Fifteen Movies In 2013 That I'm Jazzed About

As a movie buff, I have a ton of flicks that usually catch my interest, in a passing sense.  However, there are very few films that I really get absolutely jazzed up to go see.  Usually, this starts with a trailer, although there are a great deal of movie sites and magazines that also direct me to a film that I might decide to watch.  With that said, there was a list of 15 movies that I was really psyched up to go see this year, and here are my thoughts about each one, from what I've seen on the trailers or researched on the internet.  Hope you are entertained.

Gangster Squad

The first movie I was psyched up over was Gangster Squad, which has a great top billing, with Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Ston, among others.  It's the story of a secret police unit that is formed to take on L.A. Gangster Mickey Cohen, and their efforts to bring him to justice.  The movie looks great, with a prohibition gangster type feel (even though it's set just after World War II).  The wardrobe looks phenomenal, and it looks have have enough cleverly cheesy dialogue and action to keep one entertained. This movie is already out, and will be seeing it this weekend.  Yeah-ya!

Warm Bodies

What can only be described as girl meets boy-zombie, I'm really jazzed about this film.  We have very few zombie comedies that work, with Shawn of the Dead and Zombieland being the only two that come to mind so far.  And the trailer looks funny, so hey, why not?

Pacific Rim

This definetely appeals to the Sci-Fi nut inside me.  Pacific Rim deals with Aliens that have somehow managed to come to Earth, via what appears to a dimensional crack in the middle of the Pacific.  To combat this, the nations of Earth create several giant sized robots to combat the menace, with each one remotely controlled by pilots in a VR simulator.  This movie looks great, and is a bit of an homage to the giant monster movies of the past, made famous by Toho.  It also looks almost like a direct copy of the anime series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, only with the robots resembling the ones from Robot Joxx, and not the biomechanical machines from the series.  Will that deter me from seeing the film?  Hell no! 

Man Of Steel

I'm not the biggest Superman fan in the world, although I do respect his place in comics history, and do love some of the stories that he does appear in with Batman at times.  However, I will admit that I loved the original Superman film, which a good superhero film and was the standard by which such films were made until the release of the original Batman film with Michael Keaton.  However, the character itself has been in a bit of a rut since the original Reeves films were made, and that franchise itself went south once Richard Donner was unceremoniously axed from the second film.  Even the most modern entry, Superman Returns, tried to continue the Reeves' films storyline, to no avail.  This new film with Henry Cavill in the iconic blue and red tights, looks quite good, and plays to the strengths of the character: a near godlike figure with the humility of a saint and the desire to do good tries to make the best use of his gifts in the world.  There hasn't been much in the form of details about the plot leaked out, which makes us have to continue to guess as to what the film is about, but so far, it looks like the Man of Steel will be getting the proper film treatment that he deserved.

Star Trek Into Darkness

The new Star Trek franchise, directed by J.J. Abrams, did something that not many people ever thought could be done with the franchise:  reinvent it, and yet keep the essence of the original intact.  Rather than have it serve as an epilogue for a T.V. series, Abrams instead took the series in a new direction, making it it's own standalone universe that makes it relatively fresh, but also familiar.  The casting is spot on, and each cast member makes sure to pay homage to their predecessor, while doing their own thing.  This new film looks dark, with the potential for it to be nearly as epic as the original second Star Trek film, The Wrath Of Kahn.  Details are still sketch, but so far it looks like Trekkies were right to keep the faith.

Oz The Great And Powerful

I'm surprised that we haven't had a sequel or prequel to the Wizard of Oz sooner, with the only real contender to this being Return To Oz back in 1985.  However, while that movie is regarded to be an unofficial sequel, and also frightening and nightmare inducing, this new entry by Sam Raimi looks to be an actual prequel to the original 1939 Film that is regarded to be one of the greatest films ever made.  James Franco is in the flick as the aforementioned Oz, and overall, it looks to be a visual feast, with enough references to the original film to make a fan like myself happy.  I might actually pay to see this one in 3D.

Iron Man 3

I'm not going to lie, aside from Scarlett Johansson, I was very disappointed with Iron Man 2.  The heart and humor that made the original film so enjoyable were gone in this one, and it seemed that the film's purpose was less based on continuing the story of the character as opposed to further setting up the Avengers film that was coming down the pipeline.  Now that the Avengers has come and gone, the franchise appears to be going back to the personal approach of the first film, with more focus on Tony Stark, the man inside the machine, and his own desire to move from what he was to what Stark really wants to be.  The trailers look good, although I'm not a fan of the newest armor.  But we'll see. 

