Angie’s Most Anticipated Films Of 2015
Even as I scramble to get in a few more 2014 releases before I close the book on this year, I’m looking forward to 2015. Next year promises to be huge for Hollywood, packed as it is with big-name sequels likeStar Wars 7andAvengers 2. But it also looks like a good time for movie lovers, not just movie studios. A lot of those tentpoles look genuinely good. And a lot of riskier ventures look like they’ll pay off. And that’s not even getting into all of the indie gems buried ahead, waiting for us to discover them at Sundance or Toronto or what have you.
Films from the last category were naturally left off my list, as I can’t get excited for a movie I haven’t heard of yet or know nothing about. But for a list of the films (big and small) that I do know about, and am eagerly looking forward to, join me after the jump.
[For additional looks forward to movies in 2015, see our additional staff lists fromPeter Sciretta,Russ Fischer, andGermain Lussier.]
Odds and Ends
This list is purely subjective, and definitely not predictive. I’m not saying these are going to be the best films of next year, or even the films I personally am going to like best next year. They’re just the titles I’m most anxious to see at this point in time, for whatever reason.
First, we have some odds and ends that didn’t quite make my top 10, but that I’m nevertheless dying to see.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Of course I’m curious about this one. Everyone in the known world is curious about this one. It might be a disaster, it might be an epic success, or (most likely) it’ll fall somewhere in between. Whatever the case, it’s going to be something to talk about for years to come.
Jurassic World
Dinosaurs +Colin Trevorrow+Chris Pratt= I’m not quite sure, but I can’t wait to find out. TheSafety Not Guaranteeddirector was an unexpected choice to helm, but also an intriguing one, and Pratt’s star seems to rise higher with every passing month. Plus, who doesn’t love dinosaurs?
Mad Max: Fury Road
I wasn’t especially interested in the idea of aMad Maxsequel when it was first announced, and as the production process got rockier I was ready to write this one off as a flop. But then:holy shit that trailer. Andoh my God that other trailer. If the actual movie is half as good as its promos, we’re in for a real treat.
The Hateful Eight
It’s the newQuentin Tarantino. That’s reason enough to look forward toThe Hateful Eight, but if you need more there’s also the colorful cast and the tense premise: Eight strangers who have reason to hate one another are stuck together in a snowstorm. Presumably, lots of talking and lots of bloodshed ensue.
Ex MachinaAlex Garlandhas penned lots of great sci-fi screenplays for others to direct, including28 Days Later…,Sunshine,Never Let Me Go, andDredd. WithEx Machina, he finally gets to direct himself. The results so far look as intriguing as anything he’s written for anyone else.Spy
ThePaul Feig-Melissa McCarthyrelationship is a gift that keeps on giving.Spy stars McCarthy as a female James Bond type and surrounds her with actors you’d think would be more likely to show up in an actual James Bond movie, likeJason StathamandJude Law.
Anyone bemoaning the current state of the grown-up romcom should keep an eye out forFocus. DirectorsGlenn FicarraandJohn Requaknow their way around a good love story, having directedCrazy, Stupid, Love.andI Love You Phillip Morris, and leadsWill SmithandMargot Robbieseem to sizzle together.
Z for Zachariah
It’s thankfully difficult to imagineCraig Zobel’sZ for Zachariahbeing more horrifying his last film,Compliance, but here’s hoping it’s just as smart. Future A-listerMargot Robbieplays a young woman who thinks she’s the last survivor of an apocalypse until two mysterious men (Chris PineandChiwetel Ejiofor) show up.
What is there to say about this one? I’m not expecting high art. I don’t anticipateMinionsbeing one of the best films of the year. What I am expecting is 90ish minutes of cute overload. With a cast that consists of minions, minions, and more minions, it’s hard to believeMinionswon’t deliver.
Still Alice,Mommy, andWhat We Do in the Shadows
It seems kind of unfair to include these in my most-anticipated list since all of them have debuted at film festivals already, meaning I’ve already read tons of reviews and seen all the trailers. On the other hand, it seemed equally unfair to leave them out completely, since they’re some of the most exciting titles coming up on the horizon.
Still Alicehas, by all accounts, an absolutely stellar performance byJulianne Mooreat its core.Mommyhas broken the heart of seemingly every movie critic I’ve talked to. AndWhat We Do in the Shadowsinvolves the spectacular line “We’re werewolves, not swearwolves.”
