The summer of 2018 is now in the books, with its fair share of blockbusters, bombs and a few surprises. As the calendar moves ever onward, it’s time to take a look at some of the potential gems Hollywood has up its sleeve for the rest of the year. I initially thought this was going to be easy pickings since this is the first year in a while we won’t be getting a new MCU title or Star Wars movie leading into the yuletide season (Disney’s bottom line is probably still smarting from Solo’s box office failure). But the truth is this list proved to be a bit tougher to assemble than I thought.
These are the ten movies I’ll be keeping an eye on until we welcome 2019. Some of these will inevitably be disappointments, others better than I expected and guaranteed there be a surprise or two that should have made this list but didn’t.
10. Wreck It Ralph (Nov. 21): While I wasn’t a fan of the first Wreck It Ralph, I have to admit my interest has been piqued by what I’ve seen of the sequel so far. Piqued enough to convince me I need to check it out anyway. I have a funny feeling the Disney Princess scene alone may be worth the price of admission. Regardless, I’ll have my fingers crossed that there will be plenty of other jokes (including ones that kids and adults appreciate for different reasons), pop culture jabs and sight gags that will justify parting with the price of a ticket.
9. Dr.Seuss’ The Grinch (Nov. 09): I like Benedict Cumberbatch, the original How The Grinch Stile Christmas was one of my favourite Christmas specials growing up (just don’t get me started on that Jim Carrey debacle) and I love Christmas. Those reasons alone will get my butt into a seat to see this animated feature. But my interest in The Grinch right now is being driven solely by name recognition. The trailers haven’t exactly blown me away (or even inspired anything more than chuckle if i’m being honest). Of all the movies on this list, I have a feeling this is the one most likely to wind up on The 2018 Shamies as one of this year’s biggest disappointments.
8. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (Nov. 16): I have to admit I’m having some trouble psyching myself up for the sequel to 2016’s Fantastic Beasts. While I will definitely see it on the big screen, I’m having trouble moving my excitement metre past “meh.” The Harry Potter franchise started to lose its shine for me after the first two movies when the series took a decidedly dark turn (recruiting directors to match). And while I enjoyed the first Fantastic Beast movie as Harry Potter for grown ups, the franchise as a whole is failing to excite me most levels. Hopefully the actual movie has more up its sleeve than the trailers are letting on and I’m blown away in the theatre. Even if I’m not, it still looks like it will be a decent enough diversion for a few hours.
7. Bumblebee (Dec. 21): I know, I know, I swore off the Transformers movies following the yawnfest that was The Last Knight. But my curiosity is probably going to overcome my willpower on this one. Can Bumblebee carry a solo title when instalments starring dozens of robots in disguise fell flat? Will going with a smaller budget (really smaller) force the writers to tighten up the storytelling? And I’m dying to see if Hasbro and Paramount will use this movie to bridge the previous films to the rumoured Transformers reboot (or at least plant the seed for whatever the next generation of films are going to look like).
6. The Nun (Sept. 07): While Warner Bros. was watching the DCEU fall apart at the seams, they failed to recognize they already had a successful Cinematic Universe on their hands with the Conjuringverse. While The Man of Steel and the Dark Knight Detective were spinning their wheels with their big budget misfires, James Wan’s horroverse was raking inn big bucks given their R ratings and very modest budgets (Annabelle Creation brought in over 100 million greenbacks on a relatively paltry production budget of 15 million). The Conjuring movies have proven to be a far better return on investment for Warner Bros., with a fraction of the disappointment.
And The Nun doesn’t look like it’s resting on its laurels. The fifth movie in the Conjuring-Verse, The Nun looks truly chilling, embracing all the tricks that made its predecessors successful fright-flicks. While it has received a lukewarm response with some critics, more than a few jaded pundits have admitted that it scared them out of their skin sacks. If that’s true, it’s a shame it isn’t being released closer to Hallowe’en.
