2019 Movie Preview: Release the Hounds!

The year ahead is looking crazy! It's jam-packed right from the start, and these are just the ones we know about. I'm only scratching the surface here, but it's shaping up to be a record-breaking year at the box office, with more than a few contenders that seem destined to grab our attention and become must-sees. Here are the ones I'm thinking stand poised to make the biggest impact - buckle-up!

The Irishman (TBD) - Martin Scorsese returns to the gangster universe with a script by Steve Zaillian, based on the supposedly true story of the guy (Robert De Niro) who iced Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Bobby Cannavale, Jesse Plemons and Anna Paquin also star. The Irishman is a Netflix production, though they swear it will play in prime theatrical venues for a brief period prior to streaming. The budget soared due to the CGI necessary to make 74-year-old De Niro appear 30 for scenes set in 1959. It will be fascinating to behold.


Glass (January 18th) - M. Night Shyamalan's sequel to both Split and Unbreakable, with Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson and James McAvoy all reprising their roles. A sequel 19 years in the making could be dodgy, but Shyamalan's been on the comeback trail, and the trailer looks fascinating.

Alita: Battle Angel (February 14th) - Poor Alita. She's been bumped more than once, and everyone's talking about those eyes, anticipating another Ghost in the Shell. But James Cameron's been cultivating this one for a long time, and every trailer's been better than the last. I have my doubts, but I'll be there regardless, and so want this to work.

Captain Marvel (March 8th) - The Marvel machine keeps on triumphing, this time with Brie Larson in a mid-'90s lead-up to the Infinity War sequel. Hoping Marvel continues their phenomenal performance enough to silence the misogynistic corners of the fan community who seem intent on rooting for this to fail.

Us (March 14th) - Jordan Peele's follow-up to his Earth-shaking Get Out debut is poised to do insane business and totally rattle the pop culture zeitgeist. Lupita Nyongo, Winston Duke and Elizabeth Moss appear. 

Dumbo (March 29th) - Disney keeps "live-actioning" their animated catalog, this time with Tim Burton as ringmaster. Burton knows misfits, and the trailer got a huge response, so expect this one to triumph over any naysayers to help make this the most profitable spring of all time.

Hellboy (April 12th) - Color me conflicted! I love Hellboy and director Neil Marshall is fantastic - but I've also got mad loyalty to Guillermo del Toro, who spent years trying to get a third Hellboy picture going with Ron Perlman only to get the cold shoulder when this reboot got the nod. The trailer was way goofier than anyone was expecting, and it has an odd feel about the tone. Looks to be incorporating elements from creator Mike Mignola' B.P.R.D. (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Development) comic book series, which should be a good thing. Fans are beyond curious to see how this one lands.

Avengers: Endgame (April 26th) - The anticipation meter couldn't be higher for this mysterious, ominous sequel to Avengers: Infinity War. Life? Death? The very cosmos itself? Thanos? Gamora? PETER PARKER?!? Get your tickets well in advance, and prepare to stand giddily in line.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31st) - Godzilla is joined by Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidorah and Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown for an apocalyptic behemoth slug-fest that's just what summers are made for. Great looking trailer, interest is very high.  

The Secret Life of Pets 2 (June 7th) - The first one was mighty popular in our house, so we're pre-sold and ready to line up. Original Max voice Louis C. K. was replaced with Patton Oswalt as a warning to all the other A-holes, and Illumination director Chris Renaud knows how to deliver madcap delights.

Toy Story 4 (June 21st) - Oh, how I've missed Mr. Pricklepants! Buzz, Woody and the beloved gang are back, with promises of a road trip of some kind, and new characters. The less we know, the better! Think of all the new toys that'll be hitting the shelves! Ready for more of that Pixar magic.

Ford v Ferrari (June 28th) - Director James Mangold (Logan) helms the true story of the battle to win the 1966 Le Mans. Matt Damon plays Carroll Shelby with Christian Bale as GT40 test driver Ken Miles. Mangold is just the director to pull this off and make it a July 4th sensation.


Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 5th) - Speaking of July 4th, still more Marvel! Spider-Man: Homecoming was terrific, and we obviously have to wait for Avengers: Endgame to play out before we get a sense of what's up with our boy Pete. Much of this film involves a summer trip to Europe, so we'll see what happens when you take the boy out of Queens - and he runs into the villainous Mysterio.

