Now that 2017 is in the rear view mirror, it’s time to look honestly at the films that are going to be releasing in the calendar year 2018. Some weekends have already passed, but those films, plus a raft of others, await eager audiences hoping for something grand to help them forget their miseries if only for a couple of hours.
Each year is filled with films that have the potential to be great and the potential to be awful. Sometimes, the films we most anticipate are the ones that end up disappointing us so much. As I survey the long list of features on the horizon for the rest of the year, I can’t help but be filled with equal parts excitement and revulsion. On top of that, there are more films that I have serious reservations about than I ever would have expected before looking specifically at a long list of upcoming releases.
Today, I’ll be recounting all of the films due to be released this year (and a couple that have already released). I’ve broken my commentary up into three sections. I’ll look at my most and least anticipated films, plus those films that I have hope for, but a lot of reservations about.
I have tried, to the best of my abilities, to find images for each film and post them with the commentary below. Unfortunately, since some of these are far from release, promotional photos are few and far between. Also, where possible, I’ve put in a link to my current Film Preview article.
To start things off, I’m going to do a rundown of all the movies that fall into the category of least anticipated. We start with a look at those 13 films that I’m least looking forward to in 2017 (in alphabetical order).
2018’s Least Anticipated Movies:
12 Strong – Chris Hemsworth has done a lot of interesting projects in recent years, but this is one of them that doesn’t look remotely interesting. Based on a declassified true story, the film looks like yet another in a long line of pro-military propaganda films that has no purpose to exist other than to appease that particular fanbase. The historical necessity of such a film is minimal, which makes this film seem like a potential misfire.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Available
Alpha – That all-silent trailer about the relationship between a boy and his wolf that was supposedly the first story of man’s best friend is hokey claptrap of which the trailer doesn’t quite disabuse the audience. While there’s some nice design work and possibly some strong cinematography, the corny story feels like something that might have either gone direct-to-video or never made it to the production anyway. For now, it’s value seems minimal.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Available
Bumblebee – Longtime Laika animator and director of Kubo and the Two Strings is bringing to the screen a sort of Transformers prequel set in 1987. Surrounding a popular Transformer from the main franchise, Bumblebee is one of the year’s biggest “why” moments. The Transformers franchise took a risk in moving itself into the near-future and faltered. The films have decreasd in popularity, so it doesn’t make sense to spin it off, yet here we are. While I am hopeful that Knight can overcome the awfulness of the property, I won’t hold out hope.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
Death Wish – Charles Bronson starred in the 1974 film Death Wish, which co-starred Hope Lange and Vincent Gardenia. This thoroughly unnecessary remake features Bruce Willis opposite Elisabeth Shue and a different Vincent, this time D’Onofrio. Studios are trying desperately to find titles in their catalogue that they can reboot for a new generation, but the first trailer has a lot of elements that are strikingly racist, which suggests it’s potential for success is muted.
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Den of Thieves – Gerard Butler has to be the most overrated actor out there, a figure who studios have been trying to turn into a box office draw for years and who has yet to manifest such a lofty position. In spite of the success of 300, he has only once delivered a good performance and Coriolanus was hardly seen. This heist thriller which pits cops and robbers against each other in a supposedly balanced depiction of the best and worst of each feels like the kind of movie that could have been made in the 1970s and released without any expectation of success or quality. It’s par for Butler’s course.
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Overboard – In 1987, celebrity couple Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn starred together in the Garry Marshall-directed was box office weakling when it was released and has gained little following since. It might seem like a property ripe for the reboot, but the decision to put into the leads two actors who have no chemistry together is a strange choice. Further, gender-swapping the roles with Eugenio Derbez in the Hawn-character role and Anna Faris in the Russell role, doesn’t sound like the best idea, nor do those particular actors who have yet to show that they can lead a film on their own, at least for most audiences.
