Jay's Top Ten Most Anticipated Movies of 2018

There are a lot of intriguing movies coming out in 2018. These are the ones I'm most interested in.

 Honorable Mentions:  Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse, Ocean's 8, A Wrinkle in Time, Aquaman, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-it Ralph 2, A Quiet Place, The New Mutants, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom, Venom (out of curiosity)

10. Annhilation
Trailer
The director of Ex Machina adapting a popular science fiction novel. It follows a group of scientists including Natalie Portman who go on a dangerous mission to explore an area where the rules of physics do not apply. The trailer looks creepy and intense.

9. Untitled Cloverfield Sequel
This was also an honorable mention in last years list. It's release has since been moved to next year. But if it is as good as 10 Cloverfield Lane or even the original Cloverfield, it should be a treat.

8. The Predator
A remake of the action-horror classic. This is written and directed by Shane Black, the highly influential writer of hits such as Lethal Weapon, and was even an actor in the original Predator. I am very interested in his take on his this movie.

7. Black Panther

 Chadwick Boseman reprises his role from Captain America: Civil War as Black Panther. I really liked the character, and am interested in seeing more of him.

6. Untitled Deadpool Sequel

 Deadpool was the filthy, violent surprise hit superhero film of 2016. The teasers for the sequel promise more of the outrageous humor that made the first so entertaining.

5. Isle of Dogs

The next stop-motion animated movie from Wes Anderson, starring too many celebrities to list here. The story takes place in Japan in the future where all dogs are quarantined to an island, and some of them help a young boy find his own dog. This looks like it will maintain the quirky charm of Anderson's last animated movie, The Fantastic Mr Fox.

4. Pacific Rim: Uprising

The long awaited sequel to Guillermo del Toro's monster movie. This one may not have the same director, but it should still have the same great action sequences.

3. The Incredibles 2

If Pacific Rim: Uprising was long-awaited, then this is the movie we've been waiting for forever. It has been fourteen years since the original The Incredibles, and I am eagerly awaiting the sequel.

2. Avengers: Infinity War

This is part one of a two part conclusion to this phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. These movies are supposed to be the be-all-end-all of this franchise, and things will happen that will change this franchise. It will also bring all of the heroes together for one big, exciting movie event.

1. The Irishman
 I actually did not know about this movie until I did the research for this list, but now I'm really excited for it. It is directed by none other than the great Martin Scorsese, and follows a hitman who may have killed Jimmy Hoffa. It stars Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. The reason this is at the top is because it's another gangster movie from Martin Scorsese, one of the greatest directors working today.

Quick Thoughts on Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Since it is around Christmastime and I have family plans, I do not think I can write a full review of this movie. However, I will say that I enjoyed it. Though it has its flaws, I still think it was a very fun and emotional blockbuster. I'll be back sometime before New Years with my Most and Least Anticipated of 2018 list.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Jim and Andy: The Great Beyond Review

Directed by: Chris Smith (American Movie, The Pool, American Job)

Plot: Released on Netflix. A documentary on the filming of the movie Man on the Moon, which featured Jim Carrey playing his hero, legendary comedian, Andy Kaufman.

Review: This is an interesting documentary that shines light on both the lives of Carrey and Kaufman.
It features never-before-seen footage from behind the scenes, where Jim Carrey never broke character. This footage was withheld by Universal, because they thought it would make him look like a jerk. And there are several moments where that is true, with the lengths that he went to keep in character. But, whether or not you like Carrey, you still have to appreciate the lengths he went to portray this character.
It also features interviews with Carrey himself, in which he goes in depth about Andy Kaufman and his own life. These interviews give depth into both of these characters, and show how Jim was so attracted to Andy.
This is an interesting show business documentary that shows the lengths of method acting, and goes into the lives of two eccentric comedians.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Disaster Artist Review

Directed by: James Franco (Good Time Max, Child of God, In Dubious Battle)

Starring: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen

Written by: Scott Neustadter and Michael H Weber (500 Days of Summer, The Spectacular Now, The Fault in our Stars) Based on the memoir by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissel)
 
Released: In theaters

Plot: The story of the making of The Room, a film that is widely known as one of the best so-bad-it's-good movies of all time.

Review:  I have read the book that this movie is based on very recently, so it was fresh in my mind when I saw the movie. The movie is not nearly as interesting as the book, but it is still a funny movie.
James Franco does an outstanding job portraying the mastermind behind The Room, Tommy Wiseau. He nails every aspect of his personality. He is an extremely bizarre person, but he always seems like a sympathetic character. There was many times I laughed at him, but I legitimately cared about his character
It is clear that this was made by fans of The Room, who respect Wiseau and his movie. They went into great detail recreating the set, which shows at the end, when they show recreations of scenes from the movie. They are shown side-by-side with the actual scenes to show that they are almost exactly identical.
The Disaster Artist is a funny biopic, with a great lead performance. Even though it doesn't live up to the potential of the book, and the ending scene is pretty cheesy, this is otherwise a decently written, entertaining film.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars