New years suck, right? Twelve months have passed and you're stuck with nothing but a year's worth of regret over what you didn't accomplish. You stare down another trip around the sun, making yourself promises about what you'll do while knowing, deep down in your heart, you probably won't achieve any of those goals. New years are less about new beginnings or starting over and more about feeling exhausted and defeated. Or maybe that's just me...
Either way, hey, you know what does get me excited in January? All the movies coming out in the next year that I'm pumped for! 2025 is shaping up to be a good year for cinema. Let me hold onto that hope in the modern hellscape that is our world. As always, I have assembled my list of most anticipated films for the coming year and about a hundred more titles I'm interested in.
My Top Ten Most Anticipated Films of 2025:
1. Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein
The release of Robert Egger's “Nosferatu” – my most anticipated movie of last year – not long ago kicked off what looks to be a promising year for fans of the classic monsters. Leigh Whannel's latest reinvention of a Universal Monster, entitled simply “Wolf Man,” arrives soon enough, whatever surprises it contains hopefully having not been spoiled by theme park costumes. Maggie Gyllenhaal and a tattooed Christian Bale are putting some sort of neo-feminist spin on another classic story with the enthusiastically punctuated “The Bride!” While all of these titles intrigue my monster kid heart, another long-in-development passion project tops my list. Guillermo del Toro, the biggest monster kid working in Hollywood right now, has been talking up his dream “Miltonian” version of “Frankenstein” since at least 2007. In 2009, he cast Doug Jones as the monster. The project would be mentioned every now and then but it wasn't until Netflix gave the direct his post-Best Picture win blank check that it solidify enough to actually happen.
Seeing del Toro puts his own spin on that most iconic of all monster stories is more than enough to get my heart pumping. Naturally, a hell of a cast has been assembled here. Jones has been passed up for rising star Jacob Elrodi in the role of the monster but Oscar Isaac as the doctor, Mia Goth as Elizabeth, and David Bradley as the blind man is more than enough to make up for that. Del Toro is clearly drawing from “Frankensteins” beyond Shelley's novel, as Christoph Waltz has brilliantly been picked to play Dr. Pretorius. (Waltz is also in a “Dracula” movie this year, which is unfortunately sullied by being directed by Luc Besson.) Hopefully Netflix puts this on a big screen, as that's clearly where it deserves to be seen.
2. Onslaught
I have enjoyed Adam Wingard's sojourner into the world of Hollywood blockbusters, as his “Godzilla” movies were gleefully energetic live action Saturday morning cartoons. At the same time, I've long yearned to see him return to the kind of gritty, indie genre films that made his name in the first place. Might that be exactly what the upcoming “Onslaught” is? It's Wingard's first collaboration with the hippest of studios, A24, suggesting this will be a more modestly budgeted affair. The premise – a mother in a trailer park using her particular set of skills to protect her family from a threat that has escaped a local military base – recalls eighties genre cinema like “Watchers” or “Predator.” (The cast also includes an icon of that subgenre, in the form of Michael Biehn. Also Carl Winslow!) In fact, I can't totally dispel this creeping suspicion that, much as “The Woods” was secretly “Blair Witch” all along, that “Onslaught” might covertly be the long requested sequel to Wingard's masterpiece, “The Guest.” The premise and, most obviously, the presence of Dan Stevens in the cast suggests this. Whatever “Onslaught” ends up being, I'm looking forward to it.
3. Eddington
Ari Aster's “Beau is Afraid” didn't make anyone much money but the director smartly went right to work on his next project before his career imploded. “Eddington” has another A-list cast, with Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Pedro Pascal, and a second collaboration with Joaquin Phoenix. The handful of set photos we have suggest the movie will have a noticeable western ambiance. The premise promises a small town that gets “sinister” by nightfall. Knowing the kind of scenarios Aster's work tends to include, I'm betting things get very sinister indeed. Much like “Beau is Afraid,” the film is described as a comedy but it's clear the director's brand of absurdity bends towards the nightmarish as often as it does the amusing. I know some among the cinephile crowd consider Aster a pretentious fraud but I love this guy. Can't wait for him to freak me out again!
