The New Year: Films To Look Out For In 2017

Battle of the Sci-Fi's?

The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written...

Hello everyone and welcome back to the Blog. Happy belated new year to you all!! 😏🎉. Since this is the first proper Blog Post that I'm doing in 2017, I thought what better way to come back and write to you all, and tell you about the many great films that are set to be released throughout the year!! While there are some iffy features that definitely put the avid cinema-goer into a state of questioning, it's more than likely that the big names, that will be mentioned in this list of most anticipated films of 2017, will satisfy the viewing eye than what 2016 presented to us. Without further boredom and babbling on, let us go through the 'most anticipated'  films of this year!!... 

La La Land - Damien Chazelle, 12th January

While other audiences, in different countries, may have seen Damien Chazelle's work already, for us Brits, its set to be released on the 13th January and is one feature that is certainly got the filmic look of an award winner. Even though musicals, in this modern day-and-age, don't get as much recognition compared to the other re-cycled genre's that we see year-in and year-out, except perhaps the gleaming success of Frozen, La La Land could perhaps re-ignite a new age of modern musicals that not only offer the expected panache and sequences that are abstract through music/dance numbers, but displays a contextualisation that modern audiences will be able to engage themselves with  

Split - M. Night Shymalan, 20th January

I think it's fair to say that as far as his filmography is concerned, M. Night Shymalan has had an up & down film-making career. While critics and audience members alike praised his craft for his efforts in his films of The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, Shymalan's misadventures in directing the worst-adaptation of The Last Airbender and the confusing yet boring After Earth have seen in the spotlight in the wrongest way possible. Indeed, Shymalan's strength's, as a film-maker, rely on original screenplay's that psychologically challenge the audiences perception of what their seeing within a contextualisation  that is set within a horrific/thriller-esque backdrop. It'll be intersting, once again, to see whether Shymalan's new film of Split reinforces his film-making tropes, or ends up being a mediocre outing...

Lion - Garth Davis, 20th January

It's inevitable that I'm assured to miss a few 2017 filmic gems within this list that I've comprised. It's a good thing then, that I didn't forget to mention Garth Davis' first feature-length film of Lion; a story that is based on the non-fiction book 'A Long Way Home' by Saroo Brierley. With it featuring the likes of Dev Patel & Nicole Kidman, one can only hope that Lion doesn't play out to be a rather typical story that follows a familiar narrative structure that is seen through dramas like this one...

T2 Trainspotting - Danny Boyle, 27th January

One film that many of us have had an eye on since the teaser for it appeared last summer/autumn, is Danny Boyle's return Irvin Welsh's world of Trainspotting, T2: Trainspotting. Loosely based on Welsh's 2002 book of 'Porno', T2 will be a continuation of original cast, 20 years after the previous film, where Renton (Ewan McGregor) returns to Scotland to make amends with the familiar faces that were ever present in the original film. For the sake of Danny Boyle, who wasn't received the spotlight treatment as he rightly should have, it would be good to see not only T2 become a worthwhile sequel that Boyle has been wanting to do since 2009, but also to see much more credit for Danny Boyle and his contributions to British film-making... if T2 succeeds that is...

The Lego Batman Movie - Chris McKay, 10th February

Whether you grew up with the caped-crusader in either the 60's, with Adam West, or the 90's with Tim Burton and the lauded animated series featuring Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, Batman has appeared in various films throughout the years ever since his inception in the early 20th century. It's remarkable really, how much a single-character in Batman has gone through in the filmic scene; ranging from not only the heaps of animations, but also the blockbuster hits through Tim Burton's and Christopher Nolan's creative eye. Now, his transcendent's into the ever-growing/popular Lego hows Batman's sustainable popularity within all the demographics...

John Wick: Chapter 2 - Chad Stahelski, 17th February

Impressed with their highly exhilarating and fun action film back in 2014, one film that definitely catches the eye is John Wick: Chapter 2, which see's the likes of Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski come together once again. As someone who studied Film at university level and did write an essay on an aspect of Asian cinema, one of the things that was enjoyous to see from the first John Wick film, and a genre-specific area of film that the creators certainly looked at, was the clear referential story/action nod to 'Heroic Bloodshed' Hong Kong films of the late 80's/ early 90's that the film-makers precisely used; specifically within the high octane choreographed sequences that you don't normally see in a typical action flick. Even if the story of Chapter 2 doesn't hold up to what the first instalment had presented to us, it will certainty provide us with the action set-pieces that thrill our viewing perspective...

