Coming Down the Home Stretch 2017: The Upcoming Movies I Still Want to See

I did this segment last year, and I greatly enjoyed doing it. There's only two months left in the year, meaning the last blockbusters are filing in and awards season is upon us. I've made it known that since I don't do this professionally and am a student, I won't be getting out to see every single release in the next eight weeks. That said, there are some good-looking ones coming soon that I know I want to see and you may not have heard of either. Consider it a more truncated "Most Anticipated" list! Speaking of my Most Anticipated movies list, some of those movies will pop up here as well. But as an update to that list: God Particle has since been moved to 2018; I have seen and loved Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 (some day I'll write about it); and Song to Song was never in wide release so I'll be checking it out soon since it is currently available on Amazon Prime. This list also reflects films that have not yet been released, so films that have already come out will not be included here. So let's get to it!


9. Molly's Game (Not Rated)

Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men, The West Wing) is perhaps my favorite screenwriter working today. In Molly's Game, starring Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Sorkin tackles directing for the first time in his career, working off his script based on the memoir of an Olympic skier who is targeted by the FBI for running an underground poker empire. It sounds intriguing, and the crew put together for this film is incredible: from Sorkin to Chastain to Idris Elba (The Wire, Beasts of No Nation), there's no reason it shouldn't at least be good! Molly's Game is scheduled for a Christmas limited release before opening wide a week later.

8. The Post (Not Rated)

Out of the all the films on here, this is the one we know the absolute least about. Fast-tracked after producer Amy Pascal purchased the screenplay late last year, Steven Spielberg directs a star-studded cast (Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Alison Brie, David Cross) in a drama about The Washington Post and its role, alongside The New York Times, in publishing the Pentagon Papers. It's timely with the tense relationship between government and free press we see on Twitter today, but I'm just excited to see a Spielberg drama. If it's great, it could be this year's Spotlight. If not, at least we'll be entertained by another Spielberg feature. My only concern is that there hasn't been a whole bunch of promotional material for the film due to the short production window (Spielberg was only hired in March), but I'm still optimistic! The Post is scheduled for a limited release on December 22nd before opening wide shortly before Oscar nominations are announced in January.

7. Justice League (PG-13)

I feel like I appreciate the DC Films' cinematic universe more than most. Sure, most of its films are flawed (Man of Steel's overlong finale, Dawn of Justice's overly complex plot threads, Suicide Squad's dialogue), but I appreciate the ambition. I think they embrace the idea of "Gods Among Us" and run with the superhero genre as a sort of New Mythology detailing the relationship of gods, men, and justice. So am I absolutely certain this will be a great movie? No, I am not, especially considering some of the shakeups happening with it. I am, however, still sold on the film, and, if he doesn't mind, seeing it with my brother. Maybe even try out that nifty Dolby Cinema thing at AMC. I'm "all in" when Justice League opens next week, November 17th.

6. The Shape of Water (R)

I haven't seen too many Guillermo del Toro films (with the exception of Crimson Peak, which was an enjoyable, if not scary, gothic romance), but the festival buzz and the trailers make me really want to see this film. It's a tale of a mute janitor (Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine) who discovers a strange monster/asset (Doug Jones, Hellboy, Falling Skies) in the government facility she works for. They form a bond and their lives are changed forever. Considered a monster fairytale set against the Cold War by the cast and crew, the film just looks like it's well-constructed and special. I'm even considering dragging some non-horror fans of mine to this based on how great it looks. The Shape of Water opens December 8th.

5. The Greatest Showman (PG)

I included this on my Most Anticipated list at the beginning of this year, but my interest has waned a little since a trailer's come out. Still, I'm optimistic that a cast with the charismatic Hugh Jackman alongside Zac Efron, Zendaya (Spider-Man: Homecoming), and Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea) will blend successfully with the musical talents of Pasek and Paul (La La Land). The music is what has me most hesitant about going crazy for the film like I did La La Land before I saw it, but I've doubted Pasek and Paul on the surface before and they won a Tony for Dear Evan Hansen. So what do I know? The Greatest Showman may become this year's great movie musical when it opens this Christmas.

4. Last Flag Flying (R)

Being from a family of many veterans, the trailer for Last Flag Flying resonated with me. Under the direction of the reliable Richard Linklater (Boyhood) and starring a phenomenal acting trio of Steve Carrell (Foxcatcher), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), and Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix), Last Flag Flying tells the story of three Vietnam War vets who go on a cross-country trip to bring the body of Steve Carrell's character's son home from Arlington after he is killed in Iraq. It looks like there will be humor and some impactful and touching moments, and it may end up being one of my favorites of the year if it lives up to the expectations it has set.

3. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (PG-13)

It's Star Wars. It's darker. Luke Skywalker has a lightsaber. But most importantly, it's Star Wars. What more needs to be said besides empty words that will only stretch out this already too long blog post? It's Star Wars! The only reason it's not higher is because I know I'm gonna love it so I want to spread the love and whatnot. Episode VIII comes out December 15th, a day you will see me at the movie theaters seeing this instead of that shameless Jumanji remake.

2. Murder on the Orient Express (PG-13)

The trailer that came out this summer launched this to the top of my most anticipated list, and even though the film has been getting some mixed reviews ahead of its release, I'm still excited. Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) is one of my favorite artists in the film industry working today and with him rocking an awesome moustache and working alongside an extremely talented cast that includes Dame Judi Dench, Leslie Odom, Jr. (Hamilton), Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man), and more, I am going to see this movie before the year's out. I can't promise I'll read the book first, though, considering this film comes out this Friday, November 10.

1. The Disaster Artist (R)

This is it. The big kahuna. The one I so want to see before the year is up: The Disaster Artist. This was referred to as The Masterpiece when I first wrote about it in my Most Anticipated list, but thankfully they've changed it back to the name of the book on which it's based. Directed by James Franco (The Interview), The Disaster Artist peels back the curtain on the bizarre history of the making of one of the worst films ever made: Tommy Wiseau's The Room. The film looks absolutely hilarious, revealing, and above all, entertaining. Wiseau is such a character in real life (just look him up on YouTube), seeing Franco just become him in these trailers and seeing bits of the behind the scenes antics behind The Room--it's just incredible. And I'm looking forward to it more than Star Wars. Who woulda thunk? The Disaster Artist says "Hai Mark!" on December 1st.

That's my list! What are you looking forward to still, dear reader? Is there anything here you're finding out about for the first time? Think there's a new potential favorite in the cards? Whatever you have to say about me or the movies, comment below!