CinePile: 10/10 Would Watch Films of 2015 - Blockbuster Edition

If 3D glasses and huge screens and comic book superheros aren't your bag, Dani compiled a most excellent list of 10 indie films she's excited about in 2015, which you can read HERE.

2014 was actually a pretty average year in terms of box office dollars - a couple of movies that would have made squillions got pushed back to 2015 (one or two featuring on this list as a matter of fact), and the overall quality within the bigger event movies was down. It also opened the door for good, well-made, adult-skewing fare like Gone Girl, Birdman and Boyhood to thrive in front of audiences hungry for a slightly more challenging movie-going experience.

Fans of blockbuster films can rejoice however, because they're back in a huge way in 2015. The highest grossing fillm of last year didn't even get close to $800milion worldwide box office, while in 2015 at least two films are basically guaranteed to crack the $1billion mark, with others likely to come close. I know the amount of money a movie makes at the cinema is in no way representative of a film's quality, but the big earners are the event films, the huge ones you can't just download a DVD screener of if you wanna get the proper experience.

And some of the films you're about to read up on - for me anyway - are those films, and something to get excited about. 

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

Dir. Joss Whedon

What and Who:

The whole gang is back after the first Avengers absolutely slayed the box office after putting a solid few years in building the team-up film with individual movies (of varying quality). This go round sees Iron Man, Captain America et al getting back together to stop Ultron, an unfortunate wannabe-Earth destroying off-shoot of Tony Stark’s robot tinkering. There’s also a few new characters, including Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, plus a mysterious caped dude called Vision.

Why we want to see it:

‘Cause duh the first one was epic. It’s also the second one, so no doubt it’ll be all dark and brooding like Empire Strikes Back. There's definitely a promise of division amongst our superhero ranks. And I'm not talking about the pissy back and forth that littered Avengers numero uno, I'm talking real shit-talk in the lead-up to future movies where some members of the team can no longer co-exist.

JURASSIC WORLD

Dir. Colin Trevorrow

What and Who:

It’s been 20 years since John Hammond shit the bed with his first planned Jurassic-themed park - a terrible idea then, and still a terrible idea now. But someone decided they could do it better, and it looks like things are going pretty well. Until new dinosaurs get made and Chris Pratt has to try and sort it out with his new team of velociraptors before everyone gets eaten.

Why we want to see it:

I’m not just gonna say “’cause duh” for every one of these, and especially with this one it kinda doesn’t fit. The Lost World and Jurassic Park 3 really didn’t stack up to the first one, so it’s mostly the nostalgia for Jurassic Park that has us frothing. Steven Spielberg is still lingering around, Colin Trevorrow is a super interesting choice for director with his indie film/mumblecore pedigree, and the cast is likeable enough. Plus a shark gets eaten by a huge mosasaur, so there's that. I splooshed all over the first trailer when it came out, you can read that HERE.

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

Dir. George Miller

What and Who:

Australian director George Miller takes leave from dancing penguins to get back to his roots and take over the franchise he cut his teeth on – Mad Max. This film’s had a pretty checkered production history, with delayed filming, accidents, in-fighting and all sorts, so it’s kind of a miracle that it’s actually coming. Tom Hardy and a one-armed Charlize Theron ain’t names to sneeze at either.

Why we want to see it:

Let’s be honest the movie was pretty much off everyone’s radar until the mind-blowing trailers turned up and were like “HEY GUYS THIS MOVIE IS COMING OUT, CHECK OUT HOW FUCKING BULLSHIT GOOD IT LOOKS”. And it really does. Fucked-up looking apocalyptic cars and characters, incredible (almost iconic already) imagery...and the decent cast are all the sell points we need.

STAR WARS: EPISODE VII – THE FORCE AWAKENS

Dir. JJ Abrams

What and Who:

A lot of the old favourites are returning, although it’s pretty obvious the film is centred around the young and fresh faces joining the franchise. It takes place 30 years after Return Of The Jedi, and it would appear the dark side is planning some kind of uprising. JJ Abrams always keeps his cards pretty close to his chest, so we don’t know a whole lot more than that, other than the young actors assembled are all of a very decent quality, and Harrison Ford is doing stuff again.

Why we want to see it:

The funny thing is we really shouldn’t be excited about this. The three prequels all pretty much sucked, but it’s been long enough for those wounds to (somewhat) heal. People tend to forget the better Star Wars films weren’t directed by George Lucas, so a fresh bunch of heads leading the charge moving forward does bode well. The fact is everyone loves Star Wars, and everyone wants to see it succeed.

THE HATEFUL EIGHT

Dir. Quentin Tarantino

What and who:

“In post-Civil War Wyoming, bounty hunters try to find shelter during a blizzard but get involved in a plot of betrayal and deception. Will they survive?” That’s the plot synopsis, and the cast features the likes of Channing Tatum, Samuel L Jackson, Kurt Russel and Tim Roth, but the real star is Tarantino.

