Happy New Year and 2015 movie release look ahead!

Welcome back! I hope you all had a terrific holiday season! Looking back at last year's forecast was interesting - Sin City: A Dame to Kill For and Godzilla were probably the biggest disappointments. I don't think anyone was expecting Snowpiercer, easily one of the years' most pleasant surprises. I'd say my favorites would have to include Snowpiercer, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Edge of Tomorrow, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Babadook, Guardians of the Galaxy and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. 

My favorite of the year would have to be Guardians, as it was so completely eccentric, lighthearted and unpredictable. Marvel Studios deserves the highest praise for being willing to back such an unlikely candidate for box office success, but audiences hungry for freshness and fun flocked to the film in droves. A real happy ending if ever there was one, which should serve as a message to studios everywhere: audiences want something new and fun. Take chances on original, lively material.

So what's capturing our attention as we begin a new orbit? What's looking exciting? You'd better take a deep breath, as 2015 is looking to be the most colossal geek movie freakout year of all time:


Kingsman: The Secret Service - Matthew Vaughn adapts another Mark Millar (Kick-Ass) comic. Early reviews have been wildly enthusiastic, promising delirious action and a subversive reinvention of the British spy genre. Sounding great.

In the Heart of the Sea - Ron Howard reteams with Chris Hemsworth to tell the true story of the whale ship Essex, the infamous shipwreck that inspired Moby Dick. I'm a huge nautical nut who loved Master and Commander, so I'm making sail for this one as soon as it opens. Can't wait.

Ex Machina - As we recently mentioned, director Alex Garland's work on this film got him the Annihilation gig, so this story of artificial intelligence is definitely one that should be turning a lot of heads. It's got some terrific buzz.

Avengers: Age of Ultron - Need I say more? It's going to blow the doors off. It's going to peel the paving off the autobahn.

Mad Max: Fury Road - George Miller will be 70 in March, but he directs like he's 25. The trailer for the new Tom Hardy Max is positively eyeball-popping and looks like huge, unchained apocalyptic insanity.

Jurassic World - Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) is another director who pole-vaulted from modest indie to massive behemoth in a single bound. There are some audacious moments in the trailer and it's Chris Pratt's first flick since Guardians of the Galaxy, so here's hoping the stars align for this one.

Ant-Man - Having Edgar Wright depart Marvel's project was a disappointment, but they've had a truly unbelievable streak, with an army of new titles on the horizon. Can Ant-Man give them another Guardians blast of newcomer success? I'm really hoping this one does well.

Chappie - I loved Elysium, and Neill Blomkamp is turning into one of this era's great sci-fi visionaries. For him to do three original science fiction films back-to-back is wonderful. He's building a real slate of unique glimpses into the future. If it's got Blomkamp's name on it, I'm interested.

Crimson Peak - Ah, Guillermo! So great to have you back, with a Gothic ghost story, no less! Jessica Chastain, Charlie Hunnum, Tom Hiddleston! What a Halloween present!

The Walk - Robert Zemeckis tackles the true story of aerialist Philippe Petit's 1974 attempt to cross the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Petit.

The Hateful Eight - I loves me my westerns, and to have Quentin Tarantino returning to the genre again right after Django Unchained is a rare treat, given that Tarantino almost walked away from the project in disgust after a script leak. Kurt Russell and Bruce Dern in 70 mm CinemaScope?!? Another absolute must.

SPECTRE - Director Sam Mendes' follow-up to Skyfall, this time giving us a look into old school nemesis S.P.E.C.T.R.E.  which should be really smashing. Sounds like this particular script has been written and re-written, so here's hoping this is nothing short of an absolute Smersh - er, I mean, smash. 

                                     

Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Have you heard of this one? It kind of blows my mind that for the first time since 1977, we've got a Star Wars movie that opens for the Christmas holidays and not in May! That's wild! Expectations are off the charts, but this truly feels like the right combination of participants to really deliver something special.

There are plenty of other contenders for greatness this year - two new Pixar features: Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur, a Steven Spielberg cold war thriller, Terminator Genisys, Fantastic Four, Pixels, Brad Bird's Tomorrowland, Mission: Impossible 5, Jupiter Ascending and The Martian from Ridley Scott. Any of these could easily breakout huge or just collapse, as it's anybody's guess at this point.

Plus, something is bound to appear out of nowhere that we never expected that delights and awes. Who knows what this year's Babadook or Snowpiercer will be?

One thing's for sure, 2015 is looking to be one of the most epic and crowd-pleasing years in movie history. Here's hoping we all get to make some tremendous discoveries, and may this new year be kind and generous to you all. I'm excited to get started, aren't you?