It's that time again! I write these preview posts later than everyone else, in order to get a better sense of what the year's film landscape is going to look like. Please remember that there are never guarantees about what's going to make it to screens by December and what isn't, so some titles may end up delayed or cancelled.
As always, I split this feature up into two posts, one for the mainstream, would-be blockbusters released by big studios, and one for the smaller fare that may break through to the mainstream eventually, but only the cinephiles anticipate this far in advance. After some debate, Netflix releases will be going in the second post, due to their unorthodox distribution, at least for the time being. Big tent poles go first, today, and are ordered below by release date. Finally, take anticipation for the next "Avengers" and "Star Wars" as a given.
"Us" - Jordan Peele's follow-up to "Get Out" stars Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, and Elisabeth Moss. Not much is known about the plot, but the creepy marketing campaign has been dropping some big clues, and Peele has promised it will be a socially conscious horror film of some stripe. Expectations are running high, and I doubt that it will match up to the success of "Get Out," but I'm also itching to know what else Peele's got percolating in his head.
"Shazam!" - That's right. The other Captain Marvel film. DC is finally embracing some humor, with this kid-oriented stand-alone superhero flick about Billy Batson, played by Asher Angel and Zachary Levi, the ordinary boy who can turn into an adult superhero. There's just something so appealing and silly about the premise, based on one of the oldest DC characters from the 1940s. And if this goes well, DC has a very deep bench of other superheroes I want to see onscreen.
"Aladdin" - Of all the live action Disney remakes coming this year, "Aladdin" is the one I think has the most potential. The remakes that have been carbon copies of their source cartoons have been bland and boring. The ones that have managed to make themselves more distinctive have been better, and "Aladdin" definitely looks different. With a Will Smith genie, a younger Jafar, and Guy Ritchie directing, this may turn out to be a mess - but it won't be a boring one.
"Godzilla: King of the Monsters" - This was my favorite trailer from last year. Kaiju movies have always been one of my guilty pleasures, and I love that a passel of the classic Toho monsters are finally getting a modern update, including Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidora. I have no idea if horror director Michael Dougherty is up to the challenge, but all I really want is some decent monster-on-monster brawling. I'm also very much looking forward to the match with Kong next year.
"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" - A Quentin Tarantino film is always going to be an event, especially one starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. This one is going to be a period mystery film set in Hollywood during the late '60s. The Manson Family murders will be prominently featured, wth Margot Robbie playing Sharon Tate. The cast list is massive and riddled with other familiar names, many of them in unspecified roles. I can't wait to see them all get specified.
"It: Chapter Two" - Now, I'm not expecting this one to be as good as the first, but I'm convinced that it could be with proper execution. There are a lot of big adaptation choices that Andy Muschietti is going to have to make. The orgy probably won't make the cut, but I'm hoping that the Chinese restaurant scene does. The terrific kid actors won't be center stage this time around, but the new cast ain't bad - lead by Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and Bill Hader.
"Zombieland: Double Tap" - Now that the careers of everyone involved in the original "Zombieland" have suitably cooled down, or at least paused long enough for them to all sync up their schedules, at last we can return to the world of "Zombieland," the little zombie apocalypse comedy that could. The first one was a lot of fun, and far back enough in time that it's getting nostalgic too. I expect a good romp with more clever sight gags, celebrity cameos, and helpful survival tips.
"Knives Out" - I'm a sucker for ensemble murder mysteries, and Rian Johnson has one of the most intriguing ones on the horizon. Starring Daniel Craig and Lakeith Stanfield, the plot details are being kept quiet for now, but with a title like "Knives Out," I'm expecting more pulpy violence than cerebral thrills in this whodunit. This is currently scheduled for late November, so there are no guarantees where it's going to end up on the slate in a few months' time.
"Little Women" - Greta Gerwig's follow-up to "Lady Bird" will be an adaptation of one of the seminal books of girls' literature. It was one of my favorites growing up, and the announced cast is terrific. Saoirse Ronan is playing Jo March, because of course she is. The project was a surprise when it was announced, because Hollywood hasn't had much interest in making gentler, intimate family films in some time. Maybe if we're lucky, it'll start a trend.
"The Irishman" - The long-awaited crime film that Martin Scorsese is making for Netflix has a huge budget and huge expectations being piled on it. Whatever happens, I hope Scorsese gets to make the film that he wants, and we won't have to wait too much longer to see it, whether it's on the big screen on the small one.
More picks next time...
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