4. The Rivals of Amziah King
Five years ago, Andrew Patterson came out of the gates hot with his first feature, “The Vast of Night.” It was an extremely impressive debut and I kept waiting for his next project to get announced. Finally, a follow-up has emerged. While “The Vast of Night” notably featured no actors you've heard of, “The Rivals of Amziah King” features big name talent like Matthew McConaughey, Kurt Russell, and Cole Sprouse. The film will star newcomer Angelina LookingGlass, as a young girl who reteams with a mentor to face “devastating circumstances” and “seek justice.” That could mean anything but Patterson's first flick impressed me enough to take this set-up on faith. Besides, McConaughey and a teenage girl bonding amid some crime land shenanigans sounds like a good time to me.
5. Superman
The world of superhero comics is constantly wrestling with the task to introduce new readers into a format built around decades of continuity, written by and pitched at obsessive-compulsive nerds who remain hyper-focused on the specific details of these endless back issues. Marvel deals with this threat by acting as if everything in the past happened ten years ago or so. DC Comics, meanwhile, has repeatedly utilized rebooting their entire universe every decade or so. True to form, the rival studios are taking the same approach to their cinematic universes. Marvel is chugging along, despite some recent troubles, while DC has abandoned ship on their previous attempt and is rebuilding from scratch.
While the constant reboots in the comics have been disastrous, I'm far more hopeful for DC's relaunch of their superhero movies. James Gunn has repeatedly proven himself to be one of the best directors working in the capeshit genre. Moreover, his approach to Superman, that most iconic of all heroes, seems to be running on sheer sincerity. After the grey nihilism of Zack Snyder's take, I'm very much looking forward to a hopeful Superman. Gunn has assembled a hell of a cast too, with a brassy dame as Lois Lane, a stout-chinned hunk as Clark, a suitably intense Lex Luthor, a scrawny redheaded nerd as Jimmy Olsen, and a colorful supporting cast of eccentric heroes. Most important of all, Krypto the Super Dog is here.
I have no idea if introducing Guy Gardner and Mr. Terrific right out of the gate with our new DC Cinematic Universe is a good idea... But Gunn's twin embracing of deep cut comic book nuttiness and a heartfelt approach to Superman has already won me over. If this flops, then we'll know for sure that the age of the superhero movie is over but I'm going to remain optimistic.
6. Bugonia
Last October, I reviewed a weird Korean movie called “Save the Green Planet!” expressly because Yorgos Lanthimos would be remaking it for his next movie. And that's weird, right? It's not like Lanthimos is a filmmaker especially well known for remaking other people's work. Yes, several of his films are adaptations but his style, of deadpan surrealism and absurdity leaning towards dread, does not strike me as easily applied to anything. Meanwhile, it's not as if “Save the Green Planet!” is a an especially well remembered oddity. It doesn't appear to be on Blu-Ray as of this writing, in this era of boutique labels putting out blinged-out editions of any cult flick of note.
Having now seen the original film, it's easy to see why “Save the Green Planet!” appealed to Lanthimos' sensibilities. It's an exceedingly quirky film that blends absurdist comedy, personal tragedy, and New Age alien religions and far-out conspiracy theories. The latter is always a good basis for a story. I have no doubt that Lanthimos' film will go in wildly different directions from the original. We've already seen that, as Yorgos' muse Emma Stone has been cast as the CEO, as opposed to the male character in the original. We've got two male conspiracy theorists kidnapping the target, instead of a man and a woman, so obviously “Bugonia” – I'm curious about what the hell that title means – will be very different from “Save the Green Planet!” In addition, it's a fruitful premise for our time of Q-Anon and corporate execs entering the White House.
7. The Phoenician Scheme
Wes Anderson remains a divisive talent for many. Detractors accuse him of making the same movie over and over again, of being so consumed by his aesthetic concerns and obsessed with his pet themes that he's lost sight of any heart. I disagree with this, obviously, as I loved “Asteroid City” and found it to be maybe his most interesting film thematically. Those that complain about Anderson repeating himself these days might be lured back by his next project. “The Phoenician Scheme” is said to be a darker film for Anderson, a tale of corporate espionage involving a relationship between a father and his adult daughter. Some sources have even called it a “thriller.” It would seem Tom Hanks and Scarlett Johansson are starring in the key roles, though Anderson's acting trope includes plenty of huge talent. Murray, Ahmed, Cumberbatch, Dafoe, Gainsbourg, Cera, del Toro, Cranston, and Rupert Friend will all be here too. Whether this represents the director trying something different or another visit to his meticulously designed and symmetrical play box, either way, this one has me very intrigued.
