Top 20 Most Anticipated Films of 2017: Part 2 (#10-1)

Welcome back to Rhode Island Movie Corner’s two-part list of my Top 20 Most Anticipated Films of 2017. This is the second half of the list in which I’ll be listing picks #10-1. For picks #20-11, click the following link to be taken to Part 1 of this list. But for now, let’s not waste any more time and get back to it. These are my Top 10 most anticipated films of 2017.

Kicking off the Top 10 is a film that’s shaping up to be an exciting return of one of the cinema’s most iconic creatures to the big screen.

10. KONG: SKULL ISLAND (MARCH 10^TH)

King Kong is easily one of the most iconic creatures in film history. The original King Kong from 1933 is regarded as one of the most classic films of all time. Since then, Kong has appeared in a few other films over the years, including a crossover with Godzilla and a 2005 remake directed by Peter Jackson. But, next year, the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’ will be returning to the big-screen in Kong: Skull Island, which is set to connect with 2014’s Godzilla as part of Legendary Pictures’ new monster film series. This will eventually lead to a new Godzilla/King Kong crossover in 2020. But as for Kong: Skull Island, it seems as if that, for now at least, it’s not going to be making any major attempts at connecting with Godzilla. For one thing, it’s set in the 70’s. The first trailer for the film was quite excellent, showcasing the film’s cool art style as well as the fact that this Kong is apparently going to be frigging huge. I mean just look at the final shot in the trailer in which Kong appears in front of a pair of humans. While you can only see his face, he absolutely towers over the two. Obviously, this is to help match up Kong scale-wise with Godzilla, but still, I’m intrigued with this new version of the character, who will be portrayed by Terry Notary via motion-capture. Notary is no stranger to the process, having worked with Andy Serkis, who did the mo-cap for Kong in Peter Jackson’s remake, on the Planet of the Apes films. And speaking of the cast, this film has a MASSIVE ensemble cast; Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Toby Kebbell, Jason Mitchell and Corey Hawkins from Straight Outta Compton… the list goes on and on.

And then came the second trailer. That trailer impressed me because it finally gave us an idea of what this film was really going to be like. It again establishes the main plot of a group of explorers venturing into an uncharted island in the South Pacific before they come across Kong. But this trailer also shows that Kong (shown in his entirety for the first time in this trailer and still very huge) isn’t the only creature on this island. As the main characters learn from an island ‘resident’, played by John C. Reilly, there are also these ‘devilish’ creatures known as ‘Skullcrawlers’. We also see a few other creatures of varying shapes and sizes, which shows that this will truly be a true ‘creature feature’. Not only that, but it looks as if this Kong film is going to be much different when compared to other films in the series. Namely, I think it’s safe to say that we won’t be seeing this Kong rampaging through New York, climbing up the Empire State Building, and combatting fighter planes until his untimely demise (“Twas beauty killed the beast.”) This is called Kong: Skull Island after all so it looks as if all the action in the film is going to take place on Skull Island. In short, this is shaping up to be an exciting monster flick. I’ll admit that when it comes to King Kong, I’ve only seen the Peter Jackson remake. But I did really like that remake so I am very excited to see this new film and, subsequently, the upcoming crossover involving Kong and Godzilla. And while I’ll admit that I only ‘liked’ the Godzilla remake, I think that director Jordan Vogt-Roberts (The Kings of Summer) is going to deliver on this one.

There’s only one animated release in this year’s Top 10 list, and, surprisingly, it isn’t a Disney or Pixar film.

9. THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE (FEBRUARY 10^TH)

As someone who grew up as a big fan of the LEGO brand, I was excited to see 2014’s The Lego Movie, even though it had been a few years since I had been a regular ‘player’ of LEGOs. And while the idea of a LEGO film may have seemed like nothing more than a soulless cash grab, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller gave it heart, effectively making it one of the best films of that year. And now there will be more LEGO films on the way, starting off with a spin-off that centers on the character that many felt was the biggest standout of The LEGO Movie; Will Arnett’s Batman. Arnett’s take on the Dark Knight takes center stage in The LEGO Batman Movie, directed by Chris McKay, who was the animation director for The LEGO Movie. The trailers for this film have been fantastic, previewing what looks to be another fun LEGO animated film, this time centered around Arnett’s hilarious ‘full of himself’ characterization of Batman. I’m also curious about a report claiming that the film will seemingly incorporate every major onscreen iteration of Batman to date, and by that, I mean hopefully more than just the line from the ‘Wayne Manor’ trailer when Alfred reminds Batman of his previous ‘moods’ (“I have aged phenomenally!”). Newcomers to the cast include Ralph Fiennes as Alfred, Michael Cera as Robin, and Rosario Dawson as Batgirl. And who knows? Maybe we’ll even see a cameo from someone from The LEGO Movie. One thing’s for certain, though… after a more serious take on Batman in Batman v Superman, I have the feeling that fans are eager to see a more upbeat take on the iconic superhero.

Two slots ago, we talked about one of the cinema’s most iconic primates, King Kong. But next year will also mark the return of another, and newer, ‘top ape’.

8. WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES (JULY 14^TH)

After a disastrous remake in 2001, the Planet of the Apes franchise rebounded a decade later with Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Featuring some impressive motion-capture work as well as an excellent performance by Andy Serkis in the lead role of ape leader Caesar, it was one of the surprise hits of 2011. Three years later, the franchise took it one step further with the sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. A superior sequel in almost every way, the Matt Reeves-directed flick was an emotionally charged sci-fi drama that continued to raise the bar in terms of motion-capture effects. So, with that said, I can only imagine the epic action and visuals that we’re going to get with the next installment, War for the Planet of the Apes. Matt Reeves returns to direct and Andy Serkis and most of the series’ mo-cap regulars (Terry Notary, Judy Greer, Karin Konoval, etc.) reprise their roles from the previous film. As for the ‘human’ cast, once again they’ll be bringing in new characters, highlighted this time by Woody Harrelson in what appears to be a villainous role as ‘The Colonel’. In fact, it’s looking like this is shaping up to be a dark sequel. Per the current synopsis, the apes suffer heavy losses and Caesar apparently ends up going to a dark place when he begins to avenge his fellow apes. I mean, simply put, damn! But, then again, the primary subtitle for this film is ‘War’ so I guess that was to be expected. Simply put, it looks as if we’re inching closer and closer to a new ‘adaptation’ of, just simply, Planet of the Apes and I’m 100% confident that those who loved Dawn of the Planet of the Apes can’t wait to see the next installment of this hit franchise. I know I am!

We’re finally starting to get into the Marvel Cinematic Universe now with my next pick; a film that quite frankly has a lot going for it.

7. THOR: RAGNAROK (NOVEMBER 3^RD)

While Thor has been a vital member of the Avengers, his solo film franchise has unfortunately been, arguably, the least successful sub-franchise of the entire MCU. While the first Thor film did get good marks back when it was first released in 2011, which is good considering that it could’ve easily been a disaster, I rarely hear it brought up in a positive manner nowadays. And as for the sequel, 2013’s Thor: The Dark World, it’s commonly regarded as the weakest installment of the entire MCU. But when it comes to the upcoming third installment, Thor: Ragnarok, I feel that this film could very much redeem the Thor franchise. The Dark World was clearly a prime example of an MCU film that was regulated by the studio’s controversial ‘creative committee’. But now that they’re gone, I think that this new Thor has quite a lot of potential. It’s being directed by Taika Waititi, who directed episodes of the HBO show Flight of the Concords as well as this year’s critically acclaimed adventure comedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople. He is easily one of the most ‘out of left field’ directors that Marvel Studios has ever hired and I’m confident that he is going to bring a lot to this third Thor film. Of course, Chris Hemsworth will be returning as Thor along with Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Anthony Hopkins as Odin, and Idris Elba as Heimdall. But this film is also setting up an impressive ensemble cast as well. Cate Blanchett will be playing the main villain, Hela, Tessa Thompson (Creed) will be playing Valkyrie, a new love interest for Thor, Jeff Goldblum will be playing a character known as ‘Grandmaster’, and Karl Urban will be playing an Asgardian warrior named Skurge. But perhaps the most exciting addition to the cast is the return of Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk. The film is being described as somewhat of a ‘sci-fi road trip’ story and after all the great interactions between them in the Avengers films, I’m really excited to see Thor and Hulk work off each other in this film. In short, I’m confident that this will redeem the Thor franchise in the eyes of most MCU fans. I mean, the fact that it’s going to be set primarily within the Nine Realms instead of on Earth, a common criticism of the previous films, is a good sign.  

This year’s Captain America: Civil War saw the long-awaited debut of one of Marvel’s most beloved characters in the MCU. And next year, he’ll take on his latest ‘solo adventure’.

6. SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (JULY 7^TH)

I’ll admit that I was a little disappointed when it was announced that, due to the new deal between Marvel Studios and Sony, the Amazing Spider-Man franchise wasn’t going to continue. I mean I know that the second Amazing Spider-Man film underperformed both critically and commercially but why couldn’t they just continue the franchise and bring in Kevin Feige and his team to help improve it? Still, I won’t lie when I say that Tom Holland proved to be a fantastic new Spidey in Civil War so I am enthusiastic about the first installment of a new line of Spider-Man films, Spider-Man: Homecoming, directed by general newcomer Jon Watts. While the character rights are still owned by Sony, at the same time this new film is basically an official MCU film. Holland will be returning as Peter Parker, of course, along with Marisa Tomei as Aunt May. Even Robert Downey Jr. will be appearing as Tony Stark, which is fitting considering that he was the one who recruited Spider-Man to join his team in Civil War. The film is also boasting a massive ensemble cast that also includes Zendaya, Donald Glover, and Tony Revolori (Zero ‘the Lobby Boy’ in The Grand Budapest Hotel). As for the villains, Michael Keaton makes the jump from DC to Marvel as the Vulture while a few other villains will be appearing as well. With that said, to some, it may seem like the film is once again making the same mistake that hurt both Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2; an overload of villains. But the reason why I’m not worried at this point is simple. I have faith in Marvel Studios and the fact that this will apparently be a ‘John Hughes style’ school comedy excites me as it’s sure to be another unique take on the superhero genre.

Arguably the most famous superheroine of comics finally takes center stage in her own film. Kicking off the Top 5…

5. WONDER WOMAN (JUNE 2^ND)

The first big female-led superhero film of the current age of the superhero genre, Wonder Woman certainly has a lot going for it. It also now has the pressure of trying to be the DCEU’s first generally well-received film after the polarizing reaction to Man of Steel and the generally negative reactions to both Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad. But I think that this one has a chance, especially because this is basically the first entry in the franchise under the supervision of the DCEU’s ‘Kevin Feige’, Geoff Johns, who co-wrote the film’s screenplay. Gal Gadot will reprise her role from BvS as the Amazon warrior Diana Prince AKA Wonder Woman as the film will explore her origins and events of her life before BvS. The film will be set during WWI and while it may seem like a cross between Captain America: The First Avenger and the Thor films, it does provide a unique backdrop for a superhero film. Chris Pine co-stars as Diana’s love interest, Steve Trevor, and based on the two trailers that have been released, it looks like he’ll certainly be more than just ‘the love interest’, while at the same time being sure not to overshadow Wonder Woman in her own film. The film is being directed by Patty Jenkins, who was previously set to direct Thor: The Dark World for Marvel Studios until she dropped out due to creative differences. And quite honestly, I think this film suits her better. And for the record, no, it’s not because it’s Wonder Woman but because I think she’ll get more creative control over this film instead of having to deal with a creative committee. And given the reports on the behind-the-scenes debacles that Zack Snyder and David Ayer went through with BvS and Suicide Squad, respectively, ‘creative control’ is going to be key to this film’s success.

For those who aren’t big fans of Disney’s current trend when it comes to their live-action films, hear me out on this one…

4. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (MARCH 17^TH)

Disney’s current trend of live-action reimaginings continues with a new live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, inspired by Disney’s beloved 1991, Best Picture-nominated, animated feature. Obviously, the legacy of the original puts a lot of pressure on this new version, not to mention the backlash from those who aren’t fans of Disney’s current ‘live-action remake’ practice. As for me, as I’ve gone over before in the past, I’m fine with Disney doing live-action versions of their animated classics. It’s not like they’re intended to replace the originals, which seems to me to be the main problem that some Disney fans have with these remakes. This isn’t a case like the original Star Wars trilogy where George Lucas has been withholding the original versions of the films from us in favor of the altered ‘special editions’. The original animated films are still going to be there. Heck, they just released a new Blu-Ray edition of the original film, for crying out loud! And even if some of the remakes do poorly with critics, they don’t hurt the original in any way. If anything, it just makes the originals stronger. At the very least, the films have been solid hits with audiences but recently they’ve been doing well with critics as well. Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella ended up being the first of these ‘live-action remakes’ to be generally well-received by critics, and it even managed to improve upon some aspects of the equally terrific original. It was then followed a year later by Jon Favreau’s adaptation of The Jungle Book, which is easily one of the most well-received films of the year so far (and rightfully so, if I may add). And we even got a third well-received Disney remake just a few months later in the form of Pete’s Dragon, a remake of a rather obscure live-action Disney film from 1977.  

Anyway, apologies for getting off track there for a second. Let’s talk about the new take on Beauty and the Beast. The film is being directed by Bill Condon, who is no stranger to musicals having written the screenplay for 2002’s Best Picture winner Chicago and directing 2006’s Dreamgirls. And yes, the new film will retain the original film’s music courtesy of Alan Menken; ‘Be Our Guest’, ‘Gaston’, and of course the titular track, just to name a few. As for the cast, this film has assembled quite an excellent ensemble. Emma Watson will take on the lead role of Belle, which I think many of us will agree is a perfect choice, while Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens stars as the Beast. Luke Evans will star as Gaston while Josh Gad takes on another big ‘Disney sidekick’ role as LeFou. As for the Beast’s enchanted staff, Ewan McGregor will be Lumiere, Ian freaking McKellen will be playing Cogsworth, and Emma Thompson will be playing Mrs. Potts. Add in other big names like Kevin Kline (Maurice) and Stanley Tucci (an original character named Cadenza, a harpsichord) and you have a premier ensemble. The first main trailer for the film showed off its impressive and beautiful visual style, and like the previous great Disney remakes, it’s looking like this new film will both respect the original and be its own thing at the same time. As a big fan of the original Beauty and the Beast (my third favorite Disney animated film of all-time, if you remember my recent ‘rankings list’), I’m really looking forward to this one. And after the trio of excellence that was Cinderella, The Jungle Book, and Pete’s Dragon, I’m confident that this will continue the studio’s live-action remake hot streak.

Christopher Nolan’s newest film… need I say more?

3. DUNKIRK (JULY 21^ST)

For his newest film, Christopher Nolan will be taking on a true story with Dunkirk. It will tell the tale of the ‘Miracle of Dunkirk’, a moment from World War II in which many Allied soldiers were evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk, France right in the middle of the Battle of France. This moment in time was even featured in another big film, 2007’s Atonement (Remember that big single-take sequence on the beach? That was Dunkirk.). But, suffice it to say, it’ll be very exciting to see Nolan’s take on the event and the first teaser very much set the stage for what looks to be an intense war film, highlighted by the closing shot in which a bunch of Allied soldiers notice and prepare to brace for an incoming fighter plane attack. Casting-wise, the film features what will surely be the usual excellent Nolan ensemble cast; Tom Hardy, in his third Nolan film after Inception and Dark Knight Rises, Kenneth Branagh, James D’Arcy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance… Harry Styles? Yeah, apparently Nolan decided to cast one of the members of One Direction in the film. Eh, I don’t mind, I trust Nolan’s judgment. Also, like his previous film, Interstellar, it looks like this will be another film that is going to be a ‘must-see’ in IMAX as it was shot on 65 mm and will be projected on film in the theaters that are still capable of doing so. You do have to give filmmakers like Nolan credit for keeping the art of using film stock alive, especially in an age where most filmmakers nowadays shoot on digital. But aside from that, I’m just excited to see the newest film from one of my favorite directors.

Boy, let me tell you, picking a #1 out of these next two was quite a hard process. But, somehow, I managed to make it happen. And yes, these next two picks will probably be so obvious to anyone who’s been following this blog for some time now. At #2, we have the highly-anticipated follow-up to the biggest film of 2015…

2. STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII (DECEMBER 15^TH)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was a genuine success. Obviously, it was the most anticipated film of 2015 for many people but it did run the risk of being a potential disappointment, as was the case with the prequel trilogy when it was first released. Thankfully, though, that did not happen. I mean, sure, you still have people pulling the argument that the film was a ‘remake’ of A New Hope (Which I still argue it isn’t. Can we please let that go?) but for the most part it proved to be a big hit both critically and commercially. So, who wouldn’t be excited for the next installment of this new trilogy? This time, however, we’ll be getting a change in director. It’s sad that we won’t see J.J. Abrams return but, at the same time, I don’t blame him for not wanting to spend the next half-decade or so working solely on these films. Instead, Rian Johnson will be taking over as director for Episode VIII. Johnson’s definitely proven himself to be a premier director in recent years, having helmed 2012’s sci-fi/time travel hit Looper as well as some of the most well-received episodes of Breaking Bad, including the critically acclaimed third-to-last episode, ‘Ozymandias’. With those credentials, one can only imagine what he’s going to bring to the world of Star Wars. And I must say that I like the idea of having different directors for each of the primary installments of the saga; it helps keep things fresh. And Johnson certainly has great material to work with, especially considering how Force Awakens ended. Will we see Rey begin to train with Luke? How will the First Order and, more specifically, Kylo Ren respond after the destruction of Starkiller Base? For now, we don’t know what’s going to happen... and that’s what’s so great about the anticipation for the continuing story of the Star Wars saga.

And finally, my most anticipated film of 2017 is… the return of those ‘bunch of a-holes’…

1. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (MAY 5^TH)

Back in 2013 when I did my ‘Most Anticipated Films of 2014’ list, I had listed Guardians of the Galaxy at the #10 spot. Obviously, at that point, we still did not have any real idea of just what to expect from this film. I mean this was a pretty big risk for Marvel Studios at the time in regards to going with a generally unknown team of superheroes and doing a whole film based on them. But, of course, we all know how great it turned out to be in the end. And even after two whole years since its initial release, Guardians of the Galaxy still stands as my favorite MCU film to date thanks to its strong characters, great humor, excellent visuals, and terrific emotional depth. And that is why the upcoming sequel ultimately beats out Star Wars: Episode VIII as my most anticipated film of 2017, though, let me be clear, this was only by a small margin. Writer/director James Gunn returns to direct the continuing adventures of everyone’s favorite intergalactic ‘bunch of a-holes’. In this new installment, Peter Quill AKA Star-Lord tries to learn more about the identity of his father. And who is his father, you ask? Why that would be the one and only Kurt Russell in the role of Ego, who in the comics is an actual living planet… yeah, I know that sounds rather weird but need I remind you that this is a franchise with a talking raccoon and a tree creature.

