Now that the Fall and Christmas Movie Season of 2018 has come and gone (with its own share of surprises and disappointments), here’s a look at the ten movies of the Winter and Spring of 2019 that excited (or worry) me the most. It was an interesting list to compile considering two of the entries weren’t on my radar until the end of 2018 (and in the case of Captive State, when it did fly it flew onto my radar, it flew hard). When all is said and done though, I’m confident it’s a list that would appeal to any true Nerd’s heart. Enjoy.
10. Alita: Battle Angel (February 14th): Fair disclosure, I’m not an anime fan and I had never even heard of the source material until now. And let’s be honest, Hollywood has a terrible track record adapting anime to the silver screen. You don’t have to be a fan of that particular corner of the entertainment world to read the volumes of disgust anime fans leave online, coupled with the “that’s what all the fuss is about” response from casual movie fans. But having said that, Alita has a few things going that have managed to pique my interest. The CGI and action scenes we’ve seen so far haven’t looked too shabby while nabbing acting heavyweights Christoph Waltz and Mahershala Ali must mean the script has something going for it. Right? RIGHT? Then again, I thought the same thing about Anthony Hopkins’ participation in Transformers 5and look where that got me. Chalk this one’s inclusion up to pure curiosity if nothing else.
9. Us (March 22nd): This was an interesting Christmas present. Until the first trailer dropped on December 25th, I knew absolutely zilch about this flick (and you gotta admit, dropping the first trailer for a horror/thriller on Christmas Day is a pretty ballsy move). The sophomore effort from Jordan Peele (you now, the guy that brought the world a little something called Get Out a few years ago), it looks like the comic turned thriller director has kept his promise to embrace the fright side of horror a little more. It looks like Us may offer some legit chills and hopefully can breathe some desperately needed life into a horror genre that has grown stale and predictable the last few years. And I have to admit, in a movie that may deal with cloning or supernatural copies, I’m dying to find out what’s up with the recurring scissor and rabbit imagery.
8. Hellboy (April 12th): Fans went nuts when the first trailer for Hellboy dropped last month. But not in a good way. It was both surprising and disappointing seeing how many people immediately rejected this movie. While seeing such an incredible amount of loyalty to former star Ron Perlman and former director Guillermo del Torro was uplifting, what no one acknowledged was that a reboot was only made possible by the mediocre box office performance of 2008’s Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (the moral of the story kids, if you claim to be a fan of something, prove it with your wallet as well as your keyboard). David Harbour has proven on Stranger Things that he can pull off brooding and damaged and he’s proven his commitment to his new role by whipping himself into buff shape to depict the Prince of Hell. And while the darker tone producers promised hasn’t been evident in the promo material so far, I’m kind of looking forward to seeing a new take on the character (not to mention giving it a chance, something far too many “fans” of the franchise are promising not to do).
7. Dumbo (March 29th): Anyone need a good cry? Because guaranteed, there is going to be at least one tragic death in this movie and theatres can probably make a little extra cash selling Kleenex when Dumbo debuts in March. 2018 was not a good year for Disney’s live action fairy tales. Their box office performance ranged from underwhelming (Mary Poppins Returns, Christopher Robin) to outright bombs (The Nutcracker And The Four Realms). But Dumbo looks like it’s going to hit that nostalgia button hard and The House of the Mouse made an interesting choice putting Tim Burton in the director’s chair. I have a sneaky suspicion that after an off year, Disney is looking to return to the glory years of Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book and Maleficent. And if that’s the case, Dumbo will be the first bullet in that gun.
6. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (February 8th): Warner Bros is getting down to brass tacks. Or at least back to them. After a disappointing entry in the Lego franchise with The Lego Ninjago Movie in 2017 (which was essentially a glorified toy commercial), Warner Bros. is returning to the movie that started it all. And it looks like they’re playing with the fourth wall and wallowing in self depreciative humour Deadpool style. The things I’m mostly looking forward to are the one of a kind sight gags only an animated Lego movie can pull off, the chemistry between Chris Pratt’s Emmet and Elizabeth Bank’s Wildstyle and returning Batman to a supporting role (where I think he works best in these movies). And then there’s the all star voice casts the Lego movies are becoming known for (seriously, whoever does the voice casting for these movies deserves a dope raise). My primary concern is whether this movie can duplicate the charm of the first one; a charm made possible by the then novel inclusion of live action footage. Will The Second Part rely on the same formula, offer something new yet equally interesting or just forget it altogether? After all, Ninjago used real world scenes to no avail and The Batman Lego Movie didn’t need them to become a hit, so which way will this one go?
