Why So Blu?

Aaron’s Most Anticipated Films of 2019 – A Month By Month Look

With many studio films with dates set in place and general knowledge that certain filmmakers have movies set to arrive sometime this year, there’s still a lot of challenge in selecting which movies I am most looking forward to. Of course, I may as well call this post “Godzilla and Some Other 2019 Flicks I Want to See,” but that would be underselling the excitement I have for a lot that is arriving in theaters (and presumably streaming) in 2019, big and small. There’s also the case to be made for all the films many of us do not even know about yet, given the nature of film festival debuts and other surprises. Regardless, this is a month by month look at what I am looking forward to seeing (links for trailers where available). Feel free to name the films you look forward to in the comments.

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First, let’s start with a recap of my 2018 picks:

January – Paddington 2 – One of the most joyful films of 2018.

February – Black Panther – A terrific entry into the MCU, and meaningful in many ways.

March – Isle of Dogs – Another great stop-motion animated feature from Wes Anderson

April – The New Mutants – Delayed to this August…we’ll see.

May – Avengers: Infinity War – Moved up to April and was an entertaining and intense first half of a story.

June – Incredibles 2 – The second-best animated superhero film of the year, but an exciting watch.

July – Alita: Battle Angel – Delayed to February, but I’m still holding out hope that Rodriguez will deliver.

August – The Predator – Pushed a month later and delivered a decent trip back into Predator world.

September – The Darkest Minds – Moved forward to August and was pretty forgettable.

October – First Man – Delivered in all the ways I had hoped, complete with stunning directorial ambition, as I had expected.

November – Widows – A gripping drama first, with a phenomenal cast doing well to deliver on the heist genre plotting.

December – Mortal Engines – While it’s a huge bomb for Universal, I had fun with this movie that emphasized making the world big.

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January

Glass (1/18)

In a world full of franchises, M. Night Shyamalan has quietly snuck himself into a position to deliver what appears to be an epic trilogy capper to his secret superhero/supervillain films. As a big fan of Unbreakable and someone who thought Split was decent but flawed, this film could end up going either way, but I am certainly excited for whatever comes out of this. For one thing, it will be nice to see Bruce Willis actually “try” for a change again, instead of sticking with his recent lazy output. Some of his best performances are in Shyamalan’s films, so this could be great for him. Samuel L. Jackson back as Mr. Glass is also a huge plus, as it’s one of many iconic performances he’s delivered over the years. Plus, it looks like we finally get to see more of the 23 different personalities James McAvoy’s Kevin has. Whatever happens, this is undoubtedly one of the more exciting superhero films to be coming out this year.

Others: The Kid Who Would Be King, Replicas, Serenity

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February

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2/22)

It’s about time. How to Train Your Dragon 2 was a real triumph, telling an exciting an emotional story, building well off the first film. Even if this third entry merely goes lengths similar to Kung Fu Panda 3, that would still mean we get a satisfying enough end to the story of Hiccup and Toothless. Of course, I have high expectations from Dean DeBlois, who seems to have embraced this world and wants to do great things with it. February has plenty of other films to look forward to as well, including the long-delayed Alita, The Lego Movie 2, and new films from Steven Soderbergh and Dan Gilroy. So get ready for all of that.

Others: Alita: Battle Angel, Happy Death Day 2U, High Flying Bird, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, Troop Zero, Velvet Buzzsaw

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March

Us (3/15)

Jordan Peele is in that tricky position where a filmmaker must now follow-up his blockbuster/Oscar-winning debut feature. Fortunately, I think we are in good shape to see something terrifying. The trailer for Us is fantastic, the cast is excellent, and there seems to be plenty of potential for this film to deliver in all sorts of ways, whether it stems from the horror of the scenarios presented, or the social commentary that comes along with it. Plus, “I Got 5 On It” is back on everyone’s mind, which is great. March isn’t short on exciting releases either, between some ambitious flicks and big studio entries. This should be a fun month.

Others: Beach Bum, Captain Marvel, Captive State, Chaos Walking, Dumbo, Greyhound, The Mustang, Where’d You Go, Bernadette

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April

Avengers: Endgame (4/26)

Yes, I was very tempted to put Missing Link here, as I am a huge Laika fan and they can’t fail. Still, let’s face it – the world is excited for Avengers: Endgame, me included. If I have issues with Infinity War, they relate to how the film merely worked as the first half of a full story, much like Kill Bill Vol. 1. With that in mind, I hope Endgame delivers in the same way Vol. 2 did, as in watching a character-focused tale that earns all the emotion bound to come from the remaining Avengers fixing the decimation caused by Thanos. Regardless, there’s a lot of ambiguity about how this MCU phase is going to end, and I’m all about that sort of mystery. Also, DC has Shazam! Good luck with that.

Others: The Best of Enemies, Hellboy, Missing Link, Pet Semetary, Shazam!, Under the Silver Lake

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May

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (5/31)

As far as huge movies go, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is my most anticipated film of the year. I love me some Kaiju movies and this one has a real Destroy All Monsters vibe that I am loving. Yeah, there’s a good cast involved too, but I’m here for seeing Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah throw down. Let them fight! Also curious about what a live-action Aladdin from Guy Ritchie looks like, which is the same thing I can say for Pikachu, who’s now a detective. Oh, and John Wick is back, and he’s going to make a lot of people very dead.

