2016 has already proven to be off to a great start with some fantastic new titles playing at recent festivals. Here is a list of 5 new movies that will be released later this year – all mixed genres (no horror, for a change), and even a family movie. I hope you enjoy the List

A WAR

Directed and written by Tobias Lindholm, A War has received remarkable reviews at Sundance Film Festival. Lindholm is the man who gave us the fantastic and (it has to be said) PRE-Captain Phillips movie, Hijacked – the tense and wonderfully acted Danish movie about a ship that gets hijacked by Somalian pirates…as I said, it’s like Captain Phillips only I thought it was much better.

A War is set in the Afghanistan conflict. The first half of the movie is set in the war zone while the second half of the film focuses on the soldiers being at home and trying to deal with a war crime that was committed during their time in the Middle East.

OFFICIAL PLOT (IMDb)

Company commander Claus M. Pedersen (Pilou Asbæk) and his men are stationed in an Afghan province. Meanwhile back in Denmark Claus’ wife Maria (Tuva Novotny) is trying to hold everyday life together with a husband at war and three children missing their father. During a routine mission, the soldiers are caught in a heavy crossfire and in order to save his men, Claus makes a decision that has grave consequences for him – and his family back home.

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

The cast alone sets this film up for greatness, Captain Fantastic stars Viggo Mortensen and Frank Langella in a drama about a father who brings their children up in a remote, secluded area, with strict cult-like ways.

His way of life is challenged when he is forced to move to the city. There he starts to question the way that he has brought up his children.

Captain Fantastic is written and directed by Matt Ross. The film recently had its world première at this year’s Sundance Festival and is due for release later in the year

Official Plot (IMDb)

In the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a father devoted to raising his six kids with a rigorous physical and intellectual education is forced to leave his paradise and enter the world, challenging his idea of what it means to be a parent.

The Birth Of A Nation

There have been a few films over the last couple of years that have brought the topic of slavery out into the light – and rightly so, it was a shameful, shameful thing to do. Birth Of A Nation, once again focuses on the mistreating, abusing and enslaving of black African-American men and women.
Usually these sort of films wouldn’t be to my taste, but this has some fantastic reviews, so it’s on the list.

The film also broke a Sundance record, Deadline reports, The Birth Of A Nation was sold to Fox Searchlight for $17.5m which is the highest amount of cash any production company has paid for one movie at Sundance Film festival.

Official Plot (IMDb)

Nat Turner, a former slave in America, leads a liberation movement in 1831 to free African-Americans in Virgina that results in a violent retaliation from whites.

Manchester By The Sea

A drama about, Lee, (Casey Affleck) a guy who hasn’t returned to his hometown in years. When his brother dies he is forced to move back to the town he tried to forget and look after his nephew who he barely knows.

Sounds like a great drama and Casey Affleck never fails to impress the shit out of me on-screen. I think the guy is a fantastic actor and is very unpredictable on-screen. Manchester By The Sea is written and directed by award-winning playwright and screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan.

Official Plot (Wiki)

After the sudden death of Joe Chandler, his younger brother Lee is made legal guardian of his son. Lee returns to his hometown and has to deal with both his separated wife Randi and the community of North Shore.

Hunt For The Wilderpeople

If you’re unsure about who writer/director/actor Taiki Waititi is – he is one of the writers behind the awesome vampire comedy, What We Do In The Shadows, he also plays vampire, Viego. (the vamp with the floating teacup).

He is now attached to a huge Marvel summer blockbuster called, Thor: Ragarnok. Then he is back to give us the sequel we have all been dying for, WWDITS sequel, which will be called, We’re Wolves. The hugely anticipated sequel to the 2014 instant vamp classic will focus on the group of werewolves we got introduced to in the first film.

Hunt For The Wilderpeople is a comedy and is based on a book by Barry Crump with a screenplay written by Taiki Waititi. The film looks to be a lot of fun and more importantly, it seems to be a film that is suited for both kids and adults.

The film focuses on a mischievous kid called Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison)and a man called, Hec (Sam Neil). The two complete opposites get lost in the beautiful wilderness of New Zealand which sparks a nationwide manhunt.