5. Shazam! (April 5th): I wouldn’t have included Shazam! on this list six months ago. But I said the same thing about Aquaman back in September; a movie I was prepared to ignore until I was won over by the trailer. And not only did the first look offer some hope for Shazam!, but so did how much I enjoyed Aquaman. While Wonder Woman successfully embraced inspiration as its core concept and Aquaman did a good job as a harmless (and mindless) action flick, Shazam! looks like it may have mastered the formula of family friendly super hero comedy. If Shazam! can stake out a home on the same ground as Deadpool (but on the opposite side of the rating spectrum), it will give Warner Bros. a third pillar to prop the DCEU up (and offer it a way back from the brink). DC’s movie universe still won’t be ready to compete with the MCU, but it will be a big step in the right direction. Not to mention an enormous win. Shazam! is the biggest gamble on this list. And it carries the biggest stakes.
4. Glass (January 18th): I may have been the only person on the planet who didn’t like Split back in 2017. While everyone else was describing it as a triumph and were heralding the return of M Night. Shymalan, I had difficulty seeing past the movie’s numerous problems and shortcomings. So why is the sequel so high on this list? The first answer is James McAvoy. Even though I wasn’t a fan of Split as a whole, McAvoy’s performance as the Horde (and its 24 distinct personalities) was nothing short of inspired. His performance alone is worth the price of admission. But on top of all that I was a big fan of Unbreakable, and seeing Samuel L. Jackson return to the role of the devilishly brilliant Elijah Price nineteen years later is equally worth some of the money in my pocket. If Glass can manage to be a good movie on top of all that, well that will just be a bonus.
3. Captive State (March 29th): My biggest movie disappointment in 2018 was that it didn’t offer any smart sci-fi movies. Sure, there was plenty of sci-fi fare but nothing along the lines of The Martian, The Arrival, Interstellar or Blade Runner 2049. But Captive State looks like it could scratch that itch and then some. As opposed to just blowing things up and moving from scene to scene, Captive State looks like it asks some poignant questions. And it looks like it at least takes answering them seriously. Like Us, I knew next to nothing about this movie until very recently. But a single trailer was enough to convince me that this was a movie to keep an eye on and has quickly become one of the movies I’m looking forward to the most this spring.
2. How To Train Your Dragon:The Hidden World (February 22nd): I’ve loved the How To Train Your Dragon franchise since it started all the way back in 2010 (Jesus, has it really been nine years?). It hasn’t all been gold; I was never able to get into the streaming series and the direct to DVD Christmas special was underwhelming to say the least. But I loved the first two movies and while I was disappointed when they pushed the release date of the third (and final) instalment back, I’m looking forward to The Hidden World with a mixture of cautious anticipation and eventual regret. While I’m not looking forward to saying goodbye to this franchise, I am hoping it goes out on a high note. And that wouldn’t the worst way for Dreamworks Animation to start it’s new relationship with Universal. But if they even think of killing off Toothless in this movie, I’m gonna have to murder someone.
1. Captain Marvel (March 8th): The top spot on this list last year went to Black Panther, a movie that didn’t disappoint and shattered every box office prediction. Can Captain Marvel repeat that Herculean task? Will audiences view her as an appetizer before the Avengers main course, giving into their interest about a character who’s been teased as a major player in the universe altering Avengers: Endgame? Will movie goers give the movie a chance or will they write it off as a cynical answer to DC’s Wonder Woman? Will Brie Larson do for Captain Marvel what Gal Gadot did for Princess Diana, embracing the essence of the character (something Jason Mamoa and Chadwick Boseman also did for their respective roles)? Marvel and parent company Disney have done a solid job slowly ramping up the hype so far, and releasing it on International Women’s Day is a sly marketing touch. Now the wait is on to see if it works and if the MCU has yet another hit (and franchise) on it’s block busting hands.
