So, it may seem like this is coming a bit late given we are already in February but  given that this month is the bad movie dumping ground, I submit that there is still plenty of time and the year doesn’t really start until March anyway. Coming off a great year in 2012 it will be fun to see how this year stacks up. It would be hard not to feel lackluster after the year we just had but 2o13 has some potentially strong offerings in terms of genre and summer movies.  As usual, this is just my opinion and does not reflect or inform about my sexual history or orientation. I’ve included posters and trailers when available. If you agree or disagree, sound off in the comments and share your list of films you are excited about. And with that, the top 1o movies I am looking forward to in 2013.

10. Man of Steel (6/14)

This Zack Snyder reboot is a pretty big question mark for me. We haven’t seen a lot of footage and there isn’t a ton of information about plot specifics so the anticipation here is more about curiosity about how this will turn out. I generally like Snyder and Henry Cavill impressed in the Immortals so I am cautiously optimistic. That being said, after the bungle that was Green Lantern, this is not a sure thing as I am not sure that DC really knows what it wants out of its movies anymore. If they try to shoehorn Superman into the tone of the recent Nolan Batman films I think we are in for some trouble. Only time will tell but I am rooting for it.

9. Evil Dead (4/12)

This is another movie that looks like it could go either way pretty severely. The notion of this remake was met with a great deal of outrage from fans of the original series and given how beloved the original series is, it is hard to argue that it should be messed with. Still, with Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell overseeing the remake and the shift in tone to serious horror (like the original Evil Dead) as opposed to the horror comedy of the later movies, there is serious potential for something great here. The fact that it was given an NC-17 during its first ratings pass speaks to just how far they are trying to go with it. The trailers look promising so far so again, I am cautiously optimistic.

8. Iron Man 3 (5/3)

I am on a bit more solid ground here as the Marvel movies are generally good but Iron Man 2 was probably the weakest of the Phase One films so new to the series director Shane Black has some hurdles to overcome. It looks like this third installment will be more self contained and do less world building. The tone looks a little bit darker than previous installments which could be a problem if they eschew the fun and humor of the character for dark and gritty. Still, given Black’s resume, particularly Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, I have a lot of faith that this will be awesome.

7. The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug (12/13)

Despite the book being artificially stretched to three movies, the first installment was strong and there is nothing to suggest that the second won’t be as well. Smaug was teased in the first movie and this one promises more of the dragon which is exciting. The only real problem with this movie is having to wait until the end of the year to see it.

6. Elysium (8/19)

Neil Blomkamp’s follow up to District 9, Elysium stars Matt Damon and Jodie Foster in a sci-fi film about a future in which the wealthy live in luxury on a space station and the common people are forced to endure an environmentally ruined Earth. Dealing with immigration and the environment, Elysium looks to wrap its science fiction in political and social issues. Judging by what we saw in District 9, Elysium promises to deliver its message with badass special effects, action and heart.

5. Anchorman: the Legend Continues (12/20)

Not a lot of details are known about this sequel aside from it dealing with the advent of the 24 hour news channel but it doesn’t really matter. Anchorman was incredible and given how solid Adam McKay is (if you are into his sort of comedy) I have no worry whatsoever about this installment. Like the Hobbit, the only real problem with this movie is how long the wait is to see it.

 

4. Pacific Rim (7/12)

Giant Robots? Check. Kaiju monsters? Check. Guillermo del Torro? Check. Idris Elba? Check. Charlie Day? Check. Charlie Hunnam? Check. Honestly there is just no downside that I see here. Sure, the trailers haven’t shown much of the giant monsters and giant robots fighting but I trust the talent both in front of the camera and behind it and the concept is badass. I will be shocked if this goes wrong and even if it does, we will probably end up with something hilariously bad like Battleship. Either way, the audience wins.

3.The World’s End (10/25)

The conclusion to the  Blood and Ice Cream trilogy, The World’s End re-teams Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in a comedy about the apocalypse through the lens of a group of friends on an epic bar hop night. Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are both terrific and I have no reason to believe The World’s End will be any different. 2013 is absolutely packed with apocalypse movies but I suspect this will be the best of them.

2. The Place Beyond the Pines (3/29)

Follow up to his debut film Blue Valentine, director Derek Cianfrance also co-wrote this crime drama that finds a stunt motorcycle driver turned bank robber clashing with an ambitious clean cop on the rise in a corrupt department. Sounds like standard cop drama stuff until you look at Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper in the leads and the whole thing becomes much more intriguing. The trailer looks fantastic and at this point I will see pretty much anything Gosling and Cooper are in so I am pretty excited to check this out at the end of March.

1. Much Ado About Nothing (6/7)

Shot in 12 days in black and white and set in modern day, this is Joss Whedon doing one of my favorite Shakespeare plays with actors taken mostly from Whedon’s TV shows. Starring Alexis Densioff and Amy Acker, the film also features Fran Kranz, Clark Gregg, Nathan Fillion, Reed Diamond, Sean Maher, Riki Lindholme and Tom Lenk. I am pretty much down with whatever Joss Whedon does at this point and I am excited to see his take on Shakespeare with this group of actors. I am a little surprised this is a summer release but it doesn’t really matter when this comes out, I am going to be in the theater.

So that is my list of my most anticipated movies of 2013. As mentioned, if you agree or disagree let me know below in the comments with your own lists.