For those of you who don’t know, I’m a huge movie nerd. Coming from a family of actors, my obsession started when I was young.
The past year and a half has been an odd time for cinema because of COVID-19, several projects have pushed their initial release dates back to wait the pandemic out and ensure people will be able to go see the film in person. These last few months of 2021 should be a great movie season, with more then a few blockbusters set to come out before the calendar year ends.
With that being said, here’s my top three movies to watch for before the new year:
The Matrix 4: Resurrections
Yeah, this is actually happening.
It’s been 18 years since the third installment of the science fiction dystopian series hit theatres, so to see a reboot announced to be hitting theatres on Dec. 22, it was quite a surprise. Now, the first Matrix movie was a huge hit and for good reason. The action-packed, creepy, intense film was unlike anything that had ever been made. It also has one of the best fight scenes ever, complete with kung fu and slow motion bullet dodging.
The second and third Matrix movies were underwhelming, but full disclosure, I’m all in for the fourth after seeing the recent trailer for the film, which looks incredible. Series star Keanu Reeves who plays Neo is back and looking old and disheveled, also making a return is Carrie-Anne Moss, who plays Neo’s lover Trinity. One change is there’s a new, younger Morpheus, as the original actor Lawrence Fishburne is too old now, so that will be interesting how they explain the younger version.
Is The Matrix 4 going to be an artistic masterpiece? absolutely not. Is it sure to provide face-melting entertainment? you bet.
007: No Time to Die
The fifth installment of Daniel Craig’s portrayal of James Bond is finally here, set to premiere on Oct. 8 in North America after being postponed due to COVID-19. Craig has said this will be his final Bond movie, so this is your last chance to see the British heartthrob drive around in Aston Martins and beat the snot out of bad guys all without crinkling his suit.
What’s to say about this one other then it’s a lock to at the very least be entertaining and action packed. Rami Malek is the new villain, which is a very intriguing choice. In the trailers, it looks like Bond will also be crossing paths with some of the former foes he’s vanquished in previous movies as well, like Christoph Waltz from Spectre. Also making a return is Bond’s love interest Dr. Madeleine Swann, played by stunning french actress Léa Seydoux. Not to mention, the new theme song is written and performed by music superstar Billie Eilish.
Out of the four previous Daniel Craig Bond films, Casino Royal was a masterpiece, Skyfall was great, Spectre was good, and Quantum of Solace was a complete stinker. This fifth and final movie in the series could very well top all of them.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Admittedly, I’ve never cared for the Tom Holland Spider-man reboot series, but this movie looks awesome. The premise is that Peter Parker’s identity has now been compromised, so he goes to fellow Marvel Universe super hero Dr. Strange for help. Strange casts a spell that makes everyone forget Parker is Spider-man, but the spell goes wrong and creates a multiverse that brings back some of Spidey’s old enemies from previous Spider-man iterations. The most shocking reveal of the trailer is that Doctor Octopus, played by Alfred Molina from the Tobey Maguire series is back. That right there is reason enough to see this movie.
Like most of the Marvel movies, the plot is a little bit out there and far fetched, but hey, it’s a comic movie so there has to be some suspension of disbelief.
I found the first two movies in this reboot very underwhelming, but here’s hoping this new one premiering on Dec. 17 is everything spidey fans want.