The beginning of the year is typically a time the filmgoing public uses to catch up on the acclaimed films of the previous year. While the awards contenders clearly take precedence at this time of the year, the major studios also flood the marketplace with new releases that may or may not lure audiences away from the critically-acclaimed prestige pictures. I'd be lying If I said that there was an abundance of intriguing releases set for release in the first four months of 2016, but amidst the slew of D-grade horror movies and romance novel adaptations that traditionally dominate the early part of the year, there's a fair amount of films on the schedule that are worth getting excited about. Here are the top 10 films I'm looking forward to seeing most this winter/spring.
10.The Boss (4/8): Since her breakout role in 2011's Bridesmaids, Melissa McCarthy has become one of the most consistent comedy actors in Hollywood. Her films without frequent collaborator Paul Feig haven't been quite as good, but The Boss sounds and looks much more promising than her past couple of Feig-less films.
9.Eye in the Sky (3/11): It's about damn time that a war film comes along and raises questions about the ethics of drone warfare. The overwhelmingly positive reviews following its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival last September and the presence of Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman and Barkhad Abdi in the lead roles gives me hope that this could be the first truly impactful war film of the 21st century.
8.Everybody Wants Some (4/15): Richard Linklater is winding back the clock to the 1980's to bring audiences a coming-of-age story about a group of college freshman baseball players and their various wild escapades. Based on the trailer, Linklater appears to be in full Dazed and Confused mode here and after his recent string of stone-serious films, I couldn't be happier about it.
7.The Divergent Series: Allegiant (3/18): The lukewarm reception of the novel definitely makes me nervous, but the quality of the first two entries in the Divergent series and the addition of Jeff Daniels to this already stellar cast is more than enough to give me hope that the filmmakers can close out this underrated franchise on a high note.
6.Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (3/25): Given my hatred for all things Superman, I'm still a bit skeptical that DC's first foray into Marvel-esque interwoven storylines and cross worldbuilding will be any good. But with the usually-great Jesse Eisenberg and Ben Affleck playing Lex Luthor and Batman respectively, Argo scribe Chris Terrio handling the script and an undeniably impressive set of trailers, I'm starting to get believe that this heavily-hyped on-screen battle between two iconic superheroes could make for truly epic entertainment.
5.Keanu (4/22): Sketch comedy phenoms Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele are finally headed to the big screen. If Keanu- a comedy about two friends (Key and Peele) posing as drug dealers to recover a stolen cat- is even half as good as the best material from Key & Peele, audiences will be in for a treat.
4.Triple 9 (2/26): The fact that Triple 9 was moved from a prime release date in September of last year to the end of February and is written by a screenwriter with a resume full of projects stuck in development hell are troubling sings for its quality. That being said, a film that pairs an excellent director in John Hillcoat (Lawless, The Road) with an acting ensemble headlined by Woody Harrelson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Aaron Paul, Anthony Mackie, Kate Winslet and Casey Affleck is still too intriguing to pass up.
3.Hail, Caesar! (2/5): The Coen Brothers are back to traditional comedy after a nearly eight-year hiatus with the star-studded Old Hollywood satire, Hail, Caesar!. The film's insane premise (a cult kidnaps an A-list Hollywood actor from the set of his new movie), excellent trailer and talent-filled cast featuring Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum and a half-dozen more of Hollywood's brightest talents leads me to believe that this could be the quirkiest and funniest adventure the Coen Brothers have offered up since O' Brother Where Art Thou?.
2.Zoolander No. 2 (2/13): Zoolander is one of my favorite moronic comedies of all-time and with all the integral players from the original returning and the likes of Kristen Wiig and Fred Arimsen joining the cast, the sequel seems primed to be a worthy follow-up.
1.Deadpool (2/13): After years of internet rumors and overwhelming fan demand following the character's half-assed cameo in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the world is finally getting a proper Deadpool movie. Star Ryan Reynolds and director Tim Miller have publicly promised the film will honor the vulgarity and brutality of the comics and based on the promotional material released so far, they appear to have kept their word. If the quality of the red band trailers are indicative of the movie itself, this will be one of the most insane and entertaining action films to hit cinemas in years.
Also interested in seeing:
Ride Along 2 (1/15)
Dirty Grandpa (1/22)
Mojave (1/22)
The Finest Hours (1/29)
Jane Got a Gun (1/29)
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2/5)
Race (2/19)
Eddie the Eagle (2/26)
Gods of Egypt (2/26)
The Witch (2/26)
London Has Fallen (3/4)
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (3/4)
Zootopia (3/4)
The Brothers Grimsby (3/11)
Valencia (3/11)
Midnight Special (3/18)
Collide (4/1)
Green Room (4/1)
Miles Ahead (4/1)
Demolition (4/8)
Criminal (4/15)
The Huntsman Winter's War (4/22)
The Meddler (4/22)
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