Logan - James Mangold, 3rd March

Starting off as being the first superhero film of 2017, is James Mangold's return to the Wolverine film franchise with Logan, a film that see's Hugh Jackman play his much-known role for the last time after having played the role for 17 years. Despite the X-Men/ Wolverine films having their fair share of good and bad moments through out the years, credit does have to go to Hugh Jackman and the consistency that he's performed the role of Wolverine over the longevity of the X-Men film series has been running. For sure, it'll be intersting to see in the not-too distant future of what becomes of both Wolverine and X-Men, since there have been murmurings of the FOX owned characters showing up in Marvel's expansive cinematic universe. That however, is for another time, since Logan appears on screen in March and judging from the trailer that has already appeared, I'm sure it'll not only be a good nod to classic westerns in terms of the character of Wolverine and the circumstances he's in, but a film that bids farewell to Jackman and his role as Logan...

Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale - Tomohiko Ito, 9th March

While The Lego Batman Movie is an animated feature that should be an entertaining watch, similar to how the previous Lego movie was, the animated features that are presented to us throughout 2017 aren't as appealing as what last year offered to the cinema-table. Having said that, being that I do have a perceptive eye for Japanese animation, one film that caught my eye is the one-off Sword Art Online film of Ordinal Scale, an adaptation of the animated series that will more than likely end the lauded, yet controversial, series. What started off as being a good concept for an animated series, Sword Art Online turned into a catastrophe with it's awkward and silly story-telling. However, with it having moments of intrigue within the series, it would be good to see Ordinal Scale definitively end the Sword Art Online story in a much needed dramatic fashion...

Ghost in the Shell - Rupert Sanders, 31st March

There's no denying that film adaptations of Japanese animations can go hit and miss. I mean, just take one glance at the Dragonball Evolution film of 2009 and you'll instantly see what I mean by this. However, I'm sure Rupert Sanders' take on Masamune Shirow's manga and Mamoru Oshii's Japanese animated film of Ghost In The Shell, will prove to be an intersting watch, regardless of the criticisms of the casting of which we won't delve into right now; that's for another time entirely. The key things to look out for really with this much anticipated release of a previously famed anime title, is whether Sanders can not only deliver something different compared to the 1996 anime and implement CG/practical effects that meanders towards the contextualisation; much like his previous film of Snow White and the Huntsman...

Free Fire - Ben Wheatley, 31st March

In rating his film of High-Rise very highly from last year, Ben Wheatley is, once again, a director to keep an eye on as his new film of Free Fire will hopefully be a favourite throughout this year. In similar vain to what we see in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, Free Fire's premise takes place entirely in one singular space; a warehouse, to be exact, where conflict and humour ensue. While it won't be as psychologically challenging as what High-Rise offered, Free Fire will most certainly have Wheatley's filmic traits of abrupt comedy, as seen in his previous feature of Sightseers, and gun set-pieces that follow the mad and sardonic dialogue and characterisation...

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 - James Gunn, 28th April

As expected with every year that goes by in recent years, Marvel are boldly and triumphantly building on their jewel that is their Cinematic Universe with not only Thor: Ragnaork; of which we'll discuss a bit later, but also Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 which will try to be just as fun and as zany as James Gunn's first film. One of the advantages that the first film had from the get-go, was the fact that many audience members didn't know anything to do with these Marvel heroes since many other characters from Marvel have dominated the comic/film spotlight. If the Vol.2 can display new and distinctive story-progression with new and already established characters and keep the same formula of providing humour and visual splendour to the mix, then we're going to get another Marvel top-hitter...

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword - Guy Ritchie, 12th May

As it was discussed with the character of Batman before, the story of King Arthur has been done on numerous occasions throughout film history. The most notable adaptation through my upbringing, was Antoine Fuqua's version of the story which was saw Clive Owen portray the character of Arthur as a Roman Cavalry officer, rather than a medieval knight. As unusual as it may seem, seeing the Arthurian legend getting drastically changed, it's notable that there have been a few King Arthur related films which have been original in either their story-telling or visual look. This, more or less, will be the case for Guy Ritchie's latest film of King Arthur: Legend of the Sword which will give a new perspective of the legendary fictional king and provide film-making elements that were seen in Ritchie's known Sherlock Holmes features.

