Five great films you'll want to see but can't - yet

Actress Amy Adams stars in the upcoming sci-fi film, Arrival.

Sometimes the wait for a good film seems so long and unfair. Here are five movies we're itching to see, but can't just yet.

1. Arrival

Arrival has been tipped to become the biggest alien movie of the year and critics have been praising it since its Venice Film Festival debut this September. The suspenseful sci-fi drama, starring Amy Adams, Forest Whitaker and Jeremy Renner, looks amazing and we can't wait to see it. But wait we shall, as this film doesn't come out in New Zealand until November 10.

2. La La Land

This movie musical starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling has been doing the rounds at film festivals, but we still have months ahead of us until it graces our screens. La La Land has been gaining a lot of Oscar buzz, especially after it earned Stone the prize for Best Actress at the Vince Film Festival. It hits New Zealand cinemas on December 26.

3. Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures received a lot of hype at this year's Toronto film festival. Starring the talented Taraji P Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae, Hidden Figures tells the untold true story about the women working at NASA who helped get man to the moon. This is a movie everyone should see, but it's going to be a long wait, as it's not released in New Zealand until February 23.

4. Snowden

The Edward Snowden biopic starring Joseph Gorden-Levitt is being released this week in the US and yes, it is getting mixed reviews from critics. But this is one of the year's biggest movies about one of the biggest stories of the decade and it will be worth watching. New Zealanders will have to sit tight till December 29 to see it in theatres.

5. Moana

Sure, it's not out in the US until November, but considering it's about a South Pacific princess, surely Disney would have wanted to, ya know, include the South Pacific in its initial release date? Instead, it's yet another film release being held for December 26.