Most Anticipated Movies

[Avaitor]

I haven't made a most anticipated movie list in years, partly since a lot of what becomes my favorite films of the years tend to be more of a surprise, but here's a couple of titles coming out this year that I'm interested in:

-Infinity Pool- This one's already out, but I probably won't get to it for another couple of weeks if not until it hits streaming (I have a few more Best Picture noms to see first, alongside a busy schedule at work). And while I'd normally be a little wary of a director's child trying to fill daddy's shoes, I'm a little more willing to give this a shot for a couple of reasons. A cool trailer, good will towards Croenberg senior for his last film (Crimes of the Future is probably my #1 from last year), and my admittance towards the Mia Goth hype train. The reception seems kind of mixed so far, which is probably a good sign!

-Evil Dead Rise- I didn't like the 2013 film and dipped on Ash vs. Evil Dead partway through the last season, but I was impressed with the trailer and hearing that this was a streaming title promoted to the big screen gives me a little hype. Let's hope it works!

-Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3- I'm slowly falling off the MCU  train after the largely middling Phase 4, which even Kevin Feige seems to agree has not featured a lot of their best work. Additionally, I'm not that excited for the new Ant-Man, which is looking to swap out the low stakes charm of the first two movies for another Big Event that I'm not seeing a whole lot of hype for. But James Gunn hasn't done me wrong with either Marvel or DC yet, and I loved the Guardians holiday special. Will definitely be here opening weekend.

-John Wick: Chapter 4- On the one hand, the continuity-heavy parts of the third film made for most of my least favorite part of the franchise so far, and I don't have a whole lot of hype for The Continental or Ballerina spin-offs (I also just really don't want an excuse to pay for Peacock Premium. I really do not need another streaming service). But almost no one is doing better action movies right now and I definitely need to see at least this on the big screen. Depending on how much I enjoy it, I may also give those a shot, too.

-Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part 1- The only franchise that may be featuring better action! I think Christopher McQuarrie gets it better than almost anyone in the game (hell, he helped make the sequel to a piece of crap like Top Gun into a damn fine movie), and I can't wait to see how he and Tom Cruise try to top Fallout.

-Asteroid City- I mean, it's Wes Anderson and has a crazy cast. Even when I think his work is below par, like Isle of Dogs or Darjeeling Limited, it's still mostly a good time. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

-Wish- If I had to add one animated project, this would probably be it. I know that Across the Spider-Verse or Super Mario Bros would be it for some, but I'm not sold on either yet (will probably see them though), and there's also Pixar's Elemental, which looks like the most generic thing they've ever made (will probably also see it), and it doesn't look like Laika's next film has a release date yet. But this is supposed to be a big deal from WDAS, celebrating the studio's 100th anniversary, and what I saw at D23 and since does look lovely. I think that both of Disney's studios have been in a bit of a rut in the past few years, and Jennifer Lee being announced as the writer doesn't give me a whole lot of hope (the Frozen movies have... problems), but I'm willing to give it a shot.

Edit: Oops, and Magic Mike: Last Dance. 'nuff said!

[Dr. Insomniac]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbenheimer

So, are you guys on the Barbenheimer train, or are we picking sides between Gerwig and Nolan? Or are you like "Why is this a meme? Why are people talking about these two movies like they're the same thing?"

[Avaitor]

I'm still not very hot on Nolan or biopics in general, and I feel like I've got everything out of the Barbie movie that there is to get from everything we've seen, so I'm team "ready to move on".

[Dr. Insomniac]

I don't know. I liked Gerwig's previous movies, thought Little Women was all right, and even though Tenet was a disappointment, I'm still "Ride or Die" with Nolan.

[Avaitor]

Let's see how my most anticipated of 2023 turned out.

-Infinity Pool

I dunno, I had fun with this one, but it hasn't really stood with me, either. And trying some more of Brandon Croenberg's filmography, I see a talented artist who isn't really trying, and probably isn't capable of surpassing his father's wheelhouse. Mia Goth was terrific as always, at least.

Evil Dead Rise

Definitely better than ED 2013 to me, although I think the movie kind of peaks with its opening and only comes close to Raimi's madcap energy near the end. I'd like to get another flick with Ash, but it's clear that audiences prefer whatever direction the last two movies are going in instead.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

I was right to be skeptical of Quantumania, and The Marvels wasn't much better, but this was excellent. This may be the last time the GP was 100% on board with the MCU, but it'll be deserved.

John Wick: Chapter 4

Did not disappoint in the slightest, a terrific (possibly) final entry. I'm still not sold on The Continental however. Hell, I got a free preview of Peacock and still passed.

Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part 1

I feel like if this came out just a couple of weeks later, it would have been a lot bigger. Deserved it, nearly as good as Fallout. Shame that part 2 got pushed back, but it's for the best that it's getting a separate title.

Asteroid City

Anderson's best since Grand Budapest. Unless you absolutely despise his work, I recommend it.

Wish

The biggest wash of the bunch, a half-assed attempt at combining nostalgia for the studio with an unimpressive mix of characters, songwriting, and storytelling, all set to jarring animation. Further proves my belief that Jennifer Lee is a hack.

And while Mario and Spiderverse didn't personally blow me away (I know others loved both and they're valid), I was surprised by Elemental, which is less of a tired Pixar buddy comedy and more of a welcomingly sweet romcom. It's a good time, worth spending some free time checking out.

And that's it. I forgot to see Magic Mike, and while I did leave out Dune here for some reason, that ended up to age well as it was pushed back. Don't think I'll do a list this year.