It is perhaps an act of foolishness and short sightedness to make a list of anticipated 2021 films. However, I starteda tradition last year and I’d like to keep at it. Please note that I chose not to include movies that do not currently have a release date. (Sorry Dune, The French Dispatch, and Killers of the Flower Moon). I also opted not to include movies I will be seeing at the Sundance Film Festival soon. (Check my Facebook page for coverage and updates.). This mainly rules out Judas and the Black Messiah which does look amazing. Here are my favorites from what is left.
10. Candyman
While Jordan Peele didn’t direct this sequel to the ‘90s classic, he did co-write it and produce it. And his reputation as a director and screenwriter is untarnished thus far. He always brings something original to the table. I’ll be honest, this is in the last slot because I partly dread seeing it. I know it’s going to scare the hell out of me.
9. BIOS
This past year, Tom Hanks released his first Western (despite voicing a cowboy for four animated films). While BIOS won’t be his first sci-fi film (that would be Cloud Atlas), it is a genre Hanks isn’t known for. This is the plot according to Wikipedia: “An ailing inventor, the last man on Earth, builds an android to keep him and his dog company and goes on a journey across the country.” Faithful readers of this blog know by now that I would pay to watch Hanks read the phone book. This sounds infinitely more interesting.
8. Cinderella
Pop star Camila Cabello stars in this new musical retelling of the classic fairy tale. Kay Canon wrote and directed the film. I love Cabello’s first album and I love musicals. And this one features Idina Menzel, Minnie Driver, Pierce Brosnan, John Mulaney, James Corden, and the fabulous Billy Porter as the fairy godmother.
Courtesy of Sony Pictures.
7. The Velvet Underground.
I love Lou Reed. So I’m excited for this documentary about his former band. They were mainly active from 1964-1973. I haven’t listened to as much Velvet Underground as I have Reed’s solo work. So this should be a good introduction to the band and to Reed’s early days as a musician. It will be great to see him again. I can’t believe he’s been gone nearly eight years now.
6. Halloween Kills
This year, I finally caught up with Hallowen (2018). And I loved it. It’s easily in my top 10 favorite horror movie endings next to Saw, Poltergeist, and Scream 3. Jamie Lee Curtis is perfect in the film. David Gordon Green and Danny McBride took the franchise to such an interesting new place. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the trilogy plays out. This is the movie most likely to make its release date. Producer Jason Blum said it’s coming out come hell or high water.
SPOILER ALERT: The following preview contains spoilers for both Halloween and Halloween Kills.
5. The Unbearable Weighht of Massive Talent
No one has a career like Nicolas Cage. While I still need to catch up with his recent films like Mandy and Color Out of Space, his latest may be his most fun movie in a long time. Nicholas Cage plays Nicholas Cage in an action comedy where he will recreate some of his most famous roles. The script made the 2019 Black List, the annual ranking of the best unproduced screenplays. My favorite Cage movie is probably Adaptation where he plays his own fictional twin. This premise has that same meta Charlie Kaufman feel.
4. No Time To Die
While I’ve already forgotten important plot points from Spectre and will need to revisit it, I’m dying to see No Time To Die. Especially with it being Daniel Craig’s last turn as Bond. I’ve been a major fan of his tenure in the role and I love where the series has gone. I’m sad to see Craig go but I’m excited to have one last adventure with him. I’m not really a Billie Eilish fan but I love the song she wriote for this one. Rami Malek looks like he’s going to be a wonderfully creepy villain. And I’m psyched to see Christoph Waltz return as Blofeld. I’m eager to see what director Cary Fukunaga does with a Bond film. I usually look forward to the opening scene (like Spectre’s epic Day of the Dead scene), but word has it the filmmakers are doing something different this time around. I’m curious to see how you open a Bond film without a major action sequence. On a bittersweet note, this will be the first Bond film I’ve watched without my Dad.
3. Last Night in Soho
Edgar Wright has made several of my favorite movies including Scott Pilgrim and Baby Driver. His latest is a horror film. According to Wikipedia, the plot goes like this: “The film focuses on a young wannabe fashion designer girl who mysteriously enters the 1960s to encounter her idol.” The cast is amazing featuring scream queen Anya Taylor-Joy, the underrated Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie (who ups the value of any movie she’s in), Matt Smith, Terence Stamp, and Diana Rigg. Taylor-Joy is always amazing. I can’t wait for this.
Courtesy of Focus Features.
2. Baz Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis project
The director of Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, and Moulin Rouge is one of my favorites. He hasn’t directed a feature since 2013’s The Great Gatsby. While I’m not really an Elvis fan, I trust Luhrmann will do something amazing. Plus, Tom Hanks is playing Colonel Tom Parker. I’m hoping this film is full of that Red Curtain Trilogy magic.
1. The Matrix 4
Lana Wachowski returns to direct this installment of my favorite sci-fi series by herself. Several major cast members are returning including Keanu Reeves as Neo and Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity. Reeves told Empire he decided to make another Matrix film after reading the screenplay. “Lana Wachowski wrote a beautiful script and a wonderful story that resonated with me.” I saw the original Matrix movie countless times in the theater. It shaped my spirituality. It’s pretty much my favorite movie. This is the film that’s both farthest away and hardest to wait for. With a release date of December 22, I’m going to have to wait to unwrap my Christmas present.
Fingers crossed none of these get pushed back to 2022. . BIOS, Cinderella, Last Night in Soho, and No Time to Die all pushed their release dates back this week. (And I was so looking forward to Cinderella’s early February release.). Surprisingly, three of my picks this year are horror films. And it was nearly four with the upcoming A Quiet Place: Part II. Maybe it has something to do with the times we’re living in. Stories of fear and survival may hold more appeal during dark times. What movies are you looking forward to this year? Let me know in the comments. I’ll be covering the Sundance Film Festival from January 28-February 3. Check the Facebook page for updates.