Nerd in the 'Noke

I had originally planned to get this list posted earlier in the month, but as you can tell, that didn't happen.  It's funny how spending the better part of two days shoveling snow sucks the motivation to do anything else right out of you.  There are still a handful of films that have been nominated for this year's Academy Awards that I would like to see, but seeing as though we've already made it to the last day of January, I figure I shouldn't delay my annual Top 10 list any longer! I've compiled such a list four of the past five years, so those of you familiar with the blog may remember the stipulations I use when putting this list together, but for those who are not, here are a couple of quick points before we get started: The list is pulled only from the movies released in 2015  that I actually saw  (a second list comprised of the films from 2015 that I would still like to see appears after my Top 10). These are the films that I  enjoyed or appreciated ...

The Hateful Eight (2015), R, 167 minutes (187 minutes Roadshow 70mm)  - Quentin Tarantino announced this film in late 2013, about a year after he released 2012's  Django Unchained .  Shortly thereafter, the script leaked online and he threatened to cancel the film entirely.  Fortunately for those of us who are fans of his work, he changed his mind after hosting a live reading of the script in Los Angeles and by the end of 2014 had begun production on his eighth feature length film. The Hateful Eight (which is the second western in Tarantino's stable of films) takes place just years after the Civil War on a Wyoming mountain pass leading to Red Rock and finds a colorful bunch of characters holed up at Minnie's Haberdashery while a nasty blizzard blows by.  This bunch includes two bounty hunters - Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and John 'The Hangman' Ruth (Kurt Russell), their bounties - including Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), the new Sh...

Making lists is always fun, but putting together this list every year may take the cake.  The anticipation and hope for wonderful things to come is exciting.  It also makes for a fun list to revisit in the future.  Looking back at some of my previous 'Most Anticipated' entries, I have to wonder now 'what the hell was I thinking?'.  Of course there are also many examples of films that didn't just land on this list, but also found themselves on my year end 'Best of' list as well. This list is compiled from what has already been released to the public.  No doubt there will end up being films that deserved to be on this list that we will learn about in the coming months.  So let's get to it, the films that I'm looking forward to the most this year are: Honorable Mention (in alphabetical order): Ant-Man , Furious 7 , In the Heart of the Sea ,  Mad Max: Fury Road ,  The Martian ,  Minions , Red Army ,  The Revenant , Tomorrowland , ...