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The Predator – The Alien franchise has seen a refresh in the last few years, which means a refrseh of the Predator franchise wasn’t shockingly far behind. The necessity of this particular reboot hasn’t been clarified, though putting a director like Shane Black in control could be beneficial. That being said, there’s little about the potential for this film that justifies rebooting an incredibly popular cult hit like the Arnold Schwarzeneggar original.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
Rampage – While studios have been trying to turn Gerard Butler into a thing for years, they succeeded with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He’s back once again in an action thriller, this time an adaptation of a video game from the 1980s, one that doesn’t really lend itself well to adaptation. Producers are probably counting on that lack of familiarity and connectivity to turn this into the rare video game adaptation success, but the film looks almost identical to the last film Johnson did with his San Andread director Brad Peyton, which is just about as troubling as Johnson being thrust into an action thriller for the umpteenth time.
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Sicario 2: Soldado – Three years ago, French director Denis Villeneuve captured critic and audience imaginations with his helming of Taylor Sheridan’s Sicario, a film about a female FBI agent brought in to help in the escalating drug war. Emily Blunt starred opposite Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin in a film that might have been made with an all-male cast less than a decade ago. The astonishing decision to head the cast by a woman was a fantastic one and Blunt delivered. Yet, for some reason, Sheridan’s sequel to that film, a questionable decision in the first place, centers on Del Toro’s character from the original and brings back Brolin, but leaves Blunt behind. By gent-rifying the story, they’ve removed the element that helped make the original unique and compelling, making this misguided sequel an utter waste of potential.
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Slender Man – In 2009, a meme figure with a featureless face and long arms became an internet sensation and the popular subject of plenty of fanfiction about him terrorising and abducting children. He gained such popularity that his fans were connected to the near-fatal stabbing of a 12-year-old in 2014. That notoriety hasn’t apparently dampened his popularity, leading to a feature film based on the internet-created sensation. If that description alone doesn’t anger, frustrate, or worry you, then you’re probably a member of the target audience. I am not.
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Tomb Raider – One of the most popular video game characters was originally brought to the screen in 2001 under the title Lara Croft: Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie. The film was popular enough that it spawned a sequel in 2003, which was such a flop that the character was shelved until now, 15 years later. Taking on the role is Alicia Vikander who is appearing under the direction of The Wave‘s Norwegian film director Roar Uthaug. The first trailer looks rather like a cross between Indiana Jones and National Treasure, with more of an action thriller vibe. I like Vikander well enough, but the whole thing looks awful even if it will probably prove popular.
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War with Grandpa – Robert De Niro’s comedy career has been hit or miss, mostly miss. So, the purpose of putting him into another comedy opposite a child as the fight over the room they are forced to share smacks of desperation on both De Niro’s and the studio’s part. Apart from the dramedy Silver Linings Playbook, the last truly good comedy De Niro took part in was Meet the Parents 17 years ago. That doesn’t bode well for this potential flop with nothing about it that seems remotely interesting.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
White Boy Rick – Matthew McConaughey may be one of the most overrated actors of his generation. The worst part about Robert Zemeckis’ Contact, McConaughey has flirted with greatness seldom over the years and his recent streak of uglified portrayals seems more like desperation than a genuine attempt to flex his comedy muscles. This drama, about an FBI informant, has little going for it including a minor TV director at the helm. The fact that it was original scheduled for an early-year release and has now been pushed back does not bode well for its potential quality.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
Now that we’ve got the likely detritus out of the way, looks look at the 23 titles that I have a modicum of hope for, but also serious reservations about just how well they will ultimately turn out.
