budapest Hotel) return to stop-motion for the first time after Fantastic Mr Fox. Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity) returns to Mexico to tell a home-grown family saga set in the 1970s with Roma, while French director Jacques Audiard takes his first leap into English-language cinema with The Sisters Brothers, based on the Booker-shortlisted novel by Patrick DeWitt. But The Man Who Killed Don Quixote will undoubtedly be one of the key events for cineastes world- wide, as it sees madcap auteur direc- tor Terry Gilliam finally push his adaptation of Cer- vantes's magnum opus through the studio door after many failed attempts... which in and of themselves confirmed the 'quix- otic' nature of the project itself. David Harbour as Hellboy Iron Man in Avengers Infinity War Isle of Dogs by Wes Anderson Red Sparrow Pacific Rim Uprising Jurassic World The Fallen Kingdom Rami Malek is Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody Natalie Portman in Annihilation