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| Source: ridleymcintyre.com Welcome Back! I hope you enjoyed part one of my must see list for this year (if not, you can locate part one on the main page to start there). No sense in waiting any longer to finish up- so here we go!!! |
Reason I'm Excited: While I had mixed reactions to the first two entries of Mission: Impossible, the following three have been outstanding, I believe the last entry, Mission Impossible : Rogue Nation, was probably my favorite entry so far. With that being the case I am eager to see a good thing keep coming and having writer/director Christopher McQuarrie return from part five is great assurance.
11) Equalizer II (Release Date 8/10/18)- Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua are together again to tell the continuing adventures of Robert McCall, a quiet, but dangerously skilled man who lives by a code of honor that brings harm to those who commit injustice to the innocent.
Reason I'm Excited: The first film released in 2014 flew a little under the mainstream radar but was surprisingly good (not a shock when you take into consideration the lead actor and director on the project). Unlike a lot of sequels that simply try to capitalize on the success of the previous film, I believe this sequel will retain most of the good qualities that came from it's predecessor.
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| Source: Fan Made/Columbia Pictures |
12) The Predator (Release Date 8/3/18)- Shane Black, screenwriter of the 1987 original Predator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, returns to the franchise to write and direct a film that will serve as a direct sequel to the 1987 film.
Reason I'm Excited: Each Predator film following the original was fair at best but never really aspired to the levels of suspense and originality of the first one. Now with Shane Black, who not only wrote the screenplay for the original Lethal Weapon but also starred in the first Predator as "Hawkins", has returned to try and make this entry as poignant as the original. It's too early in the process to get more details on the plot and characters of the newest entry but all indicators point to this being a winner.
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| Source: 20th Century Fox |
13) Venom (Release Date 10/5/18)- Based on the villainous character from Marvel's Spider-Man universe, this story focuses on Eddie Brock, a journalist who comes into contact with an alien "symbiote"organism that consumes his body and turns him into "Venom", a vicious, brutal enemy of Spider-Man who also offers himself as hero to people he deems "innocent" by his standards.
Reason I'm Excited: Usually these standalone, spin-off films from bigger franchises don't hit the mark, however there are many reasons to be excited about this one. Aside from Venom being one of the best Marvel villains in their universe, we have Tom Hardy taking on the lead role and Reuben Fleischer at the helm as director (most famous for 2009's Zombieland and 2013's Gangster Squad). We also have some A-list co-stars such as Woody Harrelson and Michelle Williams joining in. Additionally, there's a continuing rumor that the newest incarnation of Spider-Man (played by Tom Holland) may make an appearance in this film which would be spectacular. One last thing to be excited about- we will finally be able to put the terribly disappointing previous screen version of Venom, played by Topher Grace in 2007's Spider Man 3, behind us!
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| Source: Columbia/Sony Pictures |
14) First Man (Release Date 10/12/18)- I know what you are saying by now... finally a film on the list that's not a sequel in a franchise! I understand your feelings, and let that be a reference point as to what film studios believe is the formula that keeps people buying tickets to go to the movies.
With that rant out of the way, let's get back to this film which is a biopic piece about Neil Armstrong, the famed astronaut who would become the first human being to walk on the moon in the year 1969.
Reason I'm Excited: I have always loved movies as a medium to educate people about the past and this one appears to be stacked with talent and creativity behind the cameras. Ryan Gosling will play the lead with Claire Foy and Jon Bernthal supporting. Damien Chazelle (famous for directing 2016's La La Land and 2014's Whiplash) will serve as the director and James R. Hanson, author of the novel that the film will be based on, serves as a co-writer.
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| Source: FilmPT.com |
15) Halloween (2018) (Release Date 10/19/18)- Four decades after her nearly fatal confrontation with masked killer Michael Myers, Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) returns to face him one last time with the hopes of surviving as she did so many years before.
Reason I'm Excited: The Halloween franchise is another property that was diluted by countless sequels over the years. What makes this entry so enticing is the confirmation that John Carpenter, writer and creator of the original Halloween in 1978 is back as a co-writer, executive producer, and musical composer. We also have Nick Strode, the original actor to portray Michael Myers, back in costume to once again wreak havoc on Laurie Strode and the innocent citizens of Haddonfield Illinois. The film is currently in production so plot details have not really been released at this time but there is a strong sense that this will have strong ties to the first two entries in the series which is what fans (like myself) would love to see.
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| Source: Universal Pictures |
16) Creed II (Release Date 11/21/18)- Michael B. Jordan will reprise his role as Adonis Creed, son of Apollo Creed, from the wonderfully successful 2016 film Creed. Adonis will return in this new chapter to fight Viktor Drago, son of Ivan Drago, the man who took father Apollo's life in a match 30 years ago. As before, Adonis will be guided and trained by boxing's greatest mentor, Rocky Balboa.
Reason I'm Excited: Anytime there is another chapter in the story of Rocky you can count on me being all in. That aside, 2016's Creed was a excellent extension of the Rocky franchise and this entry was written by Stallone himself which should make for an intriguing spin on this new direction. Finally, I think we all excited by the idea of Dolph Lundgren returning as Ivan Drago as an added layer to the great cast already in place from the previous film.
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| Source: Fanmade-officialslystallone |
16) Aquaman (Release Date 12/21/18)- Jason Momoa was introduced as the famous DC hero Arthur Curry, The King of Atlantis, in 2017's Justice League and now is given his own solo film. This adventure will introduce us to the underwater world of Atlantis as well as the evil villain Black Manta, whose goal is to destroy Atlantis and become the supreme ruler of the seas.
Reason I'm Excited: A few things excite me about this upcoming hero film. First, Mamoa was one of the clear highlights of Justice League and the chance to see him in a standalone film is very enticing after what we've seen so far. Next, this is the first superhero film from director James Wan (best known for 2015's Fast & Furious 7, 2004's Saw (I), and the two Conjuring films from 2013 & 2106 respectively). With the overall success of his films to date he has the makings to be a perfect fit for telling Aquaman's story. And, last but not least, this latest entry in the DC films universe is the next chapter in a "new approach" to the DC heroes. Following the mixed reactions to 2016's Batman v Superman and 2017's Justice League, Warner Brothers expressed interest in making DC films as more standalone adventures for their heroes in place of emphasizing the need for a connected universe, similar to the current Marvel universe from Disney/ Marvel Studios. Wonder Woman is technically the first chapter in this new approach and that was a fantastic finished product. If Aquaman follows in that vein then DC fans are in for a wonderful future.
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| Source: Warner Bros. |
17) Bohemian Rhapsody (Release Date 12/25/18)- A biopic feature telling the story of singer Freddie Mercury and the world famous rock band Queen. The story will tell of the events from their beginnings then leading up their appearance at Live Aid in 1985.
Reason I'm Excited: As I had mentioned in my write up for First Man, I am always interested in these biopic films that share the stories of the past and offer us a glimpse of people and events that were such big parts of our history. There have been reports of issues between the film's star, Rami Malek (playing Freddie Mercury), and director Bryan Singer. After conflicts continued Singer was released from the project and Dexter Fletcher (notable for 2106's Eddie The Eagle) was tapped to finish the production. The film is currently in post-production with original members of Queen heavily involved in the creative process which should make this a memorable movie experience.
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| Left: Freddie Mercury/ Right: Actor Remi Malek as Freddie Mercury Source: prensalibre.com |
*Please note that all of the release dates posted are tentative dates for U.S. release and could possibly change*
If you have movies that you are looking forward to this year that weren't on my list please share them with me in the comments section at the bottom so we can talk about those as well.
I hope you enjoyed this post and until next time.... I'll catch you after the credits!!!
Source: imdb.com