Others: Ad Astra, Aladdin, Brightburn, John Wick 3: Parabellum, The Kid, Pokemon Detective Pikachu, Rocketman

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June

Ford v. Ferrari (6/28)

There are some big players here, with the X-Men trying to win me back after Apocalypse, Men In Black going to London, and Toy Story looking to make everyone cry again, but I’m most interested in James Mangold’s follow-up to Logan. Ford v. Ferrari has a story that sounds great, in a way that makes me hope it can work as a terrific companion to a film like Rush. Plus, Christian Bale and Matt Damon serve as the leads. This may not sound like a flashy summer movie, compared to what’s around it, but it will certainly have the flashiest of vehicles, and hopefully more.

Others: Dark Phoenix, Flarsky, Men In Black: International, Shaft, Toy Story 4

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July

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (6/26)

A new Quentin Tarantino film hits in July, so yeah, that easily wins this month. Whatever the filmmaker has in mind for this 1969-set LA film, I’m sure it’s going to have an impact. And the cast is stacked. You have Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Al Pacino, Bruce Dern, Damian Lewis, Tim Roth, Kurt Russell, Michael Madsen, Timothy Olyphant, and plenty more. I know the film is sure to court controversy, given the involvement of Charles Manson and Sharon Tate in this story, but I’ll be very curious how the popular provocateur plans to incorporate those elements into the broader spectrum of this feature. And July certainly has some other heavy hitters. The Lion King is set to make tons of money no matter what, and Spider-Man is back from the dead for a sequel as well.

Others: 17 Bridges, The Lion King, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Stuber, Untitled Annabelle Sequel

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August

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (8/02)

On the one hand, I’m actually quite annoyed that Fast & Furious has had its family torn apart by way of this spin-off. That said, this is a blockbuster in the making that stars Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham as guys who like to fight and tear things apart, occasionally with vehicles. It happens to be directed by David Leitch, one of the better American action directors working right now, so as far as Summer spectacle goes, Hobbs and Shaw is likely going to deliver. That’s more than I can say about The New Mutants, which seems to have been completely overhauled since its original trailer from nearly a year ago. More promising is Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, given those involved, along with Midsommar, Ari Aster’s follow-up to Hereditary. August is bound to have some surprises, especially on the indie side of things, so we’ll see.

Others: Good Boys, Midsommar, The New Mutants, Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark, Boss Level

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September

The Kitchen (9/20)

Everybody else can have Pennywise and the gang, as I didn’t care for It. And as much as it pains me to say it, there’s no way Spies in Disguise can do anything more exciting than the twist that hits in the trailer. Fortunately, there’s a lot of hope to go with The Kitchen. Based on a graphic novel miniseries, Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss star as the wives of Irish mobsters in 1970s Hell’s Kitchen, who are forced to take control of their situation. This could be a great crime-comedy, with plenty more to enjoy thanks to a solid supporting cast to go along with what I’ve just set up.

Others: Abominable, The Hunt, It: Chapter Two, Spies in Disguise

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October

Gemini Man (10/04)

Like everyone else, I am fascinated/frightened/skeptical of what to make of the Joker movie with Joaquin Phoenix, directed by Todd Phillips, produced by Martin Scorsese, and co-starring Robert De Niro. However, the much more intriguing film I see is Gemini Man, as it’s placing Will Smith with Ang Lee in a sci-fi story about an aging assassin. I’m getting Looper vibes from this and journeyman director Lee is not one to phone it in. This could be very exciting. At the same time, Joe Wright and John Crowley are both releasing follow-ups to their previously acclaimed films, and we’re getting a Mr. Rogers movie starring Tom Hanks that has to somehow compete with last year’s wonderful documentary.

Others: Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Joker, The Addams Family, The Goldfinch, The Woman in the Window, You Are My Friend

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November

Knives Out (11/27)

This is another no-brainer, as Rian Johnson has made four fantastic films so far, and I don’t expect him to let me down by stepping back from something a bit smaller-scale than his last movie, which everyone totally loved, and there was no controversy whatsoever over it. Knives Out is a murder mystery featuring Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Michael Shannon, Lakeith Stanfield, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, and Christopher Plummer, among others. Great, let’s see what’s happening with that, I’m all about it. Paul Feig also has a holiday comedy on the way, and Roland Emmerich is getting back into the big blockbuster business with a film about the battle of Midway. Oh, and Frozen 2 is going to make a billion dollars, so plenty going on all around.

Others: Charlie’s Angels, Frozen 2, Midway, Kingsman 3, Last Christmas, Queen & Slim

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December

Star Wars: Episode IX (12/20)

It’s Star Wars, and it’s a real event, as this is a film everyone knows they are going to see. Whatever thoughts they had about The Last Jedi¸ everyone knows it is essential to see how hugely successful mega-producer Kathleen Kennedy and her talented team of filmmakers plan to wrap up the Skywalker saga. That’s an epic feature to look forward to, and I can’t wait. Oh, and Harrison Ford is in a Call of the Wild adaptation, so that should be neat. Plus, Sam Mendes is making a WWI film, which should be pretty visually interesting (and depressing) to watch. May the Force be with us all.

Others: The Call of the Wild, Jumanji 3, Little Women, 1917

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Dates Not Yet Set:

As always, there are plenty of other releases that have not even been scheduled for release yet, despite being set for a 2019 release date. So, I’m happy to shout out to some titles I am keeping in mind. This includes new films from Martin Scorsese, Danny Boyle, Terry Gilliam, Taika Waititi, Bong Joon-ho, The Safdie Brothers, Paul Verhoeven, and Pedro Almodovar, among others.

The Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, The Last Thing He Wanted, The Lighthouse, Lucy in the Sky, Parasite, Uncut Gems, Wendy, Antlers, Apollo 11, Bendetta, Dolor y Gloria, Eve, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, The Nest, Waves, The Report, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Harriet, The Personal History of David Copperfield