Top 12 Most Anticipated Films of 2017

Howdy ladies and gents, time for my top 12 most anticipated films of 2017, I know it’s almost 2 weeks into 2017 and most people have done their lists already, but I had to sort out PART 1, 2 & 3 of my Films to Look Out For in 2017 lists first. Now I’m finally ready to reveal the films I’m most looking forward to. Now this was a hard list to put together so this some of these films aren’t specifically in order (mainly in the lower half). But anyway let’s get on with this list.

12. Wonder Woman

This is the superhero film from DC and Warner Bros that I’m the most curious/excited to see, not only is the first solo film for Wonder Woman, but it is also the first film in the DCEU not handled by Zack Snyder (not counting David Ayer). I’m just very fascinated to see how this film plays out, the second trailer really sold me on this film with its vibrant colour palette, cool action sequences and interesting characters. I hope this film succeeds.

11. The Fate of the Furious

While I’m not overly keen on the idea of Dom going against the very people he’s had such strong ties to for so many films now, but hey if it means we can get Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson teaming up then I think I’m cool with it. The film will be interesting to see how the story plays out, but more importantly for all the crazy action sequences, I really want to know how that submarine fits into this film. 😛

10. Dunkirk

This is the first war film from Christopher Nolan, I think that’s all that I need to say haha. But seriously that’s my main reasons for watching this film, that and the cast.

9. Kong: Skull Island

I’m really curious to see how this film turns out, I was initially really exited for this film, but the second trailer with the humour and overall atmosphere wasn’t as good as the last trailer. I have hope for this just because I want a good King Kong film with some cool mystery, mythology and potential ties that could set up the crossover film with Godzilla in 2020,

8. Thor Ragnarok

I think it is safe to say that Thor is the least loved Avenger, even though he works well in the Avengers films, his solo films haven’t fared to well with certain fans and critics. I love the first film and don’t care for The Dark World, but Ragnarok has the potential to be the best of the three with the incorporation of Ragnarok, Hela, the Planet Hulk storyline and seeing what Taika Waititi can do with an MCU film? I’m down.

7. John Wick Chapter Two

The first film was a lot of fun and as soon as I saw the teaser for this sequel it caught my attention straight away. I’m just looking forward to some more kick ass action with Keanu Reeves being a badass.

6. Kingsman The Golden Circle

The first Kingsman was one of my favourite films of 2014 and while I didn’t need a sequel, I am glad that it exists just so I can see where Eggsy’s and his crew advance to and see how these new characters factor into the story.

5. Logan

Here we have a film I’ve been looking forward to for a while now, but wasn’t absurdly excited for until I saw that trailer. The trailer for this film  totally took me by surprise and now all I can hope is that the film is half as good as the trailer is. Logan looks dramatic, violent and totally different from what we’ve seen from the X-Men film series so far, I can only hope it delivers the goods.

4. Spider-Man: Homecoming

Spider-Man is my boy, he was awesome in Civil War and now has his solo film on the horizon and so far it looks really good. I already love Tom Holland in the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, I can’t wait to see how Michael Keaton handles Vulture, and finally I just hope that this film is the one that gets that right balance of high drama with superhero adventures right. This could be Spectacular Spider-Man in live-action if we’re lucky.

3. War For the Planet of the Apes

If this film is as good as the trailer suggests, then War could be part of one of the best trilogy of films in recent film history. I really want to see the war between humans and apes kick off, seems like Caesar is done being patient and forgiving and will butt heads with Woody Harrelson (who looks crazy cool).

2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

I feel like the wait for this film has been SO long, my love for Guardians of the Galaxy was pretty intense back in the summer of 2014 and I’ve been ready for so long to see these characters back in action. Now we’re only around 4 months away and the details we’ve gotten James Gunn and the first trailers have only made me more excited, can’t wait to see the visual spectacle and hear that new soundtrack.

