Wow! Crazy, right? It feels like just yesterday we were saying goodbye to 2013, and hello to 2014. And now 2015 is only a couple days away (at least as I'm writing this)! By now, we've all formed an opinion on this year. For some, it was a good year. For others, it was a lousy year, especially if you're a New York Jets fan. But I think we can all agree that it was a crazy year. It was the year we learned that SHIELD was actually HYDRA in disguise, when that no good rat King Joffrey finally met his fate, when Ted Mosby completed his story to his kids of how he met their mother (and angered people in the process), when people all over the world dumped buckets of ice on their heads, and when a typical Seth Rogen/James Franco bromantic comedy led to Sony getting their personal information exposed and almost caused a war between America and North Korea. It was definitely one for the books!
And we all have much to look forward to in 2015! Whether it's getting married, getting divorced, having children, graduation, or getting a promotion. But the thing I'm the most excited about in 2015 is the movies! We get to revisit beloved worlds, catch up with our favorite characters, see new worlds and meet new characters, and we get not one, but TWO Pixar movies!
As we turn the page on 2014, and begin a new chapter with 2015, Here are my Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2015:
10.) Tomorrowland
Once upon a time, Disney made attractions based on their films. And now, due to the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Disney makes films based on their attractions. And now, they're doing Tomorrowland. Tomorrowland has always been one of my favorite parts of Disneyland. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that I love sic-fi. I've been looking forward to this movie since it was announced. However, when Disney decides to make a movie based on their most beloved attractions, sometimes we get winners like Pirates, and other times we get The Haunted Mansion. But with a cool teaser, a solid cast which includes George Clooney, and the fact that Brad Bird, one of my favorite directors, is helping the project, this looks like it will be a winner! There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, and tomorrow's just a dream away!
9.) Furious 7
I have a confession to make. I never really followed the Fast and the Furious franchise. It's not that I wasn't interested in them. It's just that I never really found time to go out and see them. The only one I've watched all the way through so far is Fast Five. And I thought it was action-packed, exciting, fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat entertainment. It made me with I made more effort to see the movies in theaters. And now, with the tragic passing of Paul Walker, it seems like everyone, both fans and non-fans of this franchise, will go check out the last movie in his honor. The trailer definitely has me sold. It looks like the filmmaker and the cast have not lost sight of what makes this franchise so popular. And since this might be the last movie in the franchise, it seems like everyone will be giving their all. It will be one hell of a finish!
8.) The Good Dinosaur
If there's one thing that Pixar is famous for, it's making great movies out of weird premises. They've done almost everything: Toys, Bugs, Monsters, Fish, Superheroes, Cars, Rats, Robots, A Scottish teenage girl who's into archery, and even a grumpy old man! And now, it's dinosaurs! And why not? For creatures that have been extinct for almost a billion years, they are definitely rich with movie ideas! From Jurassic Park to The Land Before Time to The Flintstones to Barney, dinosaurs have left a huge footprint in our pop culture. With The Good Dinosaur, Pixar is asking a very fascinating question I'm sure we all asked as little kids; What if the dinosaurs never went extinct? What if they roamed the earth with us right now? Would they be our pets? Would they be dangerous? Some of you might argue that we already know the answer to this question from Jurassic Park. And true, maybe we have. But we've never seen it in a Pixar movie before! And that sound pretty awesome! Right?
7.) Jurassic World
Speaking of Jurassic Park, it's hard to think about dinosaurs without at least the theme song to this series. We all remember when we first saw Jurassic Park. It was like the Avengers of its time. It featured groundbreaking effects, had a cast of memorable characters and quotable dialogue, and some of the biggest, scariest, most amazing monsters to ever grace the silver screen! It was one of the biggest films of the 90s, and some of Steven Spielberg's best work (which is saying a lot!). I have another confession to make. I've only seen the first Jurassic Park movie. What can I say? I just don't have as much time to watch movies these days! But from what I've heard, the sequels were nothing to roar about. And they made the franchise go extinct for almost a decade. But with a new up-and-coming director, a great cast which stars Star-Lord himself, Christ Pratt, and the adorable little brat from Iron Man 3, Ty Simpkins, it seems like the franchise will come roaring back! The only thing it needed to be higher on my list was Jeff Goldblum!