And now, onto my top 10…
10.TomorrowlandBrad Birdventures into the unknown withTomorrowland, an original sci-fi adventure that actually looks like an original sci-fi adventure rather than a knockoff of a hundred other films. Yet there also seems to be a timeless quality to it, right down to the gritty, almost steampunk-y setting I saw in the NYCC footage. It’s a big film about big dreamers, made by a big dreamer himself.9.SilenceMartin Scorseseis a director I’ll follow basically anywhere. Even when I don’t love the movie he’s made (e.g.,The Wolf of Wall Street), I’m always glad to have seen it. Which is amazing, really — it’s hard to think of many artists who’ve been as consistently good for as long as he has.Silencealso features a pretty unusual-sounding story, following two Jesuit missionaries (Andrew GarfieldandLiam Neeson) in 17th century Japan.8.TrainwreckJudd Apatowis a director who needs to get away from shaggy self-indulgence and regain bright snap of his early work.Amy Schumeris a fresh, funny talent who deserves to be a much bigger star than she is. Their raunchy sensibilities seem like a match made in heaven, and they have the potential to up each other’s game. Plus, theTrainwrecksupporting cast is to die for — it includesMarisa Tomei,Brie Larson,Daniel Radcliffe,Ezra Miller, and the alien queen herself,Tilda Swinton.7.Inside Out
Lately, even the most ardent Pixar defenders have had to admit the studio seems to have lost a step. It’s going to the sequel well an awful lot these days, and its last original effortBraveranked nowhere near Pixar’s finest. I’m pinning my hopes onInside Outto prove that the studio’s still got it. The premise — it goes inside the mind of a young girl — is one of Pixar’s most inventive yet. InPete Docter’s very capable hands, it could very well turn out to be magic.
6.Crimson Peak
ForgetFifty Shades of Grey.Guillermo del Toro’s haunted house taleCrimson Peaklooks like the twisted romance of my dreams. The footage shown at Comic-Con had a creepy-sexy vibe underscored by theEyes Wide Shuttune used as a temporary soundtrack.Jessica Chastain,Mia Wasikowska,Tom Hiddleston, andCharlie Hunnammake for an undeniably attractive cast, but the gorgeous Gothic home looks like the real star of the show.
5.The Little Prince
There’s been a special place in my heart forThe Little Princeever since the first time I readAntoine de Saint-Exupéry’s book as a child. The odds of any movie adaptation doing justice to this delicate classic felt low, but that first trailer moved me half to tears. Hand-crafted stop-motion animation looks like a perfect fit for the story’s wistful tone, and the CG-animated framing device seems to draw the 70-year-old fable into the modern world.
4.Avengers: Age of Ultron
IfAvengers: Age of Ultronwas just a two-hour version ofthat amazing superhero party scene, it’d probably be battling for the #2 slot on my list. As it is, I’m happy to settle for an amazing superhero party scene plus lots of big expensive blow-‘em-up action. The Marvel formula has become a familiar one, but damned if I’m not looking forward to hanging out with all my favorite superheroes again — especially since theCivil Warsaga is about to blow the group back up again.
3.The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2
Cinemas are positively clogged with dystopian YA franchises these days, and yet none of them hold even a candle toThe Hunger Games. For that matter, few action franchises ofanyorigin are as smart and dynamic asThe Hunger Games. This year’sMockingjay, Part 1was the darkest, deepest, most evocative entry yet, and I can’t wait to see theLawrencesFrancisandJennfiertake this story to its thrilling conclusion.
2.SpectreSkyfallwas big-budget action filmmaking at its finest. It put the twinkle back into James Bond’s eye after two mopey installments (one great, one not so great), introduced one of the most memorable Bond baddies of all time, made the stakes intensely personal for our iconic hero, and did it all with tons of style.Spectrepromises much of the same cast and crew, plus the addition ofChristoph Waltzas (we’ve heard) a certain iconic Bond villain.1.That’s What I’m Talking AboutRichard Linklater’sBefore Midnightwas my most highly anticipated film of 2013, and then my favorite film of 2013. HisBoyhoodwas my most anticipated of 2014, and then my favorite film of 2014. It should come as no surprise thatThat’s What I’m Talking About— touted as a “spiritual sequel” toDazed and Confused, one of my favorite movies of all time — is my most highly anticipated film of 2015. And if the pattern holds, we’ll probably be talking about it again in about a year when I name it my favorite film of 2015.