5. The Predator (Sept. 14): Another movie that was barely on my radar, The Predator shot up my list following the most recent trailer. Shamelessly embracing it’s 80’s sci-fi pedigree as much as possible (wallowing in violence, gore and profanity), the fact that it’s helmed by Shane Black, who starred in the first Predator all the way back in 1987, is a nostalgic cherry on the cinematic cake. What is especially appealing about this particular chapter in the Predator saga is that it looks like they may finally start paying credit to the scientific prowess of these aliens, a welcome exploration at this point. But let’s be honest, you just know (hope) that the final fight between the two Predators (one of whom looks like he’s been on a steady diet of steroids for about a hundred years) will be the main event of the year.
4. Venom (Oct. 05); This may be the most intriguing entry on this list. How does Venom tell the origin story of the most infamous Spider-Man villain in recent history without Spider-Man? How does it account for the alien symbiote-human hybrid copying Spider-Man’s look and powers? How does it navigate around the fact that the symbiotes’ spurned infatuation with everyone’s favourite wall crawler and Eddie Brock’s hatred for Peter Parker are the heart of the character’s every single motive?
If there is any actor on the planet who can do justice to the role, it is Tom Hardy (one of the most agile, underrated performers of our time). But can even Hardy save a film that might not be able to overcome it’s own inherent restrictions? Sony must have faith in the final product because they have Hardy (whose reportedly a big Venom fan) locked up for two sequels, meaning studio honchos believe they have a franchise on their hands they can run parallel to the current Marvel produced Spider-Man movies. Or they’ve got their fingers crossed really, really hard.
3. Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse (Dec. 14): Movie studios are often criticized for not taking creative risks. But can you blame them? In a boycott happy world where diversity is considered a four letter word by many and some fandoms have been getting a little too toxic for their britches, movie makers are often punished at the box office for trying to introduce something new (or a new twist on something old, a la Ghostbusters). Which is why we should all be interested in seeing Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse this Christmas.
As we saw with Venom, Sony is pushing full steam ahead with their Spider-Man cinematic universe and Into The Spider-Verse is the first animated branch in that family tree. Not only is the animation style a fresh, unique approach (a dramatic departure from the likes of Pixar, Disney and Dreamworks), so is the subject matter. While Spider-Verse will star Peter Parker, the main character will be Miles Morales, an hispanic youth introduced as an “alternate universe” Spider-Man in the comics years ago. While Miles has proven popular among comic book fans, how will he be received by casual audiences? Will the movie’s fresh but drastically different animated aesthetic be accepted?
Another twist to keep an eye on; Spider-Verse was written by Phil Lord, who was fired as co-director on Solo: A Star Wars Story for taking too many creative risks (Chris Miller was his directorial partner). If Spider-Verse (and more importantly, it’s risky approach) is a success while Solo is already considered one the year’s biggest bombs, who will serve Disney their plate of crow?
2. Aquaman (Dec. 21): I’ve given the DCEU plenty of flak, all of it well deserved. Outside of Wonder Woman, DC has proven unable to translate the success of characters that have been around for over half a century to the silver screen. I have never really cared about Aquaman (seriously DC, Aquaman?) and had zero appetite to see any more DC films following the enormous disappointment that was Justice League. In fact, two months ago this movie wouldn’t have been on this list, let alone grabbing the second highest spot. But director James Wan has done wonders building Warner Bros. shared horror universe (refer to entry number six on this list) and has earned the right to be given a chance. And then there’s the matter of the last trailer. The one with the giant sea dragon. Underwater. During an epic battle scene. So, y’know, wow.
1. The House With The Clock In Its Walls (Sept. 21): Sometimes it’s fun to kick back with an unpretentious, harmless piece of pure, imaginative fun. It’s why I enjoyed the first two Harry Potter movies the most (even though the fourth book was my favourite) and why I enjoyed the first Goosebumps movie. They were all good, innocent fun with plenty of imagination thrown in for good measure. And The House With The Clock In Its Walls looks like it fits that bill perfectly.
I can’t wait to see Cate Blanchett on the big screen again after her turns in Thor Ragnarok and Oceans 8. Jack Black looks like he’s channeling the same energy that made him the scene stealer in Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle and the whole movie feels like a big budget fairy tale. The kind of movie you could toss in the DVD player, both as a kid and as an adult, and watch over and over again on rainy afternoons or the occasional snow days. I’m genuinely looking forward to sitting back with a big bag of popcorn and forgetting about being an adult for a little while.
Video:
Image Universal Studios
