A Guide to Some Awesome 2017 Films That Aren't Sequels, Reboots or Superhero Flicks!

As another movie year rolls around, moviegoing audiences have more choices than ever on what to spend their hard-earned dollars on. With the upcoming slate of various #Marvel and #DC superhero films set for release this year, the usual sequels and reboots Hollywood churns out, plus the gloriousness of #StarWars live-action film instalments, certain audience members may want to check something new out...

That is where this trusty guide will come into play! Here are a few films releasing in 2017 separated into categories that you may find intriguing.War Movies

War Movies

1. Dunkirk

• Director: Christopher Nolan.
• Release Date: July 21st, 2017.
• Stars: Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh and Harry Styles.

The highly anticipated addition to the #ChristopherNolan filmography, #Dunkirk releases in July and tells the real-life story of a group of soldiers stranded in France during World War II who must make their way to the shores of Dunkirk in hopes of a rescue. The film sees #CillianMurphy and #TomHardy reunite with their Inception director and also stars last year's #Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor (beating out Hardy), Mark Rylance. Dunkirk will certainly be a hit at the box office this summer for its appeal to not only war buffs, but fans of Nolan's impeccable direction.

See The Trailer Below:

2. The Zookeeper's Wife

• Director: Niki Caro.
• Release Date: March 31st, 2017.
• Stars: Jessica Chastain, Johan Heldenbergh, Daniel Bruhl and Michael McElhatton.

Based on the nonfiction book of the same name, #TheZooKeepersWife tells the true story about two Warsaw zookeepers, couple Antonia and Jan Żabiński portrayed by #JessicaChastain and Heldenberg respectively, who saved many human and animal lives during World War II by hiding them in animal cages. Chastain is one of the best actresses working in Hollywood today so it will be interesting to see her tackle on this incredibly heroic role while rocking an accent.

See The Trailer Below:

Comedies

1. Snatched

• Director: Jonathan Levine.
• Release Date: May 12th, 2017.
• Stars: Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn, Christopher Meloni, Ike Barinholtz and Wanda Sykes.

#Snatched sees comedienne #AmySchumer team up with the illustrious #GoldieHawn as a daughter-mother duo who take a trip to Ecuador to relax until crazy and wild hijinks ensue! #JonathanLevine's previous directing credits include the #JosephGordonLevitt and #SethRogen dramedy, 50/50 and 2013's zombie-comedy Warm Bodies, so he has shown that he able to depict beautifully emotional relationships in the comedy genre. We will ultimately find out whether Schumer and Hawn have the same chemistry as the above films mentioned when Snatched hits theatres this May.

See The Trailer Below:

2. Rock That Body

Director: Lucia Aniello.

Release Date: June 16th, 2017.

Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Zoe Kravitz, Kate McKinnon, Jillian Bell, Ilana Glazer, Paul W. Downs and Demi Moore.

#RockThatBody sees the writer-director of Comedy Central's #BroadCity, Lucia Aniello delve into the world of feature film with her directorial debut about a bachelorette party that turns deadly. The cast of Rock That Body has some incredibly talented and funny women including #ScarlettJohansson, #IlanaGlazer and the breakout star of last year, #KateMcKinnon. The film was originally scheduled to be released on June 23rd, however it was bumped up a week to June 16th which shows the studio has faith in this female-centric dark comedy.

A trailer has not been released yet for the film.

Family Movies To Take The Kids To

1. Coco

• Director: Lee Unkrich.
• Release Date: November 22nd, 2017.
• Stars: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt and Renee Victor.

This #Disney-#Pixar 3D animated collaboration is guaranteed to have families flocking to theatres when the weather becomes chillier and December grows nearer and nearer. #Coco tells the story of a 12-year-old Mexican boy who’s increasingly interested in music, even though it’s forbidden in his household. The film's trailer depicts stupendously wonderous colors so it will certainly be a great-looking movie!

See The Trailer Below:

2. Wonder

• Director: Stephen Chbosky.
• Release Date: April 7th, 2017.
• Stars: Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson.

Based on the best selling novel of the same name, #Wonder pairs together the young talent taking the world by storm, Room's #JacobTremblay and #JuliaRoberts. The film follows Auggie Pullman (Tremblay), a boy born with facial deformities who must navigate his way in a new school. Roberts and #OwenWilson play his parents and you are guaranteed a few tears shed in the theaters when this releases in April.

A trailer has not been released yet for the film.

Thrilling Action/Adventure And Sci-Fi

1. Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets

• Director: Luc Besson.
• Release Date: July 21st, 2017.
• Stars: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna, Kris Wu, John Goodman and Ethan Hawke.

Based on the French sci-fi comic series, Valerine and Laureline, Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets sees director, #LucBesson of The Fifth Element fame attempt to portray the story of #CaraDelevingne and #DaneDeHaan as time-traveling government agents. The film also boasts a couple of incredibly talented actors in #CliveOwen, #EthanHawke and #JohnGoodman, who gave a chilling performance as Howard in last year's 10 Cloverfield Lane. Although the source material is certainly popular, it will be interesting to see if audiences are still interested in seeing young adult-centric films set in a dystopian future.

See The Trailer Below:

2. The Dark Tower

• Director: Nikolaj Arcel.
• Release Date: July 28th, 2017.
• Stars: Idris Elba, Tom Taylor, Jackie Earle Haley and Matthew McConaughey.

