Most Anticipated 2016

While January and February are notoriously slow months for new movie releases, there are tons of reasons to get excited about the rest of 2016. It will no doubt be a huge year for superhero films and franchise sequels and prequels, but there are a number other films that will be fighting for a piece of that box office pie. Here are my 10 most anticipated movies for the rest of 2016.

10. The Lobster (March 11): This film was released in the UK in late 2015 but will finally get a proper release in the US at the beginning of March. The plot alone should peak your interest enough to give this film a try: Sometime in the future all single people get sent to The Hotel where they must find a romantic partner within 45 days or be turned into an Animal of their choice.

9. Sausage Party (August 12): Seth Rogen and his merry band of comedy pranksters are at it again but this time they get animated… as different grocery store foods. While the premise sounds ridiculous the prospect of hearing the voices of Jonah Hill as a sausage, Kristen Wiig as a hot dog bun, and Edward Norton as a bagel, is enough to get me very interested.

8. Assassins Creed (December 21): Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard will lend their immense talent to this film based on the popular video game series. While movies based on video games have not exactly been successful in the past, these two might just have the power to make an exception to the rule.

7. The BFG (July 1) Steven Spielberg’s new movie is an adaptation of the classic Roald Dahl children’s book The BFG (short for “Big Friendly Giant”). With Hook and E.T. on his resume Spielberg is an expert in bringing emotional family stories to life on the big screen. The film was even written by Melissa Mathison who co-wrote E.T. The Extra Terrestrial with Spielberg back in 1982.

6. Suicide Squad (August 5): This film will be unlike any other superhero movie we have seen because it’s all about the bad guys. When the government needs to perform a dangerous and highly classified mission it brings together a group of supervillains to either get the job done or take the blame if something goes wrong. These villains include Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, and Jared Leto with his own interpretation of the iconic Joker.

5. The Birth of a Nation (Release TBD): The breakout hit of this year’s Sundance Film Festival is a biographical telling of Nat Turner’s slave rebellion in 1831. The controversial film is 7 years in the making for writer, director, and star Nate Parker and it could not have come at a better time with all of the important racial discussions happening around the country. Fox Searchlight won the distribution rights to the film for $17.5 million, so look for this film to get a proper release later in the year.

4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (December 16): The first “spinoff” in the Star Wars universe will introduce us to a group of fighter pilots that are on a mission to steal the famed Death Star’s blueprints. After the release of The Force Awakens Star Wars popularity is at a fever pitch and Disney is hoping these spinoffs will keep the fire going. This film will expand the ever growing universe and will hopefully answer at least some of the unknown questions from Episode 7.

3. Silence (Release TBD) Martin Scorsese’s new film does not have a release date yet but it is expected toward the end of 2016. The new one from the filmmaking legend sounds just as unconventional as it does intriguing. It stars Adam Driver and Andre Garfield as two Jesuit Priests who travel to 17^th century Japan to spread the teachings of Christianity and seek out their mentor played by Liam Neeson.

2. The Nice Guys (May 20) If you haven’t seen Kiss Kiss Bang Bang by writer and director Shane Black drop everything you are doing and watch it immediately.  His new film The Nice Guys looks like it will have the same quick comedic writing, and original visual storytelling that Black is known for. The film stars Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe as two cops in a dark comedy mystery thriller that promises to be one of the most entertaining movies of the year.

1. Midnight Special (March 18): Jeff Nichols is a name that you should really get to know. The 3 movies that he has directed so far are deeply personal and are done with the confidence and simplicity of someone twice his age. He continues his streak of intimate family dramas but in this case he throws his hat into the science fiction genre. Michael Shannon who has starred in all of Nichols previous films returns along with Joel Edgerton, Adam Driver, and Kirsten Dunst. When an 8 year old boy is found to have a special gift, his family must race him to a secret location while being hunted down by the government as well as an extreme religious group.