Another year, another roster of films to look forward. In a glance, 2017 looks promising, especially for superhero movies aficionados or sequel enthusiasts. Some fan-favorite auteurs also set to return this year with some new surprises.
Best expectation for this year would be: seeing hundreds of great films; even, I personally hope that Transformers and some DCEU entries perform better than they'd been.
Here's a peek to Sinekdoks' most anticipated movies in 2017.
Split (M. Night Shyamalan) - January
A man is having 24 different personalities inside his head. If that's not wicked enough, know that the same man is kidnapping two teenage girls. Shyamalan has found a little bit of himself in aftermath of his disastrous career diving with The Visit. The premise of Split itself reflects a Shyamalan formula: quirky and twisted. James McAvoy also looks mental in the promotional image and trailer. So, will it mark his return to performance?
Silence (Martin Scorsese) - January/February
Scorsese's most ambitious work has finally come to fruition. Adapting Shusaku Endo's brutal and sensitive material into a visceral motion picture as seen in the promotion, Scorsese is ready to treat us with a satisfying, poignant drama. If it is still not convincing enough, see for yourself how Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver have outdone themselves respectively.
T2: Trainspotting (Danny Boyle) - January/February
Mike Renton (Ewan McGregor) and the boys are back! 20 years after the sheer bedlam in Trainspotting, the junkies still have stories to tell. Danny Boyle helms the return, but knowing that those boys are now a man, what idiosyncrasy they'll bring with them? If you're not sure to watch it, rewatch Trainspotting now!
The Founder (John Lee Hancock) - January/February
Oscar-nominee Michael Keaton is Ray Kroc, the man who made acquisition of your lifetime favorite McDonald's from the McDonald brothers. While director John Lee Hancock's films are either hit or miss, but I love most of his recent works like The Rookie, The Blind Side and Saving Mr. Banks. His reputation in making controversies out of historical events is something to look forward as well. First, Keaton. Second, J. Lee Hancock. Third, Big Mac.
John Wick Chapter 2 (Chad Stahelski, David Leitch) - February
What we love to see more from John Wick (2014) is the super-stylized, brutal gun-fu, right? But, there's actually more than the gun-fu. We might cringe through its silly premise (revenge for a dog?), but we really want to know more about John Wick as so-called assassin. We want to know more about his past and the assassin's circle and myth, right? John Wick Chapter 2 has the chance to unravel them all, with more badass action promised.
The Lego Batman Movie (Chris McKay) - February
"Always be yourself, unless you can be Batman." That's The Lego Batman Movie's tagline and that's almost all about it. This spin-off of the acclaimed Lego Movie bring a brand new Batman, which is different from any incarnation you've ever seen. This Batman is... stiff, surprisingly ridiculous, and playing beat box. For me, there's no bad Batman by far; Keaton, Clooney, Conroy, Bale, Affleck, even Val Kilmer, they were great Batman, can Will Arnett be in the rank?
Kong: Skull Island (Jordan Vogt-Roberts) - March
Rumor has it Legendary Pictures' Kong: Skull Island is a setup to another clash of titans - the titular Kong and Gareth Edwards' Godzilla. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts ( Kings of Summer) brings the star-studded cast, consisting of Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, etc, into an enigmatic island-more enigmatic than the island in Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong-full of giant creatures. It has similar visual traits as Godzilla cued with the green flare and dark, grim set-pieces. Also, the poster has the sense of Apocalypse Now.
Logan (James Mangold) - March
X-Men cinematic universe is a little bit of a mess, I mean, in terms of timeline. Days of Future Past has done justification to it, but, honestly, Deadpool and Wolverine franchise are still a bit loose in timeline. Logan draws inspiration from ongoing comic Old Man Logan, in terms of look and setting, but how about the story? There's X-23 gets involved in the narrative and Logan becomes a figure of father/mentor to her. As one of the oldest superhero character-cast in cinema, Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is always an interesting figure to follow, right?
Beauty and the Beast (Bill Condon) - March
Emma Watson is Belle the Beauty in this live-action adaptation of Disney's classic tale. The most interesting part of this adaptation is: first, Emma Watson sings; second, Mrs. Potts, Lumiere and gangs are brought to life as well. Cinderella went pretty well and I personally liked it, so what about give Belle a chance as well? One small note, director Bill Condon is Breaking Dawn's director, (I know you're worried) but, trust me, he's a good director.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (James Gunn) - April
Your favorite band of misfits in space finally returns! Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 does not change the winning team and, even, adds more bullets to their blaster. Awesome Mix Vol 2 is up! First Marvel Cinematic Universe entry this year is also up!
Alien: Covenant (Ridley Scott) - May
Ridley Scott returns to his dearest franchise in Alien: Covenant-a sequel to mind-baffled, philosophical voyage, Prometheus, as well as a straight prequel to Scott's space horror, Alien. Imagine the journey to seek for 'god' might lead to a horror no one would want to experience in space. The trailer promises something horrid awaits for Covenant crew in a planet inhabited by android, David (Michael Fassbender) from Prometheus. There's a counter-chestburst scene as well. HYPE!
