19. The End of the World (6/14)
This is a movie I've been waiting a while for. Grouping together a huge number of today's popular comedians for an "end of the world" scenario sounds like fun. It sounds even more fun when the comedians will all be playing versions of themselves, so expect some good-natured jabs here and there. Directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, this movie will be putting together an enormous cast of characters and throwing them into a party at James Franco's house, where they all bear witness to an unknown apocalyptic event. While much is still unknown about the particulars of the project, it has to be guaranteed that you'll laugh at what these guys come up with. At worst, this works as the closest thing we'll get to a
Freaks and Geeks reunion.
18. Man of Steel (6/14)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DaPBBOHfsA Just watch that trailer. Then, watch it again. If that doesn't get you excited for Zack Snyder's reboot of the first superhero, you may want to check your pulse.
Man of Steel has some very big goals to meet if it wants to match up to Chris Nolan's recent vision of the Caped Crusader. It looks like everyone involved knows how epic and grandiose this story needs to be, while still making it a very personal story about a boy discovering he is incredibly special, and figuring out what to do with his abilities. Sure, we'll be getting General Zod and some big bad sci-fi action, but the emotion of the story is looking like the most mythical aspect of the film, and that's exactly what it needs to be. Superman is a tough character to write, but if this trailer is any indication, he is in very, very good hands. June 14th can't come fast enough, as far as I'm concerned.
17. The Lone Ranger (7/3)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN9opF1iVWo Gore Verbinski hit it big when he made the
Pirates of the Carribean films for the Mouse House. He looks like he's attempting to replicate that same magic, but this time, it's for a much more classic property. The Lone Ranger has appeared in countless incarnations since the 1930's, and now he's making a trip to the big screen. While some of the humor falls flat, the set-pieces and look of the movie feel dusty and worn. Johnny Depp's Tonto appears to be strikingly bizarre and almost too perfect for the actor. Armie Hammer finally gets the chance to play the leading man he deserves to be, and hopefully this will propel him into better notoriety. Westerns are a weakness of mine, so it's really cool to see a big budget one that has high hopes. I would much rather have a trilogy of Lone Ranger films than another forgettable
Pirates of the Carribean movie. Hey, didn;t they make a fourth one of those?
16. Pacific Rim (7/12)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2vKz7WnU83E&noredirect=1 Out of all the movies coming out in 2013, there is one that is my absolute most anticipated. Guillermo del Toro's return to the big screen is certainly going to be BIG. Taking Japanese tropes and putting them in a highly realized world,
Pacific Rim looks like it's going to be the real giant robots movie we've been waiting for. Sorry, Michael Bay. Stick to murderous bodybuilders. The world of
Pacific Rim looks astounding. The monsters and robots are both enormous and well designed. There's a real sense of physics in this trailer, with the giants moving like their weight dictates they should. Having Idris Elba and Charlie Day along for the ride makes me even more excited. Seriously, watch that trailer and tell me that Roland Emmerich's
Godzilla isn't that bad. Guillermo, I've missed you.
15. The Wolverine (7/26)
Let's just pretend
X-Men Origins: Wolverine never happened, okay? Good. Hugh Jackman will forever be remembered as the stoic mutant Logan, and it looks like he's determined to give fans a Wolverine movie they can remember him by. Taking its inspiration from the popular run of Wolverine comics by Chris Claremont, this movie will see Logan in Japan facing an unknown enemy from his past. Expect a few cameos from other X-folk and maybe even the beginning of uniting the X-Men continuity into their eventual
Days of Future Past film. I want a good Wolverine movie. While
X2 was decent, it tried too hard to be a Wolverine film and an X-Men film. Given the chance to headline his own film, Logan could very well start his own franchise. I look forward to hearing that familiar "snikt" on the silver screen again.