5. ‘Midnight Special’
Indie director Jeff Nichols will look to make a successful transition to studio filmmaking with Midnight Special.
After making the great Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter, and Mud, Nichols will take on a much different project in Midnight Special. He’s compared it to a 1980s John Carpenter film like Starman and that “Midnight Special is going to be a genre film put through whatever bizarre filter is me.” Exact plot details are being kept under wraps, but it has been called a present day sci-fi chase film, and it’s supposed to center around a father and son who go on the run when the father learns his son has special powers. Boardwalk Empire star Michael Shannon has appeared in all of Nichols’ films, and this might be his big breakout film.
In addition to Shannon, Midnight Special will also star Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, Sam Shepard, Jaeden Lieberher, Wendy Clarice Jordan, and Paul Sparks, among others. With not footage from the film available, I’ve elected to feature a scene from Take Shelter terrifically acted by Shannon.
Have a ‘Midnight Special’ on November 25
4. ‘Tomorrowland’
Brad Bird is a director with an impeccable track record, and Tomorrowland sounds like a very fascinating project.
Bird is a director whose new projects are worth getting excited for no matter the subject. He’s one of the most critically successful filmmakers working today. On Rotten Tomatoes, Bird’s films have received ratings of 97% (The Iron Giant), 97% (The Incredibles), 96% (Ratatouille), and 93% (Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol). The latter proved Bird’s directing talents translated to live-action filmmaking, and that’s what Tomorrowland will be. It’s also an original sci-fi story, something worth supporting in the age of remakes and sequels. And it sounds pretty cool too, though Disney is keeping the plot fairly under wraps.
“Bound by a shared destiny,” the official synopsis reads, “former boy-genius Frank (George Clooney) — jaded by disillusionment — and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as Tomorrowland. What they must do there changes the world — and them — forever.” It’s known that part of the film takes place at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.
Unearth the hidden secrets of ‘Tomorrowland’ on May 22
3. ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’
2015 will see the release of Ant-Man, but Avengers: Age of Ultron is the Marvel film really worth caring about.
Avengers: Age of Ultron will change everything in Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that’s a big deal. Everything was changed in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and everything will change again in Captain America: Civil War, and the MCU needs these must-see chapters to keep everything fresh. In what may possibly be Joss Whedon’s final chapter with Marvel, Avengers: Age of Ultron will be a big spectacle reuniting our favorite heroes and introducing a few more. The teaser trailer to the right gave us an epic tease at what Ultron has in store for the Avengers, and it will be great to see his plan unfold in May.
The Avengers: Age of Ultron cast is pretty incredible. We’ve seen most of them in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before, but it will be amazing to see them all together. The cast includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Hayley Atwell, Tom Hiddleston, James Spader, Cobie Smulders, Andy Serkis, Stellan Skarsgård, Don Cheadle, Idris Elba, and maybe Anthony Mackie.
‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ will reassemble the team on May 1
2. ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
Is there a bigger movie coming out in 2015 than Star Wars: The Force Awakens?
Not really. Star Wars is the property I’ve been a fan of for the longest time. Even before I was a fan of Harry Potter, I was a massive fan of Star Wars. I’ve got the action figures and binders of StarWars.com database printouts to prove it. So for me, I couldn’t be any more excited for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the first of many new Star Wars films. I really liked what J.J. Abrams did with Star Trek (especially his first one), so I’ve got nothing but high hopes for this return journey to a galaxy far, far away that will breathe new life into the dormant franchise and see how the new era of Star Wars films begins.
It’s going to be pretty incredible to see Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher back in their roles of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia, to hear hear more Star Wars music by John Williams, and to see new cast members John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Christina Chong, Crystal Clarke, and Pip Andersen. I can’t wait.
Be there when ‘The Force Awakens’ on December 18
1. ‘That’s What I’m Talking About’
With Bernie, Before Midnight, and Boyhood, Richard Linklater is on quite the roll.
There’s probably no filmmaker whose films I consistently enjoy more than Linklater’s. His next film That’s What I’m Talking About is being referred to as a spiritual successor to Dazed and Confused, a film that is in my personal top five favorite films of all time. Dazed and Confused centered around high school football players in the 70s, and That’s What I’m Talking About will similarly be the story of college baseball players in the 80s. This is a movie Linklater has been wanting to make for a long time, and with the success of Boyhood, the best movie of 2014, he’s finally going to be able to.
Now That’s What I’m Talking About stars Wyatt Russell, Glen Powell, Zoey Deutch, Ryan Guzman, Tyler Hoechlin, Blake Jenner, Adriene Mishler, Kyla Burke, Jessi Mechler, and Jonathan Breck, among others. None are currently huge stars but neither were Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck when they starred in Dazed and Confused. Tyler Hoechlin of course has the Teen Wolf fandom behind him and was great in Road to Perdition as a child. The film currently does not have a release date.
Join me in saying ‘That’s What I’m Talking About’ this fall
Again, this is only my own personal list of most anticipated movies for 2015. Which are you most looking forward to? Please vote in the poll and post your list in the comments below!
Narrowing down a list is always tough, and there were films I was sad to leave off. Damien Chazelle’s La La Land is a film that I would have included if I knew it would be released in 2015. I’m suspecting that it will have a 2015 release date, but it could just as easily be bumped to 2016.
I’m very interested in seeing the Wachowski’s Jupiter Ascending and if it will survive its bump to typically barren February. If Edgar Wright were still directing Ant-Man it would definitely make the top five of this list, but I’m still excited to see how turns out under Peyton Reed’s direction.
If A Million Ways to Die in the West hadn’t been so atrocious Ted 2 would probably make the list, and I’m hoping it recaptures the Ted magic. Another I’m hesitant on is Terminator Genisys, but I love Arnold Schwarzenegger, so I’m really hoping it’s good.
A new Terrence Malick movie is always something worth getting excited about, and I’m interested in seeing Knight of Cups, especially with its cast that includes Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, and Natalie Portman. I’m regrettably forced to admit that I didn’t love Pitch Perfect as much as I wanted to, and I’m hoping that Pitch Perfect 2 makes me change my tune.
Mission Impossible 5 should be a lot of fun with Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, and the gang back in tow. Another that looks quite exciting is High Rise, a thriller from Ben Wheatley about a society contained in a high rise building, and it stars Tom Hiddleston.
A new Noah Baumbach film is exciting, and I’m happy to see that While We’re Young will see the return of his Frances Ha star Adam Driver. Cameron Crowe’s yet to be titled new film will see its release this year, and with a cast that includes Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams and Emma Stone, it looks promising.
Matthew McConaughey starring in Gus Van Sant’s The Sea of Trees will definitely be something to watch, and Ian McKellen starring as an older Sherlock Holmes in Mr. Holmes sounds great.
After Birdman, I’m very excited to see Alejandro González Iñárritu’s next film The Revenant, especially since it stars Tom Hardy, Leonard DiCaprio, and Domhnall Gleeson. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
I’m really hoping Peanuts is good, I have extremely high hopes for Mad Max: Fury Road, and The Good Dinosaur was a painful cut from this list.
This list’s final cut was a painful one. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 deserves a spot on this list, I just didn’t have the room. The whole Hunger Games franchise is just about as good as adaptations of popular book series’ get, and as a big fan of both the books and the films, I’m very excited to see this conclusion. Seeing Philip Seymour Hoffman’s final acting role will be heartbreaking, and seeing the action packed, metaphorically resonant conclusion to this series should be immensely satisfying.
Knowing that you the reader likely won’t agree with all my choices, I’ve included some in the poll that I expect will some of the more popular picks for your most anticipated film of the year.
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