2018’s Modestly Anticipated Movies:
Ant-Man and Wasp – Paul Rudd is one of the most interesting comic actors working today and his foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Ant-Man was a good deal of fun. He’s now headed for his second stand-alone film, this time alongside his on screen girlfriend played by Evangeline Lilly, and with so little known about the film, it’s hard to get genuinely excited. This is largely thanks to the MCU’s inability to settle on a comedi tone that works for it and partly for a lack of natural progression leftover from the first film.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
Aquaman – Sure Jason Momoa was one of the more appreciated aspects of the Justice League film, but it had little to nothing to do with Momoa’s acting ability. As the DC Extended Universe tries to establish separate character films for its Justice League members, the potential storylines available for these characters seem limited. After years of following how the MCU handled its characters, starting at the whole and working in reverse seems like a bad idea and this movie could prove that even if it has some fine actors in its cast like Nicole Kidman and Willem Dafoe.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
Avengers: Infinity War – After 10 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is finally pulling all of its events together into this picture, bringing together more than two dozen heroes from its numerous films and expecting them all to be well written enough to stand alone without needing extra plotting. Yet, this many characters is bound to feel like a greatest hits album that includes, but marginalizes some popular characters, giving each too little screne time and not enough to please their individual fans. It will undoubtedly be exciting, but will it be convoluted or bulky or overburdened, that’s the biggest concern.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Available
Bohemian Rhapsody – Bryan Singer announced that he was directing a biopic of the legendary rock band Queen with Rami Malek starring as flamboyant frontman Freddie Mercury. The first 
of Malek as Mercury was promising, but then Singer was relieved of directing duties after take an unexecpted break from filming. He was replaced by the studio by Dexter Fletcher of Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels fame. Changes in directors seldom result in quality films as the replacement director often makes stylistic or plot/editing changes that distort the original material enough to make things feel clunky. Fantastic Four and Justice League are two productions that exemplify how this can often be a bad thing.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
Early Man – Aardman animation has turned out some wonderful films over the years, though their last few have been a bit weaker than their heyday. That said, Early Man looks to employ their trademark humor, but the anachronism on display is a bit disjointed, which makes one wonder if the lengths they went to get these zany moments put together might have been a bridge too far.
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First Man – Damien Chazelle is considered a hot young director whose first film was well respected, but whose second and third films were acclaimed. I never got a chance to see his first two movies, but his third, La La Land wasn’t nearly as impressive as many suggested. The tepid voices employed in the film belied its exuberance, making it feel like a cheap musical. The music was decent, but not particularly memorable. So, I find it hard to get much anticipation up for a movie about a Neil Armstrong biopic, but Ryan Gosling as a star is enough to at least pique my interests.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
The Happytime Murders – Originally conceived in 2008, this unusual off-shoot of the Jim Henson universe has been in production hell for years, but formally started shooting nine years later in September of 2017. That long of a production delay is enough reason for concern. While the film isn’t likely to star any of the Muppets you’ve come to love, Henson’s puppets will be a key part of the film and while the concept is reminiscent of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, there’s always the question of whether they will go full film noir, which would be terrific, or if they try to make it lighter to avoid angering parents, which would be awful.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – Jurassic Park is one of my all-time favorite sci-fi blockbusters. It was awe-inspiring, terrifying, and exciting. The sequel was a pale comparison, as was the third film. They stopped at that point, but three years ago, they returned to the park under new management decades later. Starring Chris Pratt, Jurassic World was occasionally flat, copying too much of the format, structure, and look of the Steven Spielberg original. What gives me hope about this sequel is that the first trailer looks like it’s a complete departure from the franchise to date, which might give it just enough inventiveness to sustain it.