Alien: Covenant - Ridley Scott, 19th May

While the superhero genre of films will take up the blockbuster spotlight in 2017, since they bring in the most money from the Box Office, one intriguing thing to note of this year, is the battle between the major sci-fi titles. Along with Blade Runner 2049 and Star Wars: Episode VIII, which will be both talked about later down the list, Ridley Scott's return to the Alien franchise certainly bolsters this fascination over the sci-fi films for this year. With it continuing the story of Prometheus, which I thought was an underrated films, there are appealing ideas that should be cleared up in regards to the Engineers. However, with their being so many changes to the film in it's pre-production and contradictory statements made by Ridley Scott in regards to this film, there is a worry as to how it will add to the Alien franchise and will it, naively follow the 'norm' narrative structure of past Alien films...

Wonder Woman - Patty Jenkins, 2nd June

Even though Zack Snyder's 'blockbuster' superhero film of Batman V. Superman ultimately bored me to death, with unnecessary running-time and its pathetic way of integrating other heroes into the DC extended universe, one of the highlights from the film that stood out was Gal Gadot's performance as Wonder Woman. With their being a soon-to-be-released film of said character, it's undeniable how important how Patty Jenkins' film is. With DC having a bad 2016 with Batman V. Superman and Suicide Squad ,which both suffered from existential personality that Marvel possess in their own films, Wonder Woman, and how it performs with critics and audience members alike, is a significant filmic piece in terms of how the rest of DC films will ultimately play out... 

Spider-Man: Homecoming - Jon Watts, 7th July

The development of the once popular individual in Spider-Man in recent years has certainly been intersting to see. From Tobey Maguire's last outing in the disappointing Spider-Man 3 to Andrew Garfield's representation as the wall-crawler in The Amazing Spider-Man films, Peter Parker has certainly had a rough 10 years. But is his bad day's in the film world behind him? For Jon Watts' sake, I hope so. While I think his transaction from Marc Webb's Spider-Man outlook to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a good thing to see, will Homecoming revive the popular status that Spider-Man once had? Especially since other heroes like Iron Man, Thor or Captain America have cemented themselves to the target audiences? Again, we'll just have to wait and see. I'm just glad it's not another origins story that we didn't need...

War for the Planet of the Apes - Matt Reeves, 14th July

The rebooted Planet of the Apes franchise has been a series that have left doubters speechless and audiences wanting more; both implementing smart, taut thrillers with stunningly believable CGI. Similarly to how Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes paired one recognisable star (James Franco in the former and Gary Oldman in the latter) with the mercurial primate, played by Andy Serkis, Matt Reeves' latest film recruits Woody Harrelson to be the representation of the human-aspect of things as he's trying to fend of the last remaining apes. 

Dunkirk - Christopher Nolan, 21st July

It's always a big occasion for film-lovers on this generation when Christopher Nolan steps into the cinematic lime-light and presents us with a new film, and Dunkirk is a film that people are curious about in seeing. Not just because of the fact that this is the first time where Nolan is going into the deep end and making a war film for the first time, but it's a film that turns its attention to the Battle of Dunkirk, which saw of thousands of British troops rescued from certain death in the early days of Wolrd War II. Aside the silly criticisms of people disregarding Harry Styles' acting portrayal in this upcoming epic, there's really no doubt that Nolan's name alone will attract audiences into the summer Box Office. But, will Dunkirk bolster Nolan's filmic-craft even further?...

The Dark Tower - Nikolaj Arcel, 28th July

After a decade of failed attempts to adapt Stephen King's' genre-defying eight-book cycle known as The Dark Tower, Holly wood has finally gotten a film version off the ground. With the likes of J.J. Abrams and Ron Howards turning down the chance to make adapt the series of Novels that King has written, it looked liked the idea of The Dark Tower being turned into a film was a false hope. However, with Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba set to be now performing the main roles and Sony Pictures Entertainment making the decision to make a T.V. Series following the release of the film, it looks as though King's wish for The Dark Tower to be adapted is turning into reality and you have to applaud the studio for trying a new approach to the increasingly stale art of franchise development...

It - Andrés Muschietti, 8th September

While lovers of the Netflix series of Stranger Things are looking forward to seeing series 2, that's not the only 80's related concept we're greeted with as another one of Stephen King's novels, It, is being made into a supernatural horror film. What was a miniseries in the 90's, It follows tells the story of seven children as they are terrorised by an eponymous being, which exploits the fears and phobias of its victims in order to disguise itself while hunting for its prey. With the film featuring Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things, was it the perfect time to bring IT back?...

