Warner Bros. Pictures 2018 Movie
Director: Roar Uthaug Writer: Geneva Robertson-Dworet (script) Cast: Alicia Vikander, Hannah John-Kamen, Walton Goggins Plotline: Lara Croft is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric adventurer who vanished when she was scarcely a teen.  Now a young woman of 21 without any real focus or purpose, Lara navigates the chaotic streets of trendy East London as a bike courier, barely making the rent.  Determined to forge her own path, she refuses to take the reins of her father’s global empire just as staunchly as she rejects the idea that he’s truly gone.  Advised to face the facts and move forward after seven years without him, even Lara can’t understand what drives her to finally solve the puzzle of his mysterious death. Leaving everything she knows behind, Lara goes in search of her dad’s last-known destination: a fabled tomb on a mythical island that might be somewhere off the coast of Japan.  But her mission will not be an easy one; just reaching the island will be extremely treacherous.  Suddenly, the stakes couldn’t be higher for Lara, who—against the odds and armed with only her sharp mind, blind faith and inherently stubborn spirit—must learn to push herself beyond her limits as she journeys into the unknown.  If she survives this perilous adventure, it could be the making of her, earning her the name tomb raider. Director: Steven Spielberg Writers: Zak Penn (screenplay), Ernest Cline (screenplay) Stars: Hannah John-Kamen, T.J. Miller, Mark RylancePlotline: Plotline: The film is set in 2045, with the world on the brink of chaos and collapse.  But the people have found salvation in the OASIS, an expansive virtual reality universe created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday (Mark Rylance).  When Halliday dies, he leaves his immense fortune to the first person to find a digital Easter egg he has hidden somewhere in the OASIS, sparking a contest that grips the entire world.  When an unlikely young hero named Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) decides to join the contest, he is hurled into a breakneck, reality-bending treasure hunt through a fantastical universe of mystery, discovery and danger. Director: Brad Peyton Writers: Ryan Condal (rewrite), Carlton Cuse (rewrite) Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman Plotline: Primatologist Davis Okoye (Johnson), a man who keeps people at a distance, shares an unshakable bond with George, the extraordinarily intelligent, silverback gorilla who has been in his care since birth.  But a rogue genetic experiment gone awry mutates this gentle ape into a raging creature of enormous size.  To make matters worse, it’s soon discovered there are other similarly altered animals.  As these newly created alpha predators tear across North America, destroying everything in their path, Okoye teams with a discredited genetic engineer to secure an antidote, fighting his way through an ever-changing battlefield, not only to halt a global catastrophe but to save the fearsome creature that was once his friend. Director: Bradley Cooper The screenplay is by Will Fetters & Bradley Cooper and Eric Roth, based on a story by William A. Wellman and Robert Carson. Stars: Bradley Cooper and introducing Stefani Germanotta, known across the globe as Oscar-nominated music superstar Lady Gaga, in her first leading role in a major motion picture Plotline: Cooper plays Jackson Maine, a country music star who is on the brink of decline when he discovers a talented unknown named Ally (Germanotta).  As the two begin a passionate love affair, Jack coaxes Ally into the spotlight, catapulting her to stardom.  But as Ally’s career quickly eclipses his own, Jack finds it increasingly hard to handle his fading glory. In addition to playing Ally, Germanotta, who earned her Oscar nod for the song “Til It Happens to You” from “The Hunting Ground,” has composed and will perform original songs in the film.  The main cast also includes Andrew Dice Clay and Sam Elliott. Director: Gary Ross Writers: Olivia Milch, Gary Ross Stars: Samantha Cocozza, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon, Dakota Fanning, Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham Carter Director: Corin Hardy Writers: Gary Dauberman (screenplay), Gary Dauberman (story by) Stars: Taissa Farmiga, Charlotte Hope, Bonnie Aarons Plotline: When a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate.  Together they uncover the order’s unholy secret.  Risking not only their lives but their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent force in the form of the same demonic nun that first terrorized audiences in “The Conjuring 2,” as the abbey becomes a horrific battleground between the living and the damned. Director: Jon Turteltaub Writers: Steve Alten (novel), Belle Avery Stars: Ruby Rose, Jason Statham, Rainn Wilson, Li Bing Bing Plotline: In the film, a deep-sea submersible—part of an international undersea observation program—has been attacked by a massive creature, previously thought to be extinct, and now lies disabled at the bottom of the deepest trench in the Pacific…with its crew trapped inside.  With time running out, expert deep sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is recruited by a visionary Chinese oceanographer (Winston Chao), against the wishes of his daughter Suyin (Li Bingbing), to save the crew—and the ocean itself—from this unstoppable threat: a pre-historic 75-foot-long shark known as the Megalodon.  What no one could have imagined is that, years before, Taylor had encountered this same terrifying creature.  Now, teamed with Suyin, he must confront his fears and risk his own life to save everyone trapped below…bringing him face to face once more with the greatest and largest predator of all time. Director: Jon M. Chu The screenplay is by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim, based on the novel by Kwan. Stars: Constance Wu (“Fresh Off the Boat”); Henry Golding, making his feature film debut; Gemma Chan (“Humans”); Lisa Lu (“2012”); and Awkwafina (upcoming “Ocean’s 8,” “Neighbors 2”); with Ken Jeong (the “Hangover” films”) and Michelle Yeoh (“Star Trek: Discovery,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”).  The large starring ensemble also includes Sonoya Mizuno (“La La Land”), Chris Pang (“Marco Polo”), Jimmy O. Yang (“Silicon Valley”), comedian Ronny Chieng (“The Daily Show”), Remi Hii (“Marco Polo”), Nico Santos (“Superstore”) and Jing Lusi (“Stan Lee’s Lucky Man”). Plotline: “Crazy Rich Asians” follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Golding), to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore.  Excited about visiting Asia for the first time but nervous about meeting Nick’s family, Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to mention a few key details about his life.  It turns out that he is not only the scion of one of the country’s wealthiest families but also one of its most sought-after bachelors.  Being on Nick’s arm puts a target on Rachel’s back, with jealous socialites and, worse, Nick’s own disapproving mother (Yeoh) taking aim.  And it soon becomes clear that while money can’t buy love, it can definitely complicate things. Director: Karey Kirkpatrick Writers: Karey Kirkpatrick, Sergio Pablos (story by) Stars: Zendaya, Channing Tatum, Gina Rodriguez Plotline: An animated adventure for all ages, with original music and an all-star cast, “Smallfoot” turns the Bigfoot legend upside down when a bright young Yeti finds something he thought didn’t exist—a human. News of this “smallfoot” throws the simple Yeti community into an uproar over what else might be out there in the big world beyond their snowy village, in an all new story about friendship, courage and the joy of discovery. Director: Andy Serkis Writers: Rudyard Kipling (based on the novel by), Callie Kloves (screenplay) Stars: Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Benedict Cumberbatch Plotline: An orphaned boy is raised in the wild. FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD (WB/ DC) Director: David Yates Writers: J.K. Rowling Stars: Ezra Miller, Johnny Depp, Katherine Waterston, Jude Law, Zoë Kravitz, Eddie Redmayne, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol Director: James Wan Writers: Will Beall (screenplay), Geoff Johns (story) Stars: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman Plotline: Arthur Curry learns that he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, and must step forward to lead his people and to be a hero to the world.