While we have turned the page to 2016, I don’t consider the “movie year” to be over until the end of the Oscar ceremony.
However, I still must look ahead to what the new year will bring. The release slate as of right now looks promising. There will be all new films from prestigious directors and talented actors, as well as the popular superhero films that will dominate the box-office. I know that as the year goes on there will be films that will emerge seemingly out of nowhere, most likely through film festivals like Sundance, South by Southwest, and Toronto. These films will rise to the top of the list of films to see. As of right now, however, here are ten films to anticipate in 2016:
10. Snowden (May 13th)
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Zachary Quinto, Nicolas Cage, Timothy Olyphant, Melissa Leo, Tom Wilkinson, Rhys Ifans
Edward Snowden is one of the most polarizing figures in recent history. How he is treated in the film version about him is only speculation as of right now. Perhaps director Oliver Stone will take a neutral stance and just tell the story of what happened. Regardless of how you feel about him, the strong cast of the talent actors involved should be enough reason to see it. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley are talented actors and with them working together should be exciting. One peculiar casting choice is that of Nicolas Cage. It is good to see him work with a prestigious director again, and perhaps he can finally get his career back on track after appearing in straight to DVD releases for the last few years. Oliver Stone is in need of a hit film after two disappointing efforts (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Savages), and this could be the one. While this trailer doesn’t explain much (I’m sure we will get another one soon), the cast and director have me excited already.
9. X-Men: Apocalypse (May 27th)
Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Oscar Issac, Jennifer Lawrence, Rose Byrne, Nicolas Hoult, Sophie Turner
The last two X-Men films, X-Men: First Class and particularly X-Men: Days of Future Past, helped bring new life into the X-Men franchise. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender have proven to be worthy actors to play Professor X and Magneto respectively in those last two films. I can’t wait to see how they transform into the older versions of the characters from the earlier films. The one aspect that should have everyone intrigued is the fact the Oscar Issac plays the villain. Essentially everything that Issac touches turns to gold because he is a very talented actor, and he could potentially one of the better villain performances in recent years. He looks intimidating with the costume and makeup. Hopefully this will be a worthy entry to the franchise. Fingers crossed for a Wolverine cameo.
8. La La Land (July 15th)
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, J.K. Simmons, John Legend, Rosemarie DeWitt
Back in 2014, director Damien Chazelle burst onto the film scene with the critically acclaimed Whiplash, which was nominated for five Oscars including Best Picture. So the reason to anticipate this film is to see if his sophomore effort can live up to that film. The film is some sort of musical that stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Having them work together again could potentially be something memorable. They had great chemistry in Crazy, Stupid, Love and hopefully the same spark will still be there. J.K. Simmons, who won an Oscar for Whiplash, stars in the film. Those three actors starring in one film is more than enough to see it.
7. Untitled Bourne Film/Bourne 5 (July 29th)
Cast: Matt Damon, Vincent Cassel, Julia Stiles, Alica Vikander, Tommy Lee Jones
The Bourne films have earned critical praise in the past. The previous Bourne film was viewed as a disappointment to some, but now that Matt Damon is returning as the title character, it could live up to the previous films in the series. Paul Greengrass is returning to direct too. He directed the second and third Bourne films (The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum). Critics thought that The Bourne Ultimatum is not only considered the best Bourne film, but also one of the best films of 2007. So Greengrass and Matt Damon working together again could signal success and perhaps they could be make a film just as good as that film. Greengrass has proven to create exciting and suspenseful action with the previous Bourne films, as well as United 93 and Captain Phillips. While there is no trailer as of yet, or even a title, there is potential that this film could be exciting too. Plus, the great French actor Vincent Cassel is playing the villain. He is a wonderful choice for a villain, and that alone should have everyone sold on this film. Hopefully Alicia Vikander, last year’s breakout actress, will turn in another great performance too.
6. Hail, Caesar! (February 5th)
Cast: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Scarlet Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Frances McDormand, Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum
Any time the Coen Brothers make a film it is bound to be something memorable. They usually make two kinds of films. It is either dark and serious or bizzare and quirky. This film seems to fall into the latter category with what looks to be some humorous moments filled with strange situations, and the film looks cleverly satirical on the Hollywood film industry in the 1950s. The cast alone features some of the best actors working today, and the story does seem offbeat and fresh enough than most recent films. I have high hopes for this one.
5. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (November 18th)
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Katerine Waterston, Colin Farrell, Ezra Miller, Ron Perman, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight
Some of the Harry Potter films are some of the best fantasy films ever made, particularly the Prisoner of Azkaban. This film serves as a spin-off/prequel hybrid to those films, and based on the book with the same name. Some of the footage that has already been released, it looks to contain some of the magic and wonder that made the Harry Potter films so famous. The film is being directed by David Yates. He is the one who directed the last four Harry Potter films, so there is some hope that this film could essentially be good. The talented Eddie Redmayne and Katherine Waterston lead an all-star cast of other talents. What’s even better is that J.K. Rowling, the actual writer of the Harry Potter books, wrote the screenplay. So we’ll see how close this will come to Harry Potter.
