Ironic isn’t it – aspiring to be a successful actor often means not having any time to see any acting! Plus, with so many great films hitting our screens, there just aren’t enough hours in the day to watch them all. Don’t worry though, because Backstage is here to help with your 2018 Film Cheat Sheet, packed with all the info you’ll need to bluff your way through to 2019!
Black Panther
If any film was a phenomenon this year, it was Black Panther. Director Ryan Coogler teamed up with Marvel to put a predominantly black cast slap bang in the middle of the MCU – that’s the Marvel Cinematic Universe to you non-geeks out there. It was critically acclaimed – but crucially, the afro-futurist, fresh and fun take on the life of T’Challa and the world of Wakanda was a massive box office hit.
How to Bluff it: “Finally the MCU arrives in the modern world.”
Roma
Filmed in Spanish and shot in black & white, this semi-autobiographical drama from director Alfonso Cuarón has wowed critics since its August debut at the Venice Film Festival. An arty tearjerker, Roma tells the story of a middle-class family in Mexico City in the early 1970s. Backed by Netflix, many are tipping Cuarón and his intimate epic for awards glory come 2019.
How to Bluff it: “I’m putting money on this for Best Picture.”
A Star Is Born
Lady Gaga follows in the footsteps of Streisand and Garland in yet another retelling of this classic showbiz tale. She’s Ally, an aspiring singer on the up who falls for Bradley Cooper’s Jack, a grizzled, booze-ridden rock star whose own fame is on the wane. Let’s just say it doesn’t end well. Cooper makes his directorial debut and Gaga is tipped for Oscar glory – not bad for a first film, eh!
How to Bluff it: “I preferred the 1937 Fredric March version.”
A Quiet Place
Whisper it – A Quiet Place is a jump-shock horror starring husband-and-wife power couple Emily Blunt and John Krasinski in which hardly a word is said. They’re the Abbotts, a family who must live their lives in silence to avoid the alien predators that stalk this post-apocalyptic world. Krasinski directed this surprise genre hit and a sequel is in the works.
How to Bluff it: “John Krasinski is a real directorial talent.”
Widows
The word “entertaining” isn’t usually applied when describing a Steve McQueen film – harrowing and impressive yes, entertaining no. Best known for films like Hunger, Shame and the Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave, McQueen showed audiences something different with Widows, a heist thriller starring Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez and Elizabeth Debicki as three wronged women determined to make things right.
How to Bluff it: “Ann Mitchell was great in both the original 80s TV series the film is based on and this new take.”
First Man
Directorial wunderkind Damien Chazelle’s follow up to La La Land is the story of astronaut Neil Armstrong’s journey to take that first “one small step” onto the Moon. Ryan Gosling is Armstrong and Claire Foy is his wife doggedly dealing with the domestic fallout of her husband’s obsession. For some critics, the film was admirably restrained, while others called it staid. So far, it’s not had much awards attention.
How to Bluff it: “Didn’t you find it a little slow?”
Hereditary
Slap bang in the centre of this terrifying horror film is a brilliant performance by Toni Collette. She’s Annie, whose dead mother appears to return from beyond the grave to wreak havoc on her family. Possession, the occult, grave robbery and nods to Rosemary’s Baby – this film’s got it all. A future genre classic.
How to Bluff it: “Forget the genre, Toni Collette should win awards.”
Check out Backstage’s UK audition listings!