It’s a New Year and that means one thing to us at The Movie Mensch… a twelve month calendar slate full of potential for full-on cinematic enjoyment. With hundreds of titles come at us, it’s hard to say which ones have us most exited. Lucky for you, we went through the entire movie year and have narrowed down a long list of flicks to nifty nineteen films that you should put in pen on your own movie calendars.
We recently revealed our top 15 of 2015, who could make our list in 2016? Look no further, here are the contenders…
Kung Fu Panda 3
January 29
Jack Black is back as Po and this time out, he might just find his long lost father. Oh, and he also has to train a sanctuary of fellow pandas in the art of martial arts as they are threatened by an evil force that wants to see them destroyed.
Hey, if Po can be fierce, so can all the Pandas, right?!
Deadpool
February 12
Ryan Reynolds stars as the Merc with a Mouth as one of the more underrated and wickedly humorous Marvel superheroes gets their own movie.
When test footage leaked featuring Reynolds as Deadpool, the internet almost exploded. Soon after, Fox greenlit the movie and now, thanks to that Deadpool red band trailer, expectations could not be higher. Reynolds surely has his own franchise. The self-aware humor is all over this thing, he even makes fun of The Green Lantern.
Zootopia
March 4
As soon as we left the Disney lot and visited with the filmmakers of Zootopia, we knew they had crafted something truly special. One of the scenes we saw was so funny, that it became the crux of the entire Zootopia trailer… who knew sloths could be so hilarious?!
Imagine a world where humans do not exist and the city on the hill is Zootopia where all animals live in harmony. For the few that stray from the straight and narrow, there is the Zootopia police department and Ginnifer Goodwin voices a bunny rabbit who is trying to make her name on the force. To crack her first case (a kidnapping!), she will need the help of a con man (a fox voiced by Jason Bateman).
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
March 25
Henry Cavil is back as Superman/Clark Kent! Ben Affleck debuts as Bruce Wayne/Batman! Gal Gadot makes her first appearance as Wonder Woman and the Justice League is born when Jason Momoa appears as Aquaman. But, what about the story?
After Superman trashed Metropolis in Man of Steel, he has had to answer for his actions. One who didn’t care for the alien/hero is Affleck’s Wayne. He decides, as his super alter ego, to put an end to the Krypton native in a battle royale that is sure to shake up things in the Metropolis/Gotham rivalry.
The Jungle Book
April 15
Did you see that The Jungle Book trailer? My goodness, how awesome was that?!
Jon Favreau directs the live action update of the Disney classic and with a cast that includes Bill Murray, Christopher Walken, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Kingsley and Idris Elba, the classic tale of the boy who grew up in the jungle is going to be told with the best of the best.
Captain America: Civil War
May 6
It’s on! The split in The Avengers will truly start when Captain America and Iron Man do battle as they disagree over the future of superheroes on the planet earth. Well, and there’s that whole Bucky thing that has them not seeing eye-to-eye.
What else is to love about the third Cap film? How about the debut of Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther? That Captain America: Civil War trailer was one of the best of 2015, we suspect the entire film will be one of the best of 2016.
X-Men: Apocalypse
May 27
After blowing our minds with X-Men: First Class and then X-Men: Days of Future Past, the team behind the X-Men franchise are on a roll and with Bryan Singer once again behind the camera, reprising his role from Days of Future Past, this 80s set tale will surely blow our minds further.
Oscar Isaac (fresh from his work as Poe in Star Wars: The Force Awakens) turns villain with his turn as the title role and a slew of fresh face Mutants will make their debut including some new actors playing younger versions of some of our favorites (Storm!). Of course Jennifer Lawrence is back as Mystique, Michael Fassbender returns as Magneto and James McAvoy reprises his brilliant role as Professor X.
Finding Dory
June 17
One of our favorite aspects of Finding Nemo was Ellen DeGeneres’ turn as Dory and now she’s getting her own movie!