1. Star Wars Episode VIII

I think we all knew that Star Wars was gonna end up at number one, while there are many other films that have me excited for different reasons whether they be first time adaptations or original films, seeing the next chapter in the episodic Star Wars films. Regardless of your thoughts on The Force Awakens, it was still a solid film which set up this new world of

Now I know the majority of my list are all major blockbuster films and a good few of them are comic book films but I can’t help it, I like what I like and I want awesome comic book adaptations. So what are your most anticipated films of the year? Drop me a comment below and I’ll see ya on the next blog post, laters! 😀

 

Films To Look Out For In 2017 Part 3

Howdy people of the interweb and welcome to Films to look out for in 2017! This is my preview of upcoming films that I believe deserve your attention this year. In PART 1 I covered films from January to March, in PART 2 I covered April to July and in this post I’ll be covering August to December.

Now before we begin I have two main things I need to point out:

1. Obviously a lot of films come out, so if they’re not on my list it’s either because I don’t know about them or I don’t care…
2. 2016 films getting their UK releases this year don’t count! So there. 😛

Okay then, let’s start 😀

Baby Driver

Release Date: August 11th (USA & UK)

Trailer:

I am a massive fan of Edgar Wright and I will follow his career wherever it goes, and while I will always wonder what he would have brought to Ant-Man, I still respect his decision, plus his original projects are always more interesting. I like the sound of the premise and the cast is also impressive including Lily James, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Kevin Spacey and Jon Bernthal among others.

The Hitman’s Bodyguard

Release Date: August 18th (USA & UK)

I just looked this film up and it sounds like it could be fun, while I’m always dubious of comedies these days, action comedies at least have some spectacle that I’ll enjoy and the premise sounds like it could be worth watch, plus this cast is interesting including Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman, Élodie Yung, and Salma Hayek, I’m down.

American Made

Release Date: August 25th (UK), September 29th (USA)

I’m always looking forward to Doug Liman’s next project especially after Edge of Tomorrow and the fact that he’s teamed up with Tom Cruise on this project gives me hope that the film will be worth a watch. The premise sounds interesting and I am curious to see how those real life events translate to the big screen.

Granite Mountain

Release Date: September 22nd (USA & UK)

Here’s the premise: “A drama based on the elite crew of men who battled Yarnell Hill Fire, a wildfire in Prescott, Arizona in June 2013 that claimed the lives of 19 of their members.” I may have heard about this film’s production on Collider Movie talk before or some other film-related site, but reading about the premise it sounds like a captivating and intriguing story to be brought to the big screen. I’m really curious to see how Joseph Kosinski handles this film, so far he’s made Tron: Legacy and Oblivion, both films I enjoyed but were more style over substance, though I liked the latter film more for its story and mystery, so maybe with a more grounded story he’ll be able bring something new. Oh and I’m liking this cast including Jennifer Connelly, Taylor Kitsch, Josh Brolin, Jeff Bridges, Miles Teller and Ben Hardy (who will have more to do than he did in X-Men: Apocalypse) and Alex Russell who I haven’t seen since Chronicle.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Release Date: September 29th (UK), October 6th (USA)

Kingsman: The Secret Service was one of the best surprises from 2014 and I think ended up in my top 5 of that year, it was so fun, action-packed, hilarious and violent and totally had all of the best qualities that come with a Matthew Vaughn film, but was also self-aware and had some good pop culture references too. So when I heard there’d be a sequel, part of me was wanting to leave the first film alone, but I was also curious to see where this series would go. So now we have the sequel with a cast possibly more impressive than the last including newcomers Julianne Moore, Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges and Elton John? This should be an interesting adventure an I hope it can be the badass sequel it has the potential to be.

Blade Runner 2049

Release Date: October 6th (USA & UK)

At this current pont in time I haven’t seen the first Blade Runner, I know, blasphemy right? All I can say is that I just haven’t gotten around to it yet, but I obviously will have seen it by the time this sequel comes out later on this year. I was never overly interested in a sequel to this film until Denis Villeneuve was attached to direct, I haven’t even the entire teaser trailer, this film is a mystery to me and I’m curious to see how it unfolds.