Arguably one of the most anticipated films of the year, #TheDarkTower is based on the wildly popular series of novels by #StephenKing. The film follows Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor), an 11-year-old adventure seeker who discovers clues about another dimension called Mid-World. Upon following the mystery, he is spirited away to the land Mid-World where he encounters the lone frontiersman knight Roland Deschain (#IdrisElba) who is on a quest to reach the "Dark Tower" that resides in End-World and reach the nexus point between time and space that he hopes will save Mid-World from extinction. But with various monsters and a vicious sorcerer (#MatthewMcConaughey) hot on their trail, the unlikely duo find that their quest may be difficult to complete. The novel series is beloved by many so there is enormous pressure this film must overcome already, although having two heavyweights such as Elba and McConaughey may allow fans to place their faith a bit more in the film adaptation.

A trailer has not been released yet for the film.

Thrillers/Horror

1. Baby Driver

• Director: Edgar Wright.
• Release Date: August 11th, 2017.
• Stars: Ansel Elgort, Lily James, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Kevin Spacey and Jon Bernthal.

#EdgarWright returns to the directing chair with this suspense/thriller, #BabyDriver. Similarly to Valerian, Baby Driver boasts an all-star cast including Kevin Spacey and Jon Hamm and tells the story of a young, talented getaway driver (Elgort) who is stuck working on an ill-conceived heist. Viewing these set photos just fuels the hype machine and it will be awesome to see how Elgort tackles a role that sounds intriguingly similar to #RyanGosling's character in 2011's #Drive.

A trailer has not been released yet for the film.

2. The Circle

• Director: James Ponsoldt.
• Release Date: April 28th, 2017.
• Stars: Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, John Boyega, Karen Gillan and Patton Oswalt.

Another book adaptation based on the novel by Dave Eggers, #TheCircle follows #EmmaWatson as a young, ambitious tech worker who takes a job at a #Facebook-esque powerful internet corporation, quickly rising up the company's ranks, and soon finding herself in a perilous situation which involves privacy, surveillance and freedom. She comes to learn that her decisions and actions will determine the future of humanity. #TomHanks stars as the head of this corporation and seeing these two remarkably talented individuals go head-to-head is an event I cannot wait for!

See The Trailer Below:

3. Get Out

Director: Jordan Peele.

Release Date: February 24th, 2017.

Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford and Caleb Landry Jones.

One half of the hysterical comedy duo of Key & Peele, #JordanPeele makes his directorial debut with this year's #GetOut. Get Out is a #Blumhouse production which lends credence to the film because of Blumhouse's fantastic track record in horror last year, including #Hush, The Purge: Election Year and Ouija: Origin Of Evil. The film follows a young black man, Chris (Kaluuya) visiting his white girlfriend's (Williams) family estate where he learns that many of its residents, who are black, have gone missing, and he soon learns the horrible truth when another frantic African-American warns him to "get out". Writer-director Peele referred to the film as "a horror movie, but [with] a satirical premise." The trailer released in October created immense buzz for the film and has audience members preparing to chuckle aloud while simultaneously feeling petrified.

See The Trailer Below:

4. Split

• Director: M. Night Shyamalan.
• Release Date: January 20th, 2017.
• Stars: James McAvoy, Anna Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley and Jessica Sula.

There once was a time when the name M. Night Shyamalan actually caused utter excitement to be the initial reaction rather than laughing or eye-rolling. With the modest success of 2015's The Visit after years of barely subpar pictures, Shyamalan directs the psychological suspense thriller, #Split. The film follows the kidnapping of three teenaged girls by a man named Kevin (McAvoy). It is revealed that Kevin exhibits some 23 alternate personalities, and in order to escape, his captives must hope that one of these 23 will set them free, before the 24th personality awakens. McAvoy's portrayal of each respective personality is receiving rave reviews and Taylor-Joy starred in 2015's #TheWitch, a horror film many consider one of the absolute best with her role being a crucial aspect to that Robert Eggers film.

See The Trailer Below:

Dramas

1. Darkest Hour

• Director: Joe Wright.
• Release Date: November 24th, 2017.
• Stars: Gary Oldman, Ben Mendelsohn, John Hurt, Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily James.

Following #JohnLithgow's remarkable performance as Winston Churchill in the #Netflix original, #TheCrown, critics are buzzing to see how #GaryOldman handles the portrayal of the British Prime Minister. #DarkestHour follows Winston Churchill as he faces a crucial moment against Adolf Hitler's army in the beginning of the Second World War. Oldman is known as a film chameleon for his ability to engulf the role he is in so perhaps this is the role that will finally garner him that Academy Award he still has not received yet!

A trailer has not been released yet for the film.

2. Song To Song

• Director: Terrence Malick.
• Release Date: March 17th, 2017.
• Stars: Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Rooney Mara, Haley Bennett, Natalie Portman and Michael Fassbender.

Premiering at South By Southwest on March 10th, #TerrenceMalick brings together a ridiculously A-list ensemble cast for #SongToSong. In this modern love story set against the Austin, Texas music scene, two entangled couples-- struggling songwriters Faye (Mara) and BV (Gosling), and music mogul Cook (Fassbender) and the waitress whom he ensnares (Portman)-- chase success through a rock ‘n roll landscape of seduction and betrayal. One either loves the Malick film immensely or despises it entirely, however with a cast as talented as the one in Song To Song is, it is worth viewing just to see these guys interact with each other!

A trailer has not been released yet for the film.

What Are Some Of Your Highly Anticipated Releases Of 2017 That Aren't Sequels, Reboots Etc.?

Source: Washington Post.