The main cast members of the original film all return to their respective roles; Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Vin Diesel as Groot (who will be in a ‘younger’ form in this film after sacrificing himself at the end of the first film), and Bradley Cooper as Rocket. The Guardians will also be getting a few new recruits as well, two of whom are returning characters, Michael Rooker as Yondu and Karen Gillan as Nebula, as well as newcomer Pom Klementieff as Mantis. It’ll definitely be interesting to see what they bring to the team dynamic, especially considering that Yondu and Nebula played generally antagonistic roles to the team in the first film. And of course, I know we’re all excited to learn what songs will be included on the soundtrack, Awesome Mix Vol. 2. So far, we haven’t gotten any concrete reveals in regards to featured songs but based on what was shown at Comic-Con earlier this year, it seems like ‘The Chain’ by Fleetwood Mac and ‘Come A Little Bit Closer’ by Jay and the Americans will probably be featured in the soundtrack. But at the end of the day, I’m just super pumped to see the further adventures of the Guardians. You could only imagine how excited I was when the first trailer was released online this past month. Getting to hear ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ once more, seeing that funny interaction between Star-Lord and Drax at the end, it was just perfect and I look forward to getting ‘hooked on a feeling’ once more with these ragtag team of misfits. One last question, though…

And those are my Top 20 most anticipated films of 2017. Thanks for following along and be sure to sound off in the comments below with your most anticipated films of 2017, especially if they’re films that I didn’t mention here. Because there’s a lot more coming out next year that I haven’t even gone over yet.

Top 20 Most Anticipated Films of 2017: Part 1 (#20-11)

Well, folks, since we’re getting closer and closer to the end of the year, I figured that it was a good enough time for me to do my annual ‘Most Anticipated Films of Next Year’ list. I’ll admit that I’m always unsure about when I should post this because some of the films that I discuss in these lists tend to get pushed back a year. Some past examples of this happening to me included my 2014 list, when Tomorrowland was apparently still intended to be released that year, and 2015 when I put Jon Favreau’s remake of The Jungle Book as an Honorable Mention… and then it was pushed back to April of this year. Thankfully no instances of rescheduling have happened with any of the films that I put in last year’s list (yet…) but anyway, now it’s time to look ahead to 2017. And let me tell you… there’s quite a lot of exciting new films coming out next year. Heck, 2017’s film lineup is even more exciting than 2016’s lineup. And with that said, yes, as I’ve gone over before, there have been quite a few people on the internet who have been expressing disappointment towards a lot of this year’s film releases… but that’s another story. It’s time to look ahead at 2017 and like last year, I’ve managed to come up with not just a Top 10 but a full Top 20 list of my most anticipated films of 2017. From the newest superhero films to some very intriguing sequels, and yes even some original films are in there, you can bet that I’m excited for many of the films that will be hitting theaters next year. So, without further ado, this is Part 1 of my 2-part list of my Top 20 most anticipated films of 2017. Today I’ll be going over #20-11 but first, here are my Honorable Mentions…

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Instead of giving each of these five films their own heading, I’m just going to rattle them off here quickly. First, there’s the new reboot of Power Rangers (March 24^th). Not being a big fan of the Power Rangers franchise, despite technically being part of the generation that grew up with it, I don’t have much personal stake in this new film but I am generally curious as to how it’ll turn out. Will it be able to appeal to both long-time fans and newcomers to the franchise? Next up is the reboot of The Mummy (June 9^th), the recently-designated ‘first’ entry in Universal’s new line of monster films. It’s unclear at the moment as to how this planned ‘Cinematic Universe’ will pan out but this new take on The Mummy does sound interesting, especially considering the talent involved, including Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, and Sofia Boutella in the title role. Another reboot that I’m quite intrigued about is Jumanji (December 22^nd). For the record, this isn’t a remake of the 1995 film starring Robin Williams but is instead a sequel. I’m genuinely curious as to how it’ll connect with the original and if you ask me, you can’t go wrong with a film that stars people like Dwayne Johnson and Karen Gillan. Going into the horror genre for a moment, we have Alien: Covenant (May 19^th). Ridley Scott returns for another installment of the franchise that he helped start back in 1979 with this sequel to 2012’s Prometheus, which in turn was a prequel to the original Alien. While it will be centering on a new cast that includes the likes of Katherine Waterston and Billy Crudup, Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace will be reprising their roles from the previous film. Will this new film answer some of the unanswered questions that people had after watching Prometheus? We’ll just have to wait and see. And finally, there’s The Greatest Showman (December 25^th). Hugh Jackman will star as P.T. Barnum, who was a co-founder of what would eventually become the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus. As someone who has many fond memories of going to see this circus as a kid whenever it came to Rhode Island, I’m definitely interested in seeing its origins represented on film. The film will also star Zac Efron, Rebecca Ferguson, and Michelle Williams.

And now we move on to the Top 20 and boy do we have a rather controversial film to start things off at #20.

20. TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT (JUNE 23^RD)

Yes, folks, you’re reading this right… I’m genuinely looking forward to the fifth entry in the highly maligned live-action Transformers franchise. I’m not afraid to admit that I am a big fan of all four of the previous films in the series. I still argue that the first one is actually really good even after everything that happened with its sequels. And yes, I still like the much critically derided sequels, including the second and fourth films which were some of the worst-reviewed films of their respective years. Sure they’re really nothing more than mindless CGI-heavy action films but I still find them to be really entertaining popcorn flicks nevertheless. So with that in mind, I’m still interested in seeing this franchise continue, which it will do so next year with Transformers: The Last Knight. Michael Bay, of course, returns to direct and this will supposedly be his last Transformers film. Though with that said, he said the exact same thing after the third film and yet he ended up doing a fourth one so who knows? Mark Wahlberg will be returning as Cade Yeager along with Stanley Tucci as Joshua Joyce, both of whom made their series debuts in the fourth film, Age of Extinction. The film will also see Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson return to the franchise as Lennox and Epps, who appeared in the original trilogy but were both absent from Age of Extinction. Like I said before, I’m very much well aware that this will probably be just as mindless as the other Transformers films. But with that said, if it is anything like those films, I’m probably going to like it anyway. Plus, I’m just curious about some of the recent reveals surrounding the film, like how it’s apparently going to involve King Arthur and even Nazis. Yes, you read that right… this new Transformers film is going to include King Arthur and Nazis. I won’t lie, folks… at this point, I’m just eagerly curious to see just what the hell they’re going to do with all of this. The only question, though, is this; will those who aren’t fans of the franchise finally get the damn hint and not go see this new film if they don’t like this series that much?  

Thought #20 was controversial? Wait until you see #19.

19. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES (MAY 26^TH)

And now we move on to another franchise that hasn’t really fared well critically when it comes to its most recent installments; Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean. Still, I’ll admit that I’m looking forward to the upcoming fifth installment, Dead Men Tell No Tales. Johnny Depp, of course, returns as the eccentric pirate Jack Sparrow as he tries to find the Trident of Poseidon to combat an old foe, the ghostly pirate Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem). Geoffrey Rush returns as Hector Barbossa while Brenton Thwaites and Kaya Scodelario debut as new characters named Henry and Carina. But perhaps the most interesting development of this new film in terms of its cast will be the return of Orlando Bloom as Will Turner, who was last seen as the new captain of the Flying Dutchman at the end of the third film, At World’s End. Sadly, Keira Knightley won’t be returning alongside him as Elizabeth. So, as I noted before, the recent Pirates films haven’t fared as well critically with both critics and audiences when compared to the first film back in 2003, one of the surprise critical/commercial hits of that year. Basically, the main reason why has been due to the common criticism that the series tends to get really overcomplicated at times with its plots. Will this be the case with the new film? Who knows? But, with a new screenwriter and a new pair of directors in Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg, directors of 2012’s Norwegian Oscar-nominated Kon-Tiki, perhaps this one will change things up a bit. The recently released first trailer does grab your attention by way of its excellent visuals and rather a dark atmosphere. Ultimately, though, it’s unclear if this will be as big of a box-office hit as the previous Pirates films given that this is the fifth installment of the series. But, at the same time, considering that two of the four films have grossed over a billion, I have the feeling that this one will still be another sizable commercial hit for the franchise.

With the next two films on this list, we have the one-two punch that is Pixar’s next two animated features. The first is the one that’ll be released later in the year but it is still shaping up to be an excellent entry in the studio’s filmography.