This time out — in Finding Dory — Nemo and his father have to help their forgetful friend as she tries to find her parents and retrace her linage in the latest underwater adventure from the brilliant artists as Pixar.
Independence Day: Resurgence
June 24
The sequel we didn’t know we wanted has leapt onto the most-anticipated list the moment we finished watching that first Independence Day: Resurgence trailer.
Jeff Goldblum returns, as does Bill Pullman as we have learned that our invaders are returning to finish what they started 20 years ago. Joining the cast is Liam Hemsworth, but missing is Will Smith. We have a feeling our heroes will be just fine without him. It hasn’t changed our eagerness to witness the long-in-the-making sequel.
The BFG
July 1
Steven Spielberg and Walt Disney Pictures joining forces on bringing the classic Roald Dahl book to life? What’s not to love?!
The Big Friendly Giant has his hands full with a little girl named Sophie in a tale that imagines what would happen if an army of angry giants decide to wage war on the human world. Right in all those involved behind the camera’s wheelhouse, no?!
The Secret Life of Pets
July 8
For anyone who has ever had a pet or even known anyone with a pet, this animated feature quickly became one of 2016’s most talked about when The Secret Life of Pets teaser trailer debuted earlier in 2015.
What do our pets do when we’re gone? That question will be answered in July.
Ghostbusters
July 15
Paul Feig reunites with his Bridesmaids stars Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy in an all-female remake of one of the most beloved sci-fi comedies of all time (with Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones filling out the foursome).
We can’t think of a more clever way to update this franchise that fans have been screaming more from since Bill Murray and his gang of Ghostbusters exclaimed that they weren’t afraid of no ghost in the 80s.
Star Trek Beyond
July 22
We love director Justin Lin and couldn’t have been more excited with the news that he was taking over the helming duties on the Star Trek franchise. Add the fact that our favorite crew of the Enterprise was finally in a position with the rebooted series to “go where no (hu)man has gone before” and this thing should truly kick ass when it lands mid-summer.
Idris Elba as an alien baddie in a film from a Simon Pegg script? All the better…
Untitled Jason Bourne Movie
July 29
We have no idea what it will be about. We have no idea how the latest Bourne film will incorporate what Jeremy Renner did with the fourth film. Yet, we don’t care.
Ladies and gentlemen, Matt Damon is back as Jason Bourne and that’s all we need to know. Oh, and Damon’s favorite Bourne director, Paul Greengrass, is back too.
Suicide Squad
August 5
We were intrigued simply by the casting of Jared Leto as The Joker. But, then we saw the Suicide Squad trailer from director David Ayers (another favorite helmer of The Movie Mensch). “Wow,” was simply the first words out of our mouth upon watching the destined to be a classic teaser.
Will Smith, Margot Robbie and Jai Courtney are just a few of the DC Comic bad guys who are teamed up to do some good in the late summer release. Is it summer yet?
The Magnificent Seven
September 23
Speaking of directors who take our money for their films as soon as their name is attached to something, Antoine Fuqua directs a remake of The Magnificent Seven that not only reunites him with Denzel Washington, but gives us our third straight year with a Chris Pratt starring film that is a must-see.
Doctor Strange
November 4
Talk about perfect casting! Benedict Cumberbatch starring as Doctor Strange in the latest from Marvel, what’s not to like?
The comic book studio heads into the realm of sorcery and the supernatural with this flick and we could not be more excited.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
November 18
A Harry Potter prequel… that’s all we need to know.
Toss in the fact that JK Rowling is penning the script for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Warner Bros. has surely got themselves another magical franchise.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
December 16
Ever wondered how exactly those rebels got their hands on the Death Star plans that wound up with Princess Leia and her resistance fighters in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope? Now, we’ll find out.
The first of the Star Wars so-called stand-alone movies lands in the same weekend that Star Wars: The Force Awakens and if it isn’t the most anticipated movie of 2016, it surely is right near the top.