With the start of a new year comes a new chance to find out what films are going to shape our year. Much like the past few years, it is fun to make this list with hopes of seeing how things look in a year's time. With last year's results actually looking pretty good, I am ready to place some bets again on what films I will be planning on watching and what you should be excited for. The following is a list that breaks up 50 films into three categories: Must See, Matinee and Rental. What ends up where? You'll have to read to find out.
- Must See -
FREEHELD - This gay rights drama is from the director of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and stars Julianne Moore and Ellen Page as a lesbian couple who go through a serious fight in order to get their pensions. While I know very little about the film, the notion of Page using her recent status as gay for good is something that will leave intriguing results. Also, it's just a solid cast.
THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS - While The Place Beyond the Pines didn't quite reach the emotional heights of Blue Valentine, it did see director Derick Cianfrance continue to prove himself as one of the most compelling directors currently working. Without Ryan Gosling at his side, instead replaced with Michael Fassbender, I am excited to see what he does next. Even at his worst, he is more ambitious than many other directors.
MISTRESS AMERICA - In all honesty, Frances Ha is a film that I have grown to admire on a very personal level. Between collaborators Greta Gerwig and director Noah Baumbach, I am excited to see them team up again with hopefully equally interesting results.
UNTITLED WOODY ALLEN PROJECT - If you put one of the most interesting actors (Joaquin Phoenix) with one of the most ambitious directors (Woody Allen), you'll easily have my attention. While Allen's work would easily top my anticipation list every year without a noteworthy cast, I am curious to see what the two do together, especially with the returning Emma Stone, who did a decent job in last year's Magic in the Moonlight.
SICARIO - For starters, director Denis Villeneuve created one of last year's most taught and well constructed thrillers with the impressive Enemy. If for no other reason, I am curious to see what he can do to keep his momentum going with a story that focuses on lies and deceit among the C.I.A. and features the likes of Josh Brolin, Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro. I really hope that he can keep the momentum going.
SILENCE - Unlike most of the recent output by Martin Scorsese, his latest feels like a departure with a story based around the 17th century and the spreading of Christianity. Still, with a reliable track record and Gangs of New York writer Jay Cocks on helm, there's very little reason not to bet on him, especially with actors like Liam Neeson, Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield attached.
THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 2 - Contrary to other opinions, I found last year's entry into The Hunger Games to be the most realized and confident installment yet. With intensity and an understanding of YA themes mixed with political and media subtexts, it managed to convey something greater. I can only hope that the franchise ends on a very high note after the intense first act.
THE REVENANT - Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has blown away audiences with the Oscar-nominated Birdman and will follow it up with a western starring Leonardo DiCaprio. As someone who personally has grown fond of westerns, I am curious to see what this director brings to the fold and if he can keep the momentum going after the acclaimed meta commentary of his previous film.
RICKI AND THE FLASH - In one of the year's most interesting collaborations, director Jonathan Demme teams up with writer Diablo Cody to produce a film about an aging rock star who wants to rekindle her relationship with her family. Yes, it has Meryl Streep and that is enough to roll eyes, but considering that Cody has always been reliable and catchy and authentic language, I am willing to give it a shot, especially with the man behind Rachel Getting Married at the helm.
UNTITLED STEVE MCQUEEN PROJECT - While IMDb has this listed as a TV movie, I am willing to place it high on my list because of the caliber behind the film. Following an impressive run culminating in the Best Picture winner 12 Years a Slave, I am willing to see what the man does next and to see if his relevance to film can push him into focus. While I would like his work anyways, as Shame is a very good film, I think that his story about a man mysteriously entering upper class society has a chance to be great, especially with an ensemble that includes Helena Bonham Carter and Paul Dano.
THE HATEFUL EIGHT - While I am still divisive on Django Unchained, I cannot fault director Quentin Tarantino on being always enjoyable. With fast paced action and wild dialogue, his films always seem to at least warrant some form of attention. I don't know that this will be great, considering that I don't think his take on westerns is particularly ingenious. However, he does have a great cast and promises of a less pretentious take on the genre this time around.
UNTITLED SOFIA COPPOLA PROJECT - The truth is that if the film has a Coppola attached to directing, I am likely in. While I don't necessarily know if this will come out in 2015, I do have some optimism if it does. Following the highly enjoyable The Bling Ring, I am curious to see how she tackles the subject matter of Hans Christian Anderson's "The Little Mermaid." It will likely baffle audiences, but it has the chance to be something greater.