18. COCO (NOVEMBER 22^ND)

Of the two Pixar films that are coming out in 2017, I have the feeling that the one that most fans are looking forward to more is the one with an original story. That film is Coco, a story that takes inspiration from Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebration. Not much is known about this one yet other than the fact that it’ll revolve around a young boy named Miguel who uncovers a mystery involving his family that’s been unsolved for a century. In the director’s chair is Lee Unkrich, who’s been involved with Pixar since the original Toy Story. He helped co-direct Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., and Finding Nemo before he was promoted to the position of primary director for 2010’s Toy Story 3, and we all know how that turned out for him. The film grossed over a billion at the box-office, won another Best Animated Feature Oscar for the studio, and was also the third animated film after Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Pixar’s own Up to be nominated for Best Picture. So clearly Pixar’s got one heck of a talented team working on this film, one that is 100% certain to produce some absolutely gorgeous visuals based around Day of the Dead. So, with all of that said, why then is it only at number 18 on this list? Well like I said before, it’s only because we haven’t seen any form of ‘footage’ yet and don’t know much else about it aside from the aforementioned synopsis. After all, we are still more than a year away from its release. Trust me though when I say that I am super excited to see this film, as I’ve always been for Pixar films. It’s just that I’m not one of those folks on the internet who is constantly pressuring the studio to do more original films after they did a few sequels. Speaking of Pixar sequels…

Oh boy, I’m going to get so much flak for putting this above Coco…

17. CARS 3 (JUNE 16^TH)

So why is this film, a Pixar sequel, ranked above an original story Pixar film, you ask? Well, like I said before, it’s only because we haven’t seen much from Coco yet. Granted, we haven’t seen much from Cars 3 either (aside from a recently released teaser that I’ll talk about in a bit) but being that it’s the third entry of that franchise and it’s coming out earlier in the year, we do know a bit more about it than we do with Coco at this moment. Anyway, the Cars franchise has been more of a commercial success for Pixar than it has been a critical one. It’s definitely been one of Disney’s biggest franchises in terms of merchandising, having amassed over $10 billion in sales. As for the films, though, critical reception has been a bit more mixed. The first Cars film, at the very least, did fine with critics. Granted it wasn’t as critically acclaimed as the studio’s other films but it still did fairly well at around a 74% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The second film, however… was the company’s first negatively received film. It got to the point where some people treated it like it was a criminal offense. How dare Pixar make an animated film that wasn’t a complete 15/10 masterpiece? I’m not kidding, people actually made that analogy online. And now as a result, whenever a Pixar film doesn’t get at least a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (e.g. Brave, Monsters University, The Good Dinosaur), it’s immediately seen as a disappointment. But in Pixar’s defense, from what I’ve heard the second Cars film was a bit rushed because of the pressure to be finished by its planned release date. And while I’ve only seen it once, I remember liking it okay.

So, with that said, I do believe that Cars 3 does have the potential to redeem the film franchise. After Cars 2 took a major detour story-wise by going on a world tour and having a rather random subplot involving secret agents, Cars 3 is set to return to the series’ roots of celebrating small-town Americana. The film is being directed by Brian Fee and while this is his first film as a director, he’s been involved with Pixar, and most importantly the Cars franchise, for quite a long time as a storyboard artist. Many of the main characters of the franchise will no doubt be returning in this film, including main protagonist Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson). Per the film’s currently released premise, at this point, McQueen is now a racing veteran who must now contend with a new generation of racers to prove that he’s still one of the best. You can most certainly sense that from the film’s first teaser, which strikes an effective emotional chord by showcasing what will surely be a devastating crash that Lightning is involved in. So, in short, as I stated earlier, the Cars franchise isn’t as well-liked as some of Pixar’s other franchises, especially after Cars 2 was so critically derided. But, also like I said before, I think that this new Cars film does have the potential to at least be an improvement over the previous film, especially since, from a story perspective, it’s going to be more like the first film, which I do think is underrated. And while I do have the feeling that Coco will probably be the better-received of Pixar’s two 2017 releases, I’m still very much looking forward to the continuing adventures of Lightning McQueen and company.

Ride or die…

16. FAST 8 (APRIL 14^TH)

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that the Fast and Furious franchise will soon be releasing its eighth (!) installment. Who’d thought that a franchise that originally started all the way back in 2001 would still be going strong today more than one and a half decades later? Not only that, but this is one of the rare cases in which the sequels increasingly got better and better, namely the ones directed by Justin Lin. Fast Five and Fast and Furious 6 were the first installments of the franchise to perform solidly with critics and both films were huge hits at the box-office. And then there was Furious 7. James Wan took over as director and the film managed to become the first of the franchise to gross over a billion. Though of course, part of that was no doubt due to the film being the send-off of star Paul Walker, who tragically passed away in a car accident before filming was complete. But this series isn’t over yet and now we’ve got Fast 8, which will take Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto and his crew to New York. Once again they’ll contend with Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw as well as a new villain played by Charlize Theron. Once again there’s a change in director but the new director is quite promising; F. Gary Gray, who’s coming off of 2015’s hit biopic Straight Outta Compton. And from what I hear, this new film is going to shift focus in terms of ‘genre’. While the first few Fast and Furious films were simple street-racing stories, Fast Five shifted gears (no pun intended) and became a heist film. But as for this new film, it will apparently be more along the lines of a spy caper. And for the record, yes, you never go into these films for the plot but still, it’s going to be interesting to see what they’re going to do next in terms of action. Pair that with the always excellent camaraderie of the main cast and you’ve got what is sure to be another big hit for the franchise.

The one and only Edgar Wright will have a new film out next year. And it lands the #15 spot on this list.

15. BABY DRIVER (AUGUST 11^TH)

Edgar Wright is a filmmaker who needs no introduction. He’s given us some of the funniest comedies of the past few years, namely his Cornetto Trilogy; 2004’s Shaun of the Dead, 2007’s Hot Fuzz, and 2013’s The World’s End. While all three films are different in terms of genre, with the only real ‘connection’ between them being the appearance of Cornetto ice cream in one way or another, they’re all excellent send-ups of their respective genres; zombie films, buddy cop action films, and sci-fi films. Of course, as we all know he almost directed Ant-Man for Marvel Studios last year but he ended up dropping out due to creative differences. And you know what? I think that it’s actually a good thing that this happened. It allows Wright to have full creative control over his work instead of having to deal with a ‘creative committee’, which was still in effect at Marvel Studios at the time. And this will certainly be the case with his new film, Baby Driver. Described as a crime drama that was apparently inspired by an old music video that Wright made back in 2003 for the band Mint Royale, the film will center around a young, silent getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) as he ends up partaking in a heist gone wrong. The film will also star Lily James as the driver’s girlfriend, Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm as members of a gang of bank robbers, and Kevin Spacey as a crime boss. Music will also no doubt play a huge part in the film as the main character Baby is being described as ‘music-obsessed’ and I’m excited to see what kind of soundtrack Wright comes up with for the film. But of course, at the end of the day, the main selling point of the film is the fact that it’ll be another film from the master of ‘visual’ comedy, Edgar Wright.

As Harry Hart once said, “Manners. Maketh. Man”.

14. KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE (OCTOBER 6^TH)

Matthew Vaughn gave us one of the most entertaining films of 2015 in the form of Kingsman: The Secret Service. Based on the comic series of the same name by Mark Millar about a young delinquent who is recruited into a spy organization, the film was a stylish ode to the classic spy films of the 60’s (e.g. the Bond films) complete with awesome action and a great cast. And next year will see the release of a sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Matthew Vaughn returns to direct and the major players of the first film will return to reprise their roles, including Taron Egerton as ‘Eggsy’, Mark Strong as ‘Merlin’, and… Colin Firth as Harry Hart? Yes, despite being (SPOILERS!) killed off by Samuel L. Jackson’s Valentine in the previous film, Firth will be back for this film in some as-of-yet unknown form. Did he fake his death? After all, one of the teaser posters (featured above) is an image of a pair of glasses that Hart wore in the first film (with one of the lenses taken out) that are positioned in front of a quote saying that “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated” At this point, who knows? Anyway, the film will see Eggsy and co. heading to America, where they’ll be teaming up with their US counterparts, the Statesmen. New additions to the cast include Halle Berry and Channing Tatum as Statesman agents, Jeff Bridges as the head of Statesman, and Julianne Moore as the new main villain. I absolutely loved Kingsman: The Secret Service so you can bet that I’m excited to see another installment of this stylish spy thriller franchise.

My #13 pick is one of the biggest question marks of 2017’s film lineup. However, I’m still rooting for it to succeed despite the odds that are currently against it.

13. JUSTICE LEAGUE (NOVEMBER 17^TH)

I still have hope, folks, which I know is something that’s rather questionable at the moment for many people after DC’s two 2016 releases, Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, both performed horribly with critics and were generally polarizing amongst audiences as well. However, I’m confident that their 2017 output will fare much better, especially now that Geoff Johns has taken over control of the franchise. In other words, he’s become DC’s ‘Kevin Feige’ and that will no doubt help the DC Extended Universe moving forward. And sure, Zack Snyder is still back as the director but I have faith in him to succeed with this long-awaited adaptation of DC’s iconic superhero team, the Justice League. The first ‘trailer’ that was released during Comic-Con showed off a different kind of film compared to Batman v Superman. Instead of being a generally serious/dark superhero flick, this new film looks much more light-hearted in tone as primarily seen in some of the interactions between characters, like when Batman and Wonder Woman discuss the former’s rather failed attempt to recruit Aquaman and with Bruce Wayne’s first encounter with Barry Allen AKA The Flash. Newcomers Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller (though I use the term ‘newcomers’ loosely because they both cameoed in BvS) are also shaping up to be excellent new additions to the cast as Aquaman and the Flash, respectively. Granted this change in tone doesn’t mean that this new film is trying to be exactly like the films of Marvel Studios but it certainly looks like the filmmakers are, at the very least, aware of the problems that people had with BvS (the theatrical cut, at least). It may be unclear at the moment if DC will be able to turn their luck around with both this and their other 2017 film (which, spoilers, will be appearing in Part 2 of this list) but I’m still confident that they’ll be able to make it work with Justice League. I may be a bigger fan of the MCU but I genuinely want Justice League to succeed just as much as everyone else.   

