#5
The Hateful Eight
TBA 2015
DIR: Quentin Tarantino
Like it or not, Quentin Tarantino is a blockbuster filmmaker now. His movies have gotten increasingly bigger and as much as The Hateful Eight doesn’t interest me in the same way his previous films have, I can’t deny being excited to see whatever new movie Tarantino seeks to deliver.
In The Hateful Eight, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Walt Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Demian Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern). As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…
#4
Mission: Impossible 5
December 25
DIR: Christopher McQuarrie
I’m unashamed to admit I’m a rather large Tom Cruise fan and I’m also a big fan of the the Mission: Impossible franchise. Granted, I wasn’t as impressed with Ghost Protocol as the rest of society, but I enjoyed it and my only hesitation with Mission: Impossible 5 is director Christopher McQuarrie, having not really enjoyed Jack Reacher all that much. Hopefully he wins me over with this one.
#3
Mad Max: Fury Road
May 15
DIR: George Miller
Two things — 1.) Tom Hardy and 2.) the marketing — have me anticipating this one. That said, Mad Max: Fury Road could be a massive mess of a film. I’m hoping it’s not considering my hopes are climbing, but I’m keeping my expectations tempered just in case. Now here’s that latest trailer if you’ve yet to see it for yourself or would just like a reminder.
#2
Spectre
November 6
DIR: Sam Mendes
I love James Bond so a new Bond film is always going to be highly anticipated on my list, even if I wasn’t the Skyfall fanatic most people were. To see the franchise bringing SPECTRE back into play is also a good reason to look forward to this one. However, seeing Christoph Waltz play yet another bad guy is cause for concern as he only seems to have one possible style of acting. As a matter of fact, it’s really nice to see Tarantino didn’t bring him back for a third go ’round in The Hateful Eight.
#1
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
December 18
DIR: J.J. Abrams
I really don’t see any way any other blockbuster feature could be more anticipated for someone in my age group. Having been born in 1977 and grown up with Star Wars all my life there is a connection there. Granted, growing up with the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy and the special editions means having soured a bit on the Star Wars franchise. I mean, it’s not easy to remain loyal to a universe when said universe tells bad stories and makes bad films. So here’s to hoping J.J. Abrams is able to breathe new, and interesting life into the Star Wars universe or I won’t be likely to look forward to Episodes VII and IX in the coming years.
So that does it for me, let’s see your lists and don’t be too concerned with what is an isn’t a blockbuster. I didn’t look at budgets, but based my list more on how these films feel and play with audiences, though a movie with a budget north of $100 million is a movie I come close to consider a blockbuster and I would say all of these have to be pushing $150 million if not $200 million each.