8. Famous
I have not read any of Blake Crouch's novels and have no familiarity with it. I vaguely recall the television series “Wayward Pines,” which was apparently based on a trilogy of books he wrote. I should maybe give his stuff a look though, as he seems to write mostly a dark kind of sci-fi and psychological horror that sounds like it'll appeal to me. “Famous” is about an unhinged weirdo with little prospects in life except he happens to be a dead ringer for a world famous movie star, setting down a path to recreate this other life. That's a sharp premise but “Famous” has me intrigued mostly because it's the latest film from Jody Hill. Hill is probably best known for his TV work, creating beloved shows like “Eastbound and Down” and “Vice Principals,” programs I should probably get around to watching some day. Hill also directed “Observe and Report,” one of the best films made about a particular type of dude that has only become more prominent in our culture in the years since it's released. “Famous” clearly has a similar vibe to that film but I'm intrigued to see Hill go from pitch black comedy to straight-up thriller. Zac Efron plays the antihero and his movie star lookalike, the latest example of Efron attempting to show his range as a performer.
9. By Design
Amanda Kramer's “Give Me Pity!” impressed me a few years back, a weirdo journey into a woman's broken psyche through the lens of seventies variety TV specials. Kramer has remained busy since then. Her documentary about virtual reality schlock, “So Unreal!,” is still awaiting release but she's already got another narrative film in the can. IMDb simply describes “By Design” as a “twist on the body swap genre,” a storyline that recently got a big bloody boost with “The Substance.” With actresses that Hollywood has passed by – Juliette Lewis, Melanie Griffith, Robin Tunney – and a young rising star in the shape of Ruby Cruz in the cast, I kind of expected “By Design” to be something similar... Except other sources describe “By Design” as about a woman switching places with a chair. Okay, now I'm really interested! Udo Kier is in the cast too, further getting my eyeballs on this one.
10. The Running Man
Edgar Wright obviously was on a run for many years, with the Cornetto Trilogy and “Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World.” Wright's “Baby Driver” was also good, though not in a way that has stuck in my mind like those other titles. Wright hit a serious snag with “Last Night in Soho,” his first attempt to prove himself outside the comedy genre, being disappointing. Wright is continuing to move away from humor with his next project, a long-in-development new adaptation of Stephen King's “The Running Man.” Now, I adore the Schwarzenegger version of “The Running Man” but it's no secret that it's basically an in-name-only adaptation of King's novel. A more faithful adaptation – whose prescience of reality television and the surveillance state have been frequently noted – is intriguing alone. Will Wright keep the notoriously downbeat ending of the novel? It remains to be seen if Wright can handle that tone. People keep telling me Glenn Powell is going to be a huge star, though I've yet to be won over by him, but there's lots of other notable talent in the cast. “Love Lies Bleeding's” Katy O'Brian, William H. Macy, Josh Brolin, and Lee Pace are here too. I've got this at the bottom of my list exactly because I'm not sure it's going to be good but I'm very intrigued. (And King fans have another high-profile adaptation coming, one of two Oz Perkin flicks on the docket for 2025.)
Other Anticipated Movies:
Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts* and Fantastic Four: First Steps
There's no denying that the stock on superhero cinema has seriously fallen in the last two years. In-between several high-profile flops and the actor's strike, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has clearly been undergoing a lot of reshuffling. It feels like “Captain America: Brave New World” has been reshot two whole times by now, every subsequent trailer and reveal feeling more desperate to win lost audiences back. “Thunderbolts*” – now featuring an asterisk for some reason – has apparently undergone similar reshoots. Both films seem to suffer from a serious miscalculation on Disney's behalf: Audiences haven't latched onto the replacements for their main heroes they've cooked up since “Endgame” while largely ignoring the Disney+ streaming series. “Brave New World” is a sequel to a TV show that came and went with little impact co-starring Captain Israel. “Thunderbolts*,” meanwhile, is made up of the table scraps from the last phase of films. None of this stuff exactly inspires confidence even among dorks like me who have kept up with the MCU and I imagine it's far less interesting to the casual movie-goer.
With so much behind-the-scenes strife and negative buzz brewing against Marvel right now, the studio only seems to have one movie up their sleeve people are genuinely looking forward to. That would be the long awaited decision to have the Fantastic Four finally join the Cinematic Universe. The lined-up cast seems well chosen – love Ralph Inenon as Galactus – and the peeks we've gotten so far are promising. Considering this is the fourth attempt to make Marvel's First Family work on-screen, it remains to be seen if Marvel's current micromanagers can make it work but I'm cautiously optimistic.
The Shrouds, Mickey 17, and more...
