March 2016 Watchlist

Article by Gabe Zia
So it's that time again to take a look at the films coming out this movie, and there will be a few of them on this list I may not see (either because they're a limited release and my city isn't included, or I suspect I won't enjoy it so there's no point unless it's free).

March 4th

Zootopia

Anthropomorphic and talking animals aren't a "new" concept, let's just get that out of the way. What makes Disney movies great isn't the originality of the concept, it's what the movie does with the concept (ex. The Incredibles is a movie about retired superheroes? Genius!). But I honestly have no idea what to suspect about Zootopia, other than the hopes that it'll be good.

Knight of Cups (limited)

There are two kinds of people. People who like Terrence Malick films, and people who don't like Terrence Malick films, the majority of people I know being the latter. As for me, I'm kind of torn. On the one hand, I love his direction, but his movies can also be a little bit overbearing and crammed with too many metaphors. That being said, I'm looking forward to Knight of Cups, as well as the other movie he's doing this year, Weightless.

March 11th

Eye in the Sky (limited)

This was already a film I've been looking forward to for a while, what with it having a great cast and a story I'm interested in (seeing as how drone warfare is a topic I'm very passionate about - and am strongly against incase you're wondering). However, the fact that it's also one of Alan Rickmans last films just makes it that much more important.

10 Cloverfield Lane

I'm a huge Cloverfield fan, and the rumors of a second Cloverfield have been circling the internet for a while now, so this is a film I'm certainly hyped for. It's also an interesting movie to be coming out, seeing as how until two months ago, almost nobody knew it existed. This is probably because most of the film takes place in a bunker, I'd imagine it's easier to keep things secret that way.

March 18th

Midnight Special (limited)

Jeff Nichols is right up there with Duncan Jones and Denis Villeneuve with new directors who seem to produce pure gold (so-far). And Midnight Special seems to be a very new kind of movie for Nichols, with it being a sci-fi thriller, and his other two movies (Mud and Take Shelter) being just regular thrillers.

The Program

This is another one I've been excited for for some time, I didn't get to catch it at TIFF, but I'm glad it's coming out now instead of later in the year. It's an interesting story, and Ben Foster looks like he's giving his all in the role. This is one of those movies that feels like it should have been an oscar season release, but wasn't for some reason.

Allegiant

So-far, I've been seeing the Divergent series entirely by accident. I didn't really want to see either of them, but by odd circumstance after odd circumstance, I've managed to accidentally follow the series. So at this point I'm basically in for the ride, I might as well we Allegiant, because if the past is any indication, I'll end up watching it no matter what I do to avoid it.

Daredevil Season 2

The Netflix series Daredevil is without a doubt in my mind the best thing Marvel studios has produced thus far, it is a perfect balance of action, drama, dark realism, violence, and the Marvel Universe style. So, for obvious reasons, the second season is one of my most anticipated events of the year.

March 25th

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Although I've kind of lost faith in this movie the more trailers I see of it, I'm still hoping for something good. This is, after all, the first time we are seeing Batman and Superman in a live action film before, so if that's not enough to excite you, then I don't think anything will.

Best of February 2016: Eddie the Eagle

February 2016 had two really great stylistic films set in iconic time periods, and of the two (the other being Hail, Caesar!), I have to go with Eddie the Eagle. It captured the style of the 80s in a great way, it had an amazing soundtrack, it was entertaining, and most importantly, it knew exactly what it was. It was short and simple, and if Dredd has taught us anything, short and simple is usually the best way to go. I know most would pick Deadpool, but if I'm deciding, then my pick of February 2016 was Eddie the Eagle.