Top Ten Most Looking Forward to in 2015

Time for the third and final part of my movies round up, where I look across the next twelve months and say what I'm most looking forward to seeing.  Now this was a tough one, as 2015 is definitely set to be one hell of a year for big releases, with more than one notable franchise making a comeback.  Of course, being me, I'm very interested in the smaller scale stuff as well, so this list is going to be a bit of a mix of both.  A quick shout out to the runners up; Jupiter Ascending (which was originally going to be out this year), Big Game (should it find distribution), Big Hero 6 (since it’s already out in the States) and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (mainly for John Boyega).  Let’s dive in!

10. Phantasm: RaVager

Right out of nowhere last year came the above trailer, and you can bet that got horror fans talking.  I have a great fondness for the Phantasm franchise, but will admit the fourth one OblIVion left things perhaps on not the best note (not a bad movie by any means though).  Well, we finally have a finale, and while it’s not the long discussed Phantasm’s End (which was going to feature Bruce Campbell), this seems to include more than a few ideas from it.  It’s not actually directed by Don Coscarelli this time, but his long term collaborator David Hartman, and they worked on the script together.  I freely admit this may end up kind of terrible, but hey, I’m all about the nostalgia trip this will offer, I'm ready to check this out.

9. Alice on Mars

I've been a fan of Robert Rankin’s novels for quite a while, so of course I'm all over seeing one of them finally make it to screen.  It’s also a new film from Martin Gooch, who’s handled a couple of great low-budgeters before including The Search for Simon (and for the sake of openness is a friend of mine).  This one is to say the least quite a bold concept; Alice (as in, the one that went to Wonderland) on Mars (as in, a post War of the Worlds red planet) having to stop Worlds War 2.  Quite a tall order, but one that can be done with good old British wit and style.  Plus it already has an indiegogo campaign behind it,that can help too!  Incidentally, Martin also announced this year a proposed future project that I'm definitely interested in; Deathtrap Dungeon, a take on the classic Fighting Fantasy gamebook.  Sold!

8. Victor Frankenstein

A new take on the old tale written by Max Landis, son of John "An American Werewolf in London" Landis, screenwriter of Chronicle and ranter about Superman.  What's particularly interesting is that the story is being told from a different perspective, that of Igor... who's being played by Daniel Radcliffe!  It's being directed by Sherlock director Paul McGuigan and will also have James McAvoy in the title role.  Harry Potter and Professor X teaming up to make a monster under one of the minds behind Sherlock.  Get one of the cast of Doctor Who or Pacific Rim as the monster, and you've just made Tumblr's new favourite movie.

7. Chappie

District Nine was a modern classic, I adored Elysium, now let’s see if Neil Blomkamp can do a McTiernan run (three fantastic features in a row).  This one’s been described as being a bit more of a comedy, and the trailer definitely gives a bit of a lighter vibe than his previous two films (not least for featuring He-Man in there).  So it’s Short Circuit with more social satire, no Guttenberg and less racism; I can dig it.  I really like Chappie’s design (which yes anime fans, is a direct shout-out to Appleseed), those rabbit ears are quite a good way of giving something very inhuman expression, something that was pulled off very well with District Nine’s aliens as well.  Oh, and more Sharlto Copely is good Sharlto Copely!

6. Mad Max: Fury Road

Hoo boy has this been a long time coming!  If you've been following movie news for a while, you may have hear of how many set-backs, issues and disasters have been plaguing director George Miller’s return to the series that put him on the map.  For example, for a while filming stopped due to unparalleled rainfall that afterwards actually made part of the desert bloom!  Yeah, at times it was like the Gods didn't want Max to make his comeback, in the regenerated form of Tom Hardy rather than Mel Gibson for obvious reasons.  Well, it’s finally coming out next year (Warner Bros. have been really supportive of it), and that trailer alone looks glorious, the same brand hi-octane car chases we’re used to, but with cinematography and style that makes it look like a portrait come to life.  Well, I guess it means the franchise can finally get Beyond Thunderdome. (YES!!!)