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Mary Poppins Returns – 1964. That’s the year the screen legend was born. Julie Andrews won an Oscar for her portryal of Mary Poppins, a nanny who uses music and imagination to care for her children. It was one of the most imaginative and joyful films ever made and pulled in a staggering 13 Oscar nominations, tying Gone With the Wind and From Here to Eternity for second-most Oscar nominations in history at the time, all behind Ben-Hur. It won 5. Word of a return to Mary Poppins is concerning enough, but thankfully, this is set 25 year later, which enables it to breathe a bit and not utterly destroy the original. Emily Blunt will be interesting in the lead role, but whether the film can carry over the original’s charm and fun, who knows for sure.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
Maze Runner: The Death Cure – Four years ago, in the midst of the studios’ attempt to bring every young adult novel to the big screen they could in the hopes of building the next Harry Potter or Hunger Games series, Wes Ball helmed the adaptation of Jaes Dashner’s popular sci-fi dystopian novel The Maze Runner to the big screen. It was a distracting film and was entertaining enough that my desire to see how it all plays out has continued. The second film wasn’t as good as the first, which is why I have misgivings about this third film.
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Mission: Impossible 6 – When the popular TV show was first adapted to the big screen, no one was certain how good it would be. Yet, it managed to impress and become a box office hit. With varying degrees of success over the years, the series has remained an engaging and entertaining product. While Ghost Protocol (directed by Brad Bird) was a reinvigoration of the series, its successor Rogue Nation (directed by Christopher McQuarrie) was a disappointment. McQuarrie is back for this sixth go-round, so I have limited hopes that it will be worth seeing, but I will still likely check it out.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
Mortal Engines – Although Peter Jackson’s next movie isn’t currently slated, four years after his last release, he’s still working as a producer and his latest project is the adaptation of the novel Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve. Jackson and his writing/producing partners from the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films have penned the screenplay, visual effects and storyboard artist Christian Rivers is in the directors chair and although the spectacular effects in the teaser trailer are enough to make the film must-see, it’s hard to build much in the way of expectations with such an unknown quantity at the helm.
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Mulan – Although it wasn’t treated as one of the great films of the 1990s Disney Renaissance, Mulan was, to me, the last truly great one of that era. The music and animation were superb and as Disney works its way through its animated properties for live-action adaptations, it was bound to get the same treatment as Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. Thus it is 30 years later and the film is currently in production. Although much of the cast isn’t known, they have cast their Mulan in Chinese martial arts actress Yifei Liu. That they have committed to using an all-Asian cast (hopefully, all-Chinese, but I’m doubtful), it will be interesting to see how things go. At the helm is Niki Caro, who’s made a name for herself at the specialty box office, and that could be the most interesting dynamic of all even if the potential for a live-action adaptation is frought with myriad perils.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite is a staple of the holiday season, so it’s no surprise that the ballet would eventually be translated to the big screen. Based on the Alexandre Dumas fairy tale, the film’s first trailer is a dazzling delight of color and design that looks gorgeous, but as with any Disney film, the chances for failure are there. Lasse Hallstrom is at the helm and Simon Beaufoy co-wrote the script with Ashleigh Powell. Those factors may mitigate the risks, but until we see more, we cannot know for sure if it will be an expensive piece of crap or a major success.
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Pacific Rim: Uprising – Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, about giant robots constructed to protect the planet against giant monsters, was a surprisingly enjoyable feature in 2013. After many mishaps in the intervening five years, the sequel is finally on deck. While most of the original cast isn’t returning, Charlie Day, who was arguably the best part of that film, is back and that could be enough to sustain it. The only major hindrance is that del Toro is not back in the driver’s seat. Steven S. DeKnight is and his limited television directing credits accompanied by his television writing history don’t give one hope that he can handle this kind of big screen production.
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Peter Rabbit – This part-animated, part-live-action feature film follows the tale of popular children’s character Peter Rabbit and his attempts to protect his loving guardian from the villainous new neighbor who’s trying to seduce her while eradicating the bunny threat. The first trailer has a lot of wonderful humor in it and looks like a great time at the movies, but all children’s entertainment should carry a major caveat lest they turn out too childish.