Either because my taste is too damn hip or because I'm bad at judging release windows, it's common for my most anticipated films of any given year not to come out until a while later. Let's check back in on what was on my 2024 list? David Cronenberg's “The Shrouds” has been picked up by Janus Films – otherwise known as the distribution wing of the Criterion Collection – for a supposed spring release. WB keeps pushing “Mickey 17's” release date around, having now settled on a March date until they change their mind again. The same studio was unmoved by people's pleas not to shelf “Coyote Vs. ACME” for a tax write-off but it seems they do remain committed to release “The Day Earth Blew Up,” the feature length animated Looney Tunes movie, in theaters this February. Of all the titles I was looking forward to last year, Lynne Ramsey's “Polaris” – her deal with the devil movie starring Joaquin Phoenix – remains mysterious. We've had little information on it since it was announced filming wrapped. Ramsey is filming a whole other movie with Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson – “Die, My Love!” described as a horror film of sorts, so that's cool – but I don't know what's happening with “Polaris.”
28 Years Later
When the first sequel to Danny Boyle's critically adored reinvention of the zombie genre came out, I can recall there was some discussion between Boyle and Alex Garland about it being the middle chapter of a trilogy. Eighteen years passed. Boyle won a couple Oscars. Garland started his own directorial career. It felt like “28 Years Later” probably wasn't going to actually get made... Until suddenly it was very much being made, back-to-back with a sequel no less. The trailer for “28 Years Later” admittedly did a good job of reminding everyone what was so groundbreaking about the original. However, there's a part that honestly is annoyed they didn't wait until 2030 to put this out. Danny Boyle is 68 years old, is he worried he'll be too old to do it by then? Commit to the bit, man. But seriously, it does look good.
Predator: Bloodlines and Final Destination: Bloodlines
“28 Years Later” is far from the only horror franchise getting a new entry this year. In fact, it seems like studios have been happy to pick up a number of discarded titles and dust them off. Hey, how about remakes of “Witchboard” and “Faces of Death?” There's probably a little bit more blood to squeeze out of “The Conjuring,” “Insidious,” and “Fear Street.” Surely someone will pay to watch a legacy sequel to “I Know What You Did Last Summer?” Of all these announced sequels, the ones that have most caught my eyes is “Predator: Badlands” and “Final Destination: Bloodlines.” The former because “Prey” was quite good and I'm eager to see Dan Trachtenberg try out some alien hunting shenanigans in another fresh location. Will Elle Fanning deploy some waif-fu on a yautja amid the post-apocalyptic wasteland? As for “Bloodlines” – generic subtitle aside – it does seem baffling to me that nobody has made one of those in twelve years. That's a formula they could've kept juicing indefinitely, ya know? With the recent passing of Tony Todd, it makes the new installment all the more bittersweet.
Animal Farm
Andy Serkis has managed to segue his status as the number one motion capture performer in Hollywood into a perfectly solid career as an on-screen character actor but as a director too. Not exactly the most critically acclaimed of directorial careers, it must be said. He's previously made an indie drama nobody saw, the other live-action but green screen heavy “Jungle Book” adaptation, and the second of the “Venom” movies. I guess one of those must have done well enough to finally get Serkis' long-in-development dream project. Announced back in 2011, with Serkis' “Planet of the Apes” director Rupert Wyatt initially attached to direct, Serkis would take over duties of the mo-cap, fully animated motion picture some time after that. After Netflix dropped it in 2022, the project is finally moving towards a theatrical release sometime this year. Previous attempts to bring George Orwell's famous parable to cinema scenes include a CIA-backed animated feature from the fifties to a “Babe”-esque live action attempt in the nineties. The former isn't bad, the latter is best forgotten, and we'll see if Serkis hews closely to the text, attempts to modernize the very specific overtones of Orwell's story, or turn it into a family film or something...
Ballerina, Nobody 2, and more...