The Snowman

Release Date: October 13th (USA & UK)

I don’t know much about this film besides the fact that it’s a crime thriller based around a detective who investigates the disappearance of a woman whose pink scarf is found wrapped around an ominous-looking snowman, it’s directed by the man who did Let the Right One In and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (the former I liked and the latter I didn’t) and it stars my peeps Michael Fassbender and Rebecca Ferguson, so those facts altogether have me interested.

Logan Lucky

Release Date: October 13th (USA)

Here we have another interesting film with no UK release date, but there’s a great cast and director and a fun premise. I’m always interested ina comedy if the right kind of people are behind it and his you have Steven Soderbergh in the director’s chair I’m already intrigued, but then you add a cast including Adam Driver, Channing Tatum, Seth MacFarlane, Daniel Craig, Katherine Heigl, Hilary Swank and Sebastian Stan? I’m all over it, I really hope the trailer is good when it gets released.

The Commuter

Release Date: October 13th (USA) October 20th (UK)

All I know is that I like action thrillers and with a cast that includes Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Sam Neill, Elizabeth McGovern, Jonathan Banks and Patrick Wilson I’m pretty excited to see how this turns out, especially with because you can never have enough Sam Neil. 😀

Thor: Ragnarok

Release Date: October 27th (UK), November 3rd (US)

I’m unapologetic about my love for Thor from 2011, while not a perfect film, I think there was a lovely sense of wonder, mythology, fun and interesting themes and character elements introduced into not only that film but also the MCU as a whole… And then there’s Thor: The Dark World, one of the most, if not the most forgettable film in the MCU, while there were some cool aspects with Thor and Loki and some action scenes, overall the film was a massive step down for me. And now we have Thor 3, a film that will have: 1) Thor and Hulk together (they had some of the best scenes in The Avengers). 2) Taika Waititi in the directing chair which is awesome. 3) Some adaptation of the Planet Hulk storyline, yay! 4) And a crazy impressive cast including Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Hopkins. This has the potential to be really good, but we’ll see.

Justice League

Trailer:

Release Date: November 17th (USA & UK)

I’m so dubious of this film, while I do want it to succeed I just don’t know if I’ll get a version of the characters that I liked from the animated shows that I enjoyed in the teenage years. Now I know as an adaptation there will be changes from the comics to screen, however, with Man of Steel and Batman V Superman, I feel like there were some unnecessary changes to the basic elements of Superman and Batman in terms of the characters, tone and story that made them a little unlikable for me and some other fans. Now with Justice League, that first footage they showed at Comic-Con last year was interesting for sure and I liked some elements, but I don’t know if it will be a film I’ll like overall. I’m cautiously optimistic.

Coco

Release Date: November 22nd (USA) December 8th (UK)

Well here we have another new Pixar film which isn’t a sequel or prequel, but an original film and I’m interested but dubious for one key reason; the story is based on the Mexican holiday The Day of the Dead. The reason I am a little less excited about this film is because we’ve already had a film based around this holiday in the form The Book of Life and then there was the opening sequence in Spectre that had a big focus on that event too. Now I know that this film will have its own original take on the holiday and will have those Pixar elements that will make it special, but I guess I need a trailer in order to be swayed.

Murder on the Orient Express

Release Date: November 22nd (USA) November 24th (UK)

I’m usually not down with remakes of older films especially if the original was pretty good, but if there is a chance that a new filmmaker can add a new perspective that wasn’t able to be done beforehand then I’m at least interested… And that is the case with this film. I liked the 1974 film when I saw it in college, but I never had a crazy attachment to it, so when I heard that there was going to be another version to be directed by Kenneth Branagh, I was all over it. Plus the cast for this film is insanity with Daisy Ridley, Kenneth Branagh, Olivia Colman, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Michael Peña and Michelle Pfeiffer? Madness, I really hope this film is good.

