Matt writes: The 2018 Sundance Film Festival may be complete, but our cinematic year is just getting started. Check out our table of contents for the full coverage of festival selections to look for in theaters this year, with reviews from Brian Tallerico, Nick Allen and Tomris Laffly. Also be sure to read the coverage penned by our Ebert Fellows, such as Jomo Fray’s interview with Boots Riley, director of this year’s smash, “Sorry to Bother You”; Gary Wilkerson Jr.’s touching review of Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade”; and Brandon Towns’ report on why 2018 was the “blackest Sundance ever.” Trailers Hereditary (2018). Written and directed by Ari Aster. Starring Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff. Synopsis: When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. Opens in US theaters on June 8th, 2018. Custody (2018). Written and directed by Xavier Legrand. Starring Léa Drucker, Denis Ménochet, Thomas Gioria. Synopsis: A broken marriage leads to a bitter custody battle with an embattled son at the centre. US release date is TBA. Disobedience (2018). Directed by Sebastián Lelio. Written by Sebastián Lelio and Rebecca Lenkiewicz (based on the novel by Naomi Alderman). Starring Rachel McAdams, Rachel Weisz, Alessandro Nivola. Synopsis: A woman returns to the community that shunned her for her attraction to a childhood friend. Once back, their passions reignite as they explore the boundaries of faith and sexuality. Opens in US theaters on April 27th, 2018. Unsane (2018). Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Written by Jonathan Bernstein and James Greer. Starring Claire Foy, Juno Temple, Aimee Mullins. Synopsis: A young woman is involuntarily committed to a mental institution, where she is confronted by her greatest fear–but is it real or a product of her delusion? Opens in US theaters on March 23rd, 2018. Finding Your Feet (2018). Directed by Richard Loncraine. Written by Meg Leonard, Nick Moorcroft. Starring Timothy Spall, Joanna Lumley, Imelda Staunton. Synopsis: On the eve of retirement a middle class, judgmental snob discovers her husband has been having an affair with her best friend and is forced into exile with her bohemian sister who lives on an impoverished inner-city council estate. US release date is TBA. The Young Karl Marx (2018). Directed by Raoul Peck. Written by Raoul Peck and Pascal Bonitzer. Starring August Diehl, Stefan Konarske, Vicky Krieps. Synopsis: The early years of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and Jenny Marx, between Paris, Brussels and London. US release date is TBA. The Week Of (2018). Directed by Robert Smigel. Written by Robert Smigel and Adam Sandler. Starring Adam Sandler, Steve Buscemi, Chris Rock. Synopsis: The parents of a soon-to-be married couple make the final preparations for the wedding ceremony. US release date is TBA. Aardvark (2018). Written and directed by Brian Shoaf. Starring Zachary Quinto, Jenny Slate, Sheila Vand. Synopsis: The aardvark has evolved to be one of a kind. You could say the same of Josh Norman. US release date is TBA. Mute (2018). Directed by Duncan Jones. Written by Duncan Jones and Michael Robert Johnson. Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux. Synopsis: A mute bartender goes up against his city’s gangsters in an effort to find out what happened to his missing partner. Debuts on Netflix on February 23rd, 2018. Submergence (2018). Directed by Wim Wenders. Written by Erin Dignam and J.M. Ledgard. Starring James McAvoy, Alicia Vikander, Alexander Siddig. Synopsis: In a room with no windows on the eastern coast of Africa, a Scotsman, James More, is held captive by jihadist fighters. Thousands of miles away in the Greenland Sea, Danielle Flinders prepares to dive in a submersible to the ocean floor. Opens in US theaters on April 13th, 2018. