Most anticipated films of 2018

After its release was delayed a year & I had to suffer through a slew of posts from people lucky enough to get to see it on the festival circuit, my anticipation for The Endless couldn't be any higher. All the feedback has been positive, and given my love for Benson & Moorhead's previous films this easily tops my list for 2018.

Coming in April

I don't need a trailer or any information to know that the new Laika film will be a must-see on opening weekend for me. My favorite animation studio could do anything and I'd be there to support it.

Coming in May

FINALLY. I know I'm not alone in my long-held desire to see a sequel to The Incredibles, and with a lot of the same people returning for its sequel I'll be there with the kiddo ASAP. I don't even need an extended trailer. The teaser here is satisfactory.

Coming in June

So far this has only played one festival, and between the positive feedback and the mind-blowing trailer above I can't wait to check it out for myself.

Shane Black could do anything and I'd be excited for it. If anyone can make Predator great again it's him, and I'm very excited to see what he does.

Coming in August

Do I have to explain this one? Ryan Coogler taking on the Black Panther and he brought Michael B. Jordan along for the ride? AND it's the next entry in the MCU series? And look at all the promise in that trailer...yep, I'm there.

Coming in February

Pacific Rim was one of my favorite moviegoing experiences, and while I'm disappointed del Toro isn't handling it I have little doubt that it'll be worth seeing on the big screen at least once.

Coming in March

If trailers alone determined placement on this list, Deadpool 2 would sit at the top for the one above. It's on my short (unpublished & unofficial) list of things I experienced in 2017 that made the year worth getting through. I wish more trailers were that much fun. And while we get glimpses of the actual film, there's thankfully not enough context to tell us what's going to happen. Doesn't matter. As much fun as the first film was I'm all in for whatever they do with its sequel.

Coming in June

This needs no explanation. It's all been building toward this, and if it delivers like it should then we'll all be happy. The trailer suggests it will.

Coming in May

No trailer yet for this one, but it comes courtesy of Jeremy Saulnier who previously gave us Blue Ruin and Green Room. That's good enough to guarantee I'll see it. No release date yet, but it'll be out on Netflix.

I loved the book, and while I don't NEED a movie adaptation it looks like it'll be worthwhile. I see moments that mirror what was in my head reading it on display. So yeah, I'm excited for it.

Coming in March

Heard some great buzz on this one coming out of Fantastic Fest, and the trailer sold me. So far it's only played festivals in the U.S., none of which I've been able to attend. Someone unleash it worldwide for everyone to see so I can finally catch it.

I had this and one or two other of L'Engle's books on my shelves growing up, though I honestly couldn't tell you anything about them beyond what the cover art was like. So I wasn't initially excited for a film adaptation since I'm not even sure if I read the book anymore. However, given the diverse cast and what I've been reading about it it's been bumped up as a priority for me to see. I'll probably drag the kiddo along too.

A bunch of critics that saw this in 2017 put it on their best-of lists for the year. It only played festivals though, so I'm eagerly anticipating its release to the rest of us.

New Linklater project. 'Nuff said.

Coming in May

Directed by Duncan Jones, who claims this is a "spiritual sequel" to MOON. It'll be out some time in 2018 via Netflix, and you can bet I'll watch it as quickly as I can.

The original teaser trailer did nothing for me, but the one above finally caught my full attention and bumped this up my list. Trust in Alex Garland.

Coming in February

This looks like it'll be fun. And for the most part I'm willing to support Jason Bateman's movies, so I'll definitely check it out.

Coming in March

Anya Taylor-Joy and Anton Yelchin in a black comedy/thriller? Looks interesting enough to me.

Coming in March

X-Men goes body horror? Color me curious. The trailer looks interesting, but not great. Hopefully it'll be worth checking out. I remember reading a little of the New Mutants series (though most of what I read of it was as it was transitioning into X-Force) so I'm familiar with the characters but it's been a long time since I've been in their company. Hence the lower placement on my list.

Coming in April

A muppet movie from Brian Henson that's not focused on the well-known muppets? I'm definitely intrigued. Give me a trailer and I might be really excited.

Coming in August

The kiddo & I enjoy the Teen Titans Go! series, so of course we'll have to catch it on the big screen. I'm suspicious of whether a show with really short episodes can sustain a full-length feature film, but since it's retaining the creative crew and its cast for the jump to the theatre I can at least trust it'll be done right.

Coming in July

Ant-Man wound up being more fun than I'd expected, so hopefully this will follow suit. It's the Marvel movie I'm least excited about, but given their current streak I'll wind up watching it regardless.

Coming in July

The only reason this is on my radar is because James Wan is involved. Holding out for a trailer before I decide for certain whether I'll watch it.

Coming in December

This is down here because the world doesn't need another Halloween entry. And yet everything I've read from those working on it suggests it might be worthwhile, against all logic. So this is another case where I want some more concrete proof that what they've put together is worth my time, rather than jumping on board too early.

Coming in October

This looks interesting. Course I thought the same of It Comes At Night and look where that got me. We'll see whether I give it a chance.

Coming in April

Nobody needs another Scarface movie/remake. And yet...evidently at this point the Coens have taken it over, which may make it worthwhile after all. It's too early to tell.

Coming in August

Jason Reitman re-teams with Diablo Cody and Charlize Theron, which is enough to keep this one on my radar. A trailer will help me decide whether to give it a shot.

Coming in April

Ok, so on the one hand the Venom story is one I know very well and thus I'm very hard to please if we're getting his origin tale here. I have very strong opinions on how it should be done right, and question whether anyone trying to turn it into a movie will do so in a way I'll be satisfied with. On the other hand they got Tom Hardy to take on the lead role, which suggests they've got a good script and it might be worth seeing. Hopefully the trailer will help me make up my mind.

Coming in October

OK, sure, it's likely I'll see this, and the kiddo will definitely insist on it. But I don't think we need a sequel to Wreck-It Ralph, as much as I loved that movie. Hopefully a trailer will encourage me to give it a fair chance & it's not just a pointless cash-in.

Coming in November

While I tend to be a fan in general of Eastwood and often wind up watching his directed films, I definitely have no interest in this one. In fact, as long as he continues to make movies focused on the American military you can count me out. Call me when he tries something new again (besides casting non-actors to play themselves, that doesn't count).

Wes Anderson returning to stop-motion animation should be a good thing. But this trailer makes the whole thing seem lifeless. I'm not excited for it, and given how disappointed/indifferent I've been toward the majority of his films I think at this point I'll just bow out from forcing myself to sit through them.

Coming in March

Sorry kids, I don't care what Han Solo was like when he was younger. All of these planned one-off movies for individual characters seem like nothing more than Disney trying to milk all the money they can out of Star Wars, and this approach is likely to make me hate it if I try to support any of those films. The next Star Wars movie I care about seeing is Episode IX, and then Rian Johnson's trilogy. Anything else is inessential.

Coming in May

The Strangers is one of my favorite horror movies and basically my favorite horror movie of the '00s. So you might think I'd be on board for a sequel. However, we don't really need one and the fact that Bryan Bertino isn't involved (beyond an "original screenplay" credit, which probably equates to giving him credit for the first film) is a good sign this shouldn't be bothered with. The trailer suggests they're trying to make it work, but I'm not sold.

Coming in March