THIS year has much to offer at the cinema, writes BBC film critic Caryn James, including the sequel to “Mary Poppins” and Margot Robbie as Elizabeth I.

Phantom Thread

There is no more dynamic director-actor combination than Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis (see “There Will Be Blood” for proof) and they have created a stunningly rich new work. Day-Lewis, who has threatened to make this his last acting role, plays a 1950s London-based fashion designer who demands total control. It is elegantly made and full of extravagant clothes, but this psychological drama is really about obsession, love and tortured relationships. (Credit: Focus Features)

A Wrinkle in Time

Ava DuVernay made history when she signed on for this adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel, becoming the first woman of color to direct a movie with a US$100 million budget. And who else could have lined up Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon as Mrs. Which, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Whatsit? Young Storm Reid plays the scientifically savvy heroine, Meg, who travels through time and space to find her lost father (Chris Pine). (Credit: Disney)

Mary, Queen of Scots

Lady Bird meets Tonya Harding in the 16th century. In this historical drama, Saoirse Ronan plays the young, powerful, confident Mary Stuart, ruler of Scotland, who tries to wrestle the English throne away from her cousin, Elizabeth I, played by Margot Robbie, complete with the famous Queen’s plucked hairline. The screenplay is by “House of Cards” creator Beau Willimon. In addition to glorious setting and costumes, expect plenty of contemporary resonance in this tale of smart, powerful women staking their claims in a man’s world. (Credit: Focus Features)

First Man

Damien Chazelle’s new film couldn’t be more different from “La La Land,” except for Ryan Gosling, who stars as Neil Armstrong, the first man to land on the moon. The story covers nearly a decade of the 1960s, as NASA and Armstrong prepare for a risky mission whose success was never certain until it happened. The screenplay is by Josh Singer, who co-wrote “Spotlight” and “The Post,” two surprisingly suspenseful recreations of real-life events. (Credit: Universal Pictures)

Mary Poppins Returns

Fifty-four years after Julie Andrews and her parrot-head umbrella floated down to Cherry Tree Lane, one of the most beloved family movies of all time gets a sequel. This time Emily Blunt is Mary, it is 1935 and the magical nanny arrives to care for the now-grown Michael (Ben Whishaw) and his children. Lin-Manuel Miranda plays a lamplighter named Jack, and says he’ll avoid the faux-Cockney accent of Dick Van Dyke’s Bert. Rob Marshall (“Into the Woods”) directs. (Credit: Disney)

Ready Player One

Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi adventure is also a 1980s and 90s pop-culture extravaganza. Based on Ernest Cline’s bestselling novel, the film takes place in a now-familiar movie setting: a dystopian future with a ruined environment. Tye Sheridan (“Mud”) plays teenaged Wade Watts, who escapes into the virtual utopia of an online game called Oasis. He is threatened by an evil corporate type (Ben Mendelsohn), as real life and the virtual world blend together. In the FX-laden trailer, Oasis is a funhouse of cultural icons, including The Iron Giant and Freddy Krueger. (Credit: Warner Bros)

Red Sparrow

Jennifer Lawrence ventures into Jason Bourne territory as a Russian ballet dancer who becomes Red Sparrow, the most seductive spy since Mata Hari, trained to use body and mind against her enemies. Lawrence is joined by some brilliant actors, including Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons and Joel Edgerton as a CIA agent who presumably tries to out-seduce Red Sparrow. (Credit: 20th Century Fox)

(SD-Agencies)