Previews: Five Upcoming British films in 2015

Spectre, the 24th official Bond film, is clearly the most anticipated British movie of the year.  That hits our screens on 26th October.  Here are five other, very different, upcoming UK films to look forward to in the second half of 2015:

Absolutely Anything - 14th August

A sci-fi comedy starring Simon Pegg and Kate Beckinsale.  Directed by Monty Python's Terry Jones and featuring the voices all of the Pythons and the late Robin Williams, this should be very funny but the trailer is unconvincing.  The premise seems similar to Bedazzled and Bruce Almighty - average guy gains God-like powers.

Tiger House - 24th August

 

A thriller written by director Simon Lewis who previously scripted Noel Clarke's The Anomaly. Kay Scodelario plays Kelly who sneaks into her boyfriend's house before it is invaded by armed intruders.   Although the murky-looking trailer is not especially impressive, a the strong acting cast is promising.   Rated 15 by the BBFC, Tiger House is likely to attract a young adult audience who will know Scodelario for her roles E4's teen drama Skins and hit dystopian science-fiction film The Maze Runner.  Her co-stars are Dougray Scott (probably best known for roles as villains in Mission Impossibe II and Taken 3) and Ed Skrein (the first actor to Daario Nahalis in Game of Thrones). 

Legend - 9th September

In this crime biopic, Tom Hardy plays both of the Kray twins, the notorious East-End gangsters.   A major film on the subject, The Krays, has been done before but that was 25 years ago and the story is due a revisit.   The earlier film starred brothers Gary and Martin Kemp who obviously didn't pass as identical twins, but Hardy will thrive in the unique challenge of playing both Ronnie and Reggie. Also promising is the involvement of Brian Helgeland as writer-director.  Helgeland wrote the script for LA Confidential, one of the greatest crime films of all time.  The trailer suggests a stylish, intelligent and witty treatment, a British Goodfellas perhaps.  Also featuring is Christopher Eccleston who plays the police detective Leonard 'Nipper' Read.

Containment - 11th September

This thriller features an ensemble cast including Louise Brealey (Molly Hooper in Sherlock) and Lee Ross, Andrew Leung and Sheila Reid (experienced actors who have appeared in Doctor Who and many other TV shows).  The trailer reveals an exciting concept in which residents of a tower block discover themselves locked inside with no water and electricity, apparently to contain a deadly virus. This film is unrelated to a TV series of the same name which is soon airing on American television.

AfterDeath - 20th November

British horror has had a quiet few years, the last major hit being The Woman in Black in 2012.  This trailer suggests an atmospheric and well-acted dramatic film.  A talented young cast is led by accomplished actress Miranda Raison (known for numerous TV roles including Doctor Who, Spooks and Silk).  Hopefully, AfterDeath will pick up good cinema distribution.  If not, it may be one to look out for on DVD.