Predicting the Movie Hits and Bombs of 2017

Now that I would actually watch. My money would be on the Predator, by the way...

 

Can't miss. With the entire Marvel machine behind it, I bet it stands a chance of becoming the most successful Spiderman film ever.

 

There's nothing wrong with big-budget escapist films in the same way there's nothing wrong with fast food and donuts... but I don't want to eat the latter all day, every day, and nothing else... the trouble is, that's all the studios are giving us these days.

Thank God for people like Mel Gibson, Martin Scorsese, and Chris Nolan... the latter's upcoming Dunkirk is the sole film on that otherwise appalling and deeply depressing list I actually want to go see.

Before that, Scorsese's upcoming Silence... an adult film made for thinking adults, and not for adolescent boys and emotionally stunted adults (meaning it probably won't make a nickel), the latter of which is seemingly what the studios specialize in these days, it seems.

I don't know when his next film is coming out, but keep an eye out for director Robert Eggers, who made this year's The Witch; that guy is going to deliver a bona fide masterpiece at some point, you heard his name here first...

 

Of the titles listed in the original post, I'll probably only end up watching a couple of the superhero genre movies, plus Dunkirk, which I'm still not convinced is a good idea - I realise few directors have that kind of loyal fanbase, but does anyone want a historic piece from Christopher Nolan? Taking this argument further, is there really much demand for a WWII epic by anyone in this day and age? How much more can be said on that subject, outside of the inevitable 12 minutes of extra footage than Nolan's last project now being filmed in IMAX format, as appears to be his trend with every new release going back to The Dark Knight Rises.

Logan will likely put a lump in my throat as we bid farewell to Hugh Jackman's take on Wolverine, yet on the other hand I'm worried that Spiderman: Homecoming will rely too much on its Iron Man guest appearance in the absence of that character getting a fourth standalone adventure any time soon, not to mention general audience fatigue after the last reboot's failure. Jumping from Marvel to DC, I've already given up on the so-called Extended Universe. Man of Steel wasn't my version of the hero I grew up with, while Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice put me off to such a point that I'm not even going to bother with Justice League.

For all its problems, I'd rather stick with Supergirl on the small screen that Wonder Woman's long-awaited cinematic debut, then returning to Marvel again, Thor: Ragnarok and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 are hardly top-tier material. Following up Doctor Strange with these equally b-grade excursions will be quite a risk, though I have to admit that Guardians was a surprise hit, even if the majority of people wouldn't have known their Star-Lord from their Rocket Raccoons before "I am Groot" entered the wider vocabulary.

Now, the only other films mentioned that I might see are the two Star Wars movies, though I'll admit to not yet watching The Force Awakens because I'm really not in a rush after the last trilogy. Actually, it's probably a good time to confess I've still not managed to sit through all three of the prequels, my interest in continuing on beyond the classic trifecta lost as a result of watching The Phantom Menace just once. Thanks, but I'm not that big enough of a fan of the overall series to waste my time on any more installments if there's even the slightest risk of my feelings about the originals being lowered by association.

Finally, there's Fifty Shades Darker. My partner has very low expectations about this, and I'm simply curious to see whether any major changes were forced through as a result of how its predecessor was received. The original book was hardly literary gold, yet the cinematic interpretation managed to somehow make the pages seem more like damp cardboard, its characters possessing all the personality of a box left in the rain overnight. I'm really of the mind that no publisher should have touched this work, keeping it as poorly-written Twilight fan fiction. Clearly we live in a world where virtually anything can be sold with the right pitch, and if I hear the vocal hook from that one Beyoncé song ever again...

(When did I become so curmudgeonly?!)

 

At this point in that franchise I just hope it's actually good!

 

I am so burned out on the endless regurgitation of the same tired material. I find that list highly depressing.

 

Don't watch this then....

 

It's true that there's a ton of remakes, sequels, and/or prequels based on other films coming out in 2017. I think you can count the number of major original films on 10 fingers. I'm particularly bewildered by Disney's live-action remakes of their animated classics. I'm amazed that with all the highly-paid talent at Disney, they can't come up with new, original ideas.

I also really disliked Phantom Menace, but I think The Force Awakens was actually a reasonably good movie. I don't think it's a great film, but I think it's (pardon the expression) light years better than Episodes 1-3.

 

Top-grossing films 1968

• 2001: A Space Odyssey.
• Bullitt.
• Planet of the Apes.
• Rosemary's Baby.
• The Thomas Crown Affair.
• Ice Station Zebra.

But it's nice to know what your favorite from that year is.

 

No sequels or remakes in there. Weird.

 

The Witch was probably my favorite film last year. That and The Revenant. I hear Eggers is a real Kubrickian perfectionist who insists on every detail being right. You can see that in The Witch. I hope he takes two or three years to make his next film and doesn't rush out some piece of crap.

Adolescent boys for whom a movie means a videogame with more words: story optional. You can't blame the emotionally stunted adults trying to hold onto their fading youth by embracing the crap of their times. Just thank God disco's still not in vogue.

I've been writing at home lately, which I don't like to do because I always let myself get distracted by the TV or listening to music. I've found the perfect solution. I put on Bryan Singer's X-Men Apocalypse. It's so easy to ignore being devoid of anything interesting, it makes the perfect background noise I need to concentrate.

 

No, but only one of those came from an idea created for the movie - the other five adapted books, so it's not like Hollywood was chock full of its own ideas with this crop...

 

Freddie Vs Predator
Alien Vs Michael Myers
Dracula Vs Tom Cruise

 

The Mummy trailer looks like it should have been called

"Mummy Impossible"

Goofy. And Im a Cruise fan.

 

A remake of Ice Station Zebra could be a winner for 2018

 

Not so surprising. Dude needs a hit in a major way or he risks falling off the A-List.

 

Mummy Impossible? LOL!!

 

Thought it looked interesting.

 

Tom Cruise is in it. It has to be good, or at least okay. Tommy Boy doesn't do bad movies.

 

When he is sitting on the plane at first (before the crash), it looks like he woke up as they said action and thought he was on the set of Day After Tomorrow as the plane started crashing, then he was like "Wait, damnitt, this is Mission Impossible 7! Pull the girls rip cord!!" .."No wait, Im in Minority Report 2: Magnolia Rises"..."Cut!! WTH is this movie???..Someone get me an energy drink!!!"

 

Try "Manchester By The Sea". Great story, amazing performances.

 

Hope Kurt makes money off of this.

When that series first started out it was actually a pretty good chemistry between the characters and fun.

Now its like some sort of Vin Diesel Super Hero Action flick. And anything the Rock is in is usually just as stupid as a brick.

 

I hold on to my inner adolescent boy more fast and furious than Star Lord.
Weird though, every year I find plenty of small intense dramas and swift crime thrillers.