Most Anticipated Movies For 2015

2014 was a fantastic years for movies. The types of successful movies varied, with big, successful blockbusters and low budget indie flicks captivating audiences around the world. Now that 2014 is over, here are my top five most anticipated movies for 2015.

5. Chappie: “Chappie” will mark director Neil Blomkamp’s third sc-fi installment, following the very successful “District 9” and the solid “Elysium.” Blomkamp’s visual style is what I like most about his films, as both “District 9” and “Elysium” both had some of the best visuals I have seen in any movie. “Chappie” will follow a robot who has become the adopted son in a “dysfunctional” family. I anticipate a heartfelt tale of a robot trying to find it’s niche in a human society, and I will not be surprised if Blomkamp is able to suck a couple of tears from audiences’ eyes.

4. The Hateful Eight: Quentin Tarantino directing this film is more than enough to land this movie on my list. I was a huge fan of “Django Unchained,” and I’m hopeful that we will get more of the same from Tarantino’s latest installment. Samuel L. Jackson and Tim Roth, both favorites of Tarantino’s will star in the movie, but so will Channing Tatum. As a fan of Tatum, I am very excited to see how he will perform under Tarantino’s direction.

3. Jurassic World: The original Jurassic Park trilogy consists of one classic movie, one solid movie, and one disaster. “Jurassic Park 3” left a bad taste in the franchise’s fan’s mouths, and I’m hopeful that Jurassic World will get the Jurassic Park franchise back on the right track. Chris Pratt will be starring in the film as a man who is tasked to hunt down a new, genetically enhanced dinosaur that is loose in the film’s newest dinosaur amusement park. My biggest concern with the film is Pratt’s character; will he be able to pull off a more serious character like the trailers are portraying him as? He was able to pull off a somewhat serious, but more goofy role in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” but it looks as if this role will require a more serious performance from Pratt. Anyway, I am cautiously optimistic, but extremely excited for this film to hit theaters.

2. Star Wars: Episode VII-The Force Awakens: The last time the “Star Wars” franchise was in theaters, it was wrapping up one of the most disappointing trilogies of all time. This time around, JJ Abrams is at the helm as director, and I am very confident that he will breathe life back into this cherished franchise. He has proven that he is fully capable of pulling off a great sci-fi movie with his “Star Trek” movies, and as a big fan of the “Star Wars” franchise, I’m sure he will do everything he can to make this movie the best it can be.

1. Avengers: Age of Ultron: Seeing “The Avengers” in Theaters back in 2012 was, and still is the best time I have ever had at the movies. The film had everything a good movie, let alone a comic book movie, should have; epic action, drama, comedy, and compelling characters. With the all-star cast from the first film returning, and new additions such as Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, Marvel’s newest addition to The Avenger’s saga is shaping up to be as good, if not better than the first film. 

Of course, there are plenty of other potentially great movies coming out in 2015. These, however, are my most anticipated movies of the year. Do yourselves a favor and go see each of these films. This is shaping up to be another great year for movies.

Top Five Most Anticipated Movies for the Fall

With the summer movie season officially over (and what a summer it was), here’s my top five most anticipated movies for the fall! Oh, and because I’m so cool, I included the release dates and trailers for each.

 

5. The Skeleton Twins (September 12th)

Starring Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader with supporting actors Luke Wilson and Ty Burrell, The Skeleton Twins is shaping up to be one of the funniest movies this fall. The hilarious former SNL duo reunite as a brother and sister who come back together after being apart for 10 years. The film has already gotten high praise, and won best screenplay at the Sundance Film Festival this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhULZJDXLaE

 

 

4. Nightcrawler (October 31st)

Releasing on Halloween, Nightcrawler looks like it could be one of the more unsettling movies this fall. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a freelance crime journalist, who, as the trailer shows, is a little mentally unstable. Bringing back flashes of Christian Bale’s performance in American Psycho, Gyllenhaal could get some serious Oscar consideration, and that’s just from watching the trailer. Also, the phrase “You have to make the money to buy a ticket” will be stuck in my head for a while.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lEdwqwOttg#t=76

 

 

3. Birdman (October 17th)

Birdman is a black comedy about a washed-up actor who used to play a superhero, and is now struggling in the later years of his career. The hilarious thing is that the film stars Michael Keaton, who used to play a superhero himself back in the day when he played Batman. With an all-star cast including Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, and Zach Galifianakis, Birdman is one of the more intriguing films coming out this fall.