David Leitch and Chad Stahelski have build a Hollywood empire on the back of the success of the “John Wick” series. Their 87North Productions company has come to specialize in a type of stunt-centric style of action movie that essentially brings the Asian style to mainstream cinemas. And they've got a full slate in 2025. Despite the definitive ending to “John Wick: Chapter 4,” Liongates isn't ready to let that cash cow go yet. They're attempting a spin-off with the wordily entitled “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina.” I think Ana de Armas has some action heroine chops but excuse me if I don't have the highest expectations for a Len Wiseman movie riding the coattails of earlier success... A sequel that is far more promising is “Nobody 2,” the follow-up to the Bob Odenkirk Dadsploitation vehicle that happens to have Timo Tjahjanto – one of the innovators of the style 87North emulates – in the director's chair. Under a similar note is an starring role for Ke Huy Quan, in “Love Hurts.” Hopefully that one actually uses the recent Academy Award winners' underrated martial arts skills. Bizarrely, the company is behind another movie with the word “Ballerina” in the title in the form of “Ballerina Overdrive,” which sees a decent cast of young actresses thrust into an action/adventure scenario, with Uma Thurman and Lena Headey there too. Fun!
The Battle of Baktan Cross
2025 also sees an intriguing slate of beloved auteurs back in the news. I hope you liked “Drive-Away Dolls” because Ethan Coen is re-teaming with Margaret Qualley and writer Tricia Cooke with “Honey Don't!,” described as the second half of their “lesbian B-movie trilogy.” Spike Lee is remaking “High and Low” with Denzel Washington, while Darren Aronofsky is headed back to the nineties with a stacked cast in “Caught Stealing.” All of that is well and good but the one I'm most looking forward to is “The Battle of Baktan Cross...” Or whatever it ends up being called, as the IMDb currently lists the project as “Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Event Film.” The word “event” is important there, as the project has a 140 million dollar budget, being filmed in VistaVision for a IMAX release, and includes an all-star cast led by Leo DiCaprio. All of that is extremely promising and the only thing that kept this off my top ten is the fact that we don't actually know what the hell it's about. Rumors persist that the film is loosely based on Thomas Pynchon's “Vineland,” a story of the War on Drugs in the sixties and eighties. Unless it turns out to be about something else entirely! Either way, I'll be there.
The Mastermind
Some lesser well known auteurs have upcoming work this year too. Boots Riley is following up “Sorry to Bother You” with “I Love Boosters,” a story about shoplifting and the fashion industry with Keke Palmer. After the double dose of “Sick of Myself” and “Dream Scenario” in 2023, Kristoffer Borgli is bringing us something called “The Drama,” also featuring Robert Pattinson. Meanwhile, Kelly Reichardt is returning with “The Mastermind.” The film is described as an art heist movie backgrounded against the Vietnam War. While Reichardt made a good thriller with “Night Moves,” most of her movies are defined by a more reflective pace. Which is to say not a lot always happens in her films! I am a fan of Reichardt despite her sleepy approach – as my retrospective for her can attest to – and I'm curious to see what comes of this.
Bring Her Back and more...
What of my beloved genre craftsmen though? What are some notable horror directors are coming back in the next twelve months? Quite a few, actually! The Phililppou brothers are following up “Talk to Me” with something called “Bring Her Back.” The lesser known duo of David Charbonier and Justin Douglas Powell – whose “The Boy Behind the Door” and “The Djinn” were pretty good – return with home invasion thriller “Push.” Mike Flanagan is adapting another Stephen King story with “The Life of Chuck,” while Scott Derrickson returns to “The Black Phone” as well as a new title called “The Gorge.” Josh Ruben, of “Scare Me” and “Werewolves Within,” is doing a Valentine's Day slasher called “Heart Eyes.” “Saloum's” Jean Luc Herbulot is returning to Senegal with an action/comedy called “Zero.” While the last two parts of Renny Harlin's “Strangers” reboot trilogy remain undated as of now, original creator Bryan Bertino has a Dakota Fanning vehicle called “Vicious” already on the horizon. Going to be a busy year for indie horror snobs such as myself!
Clown in the Cornfield
A indie horror director we haven't heard much about lately is Eli Craig, of beloved cult classic “Tucker and Dale vs Evil.” His previous flick, “Little Evil,” got buried on Netflix amid uninspiring reviews. However, he's back this year with an adaptation of a best-selling novel. You'd think, in-between Pennywise and Art the Clown, we'd have our fill of killer clown stories right now. From the pages of Adam Cesare's novels, Frendo the clown is stepping up into the crowded market with “Clown in a Cornfield.” I should probably crack the cover on my copy of Cesare's book before this one's May release date. We'll see if Craig can repeat the success of “Tucker and Dale” with this one or if it'll end up as another forgotten Shudder original...
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die and more...
