[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The New Year is here, and with it comes a whole new slate of films waiting to be released. How cool is that? There is a lot to look forward to, so allow me to save you some time and run down the list of movie that I’m most looking forward to. Because we all know that if I’m excited about it, you should be too! Let’s take a look at what the coming year has to offer.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAUoeqvedMo”][vc_column_text]1. The Avengers – Age of Ultron. I mean, how can you not be excited? Superhero fatigue, maybe. But if you’re a big fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, chances are that you’re counting down the days until Age of Ultron hits theaters. The Avengers was a critical and commercial success, ranking third all-time in domestic box office gross — so expectations are sky high for the follow-up. In the much-anticipated sequel, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner attempt to augment the Avengers’ world-saving efforts — in the wake of S.H.I.E.L.D. being dissolved — with a cadre of custom robots, using artificial intelligence recovered in the aftermath of the Chitauri attack on New York City. But, as is often the case with this sort of thing, their creation turns on them and sets in motion a plan to eradicate mankind, forcing the Avengers to combat an unstoppable force of their own making. (May 1st, 2015)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngElkyQ6Rhs”][vc_column_text]2. Star Wars – The Force Awakens. Forget the prequels. George Lucas, for better or for worse, is no longer involved with the franchise that defined his career. Consider this a much-needed fresh start. J.J. Abrams is at the helm after resurrecting the Star Trek franchise, and he has assembled a strong cast with a bevy of fresh faces, including John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, and Max Von Sydow. Did I also mention that Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia are back? Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford will be reprising their iconic roles for the first time since 1983’s Return of the Jedi. The plot has been kept under wraps — as is standard procedure with Abrams — but excitement continues to build, even with some fans tempering expectations after the traumatic disappointment of The Phantom Menace. (December 18th, 2015)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnRbXn4-Yis”][vc_column_text]3. The Hateful Eight. I’ll watch anything when Quentin Tarantino is in the director’s chair. The man has yet to disappoint, and I see no reason to doubt him now. There was concern that The Hateful Eight would never see the silver screen when a first draft of the script leaked onto the Internet and Tarantino responded with understandable outrage, threatening to shelve the film altogether. Fortunately for us all, Tarantino reconsidered, using his trademark talent for exceptional casting to bring together Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern. Set several years after the Civil War, The Hateful Eight concerns a group of disparate rogues who find themselves holed up at a mountainside stopover during a blizzard — where all of their own personal interests and agendas come to collide. (December 25th, 2015)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sH0__SpV88″][vc_column_text]4. Tomorrowland. When the co-creator of Lost and The Leftovers (Damon Lindelof), the director of The Incredibles and Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol (Brad Bird), and George Clooney all decide to join forces, I don’t ask why. I just ask when and where I can start standing in line. The secretive production has flown under the radar for some time now — Lindelof also subscribes to J.J. Abrams’ devout belief in keeping the details of his films close to the vest — but shares the same name as the popular Disneyland attraction, inspiring speculation that the film will feature a realized version of the futuristic theme land. George Clooney’s Frank Walker is a grizzled inventor with ties to the film’s version of Tomorrowland who decides to return to the world — from which he was exiled long ago — for reasons unknown with a young girl (Britt Robertson) in tow. (May 22nd, 2015)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTDaET-JweU”][vc_column_text]5. Spectre. Daniel Craig is the best Bond. There, I said it. I know some of you are probably ready to leap out your chairs and champion Sean Connery or Roger Moore as the best, but after growing up with Pierce Brosnan’s 007, I hopped on the Daniel Craig bandwagon after Casino Royale and haven’t looked back since. Well, maybe a little. Quantum of Solace was, for all intents and purposes, a creative failure, in large part because of the writer’s strike, but Skyfall managed to right the ship with director Sam Mendes behind the camera. Mendes returns for a second round of espionage and intrique, and the title would suggest that he is now bringing SPECTRE — the sinister organization first introduced in 1962’s Dr. No — into the fold as well. Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Monica Bellucci, Andrew Scott, and Dave Bautista are among the exciting new additions to the cast. (November 6th, 2015)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyy7y0QOK-0″][vc_column_text]6. Chappie. Neill Blomkamp is one of the most promising directors working in Hollywood right now, after having burst onto the scene with 2009’s District 9. Elysium, his follow-up effort, fell short of expectations, but I’m not going to hold a sophomore slump against him, especially when he continues to reserve roles for the magnificent Sharlto Copley. This time around, Copley is providing the voice and movements via motion capture performance for CHAPPiE, a self-aware robot whose mere existence is perceived as a threat to mankind — provoking those in power to target him for extermination. Dev Patel is the idealistic young scientist who creates CHAPPiE, and Hugh Jackman is the man leading the charge to have him destroyed, for fear of what he might be capable of. Blomkamp is one to keep an eye on, and Chappie is the perfect place to start. (March 6th, 2015)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFinNxS5KN4″][vc_column_text]7. Jurassic World. Let’s be honest: Chris Pratt can do no wrong. If you weren’t already a fan when he was the lovable doofus Andy Dwyer on NBC’s Parks And Recreation, then chances are you converted when he soared to instant stardom as Peter Quill (a.k.a. Star-Lord) in last year’s surprise blockbuster Guardians of The Galaxy. So who better than Pratt to reboot the Jurassic Park franchise? Jurassic World picks up twenty years after the original film, with the dinosaur theme park now up and running but faced with declining attendance. In a bid to boost public interest, the park’s higher-ups dig into their bag of bad ideas and decide to create a hybrid dinosaur — which, naturally, causes all hell to break loose when it escapes confinement. I’m not 100% sold on the idea of rebooting Jurassic Park, but with Pratt onboard, I’m at least willing to take a chance on it. (June 12th, 2015)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWdKf3MneyI”][vc_column_text]8. Ant-Man. “Cautious optimism” is how I would describe my expectations for Ant-Man after writer/director Edgar Wright left the film during pre-production due to creative issues, despite having been attached the project for over 10 years. I’m a huge Edgar Wright fan, so you can understand my disappointment over his departure and the fact that Bring It On‘s Peyton Reed was hired as his replacement. Marvel Studios has had a few missteps here and there — I’m looking at you, Thor – The Dark World — but for the most part, their results have been solid to spectacular. So I’m not going to just give up on Ant-Man, especially with Paul Rudd in the lead role as two-bit thief Scott Lang and Michael Douglas cast as Dr. Hank Pym, the aging scientist and original “Ant-Man” who recruits Lang to steal back technology that has fallen into the wrong hands. (July 17th, 2015)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLyk00gFPdQ”][vc_column_text]9. Jupiter Ascending. I’m going out on a limb here with this one, because the latest sci-fi epic from the Wachowskis is far from a sure thing. It was first positioned as a blockbuster tentpole last summer, before the release date was pushed back to February to allow more time for the special effects to be completed. That kind of a shift in a release date is never a good sign, regardless of the reasons that the studio provides, but I’m hopeful that this will be one of the pleasant surprises of 2015. Since re-defining the science fiction genre with The Matrix, the Wachowskis have not been afraid to be bold (see Cloud Atlas), even when the final product is less than stellar (see Speed Racer). Jupiter Ascending is another high-concept sci-fi epic, with Mila Kunis as an unsuspecting human who finds herself embroiled in an intergalactic struggle for power. (February 6th, 2015)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oquZifON8Eg”][vc_column_text]10. Crimson Peak. Guillermo del Toro is kind of a big deal. You want to know how cool he is? He served as a special visual consultant on Edge of Tomorrow, in addition to serving as an executive producer for the television series The Strain (adapted from his own trilogy of novels co-written with Chuck Hogan) and co-writing all three of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit films. That is just a microcosm of the work he has done over the past decade, but you get the idea. Del Toro is notorious for having over a dozen different projects in development — from a sequel to Pacific Rim to a new film adaptation of Pinocchio — so when he settles on one film to direct, that should be enough to grab your attention. With a cast that includes Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, and Charlie Hunnam, Crimson Peak is del Toro’s much anticipated return to the horror genre. (October 16th, 2015)
I am not looking forward to The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]