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Purge: The Island – The Purge series is a compelling look at a quasi-futuristic world where all crime is outlawed except one night a year when all crime is legal. The first film was isolated to a single home while the second expanded events into the city streets. The political overtones gave it a gravitas that the acting didn’t always support. However, for any horror enthusiast, it was an excellent production. After the third film, it was thought the series would come to an end, but the fourth film will be a prequel, which opens up the opportunity to expand the series well beyond the initial film’s setting. Like with any horror series, the biggest concern is whether they can maintain the overarching political elements and keep the story sharp rather than delve into the visceral elements that mostly distract from the narrative rather than embrace it.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
Red Sparrow – Based on a novel, Red Sparrow details the story of a young Russian woman trained at the Sparrow School to use her feminine wiles to seduce and expose foreign agents. The story, which isn’t terribly dissimilar from the backstory of The Avengers‘ Black Widow, is one that’s intrigued comic lovers for decades and which targets a genre that has found plenty of success among American audiences. The biggest problem for the film isn’t director Francis Lawrence, who has successfully directed star Jennifer Lawrence in three of the Hunger Games films, it’s that the premise doesn’t feel that fresh anymore, not after Atomic Blonde.
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Solo: A Star Wars Story – With George Lucas out of the Star Wars picture, Disney has been flooding the marketplace with Star Wars-related content, including a new trilogy and a stand alone film two years ago, Rogue One. They continue their push towards expanding the universe by going back in time to explore the history of the popular character Han Solo originally played by Harrison Ford. Ford is out of the picture and Alden Ehrenreich is in as the young Solo. While the quality of recent Star Wars films is solid, the biggest concern here is the removal of directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the men who directed smash hit
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A Star Is Born – Lady Gaga is one of the great musical artists working today. However, her acting ability is questionable. She was perfectly cast in American Horror Story: Hotel, but maintains a rather generic personality even in her music videos. Cast opposite the Bradley Cooper whose acting ability isn’t in question, and you have a project that has many areas where it could ultimately disappoint. This is the fourth big screen incarnation of this story, following the 1937 version starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, the 1954 version with Judy Garland and James Mason, and the 1976 attempt with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. All of these featured actors who had been well regarded in their time, most of whom were either Oscar nominees or winners already. Gaga is not while Cooper has four Oscar nominations under his belt. However, he’s also the director, which is further cause for concern.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
Super Troopers 2 – In 2001, the Broken Lizard comedy group put together a hilarious and modestly subversive R-rated comedy Super Troopers. It became a cult success and there have been calls for a follow-up for years. Seventeen years later, those requests are to be answered. While I enjoyed the first film, a sequel doesn’t seem like the greatest idea, especially one so far removed from the original. It has potential to be both grand fun and a tepid flop.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
Venom – Sony tried for years to figure out what to do with the Spider-Man universe it had done little with. That changed after they agreed to share rights to the characters. This has given them a new lease on life and they are running with it. Directed by Zombieland helmer Ruben Fleischer, this exploration of one of Spider-Man’s villains, Eddie Brock, aka Venom, stars Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams. Those two alone are reason to want to give it a shot, but I’ll give most comic book adaptations a chance, but the potential for failure is always right below the surface.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
Winchester – The legendary Winchester mansion, so haunted that the Winchester heir Sarah Winchester had the place expanded to create dead-end doors, halways, stairs that went nowhere, and myriad other architectural oddities. In this film looking at those hauntings, Sarah is played by Oscar winner Helen Mirren in a film that takes an early-year berth often taken by haunted house films. Like all of those before it, there are plenty of reasons to be leery, but at least Mirren can alleviate some of those concerns.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Available
Now that we’re done with the modestly anticipated selections, it’s time to look at the films I am unabashedly excited about seeing. I may have a couple of small concerns about them, but those details aren’t quite enough to dampen my enthusiasm. Here are the 17 films I’m most looking forward to this year.