Sometimes, we don't hear from a director for a bit because their career has been derailed by a particularly notorious flop. We call this getting put in director's jail and it has befallen many a filmmaker behind otherwise notable titles. It didn't matter if Gore Verbinski guided the original “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy or if Kathryn Bigelow is the first woman to win a Best Director Oscar after “The Lone Ranger” and “Detroit” crashed and burned. Well, a surprising number of names are getting out of director's jail this year. Bigelow is handling a real time thriller about the White House responding to an incoming missile strike for Netflix. Verbinski is back with the high-concept, verbosely entitled “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die.” Duncan Jones hopes to move beyond “Warcraft” and “Mute” with animated comic adaptation “Rogue Trooper.” Tom Tywker leaves the Hollywood commercial failure of “Cloud Atlas” and “A Hologram for the King” behind by returning to Germany and making “The Light.” After loosing Disney a boatload of cash with “John Carter,” Andrew Stanton is going back to live action with “In the Blink of an Eye,” which happens to sound a lot like “Cloud Atlas.” Will any of these titles succeed or will all of these filmmakers find themselves right back in director's jail? That remains to be seen...
Hamnet
Someone technically not in director's jail is Chloe Zhao. She won Oscars for “NomadLand” but her Marvel superhero soap opera, “Eternals,” performed under expectations for the superhero franchise. Only in the world of mega-budget blockbusters could a 400 million dollar gross be considered a letdown! Despite being connected to a “Star Wars” and “Dracula” project, it sounds like Zhao is returning to her more humble roots with “Hamnet.” It's a historical biography about the wife of Shakespeare, especially as she grappled with the death of their son and how it informed the playwright's most beloved work. Which sounds like a project that should win respect and awards, despite a title that makes me think Shakespeare fathered a delicious honey-baked feast. Paul Mascel plays Bill and Jessie Buckley stars as the missus, notably renamed Agnes to presumably avoid any confusion with some other Anne Hathaway...
Holland, Michigan
The great documentarian Errol Morris has been trying to break into scripted films for years now. After the success of Netflix mini-series “Wormwood,” it sounded like he was ready to make that leap by directed the often Blacklisted script “Holland, Michigan.” The project never made it before cameras however. Morris has returned to docs – he has another one coming out this year – but “Holland, Michigan” is coming to theater screens without him. Instead, the project is being directed by Mimi Cave, whose “Fresh” was a nicely twisted little thriller. The premise follows a film in a small town discovering her husband's double life, which seems to continue the theme of women and men pitted against each other that Cave covered in her debut. Nicole Kidman stars, suggesting this will probably be an awards contender, assuming it's any good.
I Want Your Sex
Gregg Araki is also a well regarded name who jumped over to TV after he started to have trouble funding his movies. That TV show was called “Now Apocalypse” and nobody watched it, because it was on Starz. However, Araki continued his pet themes of wild sexual adventures among hip young people with that show. Unsurprisingly, Araki is returning to that familiar ground with his latest feature. Bluntly entitled “I Want Your Sex,” it stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman's son as a guy who becomes the “sexual muse” to an eccentric female millionaire, played by Erika Tracy. Yep, that sounds like a Gregg Araki movie to me! Charli XCX and Margaret Cho are in the cast for some reason! If you're familiar with Araki's particular style, you should already know whether or not this one will appeal to you...
Jurassic World Rebirth
Over his previous four feature films, some clear elements have emerged around Gareth Edwards. The director is exceptionally good at imbuing his special effect sequences with both a grounded sense of reality and a sense of awe or terror at what is happening. This was abundantly clear in both his “Godzilla” reboot and “The Creator.” Also clear from those films is that Edwards struggles with creating personable protagonists that have any sort of inner life. While the latter criticism may still prove to be a problem, I can see why the former quality got Edwards the gig of the next “Jurassic World” movie. Honestly, of all the disciples of Spielberg that fill Hollywood right now, I'd say Edwards is better at capturing their idol's mixture of whimsical admiration and overwhelming terror at the natural world. Granted, the “Jurassic World” movies – which I like, for the record – aren't well known for their compelling or fleshed out characters anyway. This reboot leaves Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard behind, with Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali filling the leads instead. How good the film is remains to be seen but, considering Edwards' pedigree, I bet the dinosaurs will look awesome.
