1- UNTITLED PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON FILM: I decided not to include any of the postponed films that are coming out in 2021 that I had on last years list. Surprisingly, I still had to cut out a bunch of films to make 10, anyway. And "Dune" is still probably #1...but we're getting a new Paul Thomas Anderson film this year, which doesn't happen very often. His last movie, "Phantom Thread," wasn't his best, but even his lesser films are at least fresh and exciting and intriguing. This one is about a child actor in 70's California. Bradley Cooper stars and the kid is played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman's son.
2- UNTITLED SPIDER-MAN SEQUEL: When the new Wonder Woman got some negative reviews, I noted that, hell, if it was up to me every superhero movie would be either a Batman or Spider-Man movie and forget about all the rest. So of course I'm excited about a new Tom Holland Spider-Man film. This one is a Spider-Verse film, meaning some of the actors from previous films will be in it, like Alfred Molina as Doc Ock, Jamie Fox as Electro, and Andrew Garfield as the last Spider-Man. The trio of Holland, the Asian sidekick, and Zendaya is note-perfect...so another film with those three should make this another super entertaining, popcorn extravaganza.
3- MONA LISA AND THE BLOOD MOON: Ana Lily Amirpour is one of the best writers/directors working today. "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night" is a masterpiece and "The Bad Batch" is fucking bonkers in all the right ways. She hasn't made a movie in a long time, so it'll be a welcome sight to finally see her new one. They shot this in New Orleans. Kate Hudson stars and it's about a girl with psychic abilities who escapes a mental asylum. Amirpour is also supposedly making an all female "Cliffhanger" reboot. Not that you could make the original any better, but still, it'll be interesting.
4- THE SUICIDE SQUAD: Hollywood could've made Harley Quinn as big and as popular as Batman...but so far her movies are 0-2. The first "Suicide Squad" was awful and "Birds of Prey" was unwatchable. Will James Gunn be able to redeem her? He did, after all, make two hugely entertaining "Guardians of the Galaxy" films. The only reason this movie is coming out before "GOTG 3" is because of idiots on Twitter. The cast is truly insane in this film. Pete Davidson, Sylvester Stallone, Taiki Waititi, and John Cena star. Huh? If this is even half as fun as "GOTG" then it'll be a blast.
5- THE MATRIX 4: The Wachowski's last film, "Jupter Ascending," was the worst big budget film I've ever seen...and perhaps the worst film period I've ever seen. Yeah, so why is this on the list? Who knows? I didn't even really like any of the "Matrix" films except for that awesome care chase scene in #2. David Mitchell, one of the best current writers on the planet, co-wrote the script for this, which might help (or not...as his writing is good because of the style and flow and sentence structure, not really plot). Lana Wachowski directed this, so her sister is mysteriously not on board, though the rest of the original cast is. I can't even remember how they ended part 3. But I'm really fucking curious to see what the hell this is.
6- NIGHTMARE ALLEY: Guillermo Del Toro is back, this time with a remake of a circus freak flick from 1947. Bradley Cooper, Rooney Mara, and Cate Blanchett star. This is Del Toro's first film since he won all the Oscars for "The Shape of Water." His movies are always beautiful and weird and this one should be another wonderful addition to the managerie.
7- THE NORTHMAN: I'll admit that I didn't think "The Witch" or "The Lighthouse" were that great. But they were bizarre and original and Robert Eggers is kind of like David Lynch in that even if his films aren't that great you still want to see what the hell is he's going to do next. This one is about Vikings in the 10th century and has Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, and Bjork. What was the last Bjork film? "Dancer in the Dark?" This should be, at the very least, interesting.
8- DECISION TO LEAVE: Chan Wook Park is back. He doesn't make too many movies (his last, "The Handmaiden" came out in 2016). The last thing he directed was that boring AMC show, "The Little Drummer Girl." But Park is one of my favorite directors, mostly thanks to "Oldboy." His movies are always intricate and gorgeous and often grisly. This one is about a detective on a murder case and the dead guy's widow.
9- THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH: First we get Lana Wachowski ditching her sister, now we get Joel Coen ditching his brother. What the heck is going on in the world (besides the pandemic, riots, etc.)? Coen directs this without his brother for some odd reason. Although the Coen brothers haven't made a good movie in years, so maybe that's for the best. This one stars Denzel Washington as MacBeth and Frances McDormand (who's definitely getting the Oscar for "Nomadland") as Lady MacBeth. Will this be super serious? Because "MacBeth" is. But the Coen's movies are usually comedies. Mostly. Still, it sounds intriguing and should be an acting tour-de-force.
10- MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 7: They should run Tom Cruise's rant over the end credits. And I can't believe they made 7 of these movies. Is Hollywood that much out of ideas? They should have created a new spy character and created a fresh franchise instead of just remaking a TV show. It's too late now, though. The last "M:I" film was spectacular, so with the same crew back this one should be just as wild and fun. Cruise's "Top Gun" sequel is also coming out this year, so get used to seeing him all over everywhere, whether you like it or not.
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