THE LOOK OF SILENCE - Joshua Oppenheimer came out of the gate strong with his documentary The Act of Killing, which took the destruction caused by Anwar Congo and explored dramatic depth with ease. It is one of the quintessential documentaries of the modern era. With his next one serving as a counterpart from the perspective of the citizens, I can only hope that he continues to make the documentary more into an art form.
THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT - Between Before Midnight and Boyhood, director Richard Linklater is on an unprecedented roll. He is proving to be one of the most interesting indie directors out there and the hope is that his latest that follows baseball players can live up to the hype. Even if it doesn't, there shouldn't be too much to keep this from being a must see title.
INSIDE OUT - Pixar returns after a one year hiatus with one of their more original ideas in awhile. While it does sound a little like Osmosis Jones, I have faith that director Pete Docter (Monster's Inc., Up) knows what he's doing and will churn out something that will restore many people's faith in the animation studio's image.
THE TRAP - I have an odd obsession with director Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers, a film that I watch annually during said time frame. While I am unfamiliar with most of his work save for Gummo (which I don't like but appreciate), I can only hope that his take on a heist film is going to be more in the line of his hazy dream world than the experimental incoherent nature that spawns from his other films. I am genuinely curious to see what he will do now that nobody cares about him trolling teenagers with his last film.
OUR BRAND IS CRISIS - After a small lull, I have come back to admiring director David Gordon Green. This time, he produces what is considered to be his attempt at a prestige film about politics in South Africa. With leads Billy Bob Thornton and Sandra Bullock, there's hope that this will end up going very well. Between Prince Avalanche and Joe helping to make people take him seriously again, I think that this is the peak of his potential comeback.
TRAINWRECK - With exception to This Is 40, I am a big fan of director Judd Apatow's work. He is quite a guru on modern comedy and knows how to throw in cameos and jokes unlike any other. The only hope is that teaming with Amy Schumer and featuring the likes of Tilda Swinton will pay off nicely. I don't like the actress, but I like the director. Maybe there will be some middle ground and this will serve as Apatow's own directorial version of Bridesmaids. We'll have to see.
CHAPPIE - Okay, I am probably in a very small camp, but I think that director Neil Blomkamp is one of the most interesting sci-fi directors currently out there. Yes, Elysium doesn't match the energy of District 9. However, not enough credit is given to the way that he builds worlds and with this story about robots that features Hugh Jackman and South African rap group Die Antwoord, there's very little that seems conventional about it and will hopefully produce something unique. The trailers already suggest this.
THE LOBSTER - There is something alluring about director Giorgos Lanthimos' films. They're slow and methodical with mind bending elements that are bound to make you uncomfortable. Between Dogtooth and Alps, he has proven to be one of my favorite foreign directors and one to watch out for, especially since he continues to prove that he knows how to subvert the relationship dynamic in very suggestive and compelling ways. With this being his English debut, that only adds more at stake to whether or not we're willing to accept him.
- Matinee -
LOST RIVER - As a person who adores Ryan Gosling, I have been eagerly awaiting this film for quite some time. However, with footage not looking so hot and the reviews being generally negative, I am worried about the chances of this being anything but tolerable. Still, I want to see him succeed as a director and will see it likely because of how bizarre and out there it is. Not bad for a man who was controversially not named People's Sexiest Man of the Year.
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON - Now, I have come to loathe Marvel's Cinematic Universe prospects and hate the idea of them continuing to drag out this nonsense. However, I do feel like there's some magic left in the joint films that throws all of the characters into one film. I am excited to see if this film has any of the same power that The Avengers has in being more than a summer blockbuster. Maybe it could be something greater. I really want to know, but am leery because of how trenched in world building they have become.
LA LA LAND - A musical from Damien Chazelle, the director of Whiplash? Yes please. If you haven't, please take some time to watch the Best Picture nominee and recognize how brilliantly crafted its instrumentation is. Very few films manage to embrace musical conversation as well as the last 15 minutes of that film. I can only hope that with a musical format in place that it will be even more fleshed out into something euphoric.
DEMOLITION - Director Jean-Marc Vallee seems to have come out of nowhere in the past few years and won over a lot of hearts. Between Dallas Buyers Club and Wild, the director has made an impressive resume of talent with some of the actors' best performances. With Jake Gyllenhaal attached in a tale about investment bankers, one can hope that he manages to continue to charm with his latest.