 

 

2. Foxcatcher (November 14th)

The unlikely pairing of Channing Tatum and Steve Carrell should already have you interested in this film, but Foxcatcher just looks flat-out good. Tatum, who has done drama in the past, but is better known for his role in the Jump Street movies, will have a chance to flex his dramatic muscle alongside Carrell, who seems a little miscast in this role. However, early reviews are saying that Carell excels in the dramatic role. Based on a true story, I expect Foxcatcher to get some serious Oscar buzz following its release.

 

 

1. Interstellar (November 7th)

Christopher Nolan and Matthew McConaughey. That should be all you need to hear for you to want to see this movie. Directing his first movie since the conclusion of his Dark Knight Trilogy, Nolan die-hards will be flocking to see this movie, and why not? Has the guy ever directed a movie that wasn’t awesome? Interstellar also has McConaughey in the prime of his career going for it. With a big, ambitious plot involving space travel and the lives of the human race in the balance, Interstellar is my most anticipated movie of the fall season.

Ranking the Summer of 2014 Movies

With the summer of 2014 coming to a close, let’s look back on what was one of the best summers in terms of movies we’ve had in a while.

Here’s my top 10 movies for the summer of 2014!

 

 

10. 22 Jump Street 

The hilarious duo of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum gave it a second try after the surprisingly funny 21 Jump Street, and were very successful. This time around, the the laughs hit just as hard, although maybe not quite as often as the first. Tatum and Hill were great once again, and definitely have the best comedic chemistry of any duo in Hollywood right now. While I still like the first one a little more, 22 Jump Street was still a very funny comedy, and a good time at the movies. Also,  this movie includes some of the funniest end credits you’ll ever see.

9. Godzilla

This was one of my most anticipated movies going into the summer, and I’m sad that It isn’t higher on my list. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed Godzilla a lot, and it made up for the 1998 disaster starring Matthew Broderick. Bryan Cranston is fantastic in the movie, showing off his talents as an actor, and even going a little Heisenberg in a few scenes. Aaron Taylor Johnson was fine in the leading role, although there wasn’t much emotional weight with his character. The CGI looks beautiful, Godzilla himself in particular. The action scenes were total eye candy, and the last 15 minutes made the movie for me. Bring on the sequel!

8. Neighbors

With a hilarious cast, and directed by Nick Stoller (Get Him to the Greek, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Neighbors was the funniest movie I saw all summer. Seth Rogan is his usual self, and has great chemistry with Rose Byrnes, who might be the funniest character in the whole movie. Zach Efron was surprisingly funny, and the portrayal of fraternity life was accurate and hilariously over the top at the same time. With plenty of dick and fart jokes, Neighbors was the raunchiest movie I saw all summer.

7.  The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Coming off the success of The Amazing Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 marked Marc Webb’s second chapter in his version of the Spidey saga. While this movie got a lot of mixed reviews, I generally enjoyed it. Andrew Garfield is the perfect Peter Parker/Spider-man and I believe, in time, could become what Robert Downey Jr. is to Iron Man. What made the movie for me though is the chemistry between him and Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy). Webb’s work on 500 Days of Summer definitely shines in the moments between the two characters. The actions scenes are intense and well done, and it includes one of the most heart breaking scenes of any movie this summer. The villains, especially Jamie Foxx’s Electro, are kind of weak, but luckily Garfield is able to carry the load.