Kingsman: The Golden Circle - Matthew Vaughn, 29th September

In doing films from Layer Cake, to Kick-Ass and the first Kingsman film, Matthew Vaughn has consistently delivered raucous films that are eccentric to say the least. One of the things that Vaughn attributed well within the first Kingsman, was the moulding of the obvious espionage construct, that the story presents to us, with the zany action set-pieces that is a distinctive trope in which Vaughn likes to utilise. With a-list actors such as Julianne Moore, Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges and Halle Berry joining the fray, Kingsman: The Golden Circle looks as though it's a sequel that will complement the efforts that the first film went out and achieved...

Blade Runner 2049 - Denis Villeneuve, 6th October

Accounted for as being many peoples most anticipated film for 2017, Denis Villeneuve brings us the neo-noir sci-fi film of Blade Runner 2049; the sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 film of Blade Runner. In doing accountable features such as Prisoners, Sicario and Arrival from last year, Denis Villeneuve has proven himself to be a master of stylish-genre pictures that gauge towards the frame and what is being represented. In having an affiliation towards verisimilitude towards violent sequences and attention-grabbing openings, it's up-to Villeneuve to deliver a mich-awaited sequel that fans of the original film have dying to see. With a trailer that genuinely gave me goosebumps at first glance, Blade Runner 2049 looks set to rival Alien: Covenant and Ghost in the Shell in being the most entertaining sci-fi of 2017...

Thor: Ragnarok - Taika Waititi, 27th October

Marvel's last outing for 2017 is the long awaited Thor: Ragnarok, the 3rd Thor film directed by Taika Waititi who is known for his film-making antics of Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Eagle vs Shark. The most intriguing thing to debate on this upcoming Marvel title, is how it could stick to this new trend of breaking the superhero mold and implementing distinguishing constructs that last years Doctor Strange subtly introduced. Indeed, the previous Thor films may not be the finest compared to the other singular Marvel tributary franchises, but it is a series that non-the-less provides drama and fascination for the lovers of the series. With it being the last Marvel superhero film of this year, I wonder if we'll finally see any nods towards the third Avengers feature...

Justice League - Zack Snyder, 17th November

In 2012, Marvel Avengers Assemble pulled off something never-before seen in cinema; a film that successfully and seamlessly wove together the narrative strands of multiple superhero sub-franchises in a shared cinematic space. With it setting records at the Box Office (at the time of its release) and becoming one of the highest-grossing films of all time, it was natural for Warner.Bros to rival Marvel's Cinematic Universe with their own ensemble with the Justice League, which will be directed by Zack Snyder. Certainly, with Wonder Woman being released and having the film of Justice League following shortly after late in the year, Warner Bros, and DC are certainly making a bold claim to rival what Marvel already have. Given the abysmal reviews of both Batman V. Superman and Suicide Squad from last year, is it possible for the Justice League to set everything straight? Or, will the bad reviews keep rolling in?...

Star Wars: Episode VIII - Rian Johnson, 15th December

The last film to briefly talk about on this list of films to look out for in 2017, is the much awaited Star Wars: Episode VIII which continues from The Force Awakens. Just as Rey handed the lightsaber to Luke Skywalker at the end of the Episode VII, so too did J.J. Abrams hand over the directing duties to Rian Johnson, the heady film-maker behind Brick and Looper. As long as Johnson continues from what The Force Awakens managed to do in providing a continuation of the story with a profound subtleness of nostalgia, then we're in for another sci-fi treat...

And there you have it everyone, the list of some of the films to keep an eye out for throughout 2017. Of course, I do apologise if I wasn't able to talk about films such as Kong: Skull Island, Transformers: The Last Knight, The Great Wall, Beauty and the Beast and so on. I honestly didn't want to make this list too long, just in case people get bored very quickly. The beauty of making a list such as this one is that, there's always going to be a film that appears out of nowhere that you never saw coming. A good example of this from last year was Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi of Arrival which turned out to be a really engaging and thought-provoking sci-fi flick. Anywho, I do hope that everyone here has enjoyed the list. If anyone has any films that you think people should be looking out for in 2017, by all means do comment!! It would be intersting to know other peoples films that they're looking forward to watching!! 😁🖖. Next week, I will finally be back in my ordinary place of reviewing films where, I hope, I can bring you a review of Damien Chazelle's latest film of La La Land, the Rom-Com Musical which stars both Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Until then, I hope you've enjoyed this weeks read and I shall, hopefully, see you all next week!! Have a nice day everyone!! (and again, Happy New Year!!) 😁😎😏🎉

(Not the exact trailer, but is probably one of the films that I'm most excited for!!)