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018). Directed by Peyton Reed. Written by Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari and Paul Rudd (based on the comics by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby). Starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michelle Pfeiffer. Synopsis: As Scott Lang balances being both a Super Hero and a father, Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym present an urgent new mission that finds the Ant-Man fighting alongside The Wasp to uncover secrets from their past. Opens in US theaters on July 6th, 2018. When We First Met (2018). Directed by Ari Sandel. Written by John Whittington. Starring Adam Devine, Alexandra Daddario, Robbie Amell. Synopsis: Noah spends the perfect first night with Avery, the girl of his dreams, but gets relegated to the friend zone. He spends the next three years wondering what went wrong – until he gets the unexpected chance to travel back in time and alter that night – and his fate – over and over again. Debuts on Netflix on February 9th, 2018. Journey’s End (2018). Directed by Saul Dibb. Written by Simon Reade (based on the novel by R.C. Sherriff and Vernon Bartlett). Starring Paul Bettany, Sam Claflin, Asa Butterfield. Synopsis: Set in a dugout in Aisne in 1918, it is the story of a group of British officers, led by the mentally disintegrating young officer Stanhope, as they await their fate. Opens in US theaters on March 16th, 2018. The Hurricane Heist (2018). Directed by Rob Cohen. Written by Jeff Dixon and Scott Windhauser. Starring Toby Kebbell, Maggie Grace, Ryan Kwanten. Synopsis: Thieves attempt a massive heist against the U.S. Treasury as a Category 5 hurricane approaches one of its Mint facilities. Opens in US theaters on March 9th, 2018. Looking Glass (2018). Directed by Tim Hunter. Written by Jerry Rapp and Matthew Wilder. Starring Nicolas Cage, Robin Tunney, Marc Blucas. Synopsis: A couple buy a desert motel where they find that strange, mysterious events occur. Opens in US theaters on February 16th, 2018. Half Magic (2018). Written and directed by Heather Graham. Starring Heather Graham, Angela Kinsey, Stephanie Beatriz. Synopsis: Mary, a new mother, gives birth to twins, but only one of them is alive. While taking care of her living child, Adam, she suspects that something, a supernatural entity, has chosen him and will stop at nothing to take him from her. Opens in US theaters on February 23rd, 2018. I Kill Giants (2018). Directed by Anders Walter. Written by Joe Kelly (based on the graphic novel by Joe Kelly and J.M. Ken Niimura). Starring Zoe Saldana, Imogen Poots, Jennifer Ehle. Synopsis: Barbara Thorson struggles through life by escaping into a fantasy life of magic and monsters. Opens in US theaters on March 23rd, 2018. The First Purge (2018). Directed by Gerard McMurray. Written by James DeMonaco. Starring Marisa Tomei, Luna Lauren Velez, Melonie Diaz. Synopsis: The film will be a prequel that will focus on the events that lead up to the very first Purge event. Opens in US theaters on July 4th, 2018. Best Films of Sundance 2018 Matt writes: Critics Brian Tallerico, Nick Allen, Tomris Laffly and Monica Castillo list their choices for the best films of Sundance 2018, including Desiree Akhavan’s Grand Jury Prize winner, “The Miseducation of Cameron Post.” Sundance Snapshots Matt writes: This special edition of Thumbnails highlights various films and snapshots worth cherishing from Sundance 2018, including the one below of U.S. Documentary juror Chaz Ebert meeting with Main Competition jury members Octavia Spencer and Jada Pinkett Smith. Free Movies Take the High Ground! (1953). Directed by Richard Brooks. Written by Millard Kaufman. Starring Richard Widmark, Karl Malden, Elaine Stewart. Synopsis: In 1953, at Fort Bliss, Texas, two former Korean War combat veterans work as drill sergeants and fall in-love with the same woman. Watch “Take the High Ground!” The Stripper (1963). Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. Written by Meade Roberts (based on the play by William Inge). Starring Joanne Woodward, Richard Beymer, Claire Trevor. Synopsis: Lila Green is an insecure and aging showgirl for Madame Olga’s stage shows. When her boyfriend, Rick, runs off with the show’s money, Madame Olga and Ronny let Lila go. Watch “The Stripper” The April Fools (1969). Directed by Stuart Rosenberg. Written by Hal Dresner. Starring Jack Lemmon, Catherine Deneuve, Peter Lawford. Synopsis: In New York, the newly-promoted Wall Street broker, Howard Brubaker is invited by his boss Ted Gunther, to come to his apartment. However, there is a party and Howard feels uncomfortable and out of place. Ted’s wife, Catherine Gunther is amused with Howard and he invites her to have a drink in a club. Watch “The April Fools”