TRIPLE NINE - Director John Hillcoat has done an excellent job with films like The Road and Lawless. In what is considered to be his prestige film, he compiles an amazing cast that includes Chiwetel Ejiofor and Kate Winslet and produces yet another film about heists. I know close to nothing else about the film, but considering the caliber of the performers, I can only hope that this is going to be something special.
BEASTS OF NO NATION - After wowing audiences last year with True Detective, director Cary Fukunaga returns to film about a child soldier in Africa. With Idris Elba attached as the lead, there's only hope that he can manage to keep the momentum going. If his film is anywhere near as ambitiously shot, it is almost a guaranteed chance that this will be one of the best of the year.
HIGH RISE - I have come to just accept that I enjoy watching director Ben Wheatley's annual output. While Sightseers and A Field in England aren't necessarily favorites, he's definitely a talent with how he approaches stories by subverting expectations and creating something wholly confusing. With his most acclaimed cast to date starring Tom Hiddleston and Jeremy Irons, one can hope that this will help to get him more recognition.
ERRAN - Director Jacques Audiard created one of the most poetic and beautiful tales in recent years with Rust and Bone. The story follows a Sri Lankan Tamil warrior who lives in Paris. Very little else is known, but considering that Audiard knows how to make the drama hit hard and beautifully, it will be impossible for me to overlook this film by the end of the year.
KUMIKO: THE TREASURE HUNTER - I don't know much about it other than that it got a lot of acclaim at last year's Sundance and stars Rinko Kikuchi as a woman going to North Dakota to look for the lost treasure from Fargo. If that doesn't get your attention for the film, nothing will.
PAN - Director Joe Wright is one of the most exciting period piece directors currently working. While I like the trailers for Pan, I do hesitate a little to call my anticipation high. It is his most expensive-looking film to date and despite a cast that includes Hugh Jackman and Rooney Mara, I don't necessarily understand what the point of making the film is. Still, I trust Wright to do the best move. So fingers crossed.
LOUDER THAN BOMBS - Another English debut, this time from director Joachim Trier. Having made a very simple and powerful drama about a recovering drug addict in Oslo, August 31st, he returns with a film starring Jesse Eisenberg and Amy Ryan. There is little known about the film at the moment, but I suspect that it will be a very dark and challenging drama.
THE CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA - While the advertisements make this look like All About Eve, but with Juliette Binoche, I do feel like the film has the potential to be one of the best of the year. I also feel that the subject matter and the meta commentary has a chance to backfire. Still, between Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloe Moretz, the cast is strong enough to make me give it a shot.
LOVE - Director Gaspar Noe knows how to mess with your head. Case in point was Enter the Void, which was almost anti-narrative with stunning visuals that took audiences through a perverse, violent and meditative world in the most beautiful and challenging ways possible. With this film sounding like this year's Nymphomaniac with a story about a boy and girl who love each other, there's a chance that it will be too controversial to play in theaters, but may wind up on VOD.
QUEEN OF THE DESERT - After a five year break, director Werner Herzog returns to the narrative format for a film that follows the lives of characters at the start of the 20th century. With a cast that includes Nichole Kidman and James Franco, there's plenty of opportunity to have the Herzog charm wade over the production and provide something meditative and cynical in a beautiful way.
- Rental -
MAGIC MIKE XXL - After Magic Mike came onto the scene with a fascinating portrait of the aging man, it is curious to see how a sequel can work. Will it simply be nothing but kitschy stripping to Ginuwine all over again? With some components missing, notably director Steven Soderbegh, there's some reason to be skeptical. Still, with the first one being surprisingly great, there's plenty of hope that this will be something worth considering.
SOUTHPAW - I like Jake Gyllenhaal and it is interesting to see him bulk up to become a boxer. However, I am leery because director Antoine Fuqua doesn't necessarily have the most reassuring track record of any director out there. At his best, he can make Training Day. At his worst, something more like The Equalizer. I am unsure where things will go, but I do worry that this is just going to be a misguided project all around.
WHILE WE'RE YOUNG - The other Noah Baumbach movie of 2015. This one focuses on an aging couple hanging out with hipsters. With a cast that includes Adam Driver and Ben Stiller, there's a lot to like about it based on the trailers. However, there's also not necessarily anything exciting about the premise other than the potential of another Greenberg movie, which I really don't want to see.
