Obviously, we’re into the second month of the year and while this is maybe a bit too late to put out but needless to say I’m beyond stoked for what we’ve got in store for the movies this year. Now that the Covid pandemic has been in our rear view mirror for sometime and even with theaters still facing with the ramifications of the pandemic, 2023 seems to be the total package where maybe the last couple of years haven’t been. From sequels, reboots and a variety of adaptations, this list will constitute my ten most anticipated movies of the year. Once we get closer to the fall, we’ll start hearing more about the “awards movies” but as of right now this will be focused primarily on the movies that we already know what’s coming. Let’s begin!
(honorable mentions: Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania, The Marvels, Blue Beetle, Extraction 2, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, The Equalizer 3, Haunted Mansion, Oppenheimer, The Flash, Creed III, Shazam Fury of the Gods, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Kraven the Hunter and many many more)
#10 EVIL DEAD RISE
We’ve got a number of horror movies to expect thus year and especially come Halloween season, but by a land slide one of the most interesting and compelling looking horror films this year has to be Evil Dead Rise. Serving as the fifth installment in the Evil Dead franchise Evil Dead Rise looks to take the franchise all the way back to its original roots by harkening back to the 1981 classic that started it all. We got a re-imagined version in 2013 from director Fede Álvarez, the first one without Bruce Campbell, but the film did give us a chilling performance from Jane Levy. This chapter in the Evil Dead lore is now being helmed by Lee Cronin, most famously for his directorial debut The Hole in the Ground and a variety of short films, and it looks like there will be buckets of blood in the spirit of Raimi’s original.
While Sam Raimi isn’t directing this movie, Cronin looks as if he took some serious notes and reflection from Raimi’s vision and looks like he’s going to continue the legacy and honor what came before it. Whether you’re a fan of this franchise or not, Evil Dead Rise hits theaters on April 21, 2023.
#9 COCAINE BEAR
I don’t want to set myself up for disappointment with this selection but I never thought I’d be excited for a movie called Cocaine Bear, that is until I saw the first trailer for this movie a few months ago. We now know that years ago a bear ingested a whole duffel bag full of cocaine and tragically died from it. But what if in another world that bear went on a murderous and blood thirsty rage and killed people? The trailer paint this movie as the horror comedy movie that we deserve but never thought we’d actually get.
The only thing that worries about this movie is Elizabeth Banks. Full disclosure, I love Elizabeth Banks. I think she’s wickedly talented and funny. She’s terrific in The Hunger Games and she’s one of the best part of the Pitch Perfect movies. However, with two movies her belt as a director she hasn’t really wowed me with what she can do behind the camera. Pitch Perfect 2 and her Charlie’s Angels reboot from a few years go were very lackluster efforts and I’m hoping that the third time can be the charm. Cocaine Bear sneaks it’s way into your duffel bag of cocaine on February 24, 2023.
#8 SCREAM VI
Without a shadow of doubt, Scream is my favorite horror franchise and has been for many years so of course I’m going to have Scream VI on this list somewhere. I never had one apprehension going into the fifth installment of Scream last year because to of the directors they got. Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, who worked together one the remarkable horror film Ready or Not, knew how to handle the legacy of an important horror franchise that Wes Craved created himself. It certainly give it’s due on the legacy characters but paves a beautiful and exciting direction for a new generation of Scream characters. But what’s even more exciting about Scream VI is we’re taking the characters in a completely new environment. We’re going to the Big Apple.
The Scream movies have succeeded by telling its stories in the suburbs but to reinvent itself by being set in New York City is pretty exciting. And while some are torn on Neve Campbell not returning for this movie, the events of the previous Scream movie seemed abundantly clear that this new approach with these movies were heading down a new territory that didn’t seem like Sidney Prescott was needed anymore. Her story has been told four other times and in the case of some franchises it’s nice to infuse new blood. Find out who the new Ghostface is on March 10, 2023.
