Top 10 Movies You Should Warm Up To This Chilly Winter

Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever

I chose to start this list off with a bang (at least in my eyes). What can I say? I’m a Marvel kid through and through. Once Hollywood began to figure out how to capture the magic from the page and put it to screen, I was on board. Starting way back with Blade. Now, Chadwick Boseman was a talent like no other. His magnificent star shone in roles as varied as when he portrayed James Brown, to Jackie Robinson, to a Vietnam soldier in Da 5 Bloods. His star never shined more brightly as it did when he encompassed the role of T’Challa in the Black Panther. He was so entwined with that role that you couldn’t imagine it portrayed by anyone else. Thankfully there is a master filmmaker guiding the ship in the sequel, much like he did in the original. Ryan Coogler is a bona fide talent, and his love for Chadwick Boseman is what helped him decide to not recast the part. Now where they go with the sequel remains a mystery. That could follow the lead of the pages and thrust Shuri into the role as the new Black Panther, or if you’ve seen Winston Duke’s Instagram page, he has been getting pretty ripped, some may say he’s in superhero shape. We’ll see. I’m excited for what’s to come, especially since I’ve learned that Sub Mariner has been added to this cinematic spectacle. My vote is an emphatic YES on seeing this in theaters.

Avatar: Way Of The Water

Well, James Cameron seems to be trying to reshape cinema again. He famously resurged the 3D craze back in the aughts with his seminal Avatar. Now, speaking personally I was not a fan. Granted I thought it was beautiful to look at, and what he achieved with technology was mind blowing, but beyond that it wasn’t my cup of tea. It takes more than good looks to impress me. Plus, I was a little jaded when he didn’t cast Michael Biehn in the part of Colonel Quaritch. Can’t win them all right. Anyway, with this sequel we are getting back the indelible Sigourney Weaver as well as the uber talented Zoe Saldana. I’m an avid filmgoer, and this is the man who gave us Aliens and Terminator, so I’ll be shelling out the dough to see this on as big a screen as possible.

The Fabelmans

Spielberg equals spectacle. That is all that needs to be said. I’ll go on a bit more though. This man made the summer blockbuster into reality with ‘Jaws’, and gave us Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan. The list is long and distinguished. I feel this film will be no less than a spectacle. It’s based on his childhood after all. How does that not intrigue you. I’ll be opening day, and I hope to see you with popcorn in hand.

Violent Night

Remember way back when you saw a movie starring Bill Murray called ‘Scrooged’? In that movie there was an action movie starring Lee Majors as Santa Claus. Well, turns out they made that movie. Or at least a hybrid of it. This movie stars David Harbour as a bad**s Santa taking on some terrorists. Sign me up. They got me hook, line, and sinker.

The Whale

Darren Aronofsky and Brendan Fraser. I’m in. Aronofsky has the insane talent of getting remarkable performances out of any actress or actor he’s worked with. Did you see Marlon Wayans in Requiem For A Dream (not saying Marlon Wayans isn’t talented). They have to have to have the goods to begin with, and Aronofsky’s discernible eye is what gets him to acquire the perfect cast in the first place. Brendan Fraser, who has long been deserved of a career resurgence, plays an obese teacher trying to reconnect with his daughter. While it’s already wowed audiences at Cannes I’m sure it’ll have similar effect when it’s released to the masses.

The Woman King

This movie is out now, and I absolutely was floored by it. If you haven’t seen it yet, then you need to quickly amend that. Viola Davis adds to her long and distinguished list of powerhouse performances where she commands the screen like no other, while John Boyega positively eats up the screen with his magnetic energy. It’s a beautifully shot film, and expertly directed by Gina-Prince-Bythewood. She knocked it out of the park with this one, and you’d be doing yourself a great disservice to not see it on the big screen.

Babylon

I’m a stickler for Old Hollywood tales. The mystique of it all. The grandeur of the backlot layouts. It’s all so enticing and romantic. Damien Chazelle is no slouch when it comes to making a movie either. So when you combine those tow elements, then you got me interested. Add in Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt, and it’s safe to say you have a winner. One that my wife and I are very much planning on going to.

Black Adam

Spoiler alert: I already saw it. I loved it. The Rock has proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is simply one of the most charismatic human beings on earth. That shows in every single performance has given to date. He just exudes charisma. Now, as I stated earlier, I’m more of a Marvel kid, but I’ll sit through some DC as well. They did a hell of a job with this one. Great special FX, good supporting characters. Mo Amer especially is a treat as comic relief.  Left a lot of room to world build, so I’m interested to see what comes next. It’s definitely worth a big screen visit though.

Till

This movie came out this weekend, and while we’ve already bookmarked it my wife and I have yet to see it. With great anticipation we plan to though. While the movie is titled Till, one would be mistaken to think it revolves around the horrific lynching of Emmitt Till by his white murderers. Instead, this movie focuses on his mother Mamie-Till Mobley, and how his murder affected her. It focuses more on the love and grief that came after his awful murder was powerful enough to shape the world for multiple generations.

Strange World

I’m a sucker for science fiction movies of yesteryear, and good animation. These two forces have come together to form this movie. I’m in like Flynn. Plus, I have nieces and nephews who are of the age that they love these types of movies. Yeah, that’s the reason I’ll be seeing this on the big screen, well that’s the reason I’ll say at least.