The holidays can be a busy time. With all the extra hours of work, holiday parties, and family time, a fella may not have time for things like routine exercise, eating three healthy meals a day, or writing his bi-weekly blog. But now that the shroud of Christmas has past there is just New Years Eve standing between all of us and the slew of movies that await us in the new year.
While some sites are trying to think of fifteen movies they are excited to see in 2015 I decided not to play that game. Twelve is my lucky number, so I'm sticking with twelve. Sure that cuts off films like Marvel's Ant-Man and the final Hunger Games movie; both in my Top 15, But if nothing else, I'm a creature of habit.
12) KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE (Feb. 13)
I just recently read the graphic novel this film is based on and quite enjoyed it. Though, from the look of the trailer, the film may play out a little different. Colin Firth recruits a young hoodlum to join the most prestigious group in Britain and mold him into a spy in order to stop Samuel L. Jackson from doing something I'm sure a Bond villain would have thought of.
11) THE AGE OF ADALINE (April 24)
Blake Lively stars in a film about a woman who has an accident in the early 20th century and can no longer age. She tries to spend immortality not getting close to anyone but of course she eventually finds someone she could love forever. She'll just have to learn to change his diapers in forty years.
This film intrigues me because usually you have to kill people in order to live forever. Just see the Highlander films or any vampire flick. She is immortal, but she doesn't have to kill to stay young? Also, I think Blake Lively has great potential as an actress. Could this be her Benjamin Button?
10) CHAPPIE (March 6)
From the director who brought us District 9 comes the tale of a robot that learns to be more human and think for itself. But unlike anything other film, Chappie is hunted down for what he is. Ok, you're right, it does sound like Short Circuit. Oh well.
While I never got around to seeing Elysium, District 9 was such a delightful surprise for me I'm willing to give Neil Blomkamp the benefit of the doubt. Plus, the film stars Hugh Jackman and Sigourney Weaver. I'm hooked just with those two names.
9) FANTASTIC FOUR (August 7)
Nothing I've heard about this movie has made me feel good about it except the cast. I love Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan. I also give credit to Kate Mara and Jamie Bell as well in their acting abilities. Beyond that, the changes they are making from the source material is why this film is not higher on my list.
I know everyone hates on the 2005 film, but as a guy who knows more than the average moviegoer about the FF I was entertained by it. This film appears to be going with the Ultimate Fantastic Four angle. Instead of cosmic rays, the four friends get their powers by entering something called the N-Zone, or Negative Zone, as most fan boys know it by. I liked Chronicle, so here's hoping Josh Trank doesn't let too many chefs in the kitchen if you catch my drift.
8) VACATION (Oct. 9)
The next National Lampoons film so far is just titled "Vacation" and will be directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein, whom most notably wrote both of the Horrible Boss movies. The film is set to star Ed Helms as Rusty Griswald. Rusty decides to take his own family on the vacation from hell; much like the original movie.
Chris Hemsworth, Leslie Mann, and Charlie Day are all set to co-star in the film; with an appearance by Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo. I loved the Vacation films growing up. Just take my money now.
7) PAN (July 24)
I'm a big Peter Pan fan so when a prequel film was announced to come out I made sure to watch quite a few films directed by Joe Wright. Just look at any film Keira Knightly has done in the past decade. Chances are it was a Joe Wright film.
Hugh Jackman stars as Blackbeard the pirate and Garrett Hudlund as Captain Hook, but before he gets the hook. Levi Miller is the boy chosen to play Peter; the soon-to-be legendary hero. It's got the stars and the mythical legend, but why isn't Knightly playing Tinkerbell? She already lent her voice to the pixie in a TV movie.
6) JURASSIC WORLD (June 12)
My enjoyment of the Jurassic Park franchise ended after the credits of the first film rolled. Sure Jeff Goldblum and Julianne Moore were enough to get me to see the sequel, but by the third film they were just beating a dead horse; again.
Twenty-two years after the events of the first film John Hammond's vision is realized as people go to a theme park to see dinosaurs. However, man has again played god by making their own dinosaurs. Let's see how that goes for them. Chris Pratt stars in this film, which looks like the new twist could give this franchise fresh legs to run. Let's find out.
5) 007: SPECTRE (Nov. 6)
Daniel Craig returns as James Bond for the fourth time and is bringing a barrel of talent with him. From Christoph Waltz to Ralph Fiennes this film looks like it could surpass Casino Royale as my favorite Bond film.
James in the hunt for the sinister organization known as Spectre, which I'm hoping is the crime syndicate Craig was on the verge of uncovering in his first two films. I was sad that Skyfall didn't continue that storyline, but make Christoph Waltz the main villain, and Dave Bautista his main henchman, and all will be forgiven.
4) TERMINATOR: GENISYS (July 1)
We all know the last good Terminator film was all the way back in 1991. However, I felt like Rise of the Machines had a few good moments, but their are no words as to what the hell Salvation was. Alan Taylor, best know for directing Game of Thrones episodes and the Thor sequel, will try and re-ignite this long dead film franchise.
From the first trailer it appears that Kyle Reese goes back in time to save Sarah Connor; just like the first film. Only Kyle does not find a helpless waitress. Instead Sarah was raised by a Terminator and is all set to stop Judgement Day. Arnold is back, along with Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney, and looks like they will be using the Star Trek/X-Men loophole of erasing the past to give the franchise a new future.
3) ENTOURAGE (June 5)
While I wasn't to psyched about the way the HBO series ended I could not be more excited for this film. Not much is known about the film's plot with the first teaser trailer recently released. But it's the further adventures of E, Vince, Drama, Turtle, and Ari in Hollywood. Sex and the City got two films made. I don't see why Entourage can't either.
2) AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (May 1)
Earth's mightiest heroes are back at it as Joss Whedon once again directs this anchor in Marvel's Cinematic Universe. In the sequel, Tony Stark tries to restart a peace keeping program that goes horribly wrong and results in the creation of Ultron; an artificial intelligence who thinks the only way to save the world is to eradicate the human lives inhabiting it.
All the familiar faces are back, along with a few new ones like Aaron-Taylor Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen as Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. But this isn't the same Quicksilver from X-Men: Day of Future Past, nor are either of them mutants. Fox has forbid them from having any relation to the X-Men. Whatever, it'll still be awesome!
1) STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (Dec. 18)
Forget the rest of this list. If I could only see one film in 2015 this would be it. J.J. Abrams is going to try and make us all forget about how bad the prequel films were and how awesome Star Wars really is. Almost nothing is known about the plot of the film, except that it is set 30 years after the events in Return of the Jedi and Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher will all be back to reprise their iconic characters.
You could just show me the announcement trailer over and over again and I will still plan on seeing this film at least four times in the theater. After a midnight viewing of The Avengers I swore off all future midnight shows. It was full annoying teenagers who made the experience horrible. However, I may have to break that rule for this event. I just have to decide which lightsaber to bring.