Star Wars: Episode VIII

Release Date: December 15th (USA & UK)

Rogue One may not have been for everyone but I and numerous other fans across the world certainly enjoyed it, but let’s be real, everyone was waiting for Episode VIII. Besides the addition of Laura Dern and Benicio del Toro and some comments from Rian Johnson about a heavy focus on Luke and Rey’s relationship and what was going on with Luke Skywalker since Return of the Jedi, there’s not much else to go on. All I want is more drama, character development, some more darkness, more Kylo Ren and Snoke, and finally some sweet Luke lightsaber action, that’s all I could ever want.

Pitch Perfect 3

Release Date: December 22nd (USA & UK)

I will never hide my love for Pitch Perfect, it was one of my favourite music-based film experiences in the cinema in years, it was such a pleasant surprise and cemented my love for Anna Kendrick forever. But then Pitch Perfect 2 came out, and I was stupid hyped for that sequel, but it was a disappointment, not a terrible film, but nowhere near as clever or as fun as the previous film. So when I heard there would be another sequel I wasn’t too keen, but because I like these characters I know I’ll be back to see this new film, I just hope the music, humour and story is better this time around.

The Greatest Showman

Release Date: December 25th (USA) December 29th (UK)

While I am interested in the story for the film, it is the cast that really have my interest. Seeing Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Rebecca Ferguson and Michelle Williams together makes me very happy, plus I’m curious to see what Zendaya will bring to this film too. Plus it is a musical and while I’m not the biggest fan of those, I have been watching more over the last few years from Les Misérables to Sing Street and La La Land so I’m more open to them than I was before.

So finally that’s PART 3 done. Thanks a lot for reading. Are any of the films listed on your personal list of films to watch? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to drop them below and coming back to see my Most Anticipated Films of 2017! Laters 😀

 

Rian Johnson to Write and Direct Star Wars: Episode VIII!

Howdy ladies and gentlemen, time for a news update and what a piece of news it was. Seems like everything is going full steam ahead in the world of Star Wars with Episode VII filming away and the recent talks of the first spin-off going into production pretty soon too. And now news of the next chapter already with an interesting new face in the writing and directing chair. The following information comes from superherohype:

In a major update to the future of the Star Wars saga on the big screen, Deadline is reporting that Brick, Looperand The Brothers Bloom helmer Rian Johnson is making plans to write and direct Star Wars: Episode VIII. Although the outlet is also reporting that he’ll direct Star Wars: Episode IX, TheWrap claims that Johnson will only provide a treatment for the saga-finale and that a director for that final film has not yet been decided on. We’ll update with official word as soon as it’s available.

Johnson joins a seemingly ever-growing slate of top directors that are setting lightspeed coordinates for a galaxy far, far away. J.J. Abrams is currently filming Star Wars: Episode VII while both Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) and Josh Trank (Chronicle) are planning to helm solo films. The plan is for a new Star Wars film to hit every year beginning with Episode VII on December 18, 2015.

Johnson took to Twitter as news of the deal broke, sharing his thoughts on the announcement via the below video clip from Phil Kaufman’s 1983 film The Right Stuff. (Please be aware, the clip does contain some strong language).

Well this is definitely a surprise, but a pleasant one for sure. While it was never confirmed that J.J. Abrams would direction the next episode in the Star Wars series, I am surprised to learn that they’ve announced plans for Episode VIII already. However if anyone is to handle the next main film in this series I am happy that it is Rian Johnson. I really loved Looper and knew that after that film he would probably direct some great films in the future, but he’s been fairly quiet over the last year and a bit (though he has directed a few episode of Breaking Bad), but now we know he’s taking on the beast that is Star Wars and if his previous directing efforts are anything to go by then I think we’re in good hands. The man knows sci-fi and seems to be able to direct actors pretty well so I’ll be curious to see how Episode VIII will differ from VII in terms of the style and tone of direction and writing too.

So what do you think of this news? Be sure to comment below and let me know yo! 😀