6.) Peanuts
Admit it. You're humming the theme song right now, aren't you? Come on! Yes, it's hard to call yourself a human being, and say you've never watched at least one Peanuts special, or even read one comic strip. Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, and the rest of the gang have a special place in our hearts. They are the only remedy I can think of to put you in the proper holiday spirit. It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and Merry Christmas Charlie Brown. It's hard to have a sad face when watching Charles Schultz's beloved characters every year. And now they're finally coming back to the big screen! Sure, it's a little disappointing that they're CGI instead of the hand-drawn style we know and love them for. But based on the teaser, the spirit and charm is clearly there. And the filmmakers have said they won't try to modernize it or "make it hip for the cool kids, homey!", which is a mistake many movies based on cartoons make. The kids won't have any iPods, Snoopy won't rap, etc. It promises to be just as simple and just as timeless as the cartoon it's based on. I'll definitely check it out. I'd be a blockhead if I didn't!
5.) Mission Impossible 5
Another franchise I barely followed until recently! If there's a New Year's Resolution I'm going to make, it's to watch more movies and get up to date on more franchises, considering that it's going to be a year full of beloved franchises! The only Mission Impossible film I watched all the way through was 2011's Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. If you want to know my opinion of it, well. If I hated it, you don't think I'd put the next movie this high on my list, would you? I loved almost everything from the cast to the director, and especially the action! If it didn't convert you to this franchise, nothing will! It even helped Tom Cruise bounce back after a long period of being a media punching bag. And even though Live. Die. Repeat. Edge of Tomorrow wasn't a blockbuster, everyone who did see it including me thought it was awesome! Tom Cruise is definitely on a role lately. Even though Brad Bird hasn't come back, the director they chose seems like a decent choice. And most of the cast is returning, including Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg, and filming is set to take place in Vienna, Austria. It would be a "Mission: Impossible" to not get even a little hyped!
4.) Spectre
Bond... James Bond.
Mission Impossible isn't the only spy franchise on a mission this year. With the massively successful Skyfall, 007 has never been hotter! Daniel Craig has established himself as one of the best actors to ever don the tuxedo, along with Sean Connery. And now he's going up against the evil Spectre! Before there was Hydra, there was Spectre, a global terrorist group bent on world domination. And his villain this time is Django Unchained's Christoph Waltz! And with Sam Mendes returning to the director's chair, it seems like this will continue Mr. Bond's hot streak. It's great to know this franchise still has a license to thrill!
Shaken... Not stirred.
3.) Inside Out
As I mentioned before, this is the first year we'll get more than one Pixar movie. And the best part? NEITHER OF THEM ARE SEQUELS!!! I love revisiting beloved characters as much as anyone. But nothing beats the feeling of discovering new characters and new ideas. And both Pixar movies have great ideas. This Pixar movies asks another deep question: What are the emotions in our heads like? What if we could literally go inside our heads and meet our feelings face to face? We all have emotions. Joy, Anger, Disgust, Fear, and Sadness. We've seen movies that caused us to have these feelings, especially Pixar movies. But have we ever seen a movie ABOUT them? Again, leave i to Pixar to break new ground and give us something we've never seen or thought of before! The director of the film is Pete Dctor, who directed two of my favorite Pixar movies, Monsters, Inc. and Up. The cast includes Amy Pohler, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Bill Hader, Phyllis Smith, and of course John Ratzenberger (It wouldn't even be a Pixar movie without him playing at least a tree in the background)! All this combined with the fact that it comes out on my sister's birthday (As most Pixar movies in the past have), this movie gives me the feeling of excitement!