Why we want to see it:

As mentioned, anytime Quentin Tarantino makes a new movie it’s an event. It feels like The Hateful Eight is kinda playing in the same sandbox as his previous film Django Unchained, but it’s just par for course – if Quentin Tarantino is making a movie, we’re paying attention.

ANT-MAN

Dir. Peyton Reed

What and who:

Yes it’s another comic book movie, and another Marvel movie, one that tells the tale of small-time con-man Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) embracing his inner hero to help his mentor Dr Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) pull a world-saving heist. Edgar Wright was originally on this and much to the dismay of movie nerds around the world, was booted off and replaced by Peyton Reed. Reed’s no slouch though, Yes Man is one of Jim Carrey’s better movies in his later career, and Bring It On is a classic. Plus Adam McKay (Anchorman, Step Brothers) is on the writing team alongside Paul Rudd, so we feel like it’s in pretty good hands.

Why we want to see it:

We’re looking forward to a smaller scale Marvel superhero story. Yes the title character can shrink down to ant size, but it’s not some cosmic epic on the scale of Guardians Of The Galaxy or The Avengers. Plus we’re happy about anything Paul Rudd does, and this is something a little different, and we can’t wait to see how it ties into the rest of the Marvel universe.

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

Dir. F Gary Gray

What and who:

Documenting the rise and fall of Compton’s finest – NWA, it stars a bunch of relative unknowns playing younger versions of Ice Cube, Dr Dre, Eazy-E and the crew. Most interesting is Ice Cube’s son O’Shea Jackson Jr playing a younger version of Ice Cube, and he’s an absolute dead ringer.

Why we want to see it:

This was a similar kind of situation to Mad Max: Fury Road;  Straight Outta Compton wasn’t hugely on anyone outside of the NWA fanbase’s radar until that huge trailer dropped a few weeks back. It looks seriously epic, and if it’s half as good as the trailer looks, it should be pretty great.

SPECTRE

Dir. Sam Mendes

What and who:

Daniel Craig and director Sam Mendes are headed back to the well for Craig’s fourth outing as Mr Bond, James Bond. Inglorious Basterd Christoph Waltz steps in as the bad guy, and sees Bond battling mysterious baddies SPECTRE.

Why we want to see it:

Skyfall was easily Craig’s best film as Bond under the assured hand of Sam Mendes, and adding class like Cristoph Waltz to proceedings really makes this one seem like a homerun before we even see a trailer. There’s just really no reason for this one not to work. He does look kinda funny in this photo though:

THE GOOD DINOSAUR

Dir. Peter Sohn

What and Who:

The Good Dinosaur poses the question: what if the cataclysmic asteroid that wiped out dinosaurs actually missed, and dinosaurs never became extinct? It follows a 70-foot-tall teenage Apatosaurus who makes an unlikely friend in a young kid named Spot. The voice cast is pretty spot on too – Neil Patrick Harris, John Lithgow, Bill Hader and Frances McDormand are just some of the peeps involved.

Why we want to see it:

It’s a Pixar film. That alone is enough to get us excited. Plus it’s dinosaurs. The production has had a bit of a troubled past, removing original director (and the guy who thought of the idea) Bob Peterson, and pushing the release date back from last year to this year. Sometimes that spells trouble, but Pixar is such an assured brand you know they know exactly what they’re doing. There’s hardly a bad Pixar movie, and I love dinosaurs, so this better not be the first one to fuck things up.

FURIOUS 7

Dir. James Wan

What and Who:

All of the original cast return, even the now sadly deceased Paul Walker who died during the filming. Jason Statham also joins proceedings as the bad guy, which gives the film a bit more weight. But look, you’re here because fast cars, and as long the cars look nice and do crazy shit, that’s what you need to know.

Why we want to see it:

Call it morbid curiosity, but Walker dying whilst the film was still in production has many people curious as to how it plays out, his brother joining the filming to help flesh out a few un-finished scenes. The Furious series has really become a guilty pleasure, and one of those weird franchises that has gotten better as its gone along. After dipping hard from 2-4, 5 and 6 were actually good, big, dumb fun. And the trailer for 7 sells that shit in spades. Vin Diesel drives cars between skyscrapers ffs.

BONUS:

CRIMSON PEAK

Dir. Guillermo del Toro

What and Who:

Horror/fantasy movie maestro Guillermo Del Toro jumps back into the horror genre that he really cut his teeth in, with a killer cast including Loki himself (Tom Hiddleston), Aussie Mia Wasikowska, and the never-bad Jessica Chastain. In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author (Wasikowska) is torn between love for her childhood friend and a mysterious outsider, all taking place it what appears to be a creepy-as-shit house.

Why we want to see it:

Guillermo Del Toro is one of the world’s most inventive and exciting directors, especially when he’s playing in the horror genre. Pan’s Labyrinth is a classic, The Devil’s Backbone and Cronos likewise. The cast is strong, the trailer looks great and it’s definitely a film, which might not be a “blockbuster” so to speak, but definitely an event film for 2015.