While it has been a great blockbuster season with a lot of films that I just can't wait to buy on Blu-Ray, I think that it is time to look ahead to the rest of the year. I am getting a little worn down by the constant stream of excess in the movie world right now, but it has been a much more consistent summer than last year's dismal group of blockbusters (excluding The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises). I just posted my best of the year so far on the site and I would say that I have four films that I will buy on Blu-Ray with two or three that I would pick up on sale out of the 18 films I have watched this year, which is a much better total than last year. But, the end of the summer season is near with only two or three big movies left and soon it will be time to head on over to the Fall season when the awards are in full swing. Here are my fifteen most anticipated films for the rest of the year:
15. NEBRASKA- November 22
Buzz on this was decent out of the Cannes Film Festival, but it's a film by Alexander Payne, the guy who made The Descendants, one of the best films of 2011 that should have won best picture. So after that long, grammatically incorrect sentence, I tell you that I am quite excited for Nebraska even if the buzz is middling.
14. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2- September 27
The first one was good, an oddly quirky animated film. With the trailer just released for the second one, I know that it will be right up my alley. Bright, colorful animation, cool concepts and just an overall sense of fun. That's why I go to animated movies and that's why I'll be going to this one.
13. THOR: THE DARK WORLD- November 8
Thor: The Dark World is the first Marvel sequel to a film other than Iron Man so it will be interesting to see how they handle it. I go see whatever Marvel does, so there is the main reason for my excitement on this one.
12. THE WORLD'S END- August 23
I have not seen any of the films in Edgar Wright's Blood and Ice Cream trilogy, but the latest trailer had me literally laughing out loud. I love Simon Pegg from Mission: Impossible and Star Trek and I think that he can really deliver a great performance. The supporting cast is fantastic as well, and the original sci-fi concept mixed with comedy has me really stoked. "Don't be daft Steve, the bible was written by Jesus!" Hilarious.
11. THE CONJURING- July 19
It's about a week from now that I'll be seeing this film and I'm already scared as all get out. The trailers are just terrifying and I know that this is the kind of horror film that I will love and one that will truly scare me. Some of my favorite films are horrors (Halloween, The Shining) and I can't wait to add another classic to that list. Clap clap.
10. THE BUTLER- August 16
I love biopics and I don't mind a really sentimental one every once in a while. Plus, The Butler feels like Forrest Gump (one of my favorite films) with a great cast. What's not exciting about that?
9. PRISONERS- September 20
Prisoners is one of those films that I had no idea existed at the beginning of the year or even the beginning of the summer, but now, is one that I'm really exited for. It looks Kubrickian in style, the plot sounds really solid and we could get another Oscar-worthy performance from Hugh Jackman.
8. SAVING MR. BANKS- December 13 (limited), December 20 (wide)
A biopic about Walt Disney, one of my favorite historical figures, telling the relationship between him and PL Travers. Just sounds like a great idea. It's a Hollywood story. I love those. It's a biopic. I love those. It's Disney. I love Disney. What could truly go wrong. Sure, it looks sappy, but that's kind of the point.
7. THE MONUMENTS MEN- December 18
The Monuments Men stars a huge cast including Matt Damon and John Goodman, is produced by the guys who made Argo, and is directed by George Clooney. Can anyone tell me what is not to like about this movie???
6. JACK RYAN- December 25
All of the good spy thrillers seem to come out around Christmas nowadays (Skyfall, Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol) and with that in mind, along with the great cast led by the charismatic Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner, and Kenneth Branagh, there's a lot to be excited about with this film, which also happens to be directed by Branagh.
5. CAPTAIN PHILLIPS- October 11
This is the exact same time that Argo debuted last year and the awards buzz on this one is just as strong. It looks more like it will be in the vein of Zero Dark Thirty, which fits director Paul Greengrass' style better. Tom Hanks could definitely win an Oscar for his take on the title character. In addition, the trailer is stunning.
4. AMERICAN HUSTLE- December 13 (limited), December 25 (wide)
David O. Russell has become one of those directors who I see their movies no matter what. American Hustle will be no exception. It's the story of Abscam, a political scandal in the '70s and stars Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Robert De Niro and more. Yeah, I'll be there.
3. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS- December 6
The Coen brothers have made a lot of great films in the last twenty years and if the buzz out of Cannes means something, Inside Llewyn Davis will be no exception. It looks like a pitch perfect blend of mood, style and great acting and storytelling. I'm hoping for a great one with this film.
2. ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND CONTINUES- December 20
Anchorman is one of the funniest movies of all time and hopefully the sequel can live up to the standard that the original set. However, as Arrested Development proved, sometimes you can only catch lightning in a bottle once.
1. GRAVITY- October 4
This movie could go very wrong but I'm going risky on this one. Although I didn't like Prisoner of Azkaban as much as the rest of the Harry Potter series, there is no doubt that Alfonso Cuaron is visionary director and I think that his film will suit him well. It could very well be a masterpiece. It's been getting comparisons to 2001: A Space Odyssey, which makes me really excited.
So that's it. There were a lot of films that just got cut that I'm excited for, but in the end, these are the movies that I am looking forward to the most.
15. NEBRASKA- November 22
Buzz on this was decent out of the Cannes Film Festival, but it's a film by Alexander Payne, the guy who made The Descendants, one of the best films of 2011 that should have won best picture. So after that long, grammatically incorrect sentence, I tell you that I am quite excited for Nebraska even if the buzz is middling.
14. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2- September 27
The first one was good, an oddly quirky animated film. With the trailer just released for the second one, I know that it will be right up my alley. Bright, colorful animation, cool concepts and just an overall sense of fun. That's why I go to animated movies and that's why I'll be going to this one.
13. THOR: THE DARK WORLD- November 8
12. THE WORLD'S END- August 23
11. THE CONJURING- July 19
10. THE BUTLER- August 16
9. PRISONERS- September 20
Prisoners is one of those films that I had no idea existed at the beginning of the year or even the beginning of the summer, but now, is one that I'm really exited for. It looks Kubrickian in style, the plot sounds really solid and we could get another Oscar-worthy performance from Hugh Jackman.
8. SAVING MR. BANKS- December 13 (limited), December 20 (wide)
A biopic about Walt Disney, one of my favorite historical figures, telling the relationship between him and PL Travers. Just sounds like a great idea. It's a Hollywood story. I love those. It's a biopic. I love those. It's Disney. I love Disney. What could truly go wrong. Sure, it looks sappy, but that's kind of the point.
7. THE MONUMENTS MEN- December 18
The Monuments Men stars a huge cast including Matt Damon and John Goodman, is produced by the guys who made Argo, and is directed by George Clooney. Can anyone tell me what is not to like about this movie???
6. JACK RYAN- December 25
5. CAPTAIN PHILLIPS- October 11
4. AMERICAN HUSTLE- December 13 (limited), December 25 (wide)
3. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS- December 6
2. ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND CONTINUES- December 20
1. GRAVITY- October 4
So that's it. There were a lot of films that just got cut that I'm excited for, but in the end, these are the movies that I am looking forward to the most.
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