The Lone Ranger

I was a big fan of the Lone Ranger, and have longed to see a modern take on the Ranger to this day.  I partially got this with Dynamite Entertainment's Lone Ranger comic book series, which is one of the best comics available on the market to this day.  Gone is the lily white sensibilities of the original radio and TV programs, and instead we get a realistic, harsh look at what the west really was, as well as how a figure like The Ranger and Tonto would have survived in it.  This new film, however, looks to be a compromise between the two, with a darker Ranger, but one not completely given over to the harshness of what the west was.  Armie Hammer looks good as the Ranger, and Johnny Depp looks absolutely insane as Tonto, although I'm loving the look, to be honest.  This film has been pushed back several times, but it looks like it's coming out guns blazing in the summer.  Can't wait.

World War Z

World War Z, based on the book by the same name, comes out near my birthday, and I'm stoked for it.  While I'll be beginning the year with a zombie film, this is the main course that I've been waiting for.  Brad Pitt will be playing Gerry Lane, who is traveling the world to try and find the cure or at the very least, the answer, to a zombie pandemic that is sweeping the world.  I'm currently reading the book right now, and I'm loving it so far.  As such, I'm hoping that this film will meet the challenge of at least coming close to it. 

Despicable Me 2

I loved the original film, which was smart, funny, and had enough sarcasm and cruelty in it to appeal to my rather warped sense of humor.  I haven't seen much for this film, but you better believe I'll be in line to get my share of Gru and the minions once again.

47 Ronin

When I took a course on the History of East Asia, one of the stories that I did read as part of the assignment was the story of the 47 Ronin.  It was a story about how a band of 47 loyal samurai waited and plotted to avenge the death and honor of their master, after three years and much plotting.  There is going to be some liberties taken with the story, as it will center around the story of Kai, a half Japanese, half British warrior, played by Keanu Reeves, rather than the traditional story based on Kuranosuke Oishi.  This has the potential to be a epic movie if it is done correctly, and with a great deal of care and attention to detail.  It also can be a beautiful movie to look at, if the standard shown by The Last Samurai is followed.  Appropriately, as the 47 Ronin story is usually told around that time, it will be released on Christmas Day.  You're damn right I'm going to be there for it.

Sin City:  A Dame To Kill For 

I loved the original Sin City, as it was perhaps one of the only films based on a comic book to come absolutely the closest with it's original source material.  Robert Rodriguez (when not making absolutely shitty kids films) was a student of the original content, and the result of this intense attention to detail and Rodriguez' own knack for creating beautiful violence.  This film has been pushed back several times, but rumor has it that it's finally going to start shooting soon, and that it should be in our hot little hands in the fall.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I'm also not going to get my hopes up.  Rodriguez and Co. have done this before.

The Hunger Games:  Catching Fire

I wasn't the greatest fan of the Hunger Games, and Suzanne Collins' writing style makes me want to dig my eyes out of my skull with a spoon, but the film itself was entertaining enough to make me interested in the sequel.  I'm interested in the concept, in which the surviving contestants from each district are forced to team up and take each other on, and look forward to seeing how the remaining characters from the first film progress from what was an unanticipated ending to the games in the first film. 

Note:  No idea if this is what the poster will be.  Goddamn Internet.

300:  Rise Of An Empire

 The prequel to the film 300, this new entry will instead focus on Themistocles and Artemisia, who took on Xerxes, from the first film, at the Battle of Salamis.  Wikipedia also speculates that the Battle of Marathon may also play a part, which will be cool.  However, this new 300 will also delve into Xerxes' backstory, and explain how he became King.  Not much of the cast from the first film will be returning, but the early production stills and videos on the web make this flick look pretty sweet.  It's very much a man movie, although I suspect that, much as the first, plenty of women will be there for the male eye candy as well.  August is gonna rock.

The Hobbit:  The Desolation Of Smaug

My 2012 ended with a viewing of the first part of The Hobbit, so it's only fitting that 2013 will likely end with the next part of the trilogy.  Anyhoo, I'm looking forward to this, not just to see what some memorable characters such as Smaug, Beorn, as well as seeing how the Battle of Five Armies is depicted, but also seeing how Peter Jackson takes his new emphasis on the rise of the Necromancer in this next portion of the book, which apparently will have a larger role in the events of the film.  It should be a fun ride.

So with that said, 2013 is looking to be a pretty sweet movie season, and my expectations are sky high so far.  I'm hoping that I'll catch enough intriguing indie films that will make the movie going experience to be a rewarding one, and that I'll get what I pay for.