4. Suicide Squad (August 5th)
Cast: Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Jared Leto, Cara Delevingne, Viola Davis, Joel Kinnaman, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Scott Eastwood, Jai Courtney, Ben Affleck
Think of The Dirty Dozen, but with Batman villains and you have a pretty good idea of what this film is about. Having the villains be the main the stars of the picture and having the government forcing them to do good is something that feels fresh and different than most superhero films. One of Batman’s most popular villains, Harley Quinn, finally makes her live action debut on the big screen, and is played by the talented Margot Robbie (a perfect casting choice I must add). Plus, we get to see other villains that really don’t get a lot of attention like Deadshot, Killer Croc, and Captain Boomerang. They all have major presence in the comics and it is nice to finally see them on the big screen. It will be interesting to see how these characters effect they have in the DC Extended Universe. Ben Affleck is due to make a cameo in the film as Batman, and Jared Leto has the ultimate task of playing the Joker. I know everyone will be comparing him to Heath Ledger’s Joker from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, but Leto looks to be playing it differently. I can’t wait to see what effect he will have in other DCEU films.
3. Silence (No Release Day Yet)
Cast: Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver
A new film directed by Martin Scorsese already has me hooked, but a new Martin Scorsese film that stars Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield AND Adam Driver? Count me in. Not much is known about this film right now. There is no trailer and there is no official release date as of right now. Unless it gets moved, it is due this year. What is known is that it is about two priests who try to find their mentor and spread Christianity in Japan. Sounds like something along the lines of Roland Joffé’s The Mission, but it looks very different than Scorsese’s two previous films (The Wolf of Wall Street and Hugo), and that is why it should be anticipated.
2. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (March 25th)
Cast: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Jesse Eisenberg, Gal Gabot, Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller
With Marvel having critical and financial success with their shared universe, it was only a matter of time until DC would do the same. The first film of the DC Extended Universe, Man of Steel, opened to a polarizing response (some loved it, some hated it). Not a terrible way to start off the shared universe, but I’m sure the people at Warner Bros. were hoping for something better. I think they will get something better with this quasi-sequel to that film. Having two of the most popular superheroes of all time finally face off in a live action film is the main reason to see it. Based on footage shown in the trailers, the action and effects do look great. Some have complained that they have shown too much, but I think there is some more to the story than we have been given. Showing how the Justice League will be formed and introducing other characters such as Aquaman and The Flash should be interesting. It could be interesting to see if the film has any effect on the Suicide Squad. Henry Cavill proved to be a worthy Superman in Man of Steel, and I do have faith that Ben Affleck will make a fine Batman (despite the outcries). Plus, having Jesse Eisenberg play the villain is an unlikely and inspired choice. It looks like the approach for his role is different than most other villains in superhero films. It will be engaging to see the new actors of the DC universe play these characters. The selling point to me is that Chris Terrio (who won an Oscar for writing Argo) wrote the screenplay. That being said, Batman v Superman has a few elements for it that makes me have faith for this film.
1. Captain America: Civil War (May 6th)
Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Jeremy Renner, Sebastian Stan, Chadwick Boseman, Don Cheadle, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Daniel Brühl, Frank Gillo, Martin Freeman, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, William Hurt
Marvel has been known for their light hearted humor in their films, but Civil War seems to be their most serious and darkest film to date. This film shows The Avengers divided. The government wants to implement a law where they have control of when superheroes should be used. Captain America (Chris Evans) thinks that superheroes should continue to save the world as they please while Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) thinks that the government overseeing them is a good idea.
Just like Batman and Superman fighting each other, having Captain America and Iron Man take sides from each other is a pretty exciting and different idea. Two heroes fighting isn’t you really see in superhero films. The idea of whether the government should have control over superheroes is a complex one, and offers a great dilemma to the audience of which side you think is right. The action looks exciting, and it seems to be the most emotional of the Marvel films. Plus, Marvel, in a move that seemed improbable, got the rights to Spider-Man from Sony. Having Spider-Man show up in the MCU is one of the main reasons to see this film because it will be interesting to see how he will interact with the other Avengers. The film is directed by the Russo Brothers. They made the previous Captain America film (The Winter Soldier), which is one the best Marvel films ever made. It will be very interesting in how this effects the next Avengers film (Infinity War) now that the team is divided. With all that, Captain America: Civil War should be something worth seeing.
The post Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2016 appeared first on Verge Campus.