The Lion King (July 19th) - John Favreau (see The Jungle Book) is at it again, hot on the heels of Dumbo. The trailer blew up the internet and you should expect this to be really good, and make insane amounts of money. Stores will have Lion King toilet paper, you name it. Can You Feel the Love Tonight? I don't know, Beyonce.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (August 9th) - Quentin Tarantino. Pitt and DiCaprio are trying to make it in the film business during the Manson Family rampage of 1969. Margot Robbie is Sharon Tate, Dakota Fanning is Squeaky Fromm. The cast includes Al Pacino, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Timothy Olyphant, James Remar and Damian Lewis. Tarantino knows crime and Hollywood, so this is bound to be fascinating and intense.


It: Chapter Two (September 6th) - 27 years later and the phone rings. The kids are all grown up now, and Pennywise has a long memory. The first It was a revelation, and so gripping thanks to the young cast of largely unknown actors. I have to admit, I worry seeing name-names as the adults is going to lessen the novelty for me, but director Andy Muschietti clearly had a vision when he took on this two-film opus, so I'm ready to follow wherever he leads.

Downton Abbey (September 20th) - I confess, I'm a little baffled. The TV series ended with such perfect grace notes to all the characters, I can't fathom why they felt the need to go back. It's bound to feel anticlimactic and maybe even sad? Here's hoping Julian Fellowes simply had a marvelous idea for a story that was too good to let go. The audience is certainly there, if the right story is.

Untitled Terminator Reboot (November 1st) - Please don't suck - again. This time honcho James Cameron has shepherded the project, which evidently ignores all the other Terminator misfires since 1991's Terminator: Judgement Day. Deadpool director Tim Miller can sure get kinetic, so I just pray there's a good script here. There has to have been something there to lure Linda Hamilton back as Sarah Connor.


Frozen 2 (November 22nd) - "Do the Magic!!!" Here's hoping. Frozen was that hundred year event, and lightning almost never strikes twice. Disney's been trying to franchise this property with a series of shorts that have had varying degrees of success. When Coco opened, the Olaf's Frozen Adventure "short" (22 minutes?!) was so reviled by audiences, Disney yanked it from the feature. How many meetings did that beget for the Frozen 2 production team? Will it be another phenomenon? You can pretty much guarantee every family in America will go see it the week leading up to Thanksgiving...but will they love it?

Star Wars Episode IX (December 20th) - This is the big one. After a holiday season with no Star Wars movie, it's a safe bet that audiences are ready to see the climax of the new trilogy. J.J. Abrams is back at the helm, and we know next to nothing so far, not even the title. It does sound like we can expect a fair amount of Carrie Fisher, thanks to the incorporation of previously unused scenes she'd filmed. Me, I'm beyond thrilled to see this at long last - but I'm leery of the bile and "rancor" that was unleashed at The Last Jedi and Kelly Marie Tran, and worry there's a sad army of trolls just waiting to find fault. I've really been enjoying these films and can't wait to see how they close this out.


Cats (December 20th) - I gotta be honest - this one I think is going to bomb, and bomb hard. Can the frankly goofy conceits of the stage production stand up to the literalization of film?!? Idris Elba, Judy Dench, Ian McKellan, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson and James Corden?! As cats?!? The rhyming sing-song delirium! I'm always rooting for anything that musical theater gives birth to, but this just feels like a really bad crash waiting to happen. I'll be delighted to be wrong.

Little Women (December 25th) - Oscar bait if there ever was, Greta Gerwig's follow-up to Lady Bird features Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Meryl Streep and Laura Dern, a beloved literary classic coming right out at Christmas, this should be a wonderful film and has everything going for it. Louisa May Alcott's gonna sell a billion, gillion copies.


WHEW! That's all I've got for now! Like I said, there's plenty I've left off here, including some that are bound to be the biggest hits of the year. But these are the ones I've got my spyglass trained on, as they sound most likely to have that certain something that compels us to head for the theater. 2018 was a rough one. Here's wishing us all a 2019 that's positively overflowing with joy and delight.