 

6. The Fault in Our Stars

I’m probably one of the few 20-year-old males that has read John Green’s novel, or at least admit to reading it. Anyway, I really enjoyed the book, and I thought the movie version did a great job in translating the source material to the big screen. Shailene Woodley gives a great performance as Hazel Grace, and really showed her range as an actor. Ansel Elgort is also good as Gus, and the two have great chemistry throughout the movie. The movie is a good mix of drama, comedy, and just straight up depressing. There are definitely a lot of sad scenes towards the end, but it ends on a happy note. I only shed one tear, so I consider that a win.

5. X-Men: Days of Future’s Past

In the days leading up to the release of Days of Future’s Past, I caught up on everything X-Men since I had never seen a single X-Men movie before. The last minute studying paid off, as Days of Future’s Past was one of the best comic book movies I have ever seen. Featuring members of the old cast and new cast, Future’s Past was definitely unique in its own way. The story was interesting, the action was well done, and the acting was top notch. Hugh Jackman continues to kill it as Wolverine, and James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender give excellent performances as Magneto and Xavier. While he wasn’t in the movie much, Evan Peter’s Quicksilver was one of the best characters in the movie, and has one of the best scenes in any comic book movie ever.

4. Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy is one of those movies that gets better the more you think about it. Chris Pratt completely owns the Role as Star-Lord, but it’s Bradley Cooper’s CGI character Rocket Raccoon who steals the show. What made the movie for me was the characters. The main cast does a fantastic job, and their development as a team is so entertaining to watch, and even more gratifying to see pay off in the end. With plenty of badass action scenes, humor, and heartfelt moments, Guardians was one of Marvel’s best movies to date, and I can’t wait to see what Marvel has in store for these characters in the sequel.

3. Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow surprised and impressed me so much, and I was so happy it wasn’t the piece of trash I thought it would be when I watched the trailers for it. Love him or hate him, Tom Cruise does a great job in this movie, and proved that he can still put the weight of a big summer blockbuster on his shoulders. Emily Blunt also does a great job in her role, and is one of the most badass woman characters I’ve seen in a movie. The story, which is a lot like Groundhog Day in the sense that it’s about a man who relives the same day over and over again, never feels repetitive, and feels fresh every time, which is a huge accomplishment. With a clever story, compelling characters, and great action scenes, Edge of Tomorrow was one of the best movies of the summer.

2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

While technically The Winter Soldier came out before the summer movie season began, I decided to include it anyway. This movie was flat-out entertaining from start to finish, and made up for the mediocre first Captain America movie. With one of the best opening action scenes in any marvel movie, The Winter Soldier hit the ground running and never stopped. Chris Evans continues to be the perfect Captain America, while Samuel L. Jackson is still awesome as Nick Fury, and Scarlett Johansen still kicks ass as Black Widow. What made this movie so good, though, was The Winter Soldier himself, as he is one of the best villains Marvel has ever had. Even though he doesn’t have much dialogue, his presence added so much excitement to each scene he was in. With a story that includes brains, The Winter Soldier was one of the summer’s best movies, even if it missed the cut by about a month.

1. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

With a summer filled with sequels, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was the best. Improving on the already good Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn was The Dark Knight in terms of great sequels. Caesar steals the show hands down in this one, as Andy Serkis’ brilliant work in motion capture shines in every scene Caesar is in. Seriously, Oscar worthy in my opinion. Caesar’s character was one of the best characters in any movie this summer, and you really feel for him despite the fact that he is a CGI ape ( thanks to Serkis magic). The CGI is beautiful, and the apes look real in some scenes, especially in close up shots. The human characters do a really good job in the movie as well, especially Jason Clarke’s character. However, it’s the apes that steal the show, and that is the way it should be. With a good story, beautiful CGI, heart, great action, and a compelling character in Caesar, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was my favorite movie from the summer of 2014.

 

This list was ridiculously hard to make……

Thanks for reading!