2016 movies to look forward to

Which movies in 2016 will be worth spending your hard-earned on? Let's get away from the obvious Oscar contenders launching in January and February, and the big super hero and events pix, and stray off the beaten track a little.

Pride + Predjudice + Zombies: 12 February
The picture on p63 of the February edition of Empire of Lena Headey as Lady Catherine de Bourgh standing triumphantly upon a pile of zombie corpses says it all. You had me at 'Lena'!

Triple 9: 19 February
Crime thriller in which John Hillcoat directs a juicy cast: Winslet, Ejiofor, Harrelson, C Affleck, Aaron Paul, Anthony Mackie and Norman Reedus. Unlikely to have a happy ending.

Hail Caesar!: 26 February
The new Coen brothers: 'nuff said.

Crouching Tiger sequel: February tbc
The original remains a fantastic film, so naturally I'm curious about the sequel, which focuses on Michelle Yeoh's character. Check the reviews before buying your tickets…

The Witch: 11 March
2016's best horror movie? "Deeply unsettling" seems to be the most popular description from festival goers who saw it last year. This focuses on a family in 17th century New England facing the horrors of witchcraft. May be best to watch this in daylight.

Midnight Special: 15 April
Top indie Americana director Jeff Nichols follows up Take Shelter and Mud with this 'sci-fi chase movie', which may in some way pay homage to the likes of Star Man. The cast includes Michael Shannon (of course!), Adam Driver and Kirsten Dunst.

Green Room: 13 May
Writer/director Jeremy Saulnier follows up his acclaimed Blue Ruin with this thriller in which a punk band are holed up in a venue's 'green room', assailed by white supremacist skinheads, afar bearing witness to the skinheads' crime. Patrick Stewart leads the skinheads. Be prepared for great characters in great peril, and, yes, quite possibly some stomach-churning violence. Excellent!

La La Land: July tbc
Damien Chazelle follows up Whiplash with a musical comedy charting the LA-set romance between Ryan Gosling's jazz pianist and Emma Stone's actress. JK Simmons co-stars.

Bourne: 28 July
No apologies for including this event film on this list. Can Greengrass, Ackroyd and Damon pull this off? Vincent Cassel, Tommy Lee Jones and Alicia Vikander join the supporting cast. Simply, this demands to be seen.

Julieta: 26 August
The new Almodovar.

Passengers: 23 December
It remains to be seen whether Sony has the balls to put out a 'grown up' sic-fi movie just one week after Star Wars: Rogue One is unleashed. Morten 'Imitation Game' Tyldum directs Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt.

And films without release dates anywhere near confirmation…

War On Everyone
The latest from John Michael McDonagh sees two New Mexico-based corrupt cops out to get one over every criminal they come across.

The Bad Batch
Following up A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, Ana Lily Amirpour brings together an eclectic cast (Keanu Reeves, Jason Mamoa, Jim Carrey and Giovani Ribisi for "dystopian love story" in a Texan wasteland.

Free Fire
Ben Wheatley follows up High-Rise with a 70s-set Boston crime thriller in which two gangs end up in a fight to the death in a warehouse.

The Sense of An Ending
Ritesh Batra, director of The Lunchbox, pulls together Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling, Michelle Dockery and Emily Mortimer for this drama about a man given cause to reflect on his legacy.

A Storm In The Stars
Female Saudi director Haifaa Al-Mansoor directs this Mary Shelley/Frankenstein biopic of sorts. Might not hit screens until 2017.

News From Planet Mars
The latest from Dominik Moll (A Friend Like Harry, Monk, Lemming) is a black comedy in which "a recently divorced man struggles to cope with a larger-than-life family, demanding boss and occasionally psychotic colleague who decides to move in, sending his life into a further tailspin" (according to Screendaily).

The Neon Demon
The new Winidng Refn. Here's the IMDB synopsis: "When aspiring model Jesse moves to Los Angeles, her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will take any means necessary to get what she has."

Little Men
Ira Sachs follows up the beautiful Love Is Strange with this tale of two friends (presumably Greg Kinnear and Alfred Molina judging by the cast list) falling out. It debuts this month at Sundance, so a general release in 2016 is possible.

Russ & Roger Go Beyond
The UK's most versatile director, Michael Winterbottom, brings us the dramatised making of Russ Meyer's Beyond The Valley of the Dolls, with Will Ferrell as the breast-obsessed director.

Elvis & Nixon
The King (Michael Shannon) and Tricky Dicky (Kevin Spacey) meet at the White House… Yes please!