One of the most iconic castings of the superhero film genre will be back for one last go in this, my #12 pick.

12. LOGAN (MARCH 3^RD)

Hugh Jackman is Wolverine; no doubt about it. Ever since he was first cast in the original X-Men film back in 2000, he’s become one of the most successful superhero casting choices of all-time. He quickly became the most popular character in the franchise, even if it did come at the occasional expense of other characters’ development, and has appeared in every X-Men film to date, even if it was just for an awesome cameo like in First Class and Apocalypse. But with his next X-Men film and the third Wolverine spin-off, Logan, this will be Jackman’s final turn in the title role. James Mangold returns to direct this film after helming the second spin-off, 2013’s The Wolverine. And just like how that film was based on an iconic Wolverine storyline of the same name from the comics, this one will also be inspired by another big Wolverine-centered storyline, one that I bet a lot of fans have been waiting to see done on the big-screen; Old Man Logan. For those unfamiliar with this storyline from 2008 written by Mark Millar, it’s basically Wolverine’s Dark Knight Returns as it centers on him years into the future. Plus, while the last Wolverine film grappled with going all-out as an R-rated Wolverine film, though ultimately it only did so in the form of the Extended Cut which was released when the film hit home video, by all accounts it appears that this will be the R-rated Wolverine film that fans have been waiting for.

They recently released the first trailer for the film and I must say that it looks fantastic. One of the best things about director James Mangold’s superhero films is that they’re more than just ‘superhero films’. The Wolverine, being set primarily in Japan, featured a lot of great Japanese elements in it. In the case of Logan, it’s clear that he’s going for something out of a western. And you can totally see that in the trailer, especially with the use of a Johnny Cash song, ‘Hurt’, a fitting choice seeing how Mangold directed the Johnny Cash Biopic Walk the Line in 2005. The story, set years in the future where it’s established that something happened to most of the mutant population (possibly because of Wolverine as deduced by the line “Logan, what did you do?”), sees Wolverine and Professor X (again played by Patrick Stewart in what will no doubt be his final turn in the role as well) having to protect a young girl named Laura (known in the comics as Wolverine’s clone, X-23) from a group known as the Reavers. Now despite what I said earlier, it’s becoming clear that this isn’t a direct adaptation of Old Man Logan. But, to be fair, it’s hard to do an adaptation of that now given the appearances of characters who are currently over in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But, as someone who isn’t a big comic reader, I’m not bothered by this. Really, it’s the overall execution of the film itself that matters the most. And thanks to an international red-band trailer, we can now rest easy knowing that the film will indeed be R-rated and that the filmmakers are truly going ‘all-out’ with this one. But at the end of the day, I must say that this first trailer really delivers in terms of hitting you on an emotional level. And that’s a feeling that I bet a lot of people will have when we go to see this; the last go for one of the greatest leads in the history of the superhero film genre. It’s going to be an emotional rollercoaster.

And closing out the lower half of the Top 20 is the latest film from Ben Affleck. Director Ben Affleck, to be more precise…

11. LIVE BY NIGHT (JANUARY 13^TH)

While Ben Affleck is currently pre-occupied with being the DCEU’s Batman, 2017 will see the release of his latest directorial effort, his first since he won Best Picture for his 2012 film, Argo. Despite having only directed three films to date, Affleck’s proven himself to be one of the top directors in the industry thanks to 2007’s Gone Baby Gone, 2010’s The Town, and Argo. For his newest film, Affleck takes on his second adaptation of a story by author Dennis Lehane after Gone Baby Gone; Live by Night. Affleck stars as Joe Coughlin, the son of a Boston police captain who moves to Florida and ends up becoming a gangster. The film also stars Zoe Saldana as Coughlin’s girlfriend, Sienna Miller as his mistress, and Brendan Gleeson as his father along with Elle Fanning, Chris Cooper, and Chris Messina. I should probably note, though, that even though this film’s current wide release date is January 13^th, 2017, it will see a limited release this Christmas, effectively qualifying it for this year’s awards circuit. So, technically, that would mean that this is a 2016 film… so why then is it in this ‘Most Anticipated of 2017’ list? Well, simply put, I had first made this list before this film got its limited release date. Plus, I don’t know just yet if I’m going to be able to see this film before the year’s through so for now, it stays on this list. But, regardless of when I see it, it’s safe to say that I am really excited to see Affleck’s next directorial effort.

And that concludes Part 1 of my Top 20 Most Anticipated Films of 2017 list. Thanks for following along and be sure to come back tomorrow when I post Part 2 and list my Top 10.

Top 20 Most Anticipated Films of 2016: PART 2 (Top 10)

Welcome back to Rhode Island Movie Corner’s two-part post in which I’m listing my Top 20 most anticipated films of 2016. This is Part 2 and today I’ll be listing my Top 10 most anticipated films of next year. If you haven’t already read Part 1, you can check it out at the link provided below. But for now, here are my Top 10 most anticipated films of 2016 from Marvel heroes to escapades in a Galaxy Far, Far Away, or as others may call it, ‘Space… the Final Frontier’.

Kicking things off at Number 10 is the latest film from a legendary film duo.

10. HAIL, CAESAR! (February 5)

We all know of the many film classics from the duo of brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, from the 1998 cult classic ‘The Big Lebowski’ to their arguably superior 2010 remake of ‘True Grit’. As for their newest film, ‘Hail, Caesar!’ it is very much looking like the kind of quirky comedy that the two are known to make. My good friend Matt Goudreau noted that the first trailer made it look a lot like their 2008 film ‘Burn after Reading’. I’ll admit that I’ve actually only watched one of their films, their ‘True Grit’ remake, but I am really interested in seeing their new film. I guess you can say it’s due to the fact that the film is focused around 1950’s Hollywood which, as a film fan, I think is a pretty interesting subject to focus on. And of course, you can always expect a terrific ensemble cast from the Coen Brothers and this film is no exception. Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Jonah Hill, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum, and so on and so forth. The film is getting released in February, which may or may not be a good thing given the usual quality of films released during that time. But of course, this is the same duo that brought us classic films like ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’ and ‘No Country for Old Men’ so I think we’ll be fine.

After ‘Moana’ landed the #15 spot in yesterday’s post, Disney Animation’s first film of the year lands the Number 9 spot on this list.

9. ZOOTOPIA (March 4)

It’s great to see that Disney is currently in the middle of what can arguably be regarded as their second ‘Renaissance Era’. I’d say it got started around the time when John Lasseter become the animation studio’s Chief Creative Officer. Slowly but surely the company returned to top form with hits like ‘Tangled’, ‘Wreck-it Ralph’, and of course ‘Frozen’, which became the company’s biggest animated film in nearly two decades. Anyway, for the first of Disney Animation’s 2016 slate, we have ‘Zootopia’. The directing duo behind this film consists of a pair of directors that were responsible for some of the studio’s recent hits, Byron Howard (‘Tangled’) and Rich Moore (‘Wreck it Ralph’). ‘Zootopia’ is described as a buddy comedy set in a world designed entirely by animals, for animals. I’ve liked quite a few of the ‘buddy comedies’ Disney has done in recent years like ‘Tangled’ and the highly underrated ‘The Emperor’s New Groove’ so I’m definitely interested in seeing how this one turns out. And of course like many Disney animated films, it’s got a really nice ensemble voice cast, including Jason Bateman, Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba, J.K. Simmons, and of course Disney’s ‘John Ratzenberger’; Alan Tudyk. For the record, I refer to him in that way because just like how Ratzenberger is the lucky charm for Pixar, Tudyk has starred in the studio’s last three films, mostly in villainous roles, and will also be a part of the voice cast for ‘Moana’.

Speaking of Disney…

8. THE JUNGLE BOOK (April 15)

If you recall my Top 10 most anticipated films list for 2015, you might remember seeing this film amongst the ‘Honorable Mentions’. But, as could happen with any of the films on this list, it ended up getting pushed back and is now set for release this April. I’m guessing this was to allow extra time for the filmmakers to finish this new adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s classic story and ‘remake’ of Disney’s 1967 animated classic. Obviously there’s been quite a bit of frustration that some have had with Disney over all of the big live-action remakes that have been getting announced these past few months but I’ve been more optimistic about them due to how much I loved ‘Cinderella’. If that film could turn out so fantastic then I’m confident that at least one or two of these upcoming ‘remakes’ are going to be too. And I’ve been a fan of most of Jon Favreau’s films; the first two ‘Iron Man’ films (yes I even like the second film), the modern Christmas classic ‘Elf’, and 2014’s charming indie flick ‘Chef’. Pair that with a terrific ensemble voice cast that includes Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, and Scarlett Johansson and some damn good looking visuals (as evident from the recently released first trailer) and you have what looks to be a really fun jungle adventure that, like ‘Cinderella’, will be highly respectful of its original adaptation while managing to be its own thing.