Kiara and the Sun
Another director who can be considered “divisive” at the very least is Taika Waititi. The New Zealand comedy filmmaker went from kind of beloved, for indie quirk fest like “What We Do in the Shadows” and “Boy,” to being kind of despised after winning an Oscar for “Jojo Rabbit” and following up with another superhero movie few seemed to like. He remains in-demand in Hollywood though, even after his soccer movie flopped, as both an actor and a filmmaker. I doubt that he's going to change any of his detractors mind with his next feature. “Kiara and the Sun” teams Taika up with Kazuo Ishiguro, the beloved Japanese novelist. As a screenwriter, Ishiguro's work includes acclaimed dramas like “The Remains of the Day,” “Never Let Me Go,” and “Living.” Ishiguro's usual tone of philosophical emotions sounds like an odd fit for the glib Waititi. Maybe they'll balance each other out. Or maybe, considering this is a sci-fi melodrama about a robot starring Jenna Ortega, this will bring out both their worst attributes for maudlin schmaltz and over-the-top wackiness...
A Working Man
If you're not a comic book nerd, the name “Chuck Dixon” probably means nothing to you. If you do happen to be a fan of four colored frivolity, Dixon probably fills you with a complicated mix of emotion. During the nineties, Dixon would create iconic villain Bane and have acclaimed runs on “Robin,” “Birds of Prey,” and “The Punisher.” More recently, Dixon has become increasingly outspoken about his conservative politics, going so far as to write “anti-woke” comics with right wing con artists. When not bitching about DEI or whatever, Dixon has found time to write over ten novels about Levon Cade, a retired black ops bad-ass who becomes a terrorist fighting vigilante. I've not read the books but can guess at their content, given who wrote them. Normally, I would have little reason to be excited about a film adaptation of the first book, recently retitled “A Working Man.” That it stars Jason Statham is no sure sign of quality, considering he has lent his ass-kicking talent to a number of subpar project. However, the film just happens to be Statham's second collaboration with David Ayer. And “The Beekeeper” fucking rocked, so maybe this will be better than its unpromising lineage makes me expect?
The Naked Gun
Another project that sounds unpromising on its face is a reboot of “The Naked Gun.” Parody movies haven't exactly had a great run within the last decade or two. More pressingly, Leslie Nielsen has been dead for a while and David Zucker has also fallen into right-wing ding-battery. Why would anybody strive to revive the cop spoof series in the modern age, beyond attempting to make a little cash off the back of a recognizable name? All of that is true and fair but there's some suggestion that the new “Naked Gun” might be worthwhile. First off, Akiva Schaffer is directing. While he made that shitty “Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers” movie, he's also responsible for modern classic “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.” This reboot has also found an ideal leading man in Liam Neeson. Much like Nielsen, Neeson is ostensibly a serious performer bringing his straight-laced persona to play as Frank Drebin in service of deadpan laughs. Also, Pamela Anderson – experiencing something of a re-evaluation in her career at the moment – is here for some reason. It sounds like the two have some nice chemistry. Isn't that sweet? Anyway, this will probably be awful but I'm kind of hopeful that Neeson scowling through absurd scenarios might produce a chuckle or too.
Play Dirty
Shane Black has been away for a few years, clearly stung by the studio meddling that made "The Predator" into an incoherent mess. In that time, he's been attached to adaptations of pulp adventure characters like Doc Savage and Remo Williams. (As well as Peel and Steed, which somewhat fits this theme.) Clearly that kind of throwback, tough guy fiction appeals to the guy and he's finally managed to get such a project off the ground: A new movie based on Donald Westlake's Parker novels. That kind of hard boiled, noir fiction about a ruthless criminal seems right up the alley of Black, what with his talent for convoluted detective fiction and smart-ass antiheroes. First off, "Play Dirty" is based off "The Hunter," the first Parker novels previously adapted as "Point Blank" and "Payback." Kind of disappointing that this isn't pulling from one of the other 23 novels Westlake wrote about the character. Most damningly, the film stars Mark Wahlberg. While I enjoy Wahlberg from time to time, his tough guy action movies usually tend to be utterly forgettable and indistinct. Can Black invoke some of the smart-ass energy Wahlberg showed in "The Departed" and "The Other Guys" or will the star's instincts overtake the script? That this is an Amazon production – like a number of other instantly forgotten flicks Wahlberg has made for the streaming giant – can't help but make me fear the latter. At least the supporting cast is stacked... (And Westlake fans have another adaptation to look forward to this year, in the form of Chan-wook Park's "No Other Choice.")
