20. The Fantastic Four (Josh Trank) – This is probably my
most-likely-to-be-hated-film of 2015 rather than anticipated. It’s January 6th
2015, the movie is being released in less than 8 months, we have been given no
information on how this project is coming along. No official photos, teasers,
trailers or promos have been released. Word on the street is the Fox Executives
are upset with the project. I am giving Trank the benefit of the doubt- we needed
a Fantastic Four reboot, I’m hoping for the best here. (cast below Miles Teller, Kate Mara and Jamie Bell, Michael B. Jordan)
19. Jurassic World (Colin Trevorrow) – Sure I was excited
for another dinosaur movie, until the official trailer was released (below).
Why is Peter Quill riding a motor cycle next to velociraptors? Are velociraptors
domesticated? This dropped from the top of my anticipated list to the near
bottom. The trailer is also heavily CGI.
18. Taken 3 (Olivier Megaton) – He’s back and this time they
took his wife. The second movie was garbage. GARBAGE! But somehow the guy who
changed his name, to be remembered for the Hiroshima bombing in 1945, has
sucked me back in for a third movie.
Megaton cannot do action- so I’m hoping, HOPING, there is better editing
in the third film.
17. The Revenant (Alejandro González Iñárritu) – An adaptation of a book with a similar name: A revenge flick staring DiCaprio and Hardy directed
by the guy who just finished the most talked about film of 2015 (Birdman). Yes
please. The synopsis: “In the 19th century, Hugh Glass (DiCaprio), a fur
trapper, is mauled by a bear while hunting. His companions (Hardy, Poulter, and
Gleeson) rob him and leave him to die, but he survives and sets out to get
revenge on the men who betrayed him.”
16. Chappie (Neill Blomkamp)- 2012’s Elysium wasn’t the
great film I was hoping to be, still enjoyed it for the most part, but it was
obvious studio involvement hurt Blomkamp’s creative vision. Still, Chappie
looks like a live action Wallie. Die Antwoord was going to play a major role in
the film, but Ninja apparently is a diva, impossible to work with and was
written out of the movie. Ninja is still in the trailer below, but probably
will appear as a limited role. Fun fact: Matt Damon was the third choice for
Elysium. Blomkamp wrote the role for Ninja, who turned it down despite being a
Blomkamp fan because he wanted his first
acting role to be a true South African film instead of a big budget Hollywood
one. Then they offered the role to Eminem, who insisted that he'd only do it if
it's shot in Detroit. Since that's not feasible, they finally offered it to
regular actors, and Damon got it.
15. Pan (Joe Wright) – The director of Pride and Prejudice
and Hanna is directing an origin story of Peter Pan staring Hugh Jackman as
Blackbeard.
14. Black Mass (Scott Cooper) – Hey another Boston movie
about Whitey Bulger, staring Johnny Depp and Benedict Cumberbatch.
13. Ted 2 – I debated putting this on my list for 2015 after
the disappointing A Million Ways to Die in the West, but I’m too big a Seth
MacFarlane fan to let this go. I expect it to be a fun romp.
12. Spectre (Sam Mendes) – I expect a movie as breathtaking
and gorgeous as Skyfall, but I would like this to a be a tad shorter and I and
praying it does not overstay it’s welcome. I’m happy Sam Mendes is back, just
please bring Bond back to being Bond. Do not need to make him relatable nor do
we need to the dark and gritty Bond we have been getting lately.
11. Jupiter Ascending (Wachowski siblings) – The only original IP on my list this year. A brand new IP,
that’s release date got delayed over a year- This could mean one of two things. 1)
They needed extra time to finish CGI and post convert to 3D or 2) the studio
was not confident of its success and wanted to release it in a month with less
summer blockbusters. Let’s hope for the former, but let’s also take this as
good news. This is supposedly the start
of a trilogy but only if the first film does well at the box office. The Wachowski's
are in a difficult position because, outside of the first two Matrix movies,
everything they've done has been a commercial or critical disappointment. Or
both. I however am 110% supporting a new
IP to Hollywood’s adaptation battleground.
10. Tomorrowland (Brad Bird) – One of the movies that was
delayed to 2015- the trailer looks beautiful and it’s Brad Bird (Iron Giant,
The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Mission Impossible 4), doing
his Brad Bird thing. Beautiful trailer below.
