Other Thoughts Illustrated: 2013 Movie Preview

I will be honest… I’m not trying to give you a comprehensive list of everything coming out this year… I am simply trying to highlight movies that I’m excited to see, or curious about as well as some snide comments for movies that I can’t believe they are going to make. So we’ll take this month by month in the hopes that this helps prepare you for the Movies of 2013!

The Rest of January:

Really just need to play catch-up on some of the movies that previously came out that I would want to see (e.g. Jack Reacher, Lincoln, etc.)

February:

A Good Day to Die Hard – If this one is anything like Live Free or Die Hard then the franchise is like a fine wine, getting better with age. The reintroduction of Jack McClane could be a solid boost to the franchise as well. And it’s always fun to ship a cop off to Russia, right?! (It’s a perfect Valentine’s movie!)

March:

GI Joe: Retaliation – I feel like the folks responsible for this franchise had the epiphany that we hoped they would. I picture the dialog going something like this: “Hey, we’re targeting guys that grew up in the 80’s with the cartoons and action figures who love action movies. Why don’t we just throw Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson, and Bruce Willis in this thing together?!” BRILLIANT!! I’m all in…

The Host – Ok, so I can’t say I have much anticipation for this but my lovely wife is looking very forward to this, so I would be remiss in passing it by. For those who don’t know, it’s by the author of the Twilight saga, but is much more a straightforward sci-fi endeavor.

Notable: Oz the Great and Powerful – I really don’t know what to think of this one. It could land anywhere on the spectrum. Definitely a wait and see for me.

Ugh: Isn’t “The Last Exorcism 2” kind of an oxymoron?! (and a bad idea to boot!)

April:

42 – How it took this long to really tackle the Jackie Robinson story in a major film, I don’t know, but I got chills watching the trailer. And kudos to them for pulling the title from Billy Crystal’s playbook from 61*

Notable: Oblivion – This one seems fairly intriguing. At first blush it would appear to be like a live action Wall-E, with a hint of Serenity and Minority Report. Wow…that makes it even more enticing!

Ugh: Really… we need Scary Movie 5?! For the love!!

May:

Iron Man 3 – The trailer is epic and it seems like this will be quite an experience. It’s a great way to kick off the summer movie season, and they appear to have figured out how to make Iron Man an underdog. Grab your popcorn!

Star Trek: Into Darkness – Speaking of time to grab your popcorn! I was never a Trekkie until J.J. Abrams got ahold of the franchise and now I am all in. This has Midnight Movie written all over it.

Notable: The Great Gatsby – It’s safe to say that if Baz Luhrmann (Romeo + Juliet, Mulan Rouge) is behind a film it will be an interesting take on whatever story it is.

Anoth…wait…I’m ok with it!: Fast & the Furious 6 – Speaking of folks who have figured out the formula! Fast and Furious and Fast Five proved that instead of getting cute, the owners of this franchise have figured out that if you put in cool cars, action, danger and the cast of characters that are beloved, they can keep churning these out with good results.

June:

Man of Steel – There is a lot riding on this one for the folks at DC Comics. They desperately want to be able to put out a Justice League movie and capitalize like Marvel did with The Avengers, but a lot hinges on nailing this incarnation of the Superman franchise. I would have an abundance of confidence if one of the Nolan’s was directing, but at least having Christopher Nolan assisting with the writing should bode well for Kal-El.

Monsters University – Pixar doesn’t know how to disappoint and bringing Mike and Sully back should not disappoint. This prequel seems like it should perform more like Toy Story 2 than Cars 2.

Notable: Much Ado About Nothing – This is an ultra-low budget effort and a very creative method for telling the story. Director Joss Whedon (Avengers, Serenity) and his wife filmed the entire film in black and white over a 12 day period at his own house.

Ugh: The Hangover III – For the love… do they really have to go there again?

July:

The Lone Ranger – You had me at Johnny Depp is Tonto.

The Wolverine – You have to believe that they will do better this time around at having Wolverine stand on his own, right?

Notable: Despicable Me 2; Grown Ups 2 – Something for the kids… something for those that want to hold out hope that Adam Sandler can do an occasional half-way decent movie.

August:

Red 2 – If you did’t see the first one, it was quite entertaining. It’s sad that Morgan Freeman isn’t back, but to add Anthony Hopkins in his place while still having Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, & John Malkovich seems like a winning formula.

Notable: Elysium – Matt Damon, Jodie Foster and the Year 2159. Ok, I’m at least intrigued…

September:

Notable: Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers – Potential for families, but not like I’m running out immediately for it.

Really?: Riddick – Wow… Not saying he lacks creativity, but Vin appears to be in a rut of rehashing his franchises.

October:

Nothing. Seriously. Nothing. (At least, nothing that’s been announced so far)

Ugh: Sin City 2; Paranormal Activity 5

November:

Thor: The Dark World – I’m intrigued to see each of the Avengers’ first solo projects following their success as a unit. It definitely sets up a very Hemsworth November when you also add in….

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – The second installment will have tons of buzz. The big question marks are how the transition will go to a new director and new writers, as well as whether or not they did the character of Finnick justice. But I’d be willing to wager that this will be as good as anticipated.

Notable: Ender’s Game; Mr. Peabody & Sherman – Sci-Fi fans will be intrigued to see the big screen adaptation of Ender’s Game come to life for sure. And for those who remember the Rocky & Bullwinkle show from the 80’s, it will be interesting to see Mr. Peabody and Sherman return to our lives.

December:

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – I anticipate that this franchise will build from film to film, with less downtime and more action, so I’m looking forward to getting to tango with Smaug.

Jack Ryan – It has been a while, so it will be fun to see Jack Ryan return to the Silver Screen. Interestingly this will be the 4th leading man to tackle the character across his 5 films to date. It will be interesting to see how Chris Pine puts his stamp on the character as well as seeing what Keira Knightly will bring to the franchise as the strong character of Cathy Ryan.

So from what I can tell, there’s a lot to look forward to (as well as plenty to avoid) at the cinema in 2013. There will be more films that get announced as the year goes, but these are the ones that are known for now and that have captured my eye for one reason or another. So from me to you… Enjoy this year (and save some popcorn for Star Wars VII in 2015!)