2021 saw some normalcy return to the movie marketplace as theaters, proper Hollywood blockbusters and massive film festivals pushing awards contenders all made a full return after their COVID-induced sabbaticals. Will 2022 follow suit or will the big picture industry implications (less movies in theaters/more releases on streamers, production delays, etc.) COVID caused start to resurface? Only time will tell.
What we do have at the moment is a January-April slate that has its share of intrigue with slasher favorites (Scream, Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and the Caped Crusader (The Batman) making their comebacks as well as some buzzy indie directors (Robert Eggers with The Northman, Daniels with Everything Everywhere All at Once) tackling the biggest scaled films of their budding careers.
It needs to be noted that Netflix hasn't revealed any of the release dates for their latest monster film slate past mid-February and the theatrical slate is very much in flux as a result of the current Omicron wave and smaller studios holding back on dating some of their titles due to older audience's current reluctance to go see things with a crowd in the middle of a pandemic, so this list isn't even remotely concrete or complete. Now that all of the obligatory housekeeping is out of the way, here are the movies currently set to release over the next 4 months that I'm most excited to watch.
10.Everything Everywhere All at Once (March 25th):
While Swiss Army Man failed to live up to the absurd brilliance of its premise, the latest effort from Daniels looks too gleefully strange and unique for me to not once again be intrigued.
9.Scream (January 14th):
The legacy Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson left behind with Scream is one of the strongest in the history of horror films. As challenging as it is for anybody to separate themselves from the shadows these two icons will forever cast on the franchise, there's no one more qualified to reimagine Scream than Matt Bettinelli-Oplin and Tyler Gillett-who previously made the elite horror comedy Ready or Not- and the enthusiastic endorsement from Williamson is a positive early sign that their new vision is a winner.
8.The Outfit (February 25th):
Graham Moore finally ends his long absence from the industry after winning the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for The Imitation Game back in 2014 with his directorial debut that has one of the most quietly strong acting ensembles of the year headlined by Mark Rylance in a (sadly) all too rare leading role and appears to be a good old fashioned crime drama/thriller that uses a claustrophobic setting to generate suspense.
7.Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (April 8th):
The whole band that made the 2020 original (director Josh Fowler, writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller, Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Lee Majdoub, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally) a very pleasant surprise is back for more and classic Sonic characters Knuckles and Tails (voiced by Idris Elba and the original game voice actor Collen O'Shaughnessy respectively) are also along for the ride this time around. Hopefully more silly, lighthearted fun will ensue.
6.Ambulance (April 8th):
After taking the big Netflix bag to make his most excessive film ever in 6 Underground, Michael Bay is back to blowing shit up on the big screen just as the Good Lord intended. Ambulance boasts the look/feel of his more high-octane, contained projects from the 90's and the trio of Jake Gyllenhaal/Yaya Abdul-Mateen II/Eiza Gonzalez is among the strongest group of actors to ever lead one of his films, which makes me pretty optimistic this will be on the hit end of the always volatile Bay spectrum.
5.Jackass Forever (February 4th):
Jackass played a pretty significant role in shaping my comedic tastes growing up and it'll be a bittersweet experience to see nearly all of the surviving original crew reunite for one last round of causing themselves tremendous physical harm for the amusement of others.
4.The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (April 22nd):
Nicolas Cage plays Nicolas Cage in this meta satire about a down-and-out Nicolas Cage being brought into be an FBI informant after he's hired by a drug kingpin (Pedro Pascal) to hang out and reenact scenes from his old movies for his birthday. If this movie delivers on its pretty much limitless comedic potential, it could lead to the mainstream resurgence that Cage has long deserved.
3.Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre (March 18th):
As an outspoken fanboy of both performers, Jason Statham and Aubrey Plaza starring in the same movie is a literal dream come true. The fact that they're coming together to play the leading roles in a Guy Ritchie-penned-and-directed spy comedy somehow makes this unlikely pairing even more exciting. If this doesn't deliver the goods, I may never forgive Mr. Ritchie for wasting this dream team.
2.The Northman (April 22nd):
In terms of both size of the production and genre, The Northman is completely different from anything that Robert Eggers has done previously. Considering the impressively singular vision and immense skill he displayed on his past films (The Witch, The Lighthouse) along with the incredible group of actors (Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Claes Bang, returning collaborators Anya Taylor-Joy and Willem Dafoe) he's collaborating with on this Viking revenge movie, the odds of him rising up to the daunting challenge at hand are very good.
1.The Batman (March 4th):
I've been all in on The Batman hype train as soon as Matt Reeves was announced as the director back in 2019. That anticipation managed to hit an even more preposterous level when the stunning first teaser trailer dropped at DC Fandome in August 2020 and has remained there ever since. Everything from the cinematography to the tone to the casting choices appears to be impeccable and I couldn't possibly be more confident that this film will end up being something really special.
Also Plan on Seeing:
The 355 (January 7th)
The Fallout (January 27th)
Home Team (January 28th)
The Requin (January 28th)
Moonfall (February 4th)
KIMI (February 10th)
Blacklight (February 11th)
I Want You Back (February 11th)
Dog (February 18th)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (February 18th)
Uncharted (February 18th)
Studio 666 (February 25th)
Turning Red (March 11th)
The Lost City (March 25th)
The Contractor (April 1st)
Easter Sunday (April 1st)
Morbius (April 1st)
Thirteen Lives (April 15th)
65 (April 29th)
Memory (April 29th)
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