What I'm Excited for in 2016
First off! I've already seen Kung Fu Panda 3, Deadpool, and Triple 9 which all went well. So that covers January and February of this year. Now that that's out of the way let's continue on.
Welcome back to the part of this site that actually blogs! If you couldn't tell from the last list, I like to watch movies. What kind of movies you ask? Well the kind of movies you'll see on this list, that's what kind! Take a journey from March to December of 2016 of movies I'd like to see.
Film:
Knight of Cups (March 4)
What I'm Expecting:
I hope I'm surprised and Christian Bale's talent overrides Terrence Malick's insistence on making all his films feel like you're being punished for wanting to see his movies.
What Will Probably Happen:
It'll be a PRETTY tedious film. Get it? Because, it will probably look good while making you question whether or not you should stop watching every 5 minutes.
Film:
London Has Fallen (March 4)
What I'm Expecting:
I'm expecting that since they got all the heavy hitters (acting wise) who survived the first film to come back that there will be a reason they all came back. The first movie was a lean action movie that surprised me by not trying to complicate things with a cute plucky sidekick or any romantic entanglement to speak of. Just save the president and stop Melissa Leo from getting beat up.
What Will Probably Happen:
There's no reason this should have been made. Chances are when the lights go on after I see this in theatres, I'll think to myself, "You should have known better."
Film:
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (March 4)
What I'm Expecting:
Tina Fey rarely lets me down. Margot has a similar track record. You add Alfred Molina and a re team of Fargo's Lester and Malvo and you've got a movie I want to see.
What Will Probably Happen:
There is a chance that this will be underwhelming, but I'm going to go forward trusting Tina's choices in starring roles and the writing team behind this and say I'll most likely enjoy this film.
Film:
Zootopia (March 4)
What I'm Expecting:
Based on the voice cast and the fact that I generally love animated film anyway, I'm going to assume this will bring Wreck-It Ralph-esque levels of enjoyment to me.
What Will Probably Happen:
I refuse to believe I won't like this movie. It's TALKING ANIMALS and Idris Elba is in it!
Film:
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (March 25)
What I'm Expecting:
It's complicated, ok. It is often thought that I love all things Batman related. That is false. I love the character of Batman... well I love my interpretation of the character of Batman. So if you deviate from that, you're going to hear and read about it! Then I'll write about it, talk about it, then write some more. I hope this is good is all I can really say.
What Will Probably Happen:
I'll probably end up liking this film less than I would have liked then defending it against people who don't like it for reasons I find less than valid.
Film:
The Boss (April 8)
What I'm Expecting:
I think Melissa McCarthy is funny! Get over it.
What Will Probably Happen:
Like most things Melissa related, her performance has a way of making me feel better about movies I might not have liked had she not been cast. Not Gilmore Girls though... I don't much care for Gilmore Girls.
Film:
The Jungle Book (April 15)
What I'm Expecting:
Are they going to sing in this or not? They needn't bother. Christopher Walken as Cousin Louie is inspired casting. Idris Elba in anything is always welcome. Plus I dig Jungle Book something fierce. Bring in Favreau as director and you've got a movie I'm down to watch.
What Will Probably Happen:
I will most likely be taken out of things because of the animation. It took until this third trailer for me to be certain the kid wasn't animated. Everything looks just a little goofy. However, the cast and overall enjoyment for the story will move things along. Plus if this does suck, Andy Serkis will shoot his shot next year.
Film:
Keanu (April 29)
What I'm Expecting:
Dog, I don't even like cats, but I'm already charmed by this one. Also I don't know if you know this or not, but I'm a huge Key & Peele fan. Is Jason Mitchell in this too? I'm going to see this no matter what!
What Will Probably Happen:
I'm going to like this movie and defend it on social media for years to come.
Film:
Captain America: Civil War (May 6)
What I'm Expecting:
WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE! 3 black super heroes in one movie [Granted there's a good chance not all of them will make it to the end of the movie... but still!]!!!!!! In more serious news, Civil War is one of my most anticipated movies of the year. I loved Winter Soldier and trust that this will only maintain or increase my confidence in the Russo brothers.
What Will Probably Happen:
I know what you're thinking! Don't have such high hopes! But, Russos' had their Batman Begins and this will be their Dark Knight. Infinity War,s on the other hand, will most definitely be their Dark Knight Rises.
Film:
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (May 20)
What I'm Expecting:
I'm expecting cool cameos and one Hannibal Burres stolen scene. Other than that, Seth won me back over with The Night Before and I'm always down to watch Rose Byrne and Chloe Moretz. Plus that car bit at the end has consistently made me chuckle every time I see it.
What Will Probably Happen:
It'll be fine if they keep the cameos and interesting tangents like the spelling of sorority coming.
Film:
The Nice Guys (May 20)
What I'm Expecting:
As much as I don't like Russell Crowe, I can't turn down a Shane Black film with Ryan Gosling actually showing emotion and not mumbling all his lines!