Number 7 is shaping up to be one of the most unique entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

7. DOCTOR STRANGE (November 4)

‘Doctor Strange’, Marvel Studios’ November 2016 release, is set to introduce one of Marvel’s most spectacular characters, the ‘Sorcerer Supreme’ Dr. Stephen Strange, to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As such, the film will start to explore the mystical, or as Kevin Feige put it, ‘supernatural’ side of the MCU, which is sure to produce quite a lot of stunning visuals as evident from what was shown at D23 this year (from what I’ve heard, for the record, having not actually been there). Serving as the director of the film will be Scott Derrickson, known for horror films like ‘Sinister’ and ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’. Definitely an ‘out-of-left-field’ choice for Marvel but of course that hasn’t stopped them before. And as far as casting is concerned, you really can’t do much better than Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role. But then you also have some other big names like Tilda Swinton as ‘the Ancient One’, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo, and a few ‘soon to be named’ characters played by Rachael McAdams and, so it seems, Mads Mikkelsen. This film is definitely compiling an exceptional cast that, along with Derrickson and writer Jon Spaihts, will surely continue the terrific run of Marvel Studios as it begins Phase Three. Though of course it’s not the first of Marvel Studios’ outings next year… that one’s coming up later on.

A much more outgoing superhero hopefully gets redeemed after a disastrous film debut in my Number 6 pick.

6. DEADPOOL (February 12)

‘The Merc with a Mouth’ first made his live-action debut in ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’… where he was ruined by having his mouth sewn shut by scientists and given all sorts of mutant powers that the character clearly did not have in the comics. Thankfully it looks like Fox will finally fix that mistake and Deadpool will be done proper justice in this brand new film, which again sees Ryan Reynolds returning to the role of mercenary Wade Wilson which is good because despite what happened to the character in ‘Origins’, Reynolds was definitely a perfect choice for the role. Now it looks like he’ll finally get the chance to be in a ‘good’ superhero film with what is clearly going to be a no-holds barred violent and crass R-rated film. And given the nature of the character in the comics, I’m perfectly fine with it being that way (see my last post, specifically the part about ‘Batman v. Superman’, for my rant about how I’m hesitant about studios like DC going a darker route for characters that are unfit for that kind of mood and atmosphere). While Fox may have struck out big time with their recent ‘reboot’ attempt of the Fantastic 4, they’ve had much better luck with the X-Men franchise and being that this is a part of that franchise, I’m confident that ‘Deadpool’ will end up being a fun smaller-scaled entry in the superhero genre that packs a bigger punch than some of its fellow superhero films.

‘Harry Potter’ is very much the ‘Star Wars’ of my generation and taking the N umber 5 spot is a brand new adventure set in the magical world of J.K. Rowling’s iconic franchise.

5. FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM (November 18)

In recent years there have been quite a few Potter fans who have been clamoring for J.K. Rowling to write another ‘Harry Potter’ book. But whether or not she ends up doing that, we will be getting another cinematic adventure set within the world of wizards in the form of ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’. Inspired by the fictional in-universe book of the same name, this new film sees the return of ‘Order of the Phoenix’ through ‘Deathly Hallows’ director David Yates to the franchise while Rowling herself serves as the film’s screenwriter. Set in New York in the 1920’s, the film will follow the ‘author’ of the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ book, Newt Scamander, played by one of my favorite up-and-coming actors, Eddie Redmayne, as he tries to track down all sorts of dangerous magical creatures at the risk of threatening the state of relations between wizards and Muggles (referred to in this film by an American term, ‘No-Maj’). Aside from Redmayne, the cast also includes Katherine Waterston, Colin Farrell, and Ron Perlman. I’m legitimately interested in seeing how this planned film trilogy is going to turn out given its roots as an in-universe textbook. But quite simply at the end of the day, I’m definitely excited to see more films set within the magical world of the ‘Harry Potter’ universe.

After a phenomenal series high-mark in 2014, Fox’s star superhero franchise is set to continue next year with another highly promising superhero epic.

4. X-MEN: APOCALYPSE (May 27)

The ‘X-Men’ franchise returned to top form after a few disappointing entries in the late 2000’s with 2011’s ‘X-Men: First Class’. Part of the success came from the return of the series’ original director, Bryan Singer, even though he only served as a producer/writer for that film. But he would subsequently return to the director’s chair for 2014’s ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’. That film defied all expectations to become the series’ best installment to date, inspired by one of the classic X-Men comic storylines while also erasing some of the series’ past mistakes… namely those that came in ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ and ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’. Now Singer is back for ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’, which is seemingly set to be the final installment of this pseudo trilogy that started with ‘First Class’. This time around, it’s the ‘First Class’ era cast leading the way after ‘Days of Future Past’ featured characters from both that era and the ‘2000’s films’ era. And as the title suggests, this film sees the X-Men going up against the ‘first’ mutant, En Sabah Nur AKA Apocalypse (played by Oscar Isaac, a great choice in my opinion). Of course many of the returning regulars of the series are returning, including James McAvoy (Professor X), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Rose Byrne (Moira MacTaggert), and Evan Peters (Quicksilver). As for newcomers, there’s Olivia Munn as Psylocke and Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, and Kodi Smit-McPhee as the younger iterations of Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, and Nightcrawler, respectively.

Remember back when ‘Days of Future Past’ was coming out and a lot of fanboys got pissed over the look of Quicksilver when the marketing started up? Well hopefully most of those fanboys ended up getting proven wrong when Quicksilver ended up being one of the best parts of that film. But the fanboys are back again with this film as there’s been a lot of negative buzz over the first look of the main villain Apocalypse. Given his purple skinned appearance, there were quite a few comparisons made between him and Ivan Ooze, the main villain from the first ‘Power Rangers’ film. That seems to be the common thing on the internet nowadays, isn’t it? People comparing things to other things, usually in a negative manner. Well thankfully I’m not one of those people and I feel that the fanboys are seriously overreacting. Isaac has stated that the character’s design was going to be a combination of practical and digital effects. And of course it should be noted that this film is still a few months away so the ‘effects’ on display at the moment aren’t necessarily going to end up being the same in the final product. And at this point, I find it ridiculous to doubt this franchise after one of the biggest superhero films of all time. It’s clear that Bryan Singer, who if you recall first came into this franchise being rather unfamiliar with the series, is one of the main driving forces of this franchise’s success so I’m hyped for the next installment of the ‘X-Men’ franchise now that Singer’s back in charge of the franchise that he kick-started way back in 2000.

Following in the footsteps of ‘The Force Awakens’ is the first in a series of upcoming spin-offs that are set to expand the ‘Star Wars’ universe.

3. ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (December 16)

While everyone is currently buzzing over ‘The Force Awakens’ and the new trilogy of ‘Star Wars’ films, Lucasfilm is also developing a series of spin-offs that take place in the ‘Star Wars’ universe but are not intended to cross over with the main trilogy. At this time, we already know of some future ‘Anthology’ films, including a Han Solo film directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller and a Boba Fett film that was originally supposed to be directed by Josh Trank before he dropped out of the project. But first, we got ‘Rogue One’, directed by Gareth Edwards, fresh off of 2014’s summer hit ‘Godzilla’. If you recall my ‘Star Wars Month’ post back in May in which I listed my Top 10 favorite Star Wars video games, one of the games that I listed was the 1995 first person shooter game ‘Dark Forces’. The opening mission of that game had main character Kyle Katarn finding the plans to the Death Star for the rebels. This new film obviously won’t follow that story route but it is the same general plot. Set in between the events of Episode III and IV, this film will follow a group of Rebels in their quest to steal the plans to the Empire’s new powerful weapon. The diverse ensemble cast is headlined by Felicity Jones and Ben Mendelsohn but perhaps the biggest selling point of this new film is that it’ll primarily focus on a group of characters who aren’t Jedi. They’re just regular people thrust into a grand situation which should result in a highly compelling adventure. I’ve always been wanting this franchise to branch out from its usual storylines so I’m very excited to see what Lucasfilm has in store for all of these new ‘Anthology’ films.

While I’m confident that these new ‘Star Wars’ films are going to be awesome, I’m equally excited for the next installment of the other ‘Star’ franchise, even if J.J. Abrams isn’t ‘in the Captain’s chair’ this time around.

2. STAR TREK BEYOND (July 22)

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll know that I’m a major fan of J.J. Abrams’ two ‘Star Trek’ films. The 2009 series reboot is legitimately one of my Top 10 favorite films of all time and the 2013 sequel, ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’, is not too far behind. But it seems like I’m in the minority amongst Trek fans when it comes to liking these films because there are quite a lot of vocal Trekkies who HATE these two films with a burning passion. This is primarily because they feel that these are not ‘Star Trek’ films… despite the obvious fact that they helped save the franchise after it had suffered the one-two punch of the critical/commercial disappointment of ‘Star Trek: Nemesis’ and the cancellation of the series ‘Enterprise’. It wasn’t that big of a deal with the 2009 film at first but then came ‘Into Darkness’. Once Trekkies found out that the film oh so dared to make a few callbacks to ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’ (though seriously not as much as they claim), they became even more vocal in their disdain towards these films and now suddenly the 2009 film started getting a lot more flak. There was even an event at Las Vegas in which the film was labeled as the worst film in the franchise. Yes, those Trekkies viewed this film as being worse than ‘Star Trek V: The Final Frontier’, ‘Star Trek: The Motion-Less Picture’, and ‘Star Trek: Insurrection’. Talk about a case of over-reacting. 