#7 FAST X
I can’t say a lot of people will have Fast X on their list of most anticipated list because for some inexplicable reason people were turned off with F9. All kidding aside, I totally understand the issues had with the previous Fast and Furious movie because even as someone who had fun watching it, it took its level of believability to a level that is almost impossible to believe. Taking a car in to space is ridiculous, Dominic Toretto is an indestructible super hero and not once did I buy the fact that John Cena and Vin Diesel were brothers. However, I still had a lot of fun with this movie and I fully accept that.
With all the stories we’ve heard about this movie from its inflated budget of $340 million (making it one of the most expensive movies ever made), director Justin Lin leaving the project while shooting and the stories of Vin Diesel sort of half-assing it, I still can’t help but be excited to see the tenth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise, a series of movies that I never thought would make it this far. Get ready to start your engines on May 19, 2023.
#6 BARBIE
I’m 26 year old male who is genuinely stoked for a Barbie movie for several different reasons. First and foremost, the cast for this movie is stellar. Led by a powerful ensemble that includes names like Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon and Shang-Chi himself Simu Liu, the cast of Barbie is full of diversity and well respected talent in the industry. The second part is that first teaser trailer was dynamite. Granted, it doesn’t tell us a single thing about the story or anything else but the notion of what a Barbie teaser would look like was always a puzzling question and to see a taste of what this movie looks like really gets me jazzed. Thirdly, and maybe the most important part, is Greta Gerwig. I certainly wasn’t the biggest fan of Lady Bird but I certainly admired it’s small scale and intimacy. With her follow up in Little Women I think that’s easily her best movie to date. But more importantly, Greta Gerwig is a wonderful storyteller. Her level of imagination and romance is unlike any modern filmmaker in the business.
We haven’t seen the movie yet but I can’t imagine a Barbie movie not directed by Greta Gerwig. It’ll be even more exciting when more trailers and posters come out for this movie that give us a better understanding of the movie. Get ready to live in a Barbie world on July 21, 2023.
#5 SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
Coming off the heals of what might be considered the best animated movie of the last five years, I think Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is not only my most anticipated comic-book movie of 2023 but my most anticipated animated film of the year. I’m very excited for Pixar’s Elemental and Illumination’s Super Mario Bros. Movie, but Across the Spider-Verse is one a completely different level. Heck, I’d even go as far and say that the year Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, in a year that had Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther, Spider-Verse was the better movie in my estimation and it might even have been one 2018’s best movies. The amount of heart and character work in that movie is unbelievable and the fact that they made Spider-Man, a Spider-Man who isn’t named Peter Parker, almost cooler than his counter part is a testament to the quality of that first movie.
In a year that has Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Flash, Aquaman 2 and Shazam: Fury of the Gods, I would pick to see Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse over any of the other choices. I can’t wait to see another stellar achievement in animation and to see Miles Morales back on the big screen again. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse swings into theaters on June 23, 2022.
#4 JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4
I remember seeing the first John Wick movie all the way back in 2014 and my immediate reaction was “please let John Wick be a franchise” and sure enough I got that promise. The fact that we can safely say that we have a solid action franchise that has continued to evolve in ways that every good action franchise should do is such a good thing. Plus, when we get to the fourth installment of an action franchise, or any franchise for that matter, we normally get a little tired and fatigued with it. What the John Wick movies have done for Keanu Reeves might be better than what The Matrix movies did. Sure, you had a great first movie but what followed were underwhelming sequels (except for the fourth one). Then you got other gems like Speed, Point Break and Bill & Ted, but I contend that John Wick brought Reeves back in the best possible.
Something that’s really special about the John Wick movies is the new fighting style it introduced. Most action movies feature hand to combat sequences, but in the case for John Wick think of hand to hand combat but instead of hands think of guns. In other words, John Wick coined the term “gun-fu.” The action has progressively gotten better with each film as has Keanu Reeves himself. The lore and everything else in this movie is also another ingredient that makes it more special. You can get geared up for John Wick: Chapter 4 on March 24, 2023.