What Will Probably Happen:
I look forward to adding this to the very short list of movies where I didn't have to ignore Russell or stop liking the movie because of Russell. It feels like I might genuinely like him in this.
Film:
X-Men: Apocalypse (May 27)
What I'm Expecting:
To be honest, I'm only going to see this out of duty. I really wish this was a Matthew Vaughn film. I liked Days of Future Past more than I thought I would but it was no where near as good as X2 or First Class. Having said that, seeing the four horsemen in the form of Storm, Psylocke, Angel, and Magneto??? will be good and my boy Oscar never disappoints even if he's in a bad movie... which so far for me has only been Robin Hood.
What Will Probably Happen:
I hope to be delightfully surprised.
Film:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (June 3)
What I'm Expecting:
The character design somehow looks worse and they seem to still want to sexualize April, but THOSE SPLOSIONS DOE! To keep it 8 more than 92, the appeal definitely manifests itself in the form of the cartoon being up on the big screen with Beebop, Rocksteady, Baxter, Krang, Shredder, AND CASEY JONES played by GREEN ARROW all in one movie. I have to see this don't I?
What Will Probably Happen:
It will stink and I'll know it the whole way through while convincing myself I needed to experience it.
Film:
Now You See Me 2 (June 10)
What I'm Expecting:
I liked the first one. Until the ending that really relied on people not thinking too hard about it. Making a sequel really makes it seem like the people involved didn't realize they got away with something and now they're returning to the scene of the crime and they're going to get burnt. On the plus side the idea of Harry Potter being bad at magic in that final scene makes me think I'll have fun again.
What Will Probably Happen:
To add to the knocks against this movie, there is no sign of Isla Fisher... I like Isla Fisher... where's Isla Fisher??? Seriously though, If you can't get 2nd string Amy Adams to come back, what hope is there? Did I mention, I unironically like Isla Fisher?
Film:
Central Intelligence (June 17)
What I'm Expecting:
Just try to hate on the charisma of Kevin and Dwayne... go on! These two guys are usually great when they're part of an ensemble and the marketing for this movie (Little Hart, Big Johnson) is just... well you can see how the movie writes itself can't you? I dig these two and I'm willing to support them.
What Will Probably Happen:
If this ends up being a PG movie, I'll hate how neutered Kevin will feel. I need him and everyone else in this movie to have full use of their cussing for this movie. As you can tell there isn't much going for this movie other than my affinity for the actors and swearing... how could that go wrong?
Film:
Finding Dory (June 17)
What I'm Expecting:
Another sequel I'm actually totally on board for! I really liked Finding Nemo and Dory was a big part of that. Because, they took their time with this one, thus aging Alex Gould out of a job, I have to assume this will be a story worth telling that will get me to hide the fact that I'm holding back tears behind my 3D shades.
What Will Probably Happen:
Having missed out on the Good Dinosaur, all I have to say is, It's Pixar, c'mon! Inside Out gave them their groove back!
Film:
The BFG (July 1)
What I'm Expecting:
You had me at Oscar winner, Mark Rylance, Steven! You didn't need to go and add Bill Hader and Jemaine Clemente... just kidding, those guys are awesome, and I'm all in!
What Will Probably Happen:
This could go the way of Tintin... not horrible, just not my cup of tea.
Film:
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (July 8)
What I'm Expecting:
Canadians know what I mean when I say, I can't believe they got "Sugar Baby in this movie!" Then they put Richard Splett... the unsung hero of Veep in this! To say nothing of my appreciation of Adam Devine, Aubrey Plaza, and Anna Kendrick.
What Will Probably Happen:
I just can't muster the intensity to not like this movie. It has a low bar to get over and I think it'll do it.
Film:
The Secret Life of Pets (July 8)
What I'm Expecting:
Pauline liked this better when the movie seemed like it was just pets at home while their owners went to work. But I'm liking the focus on Kevin Hart's unhinged bunny. Plus LOUIS C.K. EVERYBODY!!!!
What Will Probably Happen:
This has Minions let down written all over it. But it also has Hannibal Buress... so... I hope I like his scenes?
Film:
Ghostbusters (July 15)
What I'm Expecting:
This is a solid cast... I don't care what anyone says. I'm not even into this for the Melissa aspect. Even though I thought Leslie would be part of the team from the jump. And that she wouldn't just be a Winston carbon copy (bug eyed/"oh lawd jesus, it's a g-g-g-GHOST"/not really on the team) I've heard she could still be more important than the trailer is letting on. Plus, I trust the director, the actors, I just think this movie will be fun. However, I don't really care as much about this franchise as I do the Turtles, Batman, Star Wars, Star Trek, or basically any other thing that people get precious about from their childhoods, so, maybe getting into fights at work about this movie isn't the best idea.
What Will Probably Happen:
Everyone will kneel at my feet to say "you were right, YG, I enjoyed myself! Moreover, contrary to popular belief, the movie I'm overly protective of from the 80s didn't some how disappear and I can enjoy that movie too!"