2018’s Most Anticipated Movies:
2018 Cloverfield Movie – If it weren’t for the amazing cast set for this film, Elizabeth Debicki, Daniel Bruhl, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Chris O’Dowd, Ziyi Zhang, and David Oyelowo, one might mistake this as an attempt to mimic films like Alien and Event Horizon, yet this is the third film to bear the Cloverfield name and while the first film was passable, the second film was brilliant and that’s enough to make this one look like a potential success.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
Annihilation – While I’m a bit behind on watching Ex Machina, director Alex Garland’s follow-up looks like a sci-fi marvel. With gorgeous effects, the full trailer for this film suggests a film well worth seeing if for no other reason than to marvel at those effects. With Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Osacar Isaac, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Gina Rodriguez in the cast, it is definitely worth my attention.
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Black Panther – Among the various characters of the Marvel comic book universe, Black Panther is among the most compelling. The first trailer promises excitement and plenty of political undertones, which should make for a most invigorating experience. That it doesn’t seem interested in playing well with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (though I suspect we’ll be introduced to the final Infinity Stone within it) is all the more reason to give it a chance.
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Deadpool 2 – Two years ago, Fox released the Ryan Reynolds-led Deadpool, an R-rated comic book adaptation that no one was really expecting much out of. Yet, the fourth wall-shattering character pleased and thrilled audiences galore, becoming one of the most successful origin films in comic book adaptation history (behind only Spider-Man and Wonder Woman if you don’t adjust for inflation, but behind also Iron Man, Superman, and Batman if you do). That opening sequence alone was enough to justify the price of admission. Now, we’re being treated to the second film for the character, another R-rated excursion and while I’m certain it won’t much live up to expectations, the expectations are high enough that a little deflating is to be expected.
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Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – It was a given that returning to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in the semi-prequel film series Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them would result in reduced returns, but what many weren’t prepared for was how wonderful the period-set original was. With intricate twists and turns and plenty of political undertones, the first film was a visual delight and an entertaining film in its entirety. Following that up will be tricky, but I have high hopes that this will continue to be one of the most invigorating franchises in cinema.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
Game Night – Jason Bateman is one of the funniest actors working in television and cinema in the last two decades. Even in the most awful productions, he’s a shining light. Pair him with Rachel McAdams and, as you can tell by the first trailer, the end result will be incredibly funny. For me, as an avid gamer, including board and party games, it’s hard not to get excited for this R-rated comedy.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Available
Incredibles 2 – In 2004, Pixar was coming off its biggest success yet, Finding Nemo, and was looking to continue its marvelous array of quirky, offbeat animated films that were funny, imaginative, and often heartbreaking. With the release of the sixth film, Pixar took a brave step into the superhero genre, their first film to put humans (albeit empowered ones) at the center of a narrative. The end result was one of the most fun and entertaining productions they’ve ever put out there. It’s surprising that it has taken fourteen years to get a sequel to the film, but we’re finally there and while we haven’t seen much of the film to date, there’s little doubt that we’re in for another great time.
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Isle of Dogs – Wes Anderson is one of the most eclectic directors working today. Although I haven’t always loved his films, I’ve lately come to appreciate them more than I thought I might. His previous film, The Grand Budapest Hotel is probably my second favorite. This will be his second foray into animation, the first was Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2009. That film is probably my third or fourth favorite of his. With that in mind, I am most interested in seeing what he does with his latest stop-motion production, Isle of Dogs. It has a marvelous cast of voice actors, though the first trailer isn’t that exciting. Still, considering his history, I’m more than willing get my hopes up for this one.
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Love, Simon – I had not heard of this film before reviewing the trailer recently and after I saw it, it easily became one of my most anticipated films of the year. Directed by the creator of The CW’s entire slate of DC suprehero shows as well as the endlessly addictive Riverdale, this gay coming of age comedy looks like it will be a most entertaining and uplifting production.
