2016 Movie Preview: As One Door Closes, Another Opens

Well, it's about that time. The annual tradition continues! You've been a zany, madcap year, 2015, and luckily we had some pretty great entertainment to help keep us going. Before we look ahead at what's coming, I always like to reflect a moment and think about what films of the past year that I enjoyed the most. The ones most likely to be remembered.

2015 favorites:

Cinderella

Mad Max: FuryRoad

Ex Machina

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

The Martian

The Peanuts Movie

The Gift

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

NOTE: I have not seen The Revenant or The Hateful Eight...yet.

Some of these like Mad Max, The Martian and The Force Awakens you’ve undoubtedly seen, and may seem like gimmes. 

But there are two you might have missed I need to make particular note of. 

If you dismissed Cinderella as a gussied-up kids movie, you really missed out. Kenneth Branagh did a remarkable job directing and the great Chris Weitz wrote the script. This movie is very popular in our house, and the more I watch it, the more I appreciate what a remarkable piece of screenwriting Weitz did here. The fact that he also wrote Rogue One (see below) fills me with excitement. It’s a terrific picture.

The other one you need to see is Ex Machina. We’re living in a golden age of sci-fi resurgence, and a lot of it’s really bad. Ex Machina is whip-smart and has plenty to say. Alex Garland and half the cast of The Force Awakens make this one of the most memorable and intriguing cautionary science fiction tales in ages. Do not miss it.

Now, let’s step over the threshold. As always, these aren’t necessarily the films I think will do the best. They’re simply the ones that feel the most interesting to me. They’re the ones that make my “Good Movie” radar go off. There’s a second category further down, but we’ll get to that later. 

Here we go!

2016 top contenders:

Hail, Caesar! – You have to take notice anytime the Coen Brothers make a delivery. Set in Hollywood of the 1950s, this sounds like a return to Barton Fink territory, with Josh Brolin is a “fixer,” who keeps actors’ scandals out of the press. Any movie that features Tilda Swinton as Hedda Hopper and Dolph Lundgren as a Soviet submarine commander has my immediate attention.

The Witch – This movie has one of my favorite trailers of the year, and looks like the real, terrifying McCoy. Seems guaranteed to disturb in the best possible way.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – I’m really rooting for Zak Snyder to pull this off. He’s somehow become everyone’s favorite whipping boy, but he’s got the talent of a real visionary, and this is a massive juggling act, full of moving parts. What I’ve seen looks great, and I suspect it’s going to deliver the goods and then some.

Captain America: Civil War – I hate it when mom and dad fight. Captain America and Iron Man square off against a different kind of rift – ideology, and each other. This Avengers 2.5 has fans chomping at the bit. Who is Martin Freeman? The Winter Soldier was spectacular, and this one ought to blow the doors off.

The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist – The original was a phenomenon and director James Wan is back, along with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, as we follow the Warrens to England and a 1970s haunting based on actual events.

The Secret Life of Pets – The Despicable Me mischief-makers return with a look into what’s really going on with our domestic companions. Hilarious trailer, and looks equally good to kids and adults, a winning combination.

The Magnificent Seven – Westerns keep getting made, which makes me happy. Antoine Fuqua tackles this classic remake with Chris Pratt, Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke going up against presumed villain Vincent D’Onofrio. Pratt in a Western sounds like a perfect match.

The Girl on the Train – Emily Blunt’s ascendance continues, along with Rebecca Ferguson, in a thriller that should be catnip for Hitchcock and Gone Girl fans.

Doctor Strange – Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme brings Benedict Cumberbatch to a whole new level of cosmic, supernatural, demon-tangling mayhem. Great cast, and director Scott Derrickson knows his way around horror films. Doctor Strange has a very cool origin story. High on my list.

Passengers – Anything with Chris Pratt’s going to do business. Here he teams up with Jennifer Lawrence in Jon Spaihts’ Black List script about events on a colony ship’s journey into deep space.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Just when you thought the Harry Potter franchise was over and done, we’re back in the magical world of muggles and magic. Potter mega-director David Yates is at the helm here (his 2^nd film of the year, following The Legend of Tarzan), so with J.K. Rowling’s script (and Ron Perlman!), this promises a Thanksgiving box office feast.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Hollywood had the merriest Christmas in ages, thanks to The Force Awakens, so expect more of the same next December, with the first “non-trilogy” stand-alone film in the saga. Chris Weitz wrote the script, and it’s a great premise – those plans to the Death Star R2 was carrying in the original Star Wars? Stolen by Rebel spies? Rogue One tells their story, a combination heist movie and war story, helmed by Godzilla director Gareth Edwards. The cast includes Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything), Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk and Forest Whitaker. Are you excited yet? So where we’re going back in time right before the events of A New Hope…are we gonna see Darth Vader? Moff Tarkin?

There! So that's what I'm most looking forward to.

I promised you another category, and here it is. You probably noticed I left off a truckload of great big, heavily promoted films that may be among the most successful of the year. I may very well end up loving them. But from where I'm sitting now, I'm just not entirely sold yet.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Great pitch: Downton Abbey meets The Walking Dead. I want to love it, but it could easily be Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

X-Men: Apocalypse - The bad guy looks ridiculous. Love Oscar Isaac, but they've got him looking like a Power Rangers villain. We'll see.

Deadpool - This is going to kick ass and be awesome, but the ubiquitous handgun prominence just leaves me cold these days.

The BFG - Who am I kidding? This ought to be enchanting and glorious. I love you, Steven Spielberg.

Warcraft - Could be a colossus - but I'm just not a "gamer" guy, so I worry about a lack of good characters. Trailer didn't generate much buzz. I'd love to be wrong.

The Legend of Tarzan - It's been ages since Greystoke, but I just don't know if Tarzan can hack it in this day and age. Hoping David Yates brings a fresh new take.

Finding Dory - Here's hoping Pixar finds the sweet spot here. I'm a little nervous about over-sequelization, but in all likelihood this will be one of the biggest movies of the year.

Independence Day Resurgence - Pretty good trailer! But it's been a while (ask Will Smith). This is one I'm rooting for, but there's a lot of bad sci-fi out there.

Star Trek Beyond - Oy, that trailer!

Ghostbusters - Paul Feig is a talented cat, and this is going to easily be one of the top-grossing films of the year. I want it to rock, but feel a little numbed by "reimaginings" and sequels.

Suicide Squad - The nerd faithful are ca-razy for this one, right along with Deadpool. People can't wait to see Jared Leto as The Joker. It'll probably do mad business. But for some reason, I'm just not feeling it yet. Happy to be convinced!

So there you have it! Looking back on last year's preview, I did pretty good. Still vexed I let reviews keep me from seeing In the Heart of the Sea, but then you can't have everything. Chappie and Crimson Peak, someday I'll get around to seeing you.

It's time to go revel, resolve, and turn the page, friends. Have a very Happy New Year - may it be kind and generous to you all. I have a feeling we're in for a good one - though it may be a wild ride.