With the arrival of the new year, a film junkie (no pun intended) such as myself needs to look ahead and make a list of my most anticipated films of the year. Being a STAR WARS fanatic, my sights are already set on the upcoming Episode VIII in December. But that's December, just under a year away. In the meantime, lets take a look at the obvious picks, as well as some noteworthy mentions.
Most Anticipated:
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The Lego Batman Movie: 02/10 - When I first saw the trailer for "The Lego Movie", I instantly reverted to my childhood state. I saw a piece of nostalgia and a fun time at the cinema. When I walked out of that theater, I found myself both surprised and amazed that it ended up being even better than I had hyped it up to be. I'm definitely looking forward to this one.
John Wick 2: 02/10 - "John Wick" was a pleasant surprise for me. I didn't even have it on my radar until a good three weeks after it's release. I was terribly disappointed in myself for waiting that long to see it, as it turned out to be an action-packed thrill ride from start to finish. This time around, I plan to see this opening weekend.
Logan: 03/03 - This one is going to be a bittersweet finale for me. Logan will mark the departure of Huge Jackman's portrayal of what has become one of the most iconic comic book adapted characters ever, Wolverine. I was there when he first extended his adamantium claws in the very first "X-Men" trailer. Now, sadly, I will be there when he extends his claws for the last time.
Kong: Skull Island: 03/10 - Originally, Kong barely made my Noteworthy Mentions list, but over the last several months, I've come to actually look forward to it's release for several reasons. I'm interested to see where they take this story, and how it will fit into the Gareth Edwards' "Godzilla" franchise, I'm excited to see the collaboration of Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Tom Hiddleston, Brie larson and John C. Reilly, and I'm actually excited to see what appears to be the largest Kong to date, but largest for obvious reasons.
Beauty and the Beast; 03/10 - Umm, it's a live-action adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast"... one of my childhood addictions, I don't need to explain myself further. Move along...
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: 05/05 - I cannot express enough how happy I was with the first Guardians, it was such a change from the usual Marvel titles, and a great combination of character chemistry, action sequences and overall Rocket Raccoon fuckery. I cannot wait for Vol. 2 to be released, it's sure to be one hell of a ride.
Wonder Woman: 06/02 - I need this one to be great. Not just good, not just decent, but great. "Man of Steel" was okay, "Batman v Superman" was awful and "Suicide Squad" was only half decent. I'm very disappointed in the universe and series of films that Zach Snyder" is giving us, and a complete overhaul is needed here. Here's hoping that "Wonder Woman" can pull it off.
Spider-Man: Homecoming: 07/07 - One thing I came out of "Civil War" just floored by was the performance of one Tom Holland as not only Peter Parker, but an actually awesome Spider-Man! While I loved Toby McGuire's iconic performance, I never really felt he got the role of Peter Parker right. He didn't have that charismatic nature about him, and almost felt depressed most of the time. With Holland, he pretty much owned me with just a short appearance in "Civil War", as he pulled off an amazing Spider-Man (pun intended), as well as a very true to form Peter Parker. Side Note: Fuck Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man...
War for the Planet of the Apes: 07/14 - They blew me away with "RISE", they floored me with 'DAWN", I have no doubt that I'll be genuinely blow away with "WAR". Andy Serkis truly is one of the greatest actors you'll never see, and he continues to deliver remarkable performances playing characters in an ever expanding computer-generated world. The quality only seems to get better with each film, and the story is always emotionally gripping.
Dunkirk: 07/21 - Christopher Nolan delivers, and he delivers well. With "Dunkirk", Nolan gives us another WWII tale, but with a fresh angle and setting. The story of the battle/evacuation of Dunkirk is both heroic and heart-pounding to say the least. I am very interested in seeing his take on it, as well as the visual effects that will no doubt pull you into the story.
The Dark Tower: 07/28 - I grew up with Stephen King. I've read more of his novels than I have most authors, save for one or two that I'm ashamed to admit (I never read IT or The Mist), I grew up watching countless films and mini-series' time and time again. The fact that we are getting two King adaptations this year is really exciting to say the least. I'm interested to see how "The Dark Tower" turns out. Katheryn Winnick is a Goddess and Warrior, and I can't wait to see her. Add her with Idris Elba and Mathew McConaughey to the mix, and I'm there!
Stephen King's IT: 09/08 - Same as above, I'm very excited to see this, but maybe a little more than I am with "The Dark Tower", mainly because recently I finally got around to watching the original "IT" for the first time only after my brother talked me into it. I'm ashamed to say I called myself a King fan never really giving this classic a chance in either book or film form. The first images of Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise looks terrifyingly delightful.
Blade Runner 2049: 10/06 - Harrison Ford should shoot me, just blast me away like he did Greedo. I only watched "Blade Runner" for the first time just 1 short year ago. I've lived on this Earth as a Sci-Fi fan for 33 years of my life, and I've only just seen "Blade Runner" for the first time last year. Note: my version was The Final Cut version. Anyway, I am looking forward to this very much.
Thor: Ragnarok: 11/03 - What I enjoyed most about the "Thor" films were all of the scenes off of Earth, hilariously enough. I loved seeing Asgard, as the lore, architecture and feel just felt nice. Odd thing to focus on, but it's really the only reason why I enjoyed "Thor: The Dark World" so much. I really hope we get more of that here, as I find the stories off-world to be more intriguing in his films. Apologies Natalie Portman, I don't mean to leave you absent from this, like Marvel has lately.
Star Wars: Episode VIII: 12/15 - "The Force Awakens" turned me into a giddy little child, three times in a row, then twice after that. "Rogue One" made me realize that the goody two-shoes of the Rebellion actually had a darker more shady side to them, and made me respect a classic like "A New Hope" even more than I had all my life, growing up. I need to express just how excited I am to know that every year for the foreseeable future, I am going to be graced with a brand new STAR WARS film. Knowing this just overwhelms the fanatic in me to no end.
Pitch Perfect 3: 12/22 - It's Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp and Rebel Wilson in their most cutest, adorable roles to date. I absolutely love this franchise, I absolutely love Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow, they are just amazing together and play off each other so damn well. And the songs, my stupid iPod has some of their songs on my top 100 playlist, it gets so much play. I'm ready to end my movie going year with them, for sure!
Noteworthy Mentions:
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The Founder: 01/20 -
The Space Between Us: 02/03 -
A Cure for Wellness: 02/17 -
Ghost in the Shell: 03/31 -
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword: 05/12 -
Alien: Covenant: 05/19 -
The Mummy: 06/09 -
Kingsman: The Golden Circle: 06/16 -
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: 07/21 -
Justice League: 11/17 -
Darkest Hour: 11/24 -
Jumanji (2017): 12/22.
In closing, as you can see, I have failed to list two obvious mainstream releases for good reason. First being I am just fucking DONE with these "Fast & Furious" installments. They were too much before, they are way too much now. I enjoyed the last one and idiotically thought "this is a nice send off, he was a great guy and I liked this little send off, what a nice way to end the series"... boy was I wrong. I'm done with the franchise, sorry. Second being just how many times do we need to see Jack Sparrow get into mediocre adventures before we say; "you know what? maybe we should just stop." I am in no way, shape or form interested in seeing another "Pirates of the Caribbean" film.
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