My 20 Most Anticipated Movies of 2018

It's fun to think about what's coming out and which movies I'm most interested in, then compare that at the end of the year to what I actually enjoyed.  Of my 20 Most Anticipated last year, 12 of them turned out to be Top 20 movies for me, so that's pretty cool. One of them (Hostiles) was pushed back to this year and another (Jumanji 2) I just haven't been able to schedule yet, so that leaves 6 that were disappointing in some way.

Of those, I've seen and was underwhelmed by three (The Beguiled, The Mummy, and Justice League) and thanks to trailers and reviews, completely lost interest in three others (Dark Tower, Ferdinand, and Pitch Perfect 3) before they hit theaters.

So here's what I'm most eager to see this year. As always, these aren't the movies that I'm predicting will be the best; just the ones that I most want to see. Tell me what you're looking forward to in the comments!

20. Tomb Raider



I'm a mark for treasure-hunter movies and have enjoyed even the Angelina Jolie movies on some level. The trailer for this one is visually impressive and Vikander is a talented actor, so I'm just hoping that the story is up to snuff.

19. Mary Magdalene



One of the most fascinating characters in the New Testament, even without the Dan Brown nonsense. It's about time someone made a movie about her.

18. Mary Poppins Returns



I enjoy the classic adaptation, but it's not holy ground and I'm glad to see that the rest of the book series will get some attention, too. Not that I've read the books. And these movies will see that I don't have to.

17. Mowgli



I don't really need a new Jungle Book adaptation, but I'm interested in almost anything Andy Serkis does. And it'll be interesting to see what he does to avoid comparisons with the Jon Favreau Disney remake.

16. Incredibles 2



I've cooled off on Brad Bird after Tomorrowland, but I've still loved 80% of his movies and am interested in what he's able to do with this. I'm especially curious how a new Incredibles movie compares to the modern landscape of superhero movies. The first one was released the same year as Spider-Man 2, when we were just starting to figure out that great superhero movies were possible. The bar has been raised a lot higher since then and I'm not 100% confident that Incredibles 2 can clear it.

Movies I Missed in 2015: Part 3

21. Victoria



I don't know much about the story and even less about the creators, but the whole movie is shot in one, continuous take and I hear it's an amazing experience.

22. The Final Girls



Not to be confused with Final Girl, which also came out this year. Okay, to be totally confused with it, so here's the difference. That one has Abigail Breslin and is sort of Hanna meets The Most Dangerous Game. It looks like an awesome thriller more than a horror movie.

This one is a straight-up horror/comedy in the tradition of Scream and The Cabin in the Woods. Taissa Farmiga and her friends get pulled into a slasher flick and have to survive, using their knowledge of the film and the genre in general. Looks pretty funny and I still want to watch it as a double-feature with Breslin's movie.

23. Our Brand is Crisis



Totally love Sandra Bullock. Often love Billy Bob Thornton. Our Brand is Crisis was really poorly reviewed, but the trailer looked funny to me.

24. The Peanuts Movie



I've heard nothing but good things. I love the Peanuts when they're done right and by all accounts this is them done right.

25. Spotlight



I wasn't interested at first, because I thought that the focus was going to be on the scandal and I'm done processing that story. I didn't think there was a new angle that would make me think about it in a different way. My understanding now though is that Spotlight is about journalism in general and is the best movie in that genre since (and possibly including) All the President's Men. That plus the cast makes me very eager to see it.

26. Trumbo



Another great cast and what looks like a really fun performance by Bryan Cranston.

27. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2



I missed Mockingjay, Part 1 last year due to life and never found time to re-watch everything before this one came out. And... I enjoyed the first two movies, but neither of them grabbed hold of me in a powerful way. Probably because I read the books. This is why I usually wait to read the books until after I've seen the movie. I tend to enjoy both versions more when I do it that way.

Anyway, I do plan to finish the movies, but not until this last one hits home video.

31 Witches | Sally and Gillian Owens

"You should come round here on Halloween. You'd really see something then." -- Sally Owens, Practical Magic (1998)

My Top 10 movies of 2013

10. Admission



It's not difficult for a romantic comedy to crack my Top 10 as long as it's good. I love a good romantic comedy, but there are so few good ones that when one does comes along I cherish it. I've said before that I'm a big fan of Paul Rudd; I also enjoy Tina Fey in most things. Admission is a fine example of their doing what they do best while paying attention to one of my favorite themes: letting other people into your life. It probably wouldn't make my list of Top 10 romantic comedies of all time (there's an idea for a post), but it was the best of the genre this year and that's why it sneaks into 2013's Top 10 for me.

11 movies I really dug in 2013

Counting down the 2013 movies I saw, from worst to best.

20. Machete Kills



What separates Machete Kills from the action flicks on Monday's list is love. It's not demonstrably better crafted than say 2 Guns or Homeland, but what it lacks in finesse it makes up in passion. I don't love everything about Machete Kills, but I love a lot about it, and I especially love that Robert Rodriguez is able to make exactly the kinds of movies he wants and that his enthusiasm is all over the screen.

Gravity (2013)

Who's in it?: Sandra Bullock (Bionic Showdown, Demolition Man) and George Clooney (Return to Horror High, Return of the Killer Tomatoes!).

What's it about?: A novice astronaut (Bullock) is stranded in Earth's orbit without a ship when a space shuttle mission goes horribly wrong.

How is it?: My default setting is to have zero interest in movies about people stuck alone in one setting for an hour-and-a-half. Though I've heard good things, I've never seen Castaway, Open Water, or that one with Ryan Reynolds buried alive. That's why I resisted Gravity when I first heard about it, even though it stars two of my favorite actors and was made by one of my favorite directors.

The pull of Bullock, Clooney, and Alfonso Cuarón became too powerful though, especially when paired with almost universally great reviews and a serious admonition by the right people to see it in 3D. I'm almost as disinterested in 3D as I am in watching a person try to stay alive for an entire film without any antagonists, but when other people who don't care for 3D tell me that that's the way I need to see a movie, then I usually listen. And I'm glad I did.

Though the action of Gravity all takes place in Earth's orbit, it's not just 90 minutes of Sandra Bullock floating in space, which is what I sort of feared. She has plenty to do as she tries to make it back to solid ground and there are lots of complications to prevent her from getting there. Sometimes you don't need a bad guy.

There's also some light character development as Bullock - because of some trauma in her past - has to remember why it's even important to live. This is the weakest part of the movie, but it does drive her character's emotions which in turn gives her some great scenes that remind me why she's one of my favorite actors. George Clooney doesn't have to stretch as much, but he's perfectly charming as the more seasoned astronaut who commands the shuttle mission and it's not his movie anyway.

As thrilling as the story is though, the real treat is the way it's presented. Cuarón mixes live performance and CGI seamlessly to create some amazing and breathtaking shots. They really do need to be seen in 3D though to appreciate their full glory and should be viewed on the largest screen possible. I don't know how much Gravity will reward multiple viewings, but it's a powerful, immersive experience and needs to be seen the right way at least once.

Grade: Four out of five debris clouds.