My 2019 Holiday Wish List

I'm cutting it close this year.

I've hit a patch of burnout, and haven't really been keeping up with what's going on in the entertainment industry. However, there's a lot going on. Disney's takeover continues. The streaming wars are heating up even more. Post #Metoo and diversity efforts are going strong. We're rolling ahead into another election year, and social media is still awful. I've never felt older and more out of touch, yet simultaneously recognized and catered to by media in my life. In short, it's a weird point in time and bound to get weirder.

So, this year for Christmas I want…

For all the super-heroine movies coming out next year to do well, That includes "Wonder Woman," "Birds of Prey," "Black Widow," and possibly "The Eternals." Recent years have established that there's room for multiple franchises to score wins, and after the disappointment of "Captain Marvel," I want to see some superheroic women really kick some ass this time. I want them to shake up the boy's club and ensure that they are a permanent fixture of this genre for years and years to come. And since all of these movies are being directed by women, it becomes doubly important to support them.

For the 2020 election to conduct itself in a way that will allow me to ignore it as much as possible. I know that the campaigns are going to get dirty and ugly and nasty, and I accept that. However, I already know who I'm going to vote for, so my goal will just be to remove myself from the chaos to the greatest extent possible. No good can come of me getting involved. Frankly, if the social media companies are going to keep dragging their feet about deplatforming bad actors, maybe I should just deplatform myself.

For original properties to make waves at the box office. Yes, we're all excited that Bond and Dominic Toretto are back, but I'm much happier that there are so many original IP on the slate for next year. Two original PIXAR movies, plus another from Disney animation, a new Christopher Nolan film, Shawn Levy's "Free Guy," Edgar Wright's "Last Night in Soho," and Miguel Sapochniks "Bios" are all high on my "Most Anticipated" list. These are all studio produced films, or at least studio distributed films, and fairly high profile. And yet…

For certain sequels in the middle of development snafus to work things out. I want to see the "Crazy Rich Asians" sequel. And the next "Mad Max" movie. And whatever happened to that "Edge of Tomorrow" sequel? I've complained in the past about prominent directors having to wait years between projects because of the difficulties in getting their projects off the ground. However, these days it seems like anything that's not a franchise film faces similar hurdles. Heck, have we heard anything about the status of "Deadpool 3"?

For some help in keeping track of what's premiering on streaming services. There are some good sites devoted to this, but I'm still finding that too many titles are slipping through the cracks, especially with the smaller ones that don't get as much of a marketing push. And the buzz cycle is so short these days that once you miss that initial push, things can get buried quickly. And it doesn't help that some projects have little lead-up hype, so it can feel like they come out of nowhere.

For the success of Simemia, AMC Stubs A-List, Cinemark Movie Club and Regal Unlimited. Moviepass is kaput, but it succeeded in disrupting the market in a good way, and now consumers are seeing the benefits. It proved that there is still a movie-going audience out there, and if the theaters are willing to cut them a deal, there's still money to be made. My hope is that theater subscription services catch on in a more permanent way, similar to the ones that have been used in the UK for ages.

For all the new films and television shows coming out next year to exceed my expectations, and for those that didn't to improve.

For someone to please give Kyle Kallgren a hug, because I think he really needs it.

And for "Bill & Ted Face the Music" to be most excellent.

Happy holidays!

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