James Croot
Victoria and Abdul (September 14)
A sort of companion piece to 1997’s Mrs Brown, this period drama sees Dame Judi Dench reprising the role of Queen Victoria. This time it’s her friendship with Indian servant Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal) that comes under the microscope.
Mother! (September 14)
If you haven’t been freaked out by the scary trailer, then Jennifer Lawrence’s new movie may just be the psychological horror you’ve been waiting for. Also starring Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer, Darren Aronofsky’s ( Black Swan) tale focuses on a couple who are threatened by the arrival of uninvited guests to their home. It’s also rumoured to be looselyinspired by Roman Polanski’s 1968 classic Rosemary’s Baby.
Battle of the Sexes (September 28)
Emma Stone and Steve Carell light up the screen as sparring tennis pros Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in this dramatisation of their famous 1973 on and off court clashes. The excellent supporting cast includes Andrea Riseborough, Elisabeth Shue, Sarah Silverman, Alan Cumming and Bill Pullman.
The Hollywood blockbuster season is over, now it’s time for awardsseason movies to show in cinemas.
picks out the films to see before New Year’s Day.
The Changeover (September 28)
Husband-and-wife Kiwi filmmakers Stuart McKenzie and Miranda Harcourt update Margaret Mahy’s much-lauded 1984 young adult novel to take advantage of an atmospheric postearthquake Christchurch. Also assisting the supernatural tale are a spookily great cast that includes Timothy Spall, Melanie Lynskey and newcomer Erana James.
Lady Macbeth (September 28)
Florence Pugh ( The Falling) delivers another star-making performance as the eponymous young bride in this reinvention of 1865 Russian novella Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. Those who enjoyed My Cousin Rachel will get a kick out of this tale’s ‘‘heroine’’, as she transforms herself from seemingly naive captive to high-class manipulator.
Blade Runner 2049 (October 5)
Little is known about this sci-fi sequel to the much-loved 1982 movie Blade Runner. Ryan Gosling stars alongside the returning Harrison Ford, while the whole shebang is put together by Arrival director Denis Villeneuve – with the help of our own Weta Workshop.
The Mountain Between Us (October 12)
Kate Winslet and Idris Elba team up for this romantic-disaster drama based on the book by Charles Martin. The pair play a journalist and surgeon who survive a plane crash and are stranded in the wilderness battling injuries and harsh weather conditions.
Waru (October 19)
Debuting at this year’s New Zealand International Film Festival and selected for the prestigious Toronto Film Festival, this portmanteau movie features eight sequences focused on eight different female characters each directed by a Maori female director. All are set around the tangi of a small boy.