We Can't Wait ~ The 2015 Mini-Series
Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 2:00PM It's that time again. As one film year wraps up we get all antsy with excitement for the next. Team Experience voted on their most anticipated films of 2015 and the 15-strong daily movie countdown starts tomorrow morning. It goes without saying that there are far more enticing propositions than just 15. With the definition of 'arthouse cinema' expanding over the last 20 years to include just about every film starring a woman (Truth: something like Still Alice would have been considered mainstream in the 1980s), and just about any drama, even those with true stars, without genre affiliation and the companion visual fx budget it's safe to say that Team Experience leans heavily in that direction, taste wise.
But, lo and behold, some of 2015's upcoming would-be blockbusters actually look enticing. After this rough winter, let us gorge on popcorn all summer long. Here's five would be blockbusters on the other side of Age of Ultron (just discussed) that might be great popcorn entertainments ... or hopelessly mediocre but we won't know until we get there. Keep your hopes up!
EVEREST (Sept 18th)
SOUTHPAW (July 31st)
Pick a Gyllenhaal, either Gyllenhaal. Post Nightcrawler we have to pray that he's on a legend making hot streak. Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur's name might not immediately make dibs on 'quality' given what he's made previously since going Hollywood but it's always possible that Everest, his mountain climbing adventure with a really terrific and terrifically manly all star cast (Jake, plus Borlin, Hawkes, Worthington, and Jason Clarke who we recently spoke with) will be thrilling. Especially in IMAX.
As for Southpaw... Though the cinema has been overrun by boxing pictures since, what, 1931?, if Antoine Fuqua can regain his Training Day mojo and Gyllenhaal's character is as dramatic as he sounds (alcholol, drugs, career immolation, child custody trouble) it'll be well worth checking out.
MAGIC MIKE XXL (July 1st)
Now only 116 days away !
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (December 18th)
"Keeping hopeful" is a true hurdle with this one but let's include it anyway out of curious as to whether the TFE readership is excited to see it? (Let us know in the comments). The Star Wars franchise was horrifically marred by the last three films and J.J. Abrams, despite his skill with a camera, doesn't tend to make films with anything like emotional or pop culture staying power. His Star Trek pictures and Mission Impossible one-off made truckloads of money but, quick, name something about any of that that stayed with you and you think of regularly! They were just piggybacking on accumulated decades of glory. Just about his only film that might well have shown us any real "magic" as a storyteller was Super 8... and even that one was largely hit and miss and a self conscious Spielberg knockoff. So, not hopeful but curious. And then we'll get to see what Lupita Nyong'o has been up to apart from red carpets. Let's hope she's in it for more than 1 or 2 minutes.
JURASSIC WORLD (June 12th)
Why we didn't ever discuss the trailer I do not know. Chris Pratt as a raptor trainer? Sure, why not. In!
Reader Comments (22)
Star Wars - The teaser gave me a boner. So i'm pretty sure I'm excited.
Even if he's piggybacking, just the music, costumes, nostalgia..etc --> that's a lot of power to harness. AND he's shown he can make a good action flick with good character beats, so I am very hopeful.. but I am worried about the inclusion of old Luke, Leia and Han Solo that just reeks of studio insecurity.
Everest is probably going to be mediocre. Southpaw could be good. Magic Mike XXL will probably be mostly what people expected from that being a franchise. Star Wars is a much better fit for JJ Abrams than Star Trek, but Abrams touching the script at all makes me nervous. Jurassic World is either going to be super awesome or super awful.
I'm pretty confident this Star Wars film will be amazing!! JUST CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT!!
Of the five you mentioned the most I look forward too is Southpaw. While the film might be messed up by Fuqua I just know Gyllenhaal will give a great performance worthy of a watch. Everest seems to me to be a boring Perfect Storm type of film. Magic Mike without McConaughey just does not seem right but I have some hope in Tatum to hopefully make an enjoyable feature. Star Wars has never been that big for me and other then the casting of Isaac, Driver, Nyong'o and Christie I expect nothing else from the film to change my life. Jurassic World seems like this year's Godzilla with impressive effects but a story no one cares about and Pratt in this role should be strange because it seems to be a completely different type of character for the actor.
If there's one thing the rebooted Star Trek got right it was *casting*, so I have high hopes for the actors Abrams has pulled together for this new Start Trek. WIll there be an equivalent to the perfection of Quinto as Spock?
As for Gyllenhaal, I'm in. Twice.
