So far, I think 2018 has been a surprising rollercoaster of revelations/gems and underwhelming disappointments, whether ok or decent, especially after the summer season. I thought that three blockbusters during the summer season stood out if including Avengers: Infinity War but in the indie circuit, there were many interesting movies that could potentially boost their chances of getting awards nominations like Eighth Grade, Leave No Trace, Hereditary, BlacKkKlansman and the two best documentaries so far this year, Won't You Be My Neighbor? and Three Identical Strangers.
After scanning the last four months left of 2018, I was looking at the fall/winter slate and it looks like a very solid variety that could satisfy different audiences alike. I was also thinking that there is not, besides three superhero movies (one under-the-radar animated movie), a big movie that will crush this season like a Star Wars movie. Am I all right with it? Actually, yes, because I want to see different material and in addition to that, I want to see what directors have to offer: the best of the best after studios had confidence to premiere on a good date in this season, mainly starting the first week of October.
To dial it down to my top 10 anticipated movies of the fall/winter season was tough, but my title is not my Top 10 anticipated movies, it is generally, my most anticipated movies of the season. Nevertheless, I have two tiers, my 10 most anticipated movies and the rest that I am still looking forward to or that is on my radar that will hopefully surpass my expectations.
So, without further ado, here are my most anticipated movies of the last four months of 2018...
10. Boy Erased (Nov. 2)
In recent years, we had movies regarding people coming out, struggling with their identity and then accepting it. This movie does not look like another Love, Simon or Call Me By Your Name. It is a true story about a boy coming out and is struggling with their identity and has to go to conversion therapy to avoid getting shunned by his family, friends and also his religion. In addition to the great talents such as Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe, I am intrigued about this movie because this movie is directed by Joel Edgerton, who also stars in this movie and also directed his last film, The Gift, which is a very good and underrated suspenseful thriller. I want to see what kind of story he pulls off next.
9. Bad Times at the El Royale (Oct. 12)
Drew Goddard is an underrated talent in Hollywood as he wrote Cloverfield, The Cabin in the Woods (which he also directed), World War Z and The Martian. He has a very solid resumé of cool and at times, original concepts come to life. Plus, this has a talented cast with Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny and Chris Hemsworth. I'm hoping this is not The Hateful Eight, which was good but could have been better, and also not Hotel Artemis, which was a missed opportunity. But, this looks insanely good.
8. A Star is Born (Oct. 5)
Bradley Cooper has consistently been one of the top leading actors in recent years and now makes his directorial debut with A Star is Born, which has been made three previous times. The movie was in development hell for years with directors such as Clint Eastwood attached to the project. And, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise and Will Smith were in talks along with Beyonce. But, when Lady Gaga stepped in and the trailer came out, I thought this could be a good film. However, I have solid expectations, not grand, because I have not seen the other remakes or the original film and I heard ok results from all of them. So, we'll see how this turns out. I do believe the chemistry between Cooper and Gaga in the trailer, though.
7. Widows (Nov. 16)
Lately, I've seen some strong female-led cast but the problem is they were in reboots like Ghostbusters and Ocean's 8, I like the latter quite enough but it could have been something else. And, there are more in the pipeline that does not seem to coalesce. Now, Widows is a strong female-led cast film that I WANT to see. It looks kind of awesome as it stars Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki and Cynthia Erivo, taking over the failed heist attempt from their late husbands led by Liam Neeson. But, I am mostly excited because this movie is directed by Steve McQueen, who gave us the underrated NC-17 film, Shame, and the powerful Best Picture winner, 12 Years a Slave. Even though I think the arc may be a bit predictable (we'll see), he is a director with a keen eye.
6. Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (Nov. 21)
I thoroughly enjoyed the first movie as I think it is an underrated animated film. John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman make a great voiceover pair for the characters as they now go on a journey through the Internet. Ralph and Vanellope need to go through the Internet to find a new replacement for a steering wheel in a game. It is going to make fun of so many things going around the Internet, especially Disney making fun of themselves. Plus, many people who are Disney fans wanted to see the princesses team up. Well, I don't think we will get a movie out of it because it would not make sense but at least when get a taste based on the advertising.
