It’s been a while since I followed the lead of my friend Joe so I thought I’d talk about the Top 11 movies that I’m most excited about. There’s a lot more movies that I saw while I researched this. Mad Max: Fury Road, Pan, Cinderella, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and the Jungle Book really look good too but didn’t make the list.
1. Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1)
Avengers is in my top 5 favorite movies and I’ve loved every single part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far. I am interested to see the characters reunite after what they went through individually during Phase 2 and how the group dynamic may change and evolve. Now that they more or less trust each other, it will be interesting to see them fight Ultron instead of each other. Also, it will be interesting to see what they do with Quicksilver since he was already a huge hit in the recent X-Men movie. We haven’t seen a cinematic Scarlet Witch yet so that should definitely be exciting.
2. Ant-man (July 17)
I’m sure we’re all disappointed that Edgar Wright didn’t get to do his take on Antman. I would have liked to see that version but I think in the end it will be for the best. While Hank Pym is an interesting character he also has kind of a history of being an asshole so I’m glad they are focusing instead on Scott Lang. Having to take up the mantle of one of the smartest men on Earth has always made for a good story. Besides, I loved Lang’s stints in the Avengers and the Fantastic Four and his relationship with his daughter Stature. I have faith in this movie.
3. Inside Out (June 12)
I used to say “Pixar can do no wrong” and then Cars 2, Monsters U and Planes came along. Still, they are the best animation studio on the planet. (They were tied with Studio Ghibli in my heart but that’s over now) The shots that I’ve seen of Inside Out so far have shown some smooth character design and animation and it will probably have that usual Pixar flair. I don’t know a lot about the movie but I prefer to shelter myself from Pixar spoilers before I see the finished product.
4. Tomorrowland (May 22)
This movie has been the subject of a lot of speculation since it was inadvertently announced. When the name first appeared on some crates at a Disney exhibit, the press guessed that it was part of Star Wars 7. They were corrected and informed that it was a science fiction movie that has nothing to do with aliens. Then Disney pretty much went radio silent on the movie for a while. I am a huge Disney nerd so I’m intrigued about this movie especially after learning that filming was done at both Disneyland and my beloved Disney World.
5. Spectre (November 6)
I like James Bond. Sure some of the movies sucked and were a total waste of time but at least they were memorable. The current iteration is miles ahead of Pierce Brosnan’s tenure and I’m interested to see where they go. They’re both retreading stuff we’ve seen before and showing us a lot of stuff we haven’t seen before. It’s been all but confirmed that we’re getting the first appearance of Blofeld in this new continuity and that will be intensely interesting. I hope he can at least match what
6. Jurrasic World (June 12)
I have unashamedly loved every single Jurassic Park movie. Before you ask: Yes, even Lost World. I have never regretted watching a Jurassic Park movie and I don’t expect that is going to change anytime soon. This time, instead of Jeff Goldblum or Sam Neill, we’re getting Chris Pratt which is kind of sad and kind of awesome. Guardians of the Galaxy quickly shot up to my top 5 movies ever so I’m excited to see more of his career.
7. Kingsman: The Secret Service (February 13)
Even if Matt Vaughn recently put down my beloved Dark Knight, he still puts out a really good comic book movie. This looks really good and I like a good spy/action film. It could end up giving Bond a run for his money but I won’t hold my breath. Unfortunately it will be released the same week as Fifty Shades of Grey which is Valentine’s Day weekend. Yeah, let that sink in.
8. Furious 7 (April 3)
I am not defending this one because fuck you. I have grown to love the later Fast and Furious movies especially the last two. The earlier ones were kind of boring but, as the movies got more ridiculous, they got more entertaining. This is the part that Vin Diesel was born to play (that and XXX but I digress). The movie will be loud, corny and flashy and will have the Rock in it. I’m sold.
9. Mission Impossible 5 (December 25)
The Mission Impossible series has just gotten better as it has continued but in the opposite way that the Furious series has. It has gotten a little edgier and a little more serious with each movie. I loved the addition of Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg in the last movie and that will continue in the next movie. At the same time they are bringing back Ving Rhames and adding Alec Baldwin. I like to think that we can all just accept that Tom Cruise is a nutball who makes decent movies.
10. The Hateful Eight (November 13)
I’ve enjoyed everything that Quentin Tarantino has ever done in his career from top to bottom. Tackling a western is actually pretty logical for him after Django Unchained and I’m interested to see what he can do with it. Tarantino will also reunite with Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Madsen and Kurt Russell while taking on Channing Tatum and Jennifer Jason Leigh. I could go on listing all of the neat casting choices he’s made but I’ll spare you. He has a history of getting good performances out of unlikely actors and actresses so I’m excited to see what is probably his take on the Magnificent Seven.
11. Macbeth (Sometime in 2015. Also no trailer yet so.. hmm)
I have studied Shakespeare since I first put my hands on Romeo and Juliet at age 14 and I have worked on a lot of stage productions of his plays. I own at least two copies of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare and I have visited his birth home and his marriage home. I would have visited the Globe but it was under renovations at the time. Macbeth is the bad luck title but since this is the internet and not the theater we’re ok. I watch pretty much every version of Shakespeare that hits theaters except for some of the obscure modernizations. This one stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cottilard who are both on point. I always thought Macbeth was a more interesting story than Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet which sometimes unfairly get more press. We’ll see how this one turns out.
Bonus:
Yes I left off Star Wars 7. I am really hesitant about this one. Don’t get me wrong, I was a huge fan of Star Wars as a kid and I owned a lot of the action figures and watched the original trilogy over and over. (God I wish I had those figures now so I could eBay them so fast) Also, I didn’t hate the second trilogy as much as a lot of people did. Sure, Phantom Menace was a disappointment but it had some cool moments. The trilogy more or less redeemed itself as it went on despite some really cheesy moments that I just conveniently repress. The thing is, I thought Star Wars was all done and I had accepted that. Maybe I’ll get more excited as we get closer.
Wolf of Words 