9. Ant-Man (Peyton Reed)- This was supposed to be directed
by Edgar Wright but he dropped out of the project do to creative differences
between him and Marvel. The project was picked up by the guy who did Jim
Carrey’s Yes Man and Vince Vaughn’s The Break Up which doesn't ooze confidence,
but it’s still a Marvel IP and they haven’t put out a terrible movie since 2010
(Iron Man 2). The teaser trailer was first released during Marvel’s premiere of
Agent Carter on ABC.
8. Furious 7 (James Wan)- From the director of all those
great horror movies lately (Insidious, The Conjuring) and the director that was
supposed to do the next Terminator movie, James Wan will probably be
responsible for the 2nd highest grossing movie of 2015. Furious 7 is
going to make $2 Billion- everyone wants to see Paul Walker’s last movie (RIP),
and everyone wants to see how the budget of Furious 7 ballooned to $200 million
after the studio used CGI to replace Walker in the movie using a combination of
CGI and Walker’s brother. So why is this movie going to be a huge hit and
probably one of the most fun movies of the summer 2015? The series has circled
around to connect the third movie (Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift) with the
ending of the sixth movie (Fast Six) while adding two huge names to the cast-
Kurt Russell and Jason Statham. Other
fun facts: martial arts expert Tony Jaa apparently has a role in the film and
Lucas Black has signed a multi-picture deal (not unlike some of the Marvel comic
book movie deals) to do future films. This franchise is not going away any time
soon.
7. Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller) – It feels like this
movie has been in development for 10 years (i actually had it being released in 2013), and in fact, Miller has been trying
to get it made for 20. Judging by the trailer below, it’s going to be bonkers.
I don’t think you’ll see a better trailer in your life. Fun fact: The movie has
insanely minimal dialog- apparently Miller didn’t even write a script but
instead just storyboarded the entire movie. Max has a total of 16 lines. *mind
blown*
6. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (J. J. Abrams)
I was not a fan of Abraham’s take on the Star Trek series, but I can appreciate
a technically competent director at the helm of a huge franchise. I just don’t
want it turn Lost-y on me. The good news? Damon Lindelof (the destroyer of all
scripts) who has worked with Abrams on multiple past projects, is not involved
in Star Wars. The better news? George Lucas is not involved with writing the
screenplay and is only involved with the continuity of the Star Wars universe.
The best news? Lawrence Kasdan, the writer of Empire Strike’s Back and Raiders
of the Lost Ark, is involved with writing the screenplay. So as long as these
terrible writers stay away from Abrams, I think this is going to be a welcomed
entry into the franchise. Fun fact: The
Raid 2 - leading man Iko Uwais, Mad Dog / Prakoso actor Yayan Ruhian and The
Raid 2 finale fighter Cecep Arif Rahman, credited simply as The Assassin - will
all appear in JJ Abrams' upcoming Star Wars. The Raid 2 was in my top 5 moviesof 2014 and is a must watch for action fans. I’m hoping these guys are playing
some badass Siths. (Teaser Trailer below)
5. Crimson Peak (Guillermo del Toro) It’s del Toro’s return
to horror and with this synopsis, it’s hard to not get excited. “In the
aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her
childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape
the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes,
bleeds...and remembers”- Lucky for me this press photo was released just
seconds before I wrote this list.
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron (Joss Whedon) There’s nothing
much to say here other than this might be the biggest Marvel movie ever. Joss
Whedon’s future in the MCU is uncertain. (Trailer below)
3. Inside Out (Pete Docter)- The next Pixar film (that isn’t
a sequel) that looks adorable. A story told from the perspective of the
emotions inside the mind. (Trailer below)
2. Silence (Martin Scorsese)- A Scorsese film, starring Liam
Neeson, adapting Shûsaku Endô’s historical fiction novel, Silence. In the seventeenth
century, two Jesuit priests face violence and persecution when they travel to
Japan to locate their mentor and to spread the gospel of Christianity. I just
hope it’s not 3 hours long.
1. The Hateful Eight (Quentin Tarantino) -It's Tarantino. It's a Western. It's got Samuel L Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Mark Madsen and Bruce fuckin' Dern. <3
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