The Mummy (Alex Kurtzman) - June
The only 'substantial' reason I'm eager to watch this is: The Mummy opens Universal monsters universe. I'm eager to watch Penny Dreadful kind of film in the future and I want to know how it starts. Also, I, surprisingly, always enjoy Tom Cruise's performances.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (Jon Watts) - July
The third incarnation of Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-Man in cinema is a school boy; even her Aunt May is a... MILF. His debut in Captain America: Civil War excites everybody, so, his solo outing is indeed something to look forward to. Tom Holland's Spider-Man as Tony Stark's apprentice is gonna face Michael Keaton's Vulture. Let's see how this Sony-Marvel combination venturing!
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (Luc Besson) - July
Luc Besson, along with Cara Delevingne and Dane DeHaan, crafts a space opera full of vibrant spectacles, which somehow reminds me of Jupiter's Ascending. I trust Luc Besson as an action director with all my hearts, but I really hope this project follows Besson's earlier reputation, and not falls short like Wachowskis' latest outing.
Dunkirk (Christopher Nolan) - July
This reenactment of Dunkirk operation in 1940 (which also made appearance in Atonement) is orchestrated by modern auteur Christopher Nolan. The director assembles a unique ensemble, blending in his frequent collaborators like Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy, with veterans like Mark Rylance and Kenneth Brannagh, with young stars like Harry Styles. Question is: will Nolan make a WWII epic or will he make his usual mind-blowing movie?
War of the Planet of the Apes (Matt Reeves) - July
Planet of the Apes prequel franchise is surprisingly a firm, well-turned franchise. Not only it is a progression for cinematic technology, it is also a progression in franchise development. While Rise gives a solid foundation to 'eventually' launch to the original Planet of the Apes franchise, it's a distant prequel; when Dawn gives a more profound teaser to the demise of a species, underlying the original franchise. Will War brings us closer to the original franchise? We believe in Matt Reeves anyway.
Baby Driver (Edgar Wright) - August
We've all been missing Edgar Wright ever since his premature departure from the project of Ant Man. Now he returns with an original project about a getaway driver whose life and love is in trouble because of a robbery gone awry. Imagine Drive with Cornetto Trilogy taste and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World kind of romance. Also, this features Ansel Elgort and Lily James.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle (Matthew Vaughn) - September
The first promotional image of Kingsman sequel is: "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated," indicating the return of Colin Firth's Harry Hart a.k.a. Galahad. The Golden Circle sees the Kingsman teaming up with their American counterpart, Statesman. We want to see more secret service myth and more action like the church fight, right?
Blade Runner 2049 (Denis Villeneuve) - October
The long awaited sequel of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner comes with The Force Awakens kind of treatment. Interesting, right? This is the second Ridley Scott's franchise to release in 2017; and this is the second long awaited sequel featuring Harrison Ford. There's a new blade runner in a form of Ryan Gosling who has a quest to find the protagonist from the original film, Rick Deckard (Ford). Villeneuve's straight-A resume and Roger Deakins' cinematography guarantee something good is on our way. But, will Ford have the same faith as in the other sequel? We don't hope so.
Thor: Ragnarok (Taika Waititi) - November
The best thing about third installment of Thor series is: the director, Taika Waititi. By far, Taika manages to have clean sheet in his filmography. Question is: can his penchant of humor match with Marvel's standards? Ragnarok itself covers one of the most essential event in Thor's storyline in comic books. My guess is, it plays bigger scope in Marvel Cinematic Universe to, perhaps, formally introduce Thanos (?). It's confirmed that Hulk and Doctor Strange will also be in the film.
Coco (Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina) - November
Pixar goes south of the border to celebrate El dia de los muertos a.k.a. The Day of the Dead. With Toy Story's helmer, Coco will unravels a journey to the heart of a long-celebrated tradition led to a family reunion. There's still a little information about Coco, but it will feature Gael Garcia Bernal for sure. Considering the theme about family, I believe this entry will get you lump in the throat the way Pixar always does.
Star Wars Episode VIII (Rian Johnson) - December
The most awaited sequel in this year is pitched for the end of the year. No official title yet, no official synopsis yet, that's why we're looking forward where The Force leads us now.
Honorable mentions:The F8 of the Furious a.k.a. Fast & Furious 8 (F. Gary Gray) - April
I almost do not care with this sequel, especially after Brian O'Conner, but popped the name of F. Gary Gray, whom Straight Outta Compton is half awesome.
Wonder Woman (Patty Jenkins) - June
I want so badly to watch Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman and the first female-directed superhero film being a hit. The only problem is: it is on DC's side.
The Beguiled (Sofia Coppola) - June (TBA)
Sofia Coppola returns in a remake of Don Siegel's film which features Clint Eastwood. She tags along Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning and Collin Farrell.
The Dark Tower (Nikolaj Arcel) - July
Stephen King's legendary novel is finally adapted after a long production hell. Helmed by A Royal Affair 's director and starred by Idris Elba, we can expect this to be an inferno.
American Made (Doug Liman) - September (TBA)
Liman collaborates again with Tom Cruise in a biopic about Barry Seal. Google the name please.
Untitled Cloverfield Project, possibly God Particle (Julius Onah) - October
The course around this film is mysterious; same level of mysterious as Valencia which turns out becoming 10 Cloverfield Lane. What we know so far is, it features Gugu Mbatha-raw, David Oyelowo, Zhang Ziyi and Daniel Bruhl.
The Snowman (Thomas Alfredson) - October
Adaptation of Jo Nesbø's novel is helmed by the man behind Let the Right One In and Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy with Michael Fassbender as the main protagonist.