It's
time again for my list of my most anticipated films of the year. I
split this up into two posts, one for the mainstream would-be
blockbusters that are released on three thousand screens at a time and
enjoy massive marketing blitzes months in advance, and one for the
smaller, more specialized films that are harder to keep track of. We're
doing the big boys first. 2015 was at one point overscheduled with
huge titles, creating several potential showdowns between massive
properties. Things have calmed down, but there are still plenty of
familiar names in play. In the past I tried to avoid putting too many
franchise films on the list, but I've given up this year, because it
feels like nearly everything is a franchise film.
"Mad
Max: Fury Road" - Have you seen the trailers for this thing? I wasn't
much of a fan of the original Mad Max movies, but I always admired their
anarchic spirit and grungy post-apocalyptic style. "Fury Road"
introduces a lot of modern pyrotechnics and big budget production
values, but it's still got the same attitude. Tom Hardy is a great
choice to fill Mel Gibson's shoes, and I love the descriptions I've
heard so far of the plot - no frills, little dialogue, and almost
entirely comprised of one big, accelerating chase. Now that sounds
like a summer action movie.
"Tomorrowland"
- We've been hearing about Brad Bird's top secret 1952 science-fiction
themed project for a long time now, and I'm glad we'll finally be able
to see the finished product after a couple of delays. The teaser
featuring Britt Robertson and George Clooney was great, revealing very
little, and I'm doing my best to stay in the dark about any plot
details. Such scant information might normally be cause for doubt, but
this is Brad Bird, who has never made a movie I haven't
liked. That it's a passion project of his is all I need to know to have
"Tomorrowland" on my list.
"Fantastic
Four" - 2015 will be fairly light on superhero films. I'm ambivalent
on "Avengers," honestly, and I have little interest in "Ant-Man" since
Edgar Wright left. That leaves "Fantastic Four," which is being
directed by "Chronicle's" Josh Trank and stars Miles Teller and Michael
B. Jordan coming off "Whiplash" and "Fruitvale Station"
respectively. I'd want to see anything with that kind of talent
involved. The first teaser trailer just came out, pointing to a much
more grounded, less campy take on the property than the Tim Story films
offered. Frankly, anything would be an improvement on that last
sequel.
"The
Man from U.N.C.L.E." - Originally this adaptation of the '64 spy series
was to have been Steven Soderbergh's swan song, starring George
Clooney. Now we've got Guy Ritchie directing and Henry Cavill in the
lead role, with Armie Hammer as his partner. That still sounds like a
pretty promising combination to me. I liked what Ritchie did with
Sherlock Holmes, and thought Cavill and Hammer did well as the leads in
the less-than-stellar "Man of Steel" and "Lone Ranger." I love a good
spy romp, especially the ones with a lighter touch, and I'm really
hoping that this one hits the spot.
"Crimson Peak" - This is Guillermo Del Toro's haunted house movie with Mia Wasikowska and Tom Hiddleston,
and it promises to be one of those lovely, atmospheric,
phantasmagoric horror projects that he's so good with. I love that it's
also got shades of "Jane Eyre," which Mia Wasikowska was already in an
excellent version of a few years ago. Sure, I'd be happier if this was
"At the Mountains of Madness" or the last film in his Spanish Civil War
trilogy, but after the massive break he took between "Hellboy 2" and
"Pacific Rim," it's a relief that Del Toro is working steadily again.
"Spectre"
- I loved "Skyfall," and I'm very excited to see much of the same
creative team onboard for the follow-up, "Spectre," which will introduce
modern versions of some of James Bond's most famous adversaries. The
cast list is fantastic. Lea Seydoux and Monical Bellucci as the new
Bond girls! Christoph Waltz as the Big Bad! - and Christoph Waltz was
born to be a Bond baddie. Alas, Roger Deakins has moved .n, but we
can't have everything. There have been some rumbles here and there
about worrying budget numbers since the Sony hack, but I really don't
see how this one can fail to knock it out of the park.
"The
Martian" - Ridley Scott has been incredibly hit-or-miss in recent
years. Frankly, I don't think he's had a real winner in about a
decade. I've got a good feeling about his latest gig, though. Matt
Damon will star as an astronaut stranded on Mars, so this is a survival
story first and foremost, and Scott's always been better when he's
handling simpler stories like this than his grandiose epics. Also, he's
directing off of a screenplay by Drew Goddard, of "Cabin in the Woods"
fame, which should help avoid the narrative loopiness that plagued
"Prometheus." Fingers crossed.
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" - Because really, who isn't looking forward to this?
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