JANE GOT A GUN - This is a project that has been in development hell for years now. The fact that it is finally coming out is a revelation in its own right. Still, the question if the Natalie Portman-helmed project will be any good has yet to be seen. Fingers crossed for the better, but there's a sense of caution when approaching the film in a pre-trailer state.
KNIGHT OF CUPS - I want to like director Terrence Malick better than I do. Honestly. However, his last film To the Wonder was just okay to me and I don't necessarily feel excited about this film, even with Christian Bale in the lead role. I do hope that the trailer shows something more exciting and authentic for the elder statesman of cinema, but the chances are that it's just another meditative film that I won't entirely enjoy.
UNTITLED DANNY BOYLE PROJECT - Another doomed project that will hopefully work out. I don't even know if there's anyone attached to this Steve Jobs biopic anymore that matters. However, it seems experimental and interesting in a way that makes me excited. However, it is mostly on the backs of director Danny Boyle, who has done a lot of great work in the past and I hope will come through once again in this situation.
UNTITLED STEVEN SPIELBERG PROJECT - I don't know much about it other than that it features the Cold War and stars Tom Hanks. With a script co-written by the Coen Brothers, I am hoping that this is going to be great, but am holding out hope until more information is known about it.
QUEEN OF EARTH - I was a large fan of Listen Up Philip, but I am a little skeptical on if director Alex Ross Perry can pull it off again. The one benefit is that it stars Katherine Waterston and Elissabeth Moss, who have proven to be reliable performers in the past year with Inherent Vice and The One I Love respectively. Still, with the story following two friends who have drifted apart going to a beach house, I worry that it might not be as enjoyable in its misery as Perry's last film.
THE WOUND - Director Abdellatif Kechiche wowed audiences when he won the Palme d'Or for Blue is the Warmest Color two years ago. Now he returns with this film starring Gerard Depardieu. Little is known about the film otherwise and means that I cannot really provide strong commentary. Still, as a fan of his previous film, I am willing to give it some semblance of a chance.
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD - While I have only seen the first two Mad Max films, I consider them to be pretty good. With the director returning and Tom Hardy replacing Mel Gibson, there's a lot to admire and hopefully get out of the film. The trailers look insane and give the sense that it will be one of the craziest films of the year. It doesn't necessarily mean the best, though. That is yet to be seen.
A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING - Yet another Tom Hanks movie. This time teaming up with director Tom Tykwer for a tale that sees him travel to Saudi Arabia and selling ideas to monarchs. With Tykwer's previous efforts including the high concept films Run Lola Run and Cloud Atlas, there's little to argue against the film's potential. Still, there's concern that with a lot of films going overseas this year that this will be one too many.
THE SEARCH - I know that the film received very little praise at Cannes, but I am curious to see what director Michel Hazanavicius has in store with this film about the Chechniyan war. With his previous films being note perfect satires with the OSS 117 series and the silent film masterpiece The Artist, there's a lot to admire with him taking on a tonally different film, though it is questionable of how successful he actually will be.
JOY - There's a large chance that I will see director David O. Russell's latest anyways, but right now I am not too confident with this film. Yes, it stars his reliable stable of actors including Jennifer Lawrence in a period drama. However, I do wonder if there's a chance that it can be better than his past few films. Yes, I like American Hustle, but it works more as a sporadic and occasionally funny film as opposed to something fully thought out. We'll have to see, I guess.
BY THE SEA - I did not love director Angelina Jolie's Unbroken, but I found enough to admire her as a filmmaker. With this film, I am mostly curious to see if she can add anything new as someone in front of and behind the camera and featuring the likes of Melanie Laurent and Brad Pitt. With the story taking place in the 70's and about dancers, there's plenty to look forward to about the film. If nothing else, I want to see if it has the ability to be more than a sentimental journey of overbearing themes.
SELFLESS - In one of the crazier ideas of a film this year, it stars Ryan Reynolds in a tale of an elderly sick man having his body transferred into a younger one. This situation is pretty baffling as is. However, add in director Tarsem Singh and there's a chance of it going either way. Considering that I was a big fan of his previous film Mirror Mirror, I do hold out hope that there's something great to come from this.
THE DEATH AND LIFE OF JOHN F. DONOVAN - I am serious. This will be the year where I actually watch a film from director Xavier Dolan. Mommy was supposed to be great and now this one. I can only hope I like him enough to give him the last place entry on this list.
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