5. Bohemian Rhapsody (Nov. 2)
If you are a fan of Queen and their hit songs, you're going to want to see this movie because based on the footage from the trailers, this movie looks incredibles, outlining Queen's musical background and history and Freddie Mercury's life. Rami Malek looks like the icon. It is like a throwback to the times with the concert footage which looks absolutely unbelievable. If everything goes well, despite the controversy surrounding Bryan Singer behind the scenes, this may be a solid awards contender hopefully for Rami Malek.
4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Dec. 14)
Yep, I'm excited about this movie more than Aquaman and Venom. This looks like an authentic comic-book computer animated film. The images pop up the screen with such vivid images balancing out with the action and the comedy, thanks to screenwriter Phil Lord, who crafted 21 and 22 Jump Street and The LEGO Movie. This groundbreaking visual style looks exhilarating with the great voices by Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Jake Johnson and Liev Schreiber. I'm crossing my fingers for this one as this is a great early Christmas present for comic-book and Spider-Man fans alike.
3. Halloween (Oct. 19)
Yikes! Michael Myers is back but also Laurie Strode is back! So, yes! The bottom line is that this 11th installment is the direct sequel to the Halloween franchise, disregarding the continuity of the franchise. It's been Myers and Freddy Krueger with Pennywise coming into the top 3 as my favorite villains in the horror genre. They are calculated, menacing villains. But, Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode is going to be awesome in this film alongside Judy Greer, Will Patton, Virginia Gardner and Nick Castle, reprising his role as Michael Myers. Director David Gordon Green is a versatile director and has the potential get this franchise back into the spotlight again.
2. Creed II (Nov. 21)
I loved Creed and it is easily the second best film behind Rocky not only because of the chemistry between Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan but also of Ryan Coogler's direction, who is now a rising star and is creeping closely towards the upper echelon of directors right now. Unfortunately, Coogler is not participating in this movie and director Steven Caple Jr. takes over. I knew the story regarding Creed fighting the son of Drago was going to be imminent but it may be epic and hopefully, Dolph Lundgren will return to the series.
1. First Man (Oct. 12)
And, this is my most anticipated film of the final four months because it has three things that speak to me: director Damien Chazelle, the true story about Neil Armstrong and the journey to his infamous Apollo 8 mission and the topic of space and hopefully the space program itself. It seems that we are on the verge of space exploration being a topic again and this movie seems the right fit to bring out a passionate subject. Chazelle, who directed Whiplash and La La Land, reunites with Ryan Gosling, and it seems to fit the 60s style of filmmaking quite well. The movie has a solid cast with Claire Foy, Corey Stoll, Kyle Chandler, Jason Clarke, Shea Whigham, Christopher Abbott, Pablo Schreiber and Patrick Fugit. This movie is screaming for being an awards contender and if this movie does extraordinarily well, it may garner a chance to becoming a real Best Picture winner and not like for less than a minute.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
White Boy Rick (Sept. 14)
Venom (Oct. 5)
Beautiful Boy (Oct. 12)
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Oct. 19)
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (Nov. 2) - Still looks a bit underwhelming but Christmas movies are a guilty pleasure of mine.
Suspiria (Nov. 2)
The Girl in the Spider's Web (Nov. 9)
Overlord (Nov. 9)
Fantastic Beasts and the Crime of Grindelwald (Nov. 16)
The Favourite (Nov. 23)
If Beale Street Could Talk (Nov. 30)
Mary Queen of Scots (Dec. 7)
Roma (to be streamed on Netflix on Dec. 14)
Mary Poppins Returns (Dec. 19)
Aquaman (Dec. 21)
Bumblebee (Dec. 21)
Welcome to Marwen (Dec. 21)
On the Basis of Sex (Dec. 25)
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