2.) Avengers: Age of Ultron
Is there any franchise in Hollywood that's bigger and hotter than the Marvel Cinematic Universe right now? Honestly? The studio has come a long way from Iron Man back in 2008. Not only did they bring Robert Downy Jr. back to the top of Hollywood's Nice list, but they also created a money-making machine that is bringing all other studios to their knees! And just like Pixar, another Disney-owned company, they've had their success based on wild ideas! A patriotic hero with a heart of gold? A Norse god with a magic hammer that controls thunder? A talking tree and a raccoon with a machine gun? No sane studio would consider those ideas as worth the risk. Thank goodness Marvel is insane! And since the record breaking phenomenon The Avengers, the studio has only gotten bigger and better. They've more than earned audiences' interest and devotion to this world and its characters. And since the team has taken care of Loki, they now have to go against an evil robot designed by Tony Stark called Ultron, who think humans are the biggest problem with Earth and vows to wipe them out. Just how bad is Ultron? He's so evil, he makes "No Strings On Me" from Disney's Pinocchio sound like something from your nightmares! Can the Avengers, with the help of Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch, stop Ultron and save the world? We'll find out, but one thing's for sure. It will only make Warner Bros. and DC even more desperate to catch up! I can already hear Kevin Tsujihara whispering in Batfleck's ear "Don't screw this up!"
Since this will be such a legen(wait for it...)dary year for movies, here are some honorable mentions.
Ant-Man - Despite the production drama, and the fact that Edgar Wright's no longer involved, the cast still looks great, and hey. It's Marvel!
The Jungle Book - One of my favorite movies as a kid, and I couldn't be happier with the cast and crew invoked. Jon Favreau, Scarlett Johansson, Lupita N'yongo, Christopher Walken, and Bill Murray as Balloo! It's the Bare Necessities of Life!
Ted 2 - If it's half as funny as the first Ted (and judging by the cast which includes Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson, something tells me it will be), I will be one happy teddy bear. Just hope Sam Jones isn't too busy to make another cameo!
Hunger Games Mocking Jay Part 2 - Never read the books, thought the first one was okay, LOVED Catching Fire, and thought Mocking Jay Part 2 was good enough. But needless to say, I'm hooked on this franchise. Let's hope it ends the franchise on a high note.
Untitled Cameron Crowe Project - Great director, and amazing cast which includes Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, and Bill Murray. I don't know much about it, but I know I'm gonna like it!
And My Number One Most Anticipated Film Of 2015 Is...
1.) Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Not even close! NOT EVEN CLOSE! For some, Star Wars is a series of movies. But for others, including me, it's a religion. It's a way of life. It's imbedded in our pop culture. How many times have you heard the lines quoted yesterday? You may have heard it in your favorite sitcom. It's probably the most influential film of its generation, inspiring filmmakers like Peter Jackson, Christopher Nolan, Brad Bird, James Cameron, Joss Whedon, and even J.J. Abrams! I know it's left a huge impact on my life. I grew up watching the movies on VHS and DVD. Every Spring Break, I watch all six movies from Episode I to Episode VI. I've even watched the documentary Empire of Dreams more times than I can count! I own more lightsabers than I should. Every final exam I take in school, I pretend I'm Luke Skywalker fighting the Death Star in Episode IV. When I was 10 years old, I saw Episode III: Revenge of the Sith three times in theaters, and dressed up as Darth Vader every time! When someone asks me what is the greatest film of all time, I say "The Empire Strikes Back" without hesitation! Star Wars is what got me interested in movies, and inspired me to become a writer/director/actor. We all love the Original Trilogy: Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. They are to movies what the Bible is to books. And true, the prequels were disappointing to many fans, especially those who grew up with the Original Trilogy. Personally, I never minded the prequels. But maybe it's because I was born in the 90s, and have a little nostalgic bias for them. But whatever our opinions on the six films are, we all have a reason to be excited for the next movie! It's being directed by J.J. Abrams, who is responsible for reviving another popular (but not as amazingly awesome) sci-fi series Star Trek. The cast is unbeatable! It includes old favorites such as Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayheww all reprising their iconic roles that made them famous. We even have an exciting new cast which includes John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Lupita N'yongo, Gwendoline Christie, Max Von Sidow, and even Gollum himself, Andy Serkis! And having the legendary John Williams return to do the score won't hurt at all! This will be the first Star Wars movie to not be released in May, but in December. Consider it an awesome Christmas present (or Life Day present). As Darth Vader would say, "Decemebr 18, 2015 will be a day long remembered."
May the Force be with you!
And those are my most anticipated films of 2015! What films are you looking forward to the most? Are they not on this list? Are they not high enough on this list? Do you even have time to go to movies anymore? Let me know in the comments below! Happy New Year everyone!