Regardless of all of that overly critical bashing, I still love both of J.J’s ‘Trek’ films for being highly entertaining fast-paced sci-fi adventures that, contrary to what some people say, still very much feel like ‘Star Trek’ films but now come with the energy of the ‘Star Wars’ films. So with that in mind, I’m very excited for the next installment of this new ‘Star Trek’ series, ‘Star Trek Beyond’. This time around, however, J.J. isn’t directing the new ‘Trek’ film for obvious reasons. Instead, Justin Lin will be taking over as director and while I’m certain that many of those hardcore Trek fans are upset with having yet another ‘action director’ taking on the franchise, apparently they forgot that Lin is one of the best action directors in the business today for his work on the recent ‘Fast and Furious’ films, particularly the fifth and sixth films. Plus, from what I’ve read, he’s a major ‘Star Trek’ fan. Admittedly, J.J. has stated that he’s more of a ‘Star Wars’ fan than a ‘Trek’ fan but I don’t see why that was such a big deal. But this time around, a definite ‘Trek’ fan is in control backed up by a screenplay co-written by Scotty himself, Simon Pegg. It seems like this new film will be much more based around the theme of exploration which should definitely please fans of the franchise. But as for me, I’m just excited to see the next installment of one of my favorite series of recent years (the reboot series, to be specific) which I believe couldn’t be in better hands.  

Okay I’ll admit it… My Number 1 is totally obvious

1. CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (May 6)

Yeah I know, I’m very predictable given how much I adore the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But when you have a franchise that has had a run that is as great as the MCU has had since its inception in 2008, can you blame me? And to kick off Phase Three of the MCU we have ‘Captain America: Civil War’. ‘Winter Soldier’ directors the Russo Brothers return for this film which is set to be based around one of the biggest Marvel comics storylines of recent years, ‘Civil War’, in which the Avengers find themselves on opposing sides of a new act that is meant to regulate superhero activity following all of the international incidents they have been involved in over the years. Leading the charge for each side will be, of course, Captain America and Iron Man. We’ve definitely see the rivalry between them come into play in the ‘Avengers’ films, with Cap being the honest and patriotic hero while Iron Man is much more brash and arrogant. For the record though, that doesn’t mean that Iron Man is the ‘villain’ of this film nor are the Avengers that are on his team like Black Widow, Vision, and War Machine. Ultimately the main idea of this story is that it’s a conflict of ideals. Those on Cap’s side oppose the new act while Iron Man and his team support it. Sure in the ‘Civil War’ comics, Iron Man’s team became authoritarian and tried to capture all unregistered super-persons but I’m pretty sure that Marvel isn’t going to make them go ‘that far’.

Now with that said, while this is being marketed as a Captain America film, many fans have pointed out the obvious fact that… there are a hell of a lot of superheroes in this film. Not only are Captain America and Iron Man in it, but then you also have Black Widow, Falcon, Bucky AKA ‘The Winter Soldier’, Ant-Man, Hawkeye, Vision, War Machine, Scarlet Witch, as well as the MCU debuts of Black Panther and Spider-Man. Obviously I’m not too worried about that given Marvel’s efforts in establishing these characters beforehand before throwing them all together into one film. But with that said, I am genuinely curious to see if they really are able to keep the main focus on Cap given how many other characters are in this film. Because if this ends up not being the case, then this probably should’ve just been called ‘Avengers: Civil War’. But with that said, if this film is able to make it work (and I don’t see why it won’t because of obvious reasons (Marvel, duh!)) then it’ll prove that the Russo brothers are the perfect choice to follow Joss Whedon as director of an ‘Avengers’ film. They’re currently slated to direct the two-part ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ so you can pretty much consider this film to be their test project just like how J.J. Abrams’ ‘Star Trek’ films led the way to him directing ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’.

So those are my Top 10 most anticipated films of 2016. What other films are you looking forward to seeing to next year? Sound off in the comments below.

Top 20 Most Anticipated Films of 2016: PART 1 (#20-11)

As we near the end of 2015, many of us are doing two things; A.) Getting ready for the debut of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ and B.) Beginning to look ahead to next year, 2016, and the many films that will be hitting theaters over the course of those 365 days. Like any year, there are quite a variety of new films that will be coming out in 2016. Of course you’ll have your superhero films (and for the record, no this list won’t be dominated by those films despite what my obvious love for the genre may suggest) but you also have some interesting new continuations of classic franchises, including ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Harry Potter’. So today, I’ll be presenting you my Top 10 most anticipated films of 2016… actually strike that, that’s not enough. For you see folks, I actually have a much bigger list than that. How about a Top 20 list of my most anticipated films of 2016? Yes I actually did manage to find at least 20 different films that I’m looking forward to seeing next year. So you know what that means? That means this will be a two-part post. So today, I’ll be presenting you films #20-11. In other words, consider these next ten films to be the ‘Honorable Mentions’ to my Top 10, which will be posted tomorrow.

20. RATCHET AND CLANK (April 29)

Starting off these big Top 20 list is… a video-game based film? Yes as many of us know, the genre of video-game based films has never really produced anything great since it infamously got underway in 1993 with the ‘Super Mario Bros’ film. There actually have been some rather decent efforts from this genre over the years, like ‘Mortal Kombat’ and ‘Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time’, but for the most part these films end up being pretty darn terrible, from the infamous follow-up to ‘Mortal Kombat’, ‘Annihilation’, to the many, many stinkers from Uwe Boll. 2016, however, could potentially be a redemptive year for the genre as there are quite a few upcoming video-game based films that could end up being rather good. While most of the attention will be going to films like Duncan Jones’ ‘Warcraft’ (which is not on the list only because I’m not too familiar with the franchise, though I do plan on seeing it) and another film that will be appear later on in this list, there is another film that will come out before either of those films; ‘Ratchet and Clank’. This animated film will be based off of the hit sci-fi action platformer series of the same name by Insomniac Games. The film is being produced by Rainmaker Entertainment, the company responsible for the first ever CGI animated series, ‘ReBoot’, who will also be making a film based on the ‘Sly Cooper’ series that may or may not come out in 2016 as well. I’ll admit I haven’t played a lot of the ‘Ratchet and Clank’ games aside from the first one but the trailer makes the film look like a rather fun family-friendly sci-fi adventure.

19. ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS (May 27)

Here’s another potentially controversial entry, namely because it’s a sequel to a rather unpopular film that somehow managed to gross $1 billion when it was released back in March 2010. I’ll admit that I’m still amazed as to how Tim Burton’s 2010 ‘sequel’ to ‘Alice in Wonderland’ managed to join the billion dollar club despite attracting a generally mixed reaction from both critics and audiences. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the film and I recall that I somewhat liked it though ultimately I ended up liking future Disney big-budget fantasy films like ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ and ‘Cinderella’ more. But even with that in mind, I’m willing to give it a re-watch because I’m genuinely interested in the sequel that will be coming out next year. I’m interested in seeing how the filmmakers will be expanding the world of Wonderland (ah-hem, sorry Underland my mistake), particularly through the introduction of Time, both figuratively and literally as the main villain (Sasha Baron Cohen). Ultimately though the key reason why I’m optimistic about this film is because it’s actually being done by a different director this time. While Tim Burton is still attached as a producer, this new ‘Alice’ film will be directed by James Bobin. And while Burton’s recent films have been getting a lot of flak from film fans, Bobin’s recent track record is much more appealing given his work on the last two ‘Muppets’ films. I mean at the end of the day this may just turn out the same way as its predecessor but who knows?

18. BOURNE 5 (July 29)

From 2002 to 2007, Matt Damon kept audiences on the edge of their seats as the amnesiac former CIA operative Jason Bourne. The Bourne trilogy was a solid hit for Universal and each of the three films were highly entertaining and engrossing fast-paced spy thrillers highlighted by a terrific lead performance by Damon. Contrary to popular opinion, my favorite film of the trilogy was actually the first film, 2002’s ‘The Bourne Identity’, directed by Doug Liman. The two sequels by Paul Greengrass, 2004’s ‘The Bourne Supremacy’ and 2007’s ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’, were really good as well (heck I’d even argue that ‘Ultimatum’ is the best of the series) but I wasn’t too big on Greengrass’ shaky cam style that was used during the action sequences. The series then continued under a new direction in 2012 with a ‘spin-off’, ‘The Bourne Legacy’, which focused on a new character, Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), but took place in the same timeline as the Damon trilogy. Ultimately though, ‘Legacy’ didn’t fare as well as the previous trilogy both critically and commercially and I’ll admit that I too was rather ‘meh’ on it. But 2016 could mark a return to form for the series in the form of a fifth Bourne film. Why? Because it marks the return of both Damon and Greengrass to the franchise after it seemed like they were done after ‘Ultimatum’. It’s unclear at this moment if this film will be based off of one of the ‘Bourne’ novels by Robert Ludlum but it will definitely be interesting to see these two return to their iconic franchise.

17. BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (March 25)

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know that I’ve been rather critical about this follow-up to 2013’s ‘Man of Steel’, a film that I’ll admit I’ve become more critical towards as well recently due to its rather unwarranted dour tone. My reasons for this have ranged from the film being set to introduce numerous new characters at once like Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the new Batman to the alleged ‘no joke’ mandate by Warner Bros that is apparently supposed to differentiate the developing DC ‘Extended Universe’ from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now let me make something very clear… I’m not against darker superhero stories. I’m a huge fan of both Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy and Marvel’s second and much more successful take on ‘Daredevil’ with the Netflix series. What I am against are darker superhero stories for characters that aren’t like that at all. One of the prime examples of this was, as noted earlier, ‘Man of Steel’. While I do commend the filmmakers for crafting a genuinely new take on the character of Superman, the film’s very dour tone and atmosphere really goes against the hopeful and heroic nature of the character. If you want to see what a more fitting modern take on Superman should’ve been like, go check out the new show ‘Supergirl’… it’s far superior. But as for the films, it seems like DC is trying to do a much more serious take on their heroes and quite frankly I don’t see why this is a good idea.

And of course there’s also the fact that this film will be introducing several new main characters to the series… even though this film was originally meant to be a sequel to ‘Man of Steel’. And don’t try and tell me that they weren’t actually going to do another solo ‘Superman’ film. I distinctly remember Zack Snyder once said something about doing another ‘Superman’ film first before getting into anything ‘Justice League’ related. And yet here we are now and ‘Batman v. Superman’ is looking more and more like a ‘Justice League’ film. So yeah, suffice it to say I’ve been rather concerned about this film and the first trailer didn’t do much to change my mind. But then came the Comic-Con trailer and I’ll admit… I was much more positive towards it. I finally got a real sense of the epic scale of the story and I’m glad that the filmmakers are addressing some of the more controversial points of ‘Man of Steel’, namely all of the ‘collateral damage’ that Superman caused during his fight with Zod in Metropolis. With that said, though, the things that make me very hesitant about this film are still around. To be clear, despite my obvious adoration/preference for Marvel, I don’t want this film and the DC Cinematic Universe to fail. I do want to see a ‘Justice League’ film but I’m just worried DC is rushing things just so that they can catch up with Marvel, who at this point has already gotten out two ‘Avengers’ films. I’m hoping for the best, folks.

16. SUICIDE SQUAD (August 5)

Though if we’re talking DC’s 2016 slate, the more interesting of the two would have to be their August release, ‘Suicide Squad’. The big reason for this being that this is slated to be the first major comic book film to focus on a group of villains. Admittedly that does put some pressure on this film because it has to make us like a group of bad guys but it does look like this film is shaping up to be a very insane entry in the superhero genre that, given director David Ayer’s previous work, seems like it’s going to be a more mature R-rated comic book film. Granted, we don’t have much to go off of yet other than a trailer that was released publicly just because it got leaked online during Comic-Con weekend but this film definitely has a lot more edge to it compared to other films of the genre. As for the film’s big ensemble cast, I think it’s safe to say that the two biggest selling points are the live-action debuts of Harley Quinn and the new Joker and I also think that we can all agree that Margot Robbie is perfectly cast as Harley and will no doubt be the film’s biggest scene-stealer. As for the Joker, Jared Leto will be the first to follow in the footsteps of Heath Ledger’s critically acclaimed take on the character. His new look has attracted quite a bit of controversy amongst comic book fans but it does look like Leto is genuinely going to embrace the psychotic side of the character, even more so than Ledger did in ‘The Dark Knight’. So while I’m still very much a Marvel fan, I’m definitely interested in seeing how this particular comic book film turns out.

15. MOANA (November 23)

Just like how Pixar had two releases this year, Disney Animation’s got a double feature of new films slated to come out in 2016. The first of these films you’ll see in part 2 of this post as part of my Top 10 while the second film, slated for release in November, takes the Number 15 spot on this list; Moana. Directed by the duo of Ron Clements and John Musker, who have produced numerous hits for the studio including Renaissance era favorites ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘Aladdin’ and, more recently, ‘The Princess and the Frog’, ‘Moana’, the first computer animated film the duo have made, looks like it’s bound to be another big hit for Disney Animation in their second Renaissance era with its unique South Pacific based story and imagery. Plus it’s got the Rock himself, Dwayne Johnson, voicing one of the main characters; an actual demi-god. As I just stated earlier, Disney Animation has been on a great run in recent years thanks to films like ‘Frozen’, ‘Wreck-it Ralph’, ‘Tangled’, and ‘Big Hero 6’ so I think it’s safe to say that we can expect a pair of quality animated films next year from the House of Mouse.

14. ASSASSIN’S CREED (December 21)

And now we come to the previously mentioned big-name video-game based film that could potentially break the curse of the genre; ‘Assassin’s Creed’. As noted earlier, ‘Warcraft’ is technically going to be the first big test of this genre in 2016 but because I’ve never played that game, I’m more interested in the film adaptation of Ubisoft’s ‘Assassin’s Creed’ franchise. I’ve been playing quite a few of the games recently (the Xbox 360 era games to be exact) and have become a fan of the franchise so I’m interested in seeing how this new film turns out, which will wisely decide to take on a new story that is still set in the world of the games. The biggest selling point of the film is easily the casting of Michael Fassbender in the lead role. Fassbender, along with co-star Marion Cotillard, reunite with director Justin Kurzel, after the trio had worked together on this year’s critically acclaimed take on ‘Macbeth’. So with those credentials, along with the addition of other great actors like Jeremy Irons and Brendan Gleeson to the cast, it looks like this film could be a really awesome end-of-the-year release (it is slated to be released on December 21^st, 2016) and one of the first ‘great’ video-game based films.

13. GHOSTBUSTERS (July 15)

You ever have the feeling of wanting a film to succeed just to shut up all of the cynics who bashed it for whatever reason? This is definitely one of those films. Pretty much since it was first announced, this new take on the ‘Ghostbusters’ franchise has been subject to much scrutiny on the internet. And unfortunately, it has primarily stemmed from the fact that the film will be focusing on a female-led group of Ghostbusters. So yes, one of the main reasons why I am looking forward to this film is that I hope it will shut all of the sexist haters up. But at the same time, I genuinely think that this could be really good. It’s being directed by Paul Feig, who has a really solid track record in recent years with films like ‘Bridesmaids’ and this year’s ‘Spy’. Both films also showcase that he and star Melissa McCarthy are definitely at their best when working together. McCarthy stars alongside another Feig veteran, Kristen Wiig, as well as current SNL stars Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones and the film will feature cameos from Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver so at the very least this feels like it will be very much connected to the ‘Ghostbusters’ franchise. Again, at the end of the day, I’m rooting for this film to succeed just so that it will prove its biggest critics wrong.

12. FINDING DORY (June 17)

If you ask me, it isn’t a complete year of film without a Pixar release (see 2014 for proof of that) and this year, their new film will be a sequel to 2003’s ‘Finding Nemo’, ‘Finding Dory’… calm down sequel haters, they got that Day of the Dead film coming in 2017... Relax! Director Andrew Stanton returns for this new film along with Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, and a few other characters from the first film. Thankfully this new film isn’t looking like a simple ‘rehash’ of the first film as I initially feared. Instead it sees Dory heading out on a journey to reunite with her parents. New additions to the cast include Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy as Dory’s parents and ‘Modern Family’ stars Ty Burrell and Ed O’Neill. Though of course, I think most of us can agree that the real star of the show is Ellen. She was the most memorable part about ‘Finding Nemo’ and I’m confident that her very lovable personality will once again carry this film. As I pointed out earlier, obviously there are quite a lot of people who aren’t too happy with Pixar’s decision to do sequels to some of their original films, namely after ‘Cars 2’ became the first Pixar film to attract a generally negative response from both critics and fans of Pixar. But this is one Pixar fan who feels that Pixar had never really lost their way; they’ve only had a few misfires. And unless proven wrong, I believe that this will be a solid follow-up to one of Pixar’s most classic films.

11. 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI (January 15)

Ok now this is one that I’m pretty certain hardcore cinephiles are going to grill me for because A.) It’s a January release and B.) It’s a Michael Bay film. In the eyes of those cinephiles, neither have produced anything great. But if you’ve been following me for a while you know that I’m an unapologetic fan of most of Bay’s work (save for ‘Bad Boys II’, the one that ironically people actually do like), even some of the more derided ones like the ‘Transformers’ sequels and ‘Pearl Harbor’. Obviously the latter film might make some people hesitant about him taking on another true story, in this case the 2012 attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, but this time around the film was written by the writer of ‘Prince of Thieves’, which spawned Ben Affleck’s film ‘The Town’. Even as a fan of ‘Pearl Harbor’, I agree that the big issue with that film was the decision to focus on a group of fictional characters and their romance instead of the people who were actually involved in the event. This time around, however, it looks like they are focusing on the real people who were there. Plus, the cast is led by John Krasinski in a very much against-type role and standout character actor James Badge Dale. This could be the 2016 equivalent of ‘American Sniper’, another film that was released nationwide in January… or it could be another dumb and loud Michael Bay film. But at the very least, I’m confident that it’ll least be entertaining. I can always expect that from the master of Bayhem.

CHECK BACK TOMORROW FOR PART 2 OF THIS TOP 20 LIST OF MY MOST ANTICIPATED FILMS OF 2016 IN WHICH I’LL BE LISTING MY TOP 10.