#3 DUNE: PART TWO
I think any average film fan is going to have Denis Villeneuve in their of one of their favorites or their absolute favorite director that’s in the business today. The fact that this man has yet to win an Oscar for Best Director is a complete travesty. Nevertheless, Villeneuve is a hot name that any actor would kill to work with and the first Dune was his biggest film to date (outside of Blade Runner 2049). Dune was maybe the best film of 2021 to some individuals and who could blame them? The sheer spectacle of that movie was otherworldly to experience in a theater. Plus, with a director like Denis Villeneuve you couldn’t have a imagined a better director to tell a story based on Frank Herbert’s novel. It’s a shame that Dune Part One and its sequel weren’t shot back to back, but be that as it may Dune Part Two is coming and I don’t think I could ever be this excited.
Like the first film, the cast for Dune Part Two is shaping up to be another banger. You’ve got Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård and Dave Bautista all returning but the additions of Florence Pugh, Austin Butler and Christopher Walken elevate the excitement for this movie. Hans Zimmer is coming back and even Greig Fraser is coming back as the films cinematographer. Filming wrapped a few months ago and we’re still ways away from getting any footage from the film. Dune: Part Two is set to hit theaters on November 3, 2023.
#2 MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE
After the critical and financial success of Top Gun: Maverick, how could not be excited for the next Tom Cruise movie let alone the next Mission Impossible movie. What started off as an experimental franchise has now become bigger than ever before by redefining what kind of potential action movies can be and that Tom Cruise will do what ever takes to enthrall audiences with death defying stunts. Once Ghost Protocol came around the franchise was heading down the right path and with each installment since, this series of films have progressively gotten better and better where it almost makes some of the latest James Bond movies look like Childs play.
What Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie have done with these last two movies is remarkable. The both know how to elevate the scale of each action set piece, how to tell a story that feels extremely engaging and compelling and they always know what kind of crazy stunt Tom Cruise will pull off. It’s hard for a lot of franchise to get eight installments and the fact this franchise has continued to impress audiences is a reflection on how passion and care Cruise and McQuarrie put in these movies. You can bet your ass that I’ll be seeing Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One movie opening night. This mission, should you choose to except it, hits theaters on July 14, 2023
#1 INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY
The more I think about it and all the big movies to come in 2023, I can’t think of any other movie I’m more excited to see than Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Is it odd that Harrison Ford is pushing 80? Absolutely. Am I aware that people were incredibly burnt by Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? Very much so. Am I a little bit upset that Steven Spielberg isn’t directing this movie? Sort of. All of my apprehensions went away once I heard who replaced Steven Spielberg as the director and when they dropped that first official trailer for it back in December. The character of Indiana Jones is so vital and important to an entire generation of people, me included, that when I saw that silhouette of Indy with the fedora I got chills running through my body, but what really gets me going is knowing that James Mangold stepped in over Spielberg. If you had told me that Spielberg was dropping out of the newest Indiana Jones movie but was being replaced by the man go gave us the remake of 3:10 to Yuma, Logan and Ford v Ferrari, I’d say your movie is in almost better hands that it was before.
What James Mangold did with Hugh Jackman’s closure with the character of Logan in the film Logan still breaks my heart every single time I watch it. Knowing that the Dial of Destiny is Harrison Ford’s last go with the character, Mangold has the potential to strike gold if he approaches the character of Dr. Jones the same way he did with Hugh Jackman in Logan. Not only that, along side Harrison Ford is a collection of names from Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas and Boyd Holbrook. But the real treat of this hearing that John Williams will compose the final piece of music for the movie is genuinely poetic. This summer is shaping up to be a big one, but Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the one I’m looking forward to the most. It hits theaters on June 30, 2023.
Zane's take at the Cinema's 