I want to be excited about this most recent "Jurassic Park" movie, yet my suspension of disbelief only travels but so far. I keep asking myself, even in the world created by these films, which country's government would continue to allow these people to make dinosaurs as if it's ever not ended in disaster. I can't imagine a scenario in which the majority of the worldwide population would be all right with this.
YES! STAR WARS! Even though the last installments, particularly episode two, were duds, I am very hopeful for episode seven.
Looking at the cast list on imdb, is it possible that Wicket will be returning?
I'm excited for Star Wars for the simple reason of Lupita Nyong'o. Especially if the rumors of her playing a villain are true.
I could wait several centuries for yet another Star Wars movies to be unleashed on the world. :/
I'll see Jurassic World, but my suspicion is a Jurassic Park/Safety Not Guaranteed marathon would be more entertaining.
To say I'm excited about Star Wars: The Force Awakens would be the understatement of my lifetime. It is THE event of the year for me and I have high hopes for it. JJ's writing/direction of the LOST pilot will always guarantee me having a good amount of faith in him and he made Star Trek interesting to me when I wasn't even a fan. In saying that, I'm not blind to the fact that things could go wrong with it.
He wrote Super 8, which I completely agree is hit or miss; and he wrote a draft of a Superman script that wasn't very good (I cut him some slack on that one because rough/first drafts of anything always suck. Still...). Also, it could be a little too derivative of the original films and that wouldn't benefit the saga at all. Beyond that, however, I think expectations are the thing I need to keep in check. All I want from this film is a worthy entry into the franchise - which, despite their major flaws, I thought the prequels were - and something I can see multiple times in theaters. When the film gets closer to release, however, I know my expectations will increase.
As for the rest of those films mention; I never saw the first Magic Mike and I dislike Tatum in just about everything, so I'll pass. I've give Gyllenhaal's films a chance if the trailers entice me. Lastly, Jurassic World, much like Terminator Genesis, is just not something I'm excited about right now. I really disliked the third film and this one doesn't look that much better. I'll probably see JW in theaters - TG not so much - but until a new trailer comes... Meh.
His Star Trek pictures and Mission Impossible one-off made truckloads of money but, quick, name something about any of that that stayed with you and you think of regularly!
1) Quinto as Spock.
2) Spock and Uhura sitting a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g...
None of these are really calling out to me. It will depend on the reviews and word of mouth.
Jurassic World just looks silly. I predict predictable story beats, lots of eye rolling (from me) and some great action and wonder scenes.
Everett sounds boring but Southpaw sounds interesting. Hope it is as great as his last gritty man film, End of Watch, which was just terrific. Speaking of which, does anyone else believe that Michael Pena's career should be similar to Gyllenhalls (in getting big juicy roles)? That guy just kills it every time he is given something with meat on it and his range is incredible. World Trade Center, Observe and Report, End of Watch...etc. Enough with the supporting roles and crappy tv shows now! Talk about an under-appreciated actor.
Anonny: I would have LOVED Pena as Khan way more than Benedict Pastybatch. Or as the main character of Elysium.
Anonny: Not that I think Cumberbatch is a bad actor or anything, far from it with the right role, but who exactly green-lit the idea of him as Khan? "We have this role, this iconic role, originated by the Mexican Ricardo Montalban. Who do we cast as his replacement?" "Michael Pena? We don't want a repeat of The Last Airbender, right?" "Michael Pena? I have no idea who that is. No, I've got it. We get the guy who played Sherlock on Sherlock. Make it so." Sane man walks away, doing massively inadvisable thing.
I hope that Amy Shumer's Trainwreck becomes the Bridesmaids-like hit of this year for comedy, though I'm also rooting for Melissa McCarthy's Spy, because I want her to branch out from the type of comedy she has been doing in the movies for the past few years. She can be funny without being vulgar and weirdly intense/angry, movie going folk, I swear!
I'm SO not watching Star Wars. Eew.
SanFranCinema - I'm in 3 times on Jake Gyllenhall. He's also got Demolition!
No mention of Blart 2?
Mike -- bite your tongue!
Was fairly surprised that the news of a new Star Wars trilogy was received so excitedly by the Internet. I mean, we all know it's going to be just alright, right? I'm looking forward to enjoying it by setting as minimal expectations as possible. Most of my anticipation is reserved for that drool-worthy cast, though again, one doesn't really think "character showcase" when you think franchise reboot or JJ Abrams. But hopefully afterwards the actors will be free to do whatever they want, which is very good for us.
Good job!