Film:
Star Trek Beyond (July 22)
What I'm Expecting:
Apparently this trailer is to Star Trek fans what nipples on the Bat Suit is to good movie fans. I don't see it though. This looks like fun. If they'd only let Idris show his face. Who care's I maintain that the movie looks fun and I've enjoyed every movie in this iteration of Star Trek so far.
What Will Probably Happen:
I'll question whether or not I'm critical enough as I leave the theatre feeling entertained while people write think pieces on why it was so bad.
Film:
Jason Bourne (July 29)
What I'm Expecting:
Finally Matt came to his senses and is back from outter space... get it? It's a Martian joke! This trailer has done an excellent job at making me think that this franchise has learned from the mistakes of the last two films. There is no more dearth of action, and Jeremy Renner isn't the lead. By the way, I have nothing against Jeremy in a supporting role. This trailer almost made me forget this fiasco... I wonder how the Oscars got so white, THO!
What Will Probably Happen:
I'll like it more than I should because of the corrections I mentioned above.
Film:
Suicide Squad (August 5)
What I'm Expecting:
My second most anticipated movie of the year. Diverse cast? Check! Will Smith in a potential Independence Day (no I didn't forget to put the Will Smithless sequel on this list) like ensemble cast that will pull him out of the funk he was in pre Focus? Check! What's that? It was filmed in Toronto, is the first live action Harley Quinn on screen and has Batman and Joker in it too? Yeah, let's do this!
What Will Probably Happen:
This will be 2016's Guardians of the Galaxy. I'll like the Captain America movie more but people will all agree that this movie is good.
Film:
Sausage Party (August 12)
What I'm Expecting:
I like animation. I like crude humor. I like Seth Rogen. I feel like I could like this movie. There's no trailer that I can find yet but here are some people bellyaching about it already.
What Will Probably Happen:
This will be the surprise hit of my year and maybe no one else's.
Film:
Snowden (September 16)
What I'm Expecting:
My appreciation for the cast outweighs the fact that I've only liked W., and Any Given Sunday from Mr. Stone. I also liked the Rodney Dangerfield parts of Natural Born Killers. Something about the subject matter makes me feel like Oliver Stone won't be able to get too crazy on me and overshoot the mark on this one.
What Will Probably Happen:
I might like parts of this movie and struggle with most of it.
Film:
The Magnificent Seven (September 23)
What I'm Expecting:
I'm a Denzel fan and his knack for wanting his morally comprimised characters to die is a perfect fit for this movie. Chris Pratt should be the perfect foil to Denzel's presumably sourpuss character. I like that Antoine Fuqua gets to direct (see Olympus Has Fallen and obviously Training Day). But I might have to wait till I see some footage to form a real opinion.
What Will Probably Happen:
They started so strong with Denzel and Chris... then things got boring cast wise. Where's Michael B. Jordan? Tom Hardy? How is this the Hollywood roundup the original remake was? Honestly who knows with Denzel, this could be the most dour thing ever, on some Coboys & Aliens tip..
Film:
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (October 21)
What I'm Expecting:
I enjoyed the first movie when I saw it with my dad. I get that people feel Tom Cruise falls way SHORT of their vision of Jack Reacher, but I never even heard of those books before the first movie so lucky me! It probably helps that I don't hold Tom's religion or enthusiasm for Katie Holmes against him.
What Will Probably Happen:
If they just do the same things in this movie with different actors going up against Tom, I honestly would love that.
Film:
Doctor Strange (November 4)
What I'm Expecting:
Going into this movie I have no expectations. I like that Chewitel gets to have a role in this. But I don't care about Doctor Strange and was kind of happy he wasn't part of the proceedings before now. I expect that kind of attitude will only cloud my judgement of this movie.
What Will Probably Happen:
I'll like this as much as I like Thor. Which is to say I'll own it on Blu-Ray and hope that I get something more out of it than when I saw it on the Thursday before opening Friday.
Film:
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (December 16)
What I'm Expecting:
Remember those Star Wars Prequels, where you thought, "yeah I would like to know more about Darth Vader as a kid" then all sorts of magic was explained away and no one was really happy about it. Well welcome to 2016's version of that. The same reasons people didn't like Force Awakens (just a remake, no forward motion) will ultimately be this movie's downfall. Anyone in the know, will soon realize there are no stakes because there was a line of dialogue in episode 4 that pretty much sums up everyone in this movie's fate.
What Will Probably Happen:
I will look stupid when this becomes the Saving Private Ryan of Star Wars movies.
Film:
Assassin's Creed (December 21)
What I'm Expecting:
I can't name a truly great video game movie off the top of my head. However, I was down for the Assassin's Creed up until Ezio stopped being the lead so they've kind of got my money no matter what. The trailer for this will truly set the tone for this. I thought that Justin Kurzel did an amazing job with the action in Macbeth so I hope we're at least in for some amazing assassinations in this movie.
What Will Probably Happen:
There is little to no chance that this turns into something I will like. However, Fassbender is always worth watching on screen, so at least I'll have that.
-YG