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The New Mutants – One of the reasons I had begun to hope that Fox would continue to control the X-Men properties in perpetuity was not only the wonderful string of X-Men films it had produced, but the modern push to create more unsual productions based on those properties. The R-rated comedy Deadpool, the gritty road drama Logan, and now the horror thriller New Mutants all stretched the boundaries of what a comic book adaptation could be. The first trailer showcases a disturbing setting, a perilous situation, and more than a few visual cues reminiscent of A Nightmare on Elm Street, what Freddy Krueger and X-Men fan wouldn’t find something to be excited about in this. (NOTE: It appears this film has been pushed back to 2019. It could move back into 2018, so who knows if this will still qualify)
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Ocean’s 8 – I never watched any of the Ocean’s Eleven heist film as I never had the desire to see them. This time out though, they have replaced the all-male cast with all women and the first trailers suggest a rather fun heist film is in the offing. Plus, when you put the likes of Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, and Olivia Munn together, you have a lot of wonderful potential.
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Proud Mary – Taraji P. Henson is the kind of actress you just want to follow down each path she takes. Her characters are endlessly relatable and enjoyable. Putting her behind the gun in an espionage thriller might not seem like the wisest move, but anyone who’s followed Henson’s career closely knows that she most definitely has the acting chops to pull it off and the audience will gladly go along with her.
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A Quiet Place – I hadn’t heard of this film before I saw the trailer in the theater. While those around me were put off by the almost-silent trailer, I became more engaged with each passing moment. Set in future where some creature stalks by sound, an interesting take on horror tropes presents itself. Throw in charismatic leads like Emily Blunt and John Krasinski and there’s just enough gravitas to give the film firm footing. The trailer alone might not pull in everyone, but it’s definitely got me hooked.
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Ready Player One – Although he tried to present a family-targeted adventure last year with The BFG, the film was a flop. Prior to that, you have to go back to The Adventures of Tintin and even that wasn’t terribly successful. The fourth Indiana Jones film was his last grand spectacle to succeed and that was a decade ago. After working heavily within his historical period, Spielberg is about ready to unleash his potentially most successful film in some time. Ready Player One is an pop culture powerhouse that could show that he still knows how to make a rolicking adventure. The trailers do little to diminish my interest.
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Untitled Laika Project – Coming in May, one of the greatest animation houses in film history will release its fifth feature. Laika Entertainment works solely within the stop-motion animation field and their four prior features have been filled a panoply of eye-popping visuals with fascinating, if modestly dark underlying stories that have been absolutely thrilling. Coraline, ParaNorman, and the crowning achievement Kubo and the Two Strings are all wonderful films while BoxTrolls is weaker, but still pretty good. While we don’t have a title yet, anything that comes out of this studio should instantly be considered an event even if audiences didn’t show enough love to Kubo.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
A Wrinkle in Time – I was initially reticent about the potential of adapting Madeleine L’Engel’s popular novel to the big screen, especially with a director like Ava DuVernay at the helm. While she’s a fantastic director, she’d never tackled anything quite as big and bold as this, but now that we’ve seen the first trailer, there’s no doubt in my mind that this will be a visually resplendant film that will capture the imagination and it will be all thanks to her talents at the helm.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Available
X-Men: Dark Phoenix – Fox is my go-to studio when it comes to comic book adaptations. The Warner Bros. DC films have been a hit-or-miss proposition and the Marvel Cinematic Universe at Disney has a largely good, but not great slate of films. The same is true of the Sony Marvel properties. Yet, when I look at all that has been produced by Fox for the X-Men properties they own, I find that even the weakest entries are mostly entertaining and when they are on point, they are spectacular. That gives this film plenty of terrific potential in my mind.
Cinema Sight Preview Article: Not Presently Available
As studios continue to flood the cineplex with sequels, prequels, remakes, re-adaptations, reboots, and myriad other methods of turning pre-existing hype into box office dollars, the number of films that will fall into one of these three categories will only increase. For now, 2018 has a lot of potential. It also has a lot going against it, so it will be fascinating to see just how things ultimately turn out.
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