Sinners
Ryan Coogler came out of the gates hot with indie success "Fruitvale Station" and surprisingly excellent legacy sequel "Creed." He then got swallowed up by the Marvel Machine. While "Black Panther" certainly prompted a cultural moment, the sequel suggested any personal vision of Coogler's was getting flattened out by the demands of a billion dollar franchise. Coogler has broken away from Disney for his next project, which admittedly has a hell of a hook: A quasi-western set in the Jim Crow South about Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers, fighting vampires with Tommy guns. Sounds like a good time at the movies to me! The trailer has big "Near Dark" energy, which is exactly what I hoped for. The only thing that kept this off my top ten list is that "Wakanda Forever" was messy enough to shake my confidence in Coogler but expectations are still high for this one.
The Surfer
When "The Surfer" was first announced, the logline gave me certain expectations. Nicolas Cage stars as a surfer who returns to his home town and gets into a turf war with the new generation of watersports enthusiasts occupying his favorite beach, ultimately seeking to protect his son. That sounds not too dissimilar to any number of lowly Geezer Teasers that Cage has lent his name to, even if the premise invokes "Surf Nazis Must Die" a little bit. A closer look revealed that this is directed by Lorcan Finnegan, the filmmaker behind bizarre thrillers like "Vivarium" and "Nocebo." Festival reviews have described it as a nightmarish exploration of toxic masculinity. Ooooh, I love those! The clip released so far suggests the kind of deranged atmosphere that truly tickles my pineal gland. If nothing else, "The Surfer" looks closer to the likes of "Mandy" or "Dream Scenario" than "The Retirement Plan" or "Arcadian" in the modern Cage oeuvre.
Trap House
Sophia Lillis is the rust haired, freckle-faced, blue eyed pixie that has been slowly winning a following from projects like "IT," "Gretel & Hansel," and prematurely canceled Netflix series, "I Am Not Okay With This." Lillis has yet to find the role that will decide whether she remains a cult siren or becomes a big star. I doubt "Trap House" will be that. Described as being about DEA agents pursuing thieves who turn out to be their own teenage kids, this is a Dave Bautista vehicle from the same guy who made the less-than-inspiring "Stuber." Bautista has carved out a fine niche for himself but this feels more akin to "The Killers' Game" than "Knock at the Door." Presumably Sophia is playing one of the teens and I hope she gets some cool shit to do, in a film I'm otherwise keeping my expectations measured for.
Visitation
Nicolas Pesce is an indie filmmaker with an especially perverse perspective, shown in his twisted black-and-white thriller "The Eyes of My Mother" and the extremely kinky and underrated "Piercing." His latest project, "Visitation," sounds like it might be his provocative story yet. It's a horror movie about a teenage girl sent to live with Catholic nuns after the death of her mother, one of whom ends up falling in love with her. Considering the freaky sexual content of Pesce's past work, one can't help but assume this premise will quickly get uncomfortable. And I'm an edgy freak who loves boundary-pushing shit like that, so I'm totally on-board with "Visitation." The director didn't get much out of his last project, an instantly forgotten reboot of "The Grudge," but this sounds much more like the sort of creepy stuff he excels at.
Zootopia 2 and Elio
Disney, as a corporate entity, has proven itself to be distressingly risk averse in recent years. The money people in charge of such things still haven't figured out that turning Marvel and "Star Wars" into a constantly churning content mill has been damaging to the overall value of both brands, as commercial endeavors and certainly artistic ones. Sadly, this same attitude has trickled down to Walt Disney Animation Studio and Pixar as well. Both studios are turning their eyes towards maximizing profits with sequels to beloved past hits. The next of which is "Zootopia 2." I liked the first "Zootopia" well enough. Honestly, exploring its world more while running with the buddy cop movie set-up aren't the worst ideas. At the same time, it's hard to get too invested in this after the mediocre sequels to "Moana" and "Frozen." Before making return trips to "Toy Story" and "The Incredibles," Pixar at least has an original story coming out. That would be "Elio," a properly adorable take on the idea of alien abduction. There seems to have been some behind-the-scenes strife with this one though, "Coco's" Adrian Molina initially directing before being replaced with "Turning Red's" Domee Shi as well as multiple recasting and release date changes. Pixar classics have emerged out chaotic productions before and "Turning Red" was fantastic, so hopefully "Elio" will be better than it sounds.
Other Films of Note:
Above the Below, Amsterdamned 2, Ash, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Beneath the Storm, The Colors Within, Companion, Dead Mail, Death of a Unicorn, Failure!, Havoc, Him, The Legend of Ochi, The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol, Materialists, Mother Mary, Novocain, Soulm8te, Until Dawn, Wake Up Dead Man, Warfare, Wildwood, Xeno