5. Going Clear

This will be more likely a TV event, but there has already been hints of a cinema release, and it’s making a debut at Sundance in Utah in January.  Several years ago (I really don’t want to think about how long it was), I was with the Anonymous protests against the Church of Scientology.  Oh those were fun times, I still remember all the chants and everything (“That is a Church!  That is a cult!”  "Ron is Gone, but the Con goes On!").  Well, HBO, who are well known for trying insanely risky stuff, are adapting Lawrence Wright’s expose book into a documentary.  They have already stated that they “have 160 lawyers looking over it”, making sure that everything they say is accurate, and doesn’t give the cult’s legal team any real ammo to work with.  Even if the series itself takes a while to come to screen, expect to see some hilarious news about how far the cult will go to stop it.  I’m taking bets right now on who’ll be first to make arses of themselves in press statements; Travolta or Cruise!

 4. Mr. Holmes

It's Sir Ian McKellan as an elderly Sherlock Holmes in his bee-keeping days (MagBeeto?) called upon to solve one last case, and tie up a loose-end from his past.  This is the "do I even have to explain this one" entry on the list; admit it, you want to see it right now don't you?  To sweeten the deal, this is directed by Bill Condon, who also directed McKellan in Gods & Monsters, the film that put both of them on the map, not just in terms of filmmaking, but as gay icons.

3. High Rise

Enjoyed the first couple of episodes of Peter Capaldi’s run on Doctor Who?  If you didn’t, are you at least prepared to admit they looked great?  That was down to the work of director Ben Wheatley, one whose stuff I've been following for a while now, and this is his next big project.  An adaptation of JG Ballard’s 1975 novel of an apartment block descending into a truly nightmarish urban anarchy, apparently as a reaction against the building itself, it’s a perfect fit for the sort of darker horrific fare Wheatley is so adept at.  It also has a fantastic cast, including Reece Shearsmith (who was also in Wheatley’s A Field in England), Jeremy Irons, and Tom Hiddleston.  Speaking of…

2. Crimson Peak

Tom also features in Guillermo Del Toro’s return to Gothic horror.  Del Toro has said for a while that he wants a return to the days when studios weren’t afraid to throw real money at horror titles, which is a good point.  Given the state of the genre, can you imagine a studio these days parting with the budget to make something like The Shining or Aliens?  Well, this title might just be the one to start that trend up again.  This time, we have a ghost story in a classic Gothic tradition, and an excellent cast including Jessica Chastain and.. almost everyone from Pacific Rim.  Few specifics are known as yet, but since it’s Del Toro, the project’s in safe hands; this looks like a good bet for the big film this Halloween.  Well, if it gets made, I can hardly see Paranormal Activity 5 topping it.

And my number one most looked forward to film of 2015 is… no surprise whatsoever, Avengers: Age of Ultron!

I swear this top three is not just me being a Loki fanboy, swear to the Gods (besides, they haven’t said if he’s even in this one)!  But how can this not be number one?  We have a title to follow up one of the most radically successful blockbusters of recent years, one of the highest grossing films ever, and the culmination of Marvel Studios Phase 2.  So yeah, once again, no pressure Joss!  This time the threat is one that’s entirely new to the MCU, Ultron, played by James Spader, and the trailers have already captured what’s special about him compared to other evil robots we've had over the years.  Unlike Skynet, Hal, the Cybermen or whatever, Ultron isn't cold, absolute logic; quite the opposite actually, he's shown to be utterly psychotic in these previews.  There’re also new heroes to introduce in the form of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, the latter of whom might be more than a bit confusing for recent movie fans given X-Men this year.  Plus, there are all kind of hints that there may be at least one or two big things to set up the recently announced Phase Three movies, with the big one being Captain America: Civil War in 2016.  That’s a lot to pull off; will this come together to make the Empire Strikes Back of the Avengers franchise?  Join me on the 24^th of April (a week before America; BOOM!) so we can find out together!

That's my movie year done once again.  Nothing left to say except Happy Holidays everyone, and at the cinema, remember these wise words from Commander Strax...