It is almost time! 2021 is coming to a close, and as we look back and reflect on the year, it has been much better than 2020. Movie-wise, we've gotten a lot more films. Most of them have been decent, not great, but we do have the select few that are awesome and the select few that suck. December is an exciting month, mainly because we get to see Doctor Strange and Peter Parker unleash multiverse hell upon the MCU, but there are some cool releases in January and February. Just a PSA: I will be taking a week and a half off in the first week of January. I may have one or two posts in between New Year's and Scream, but I need a little bit of a break from the blog at the beginning of the year. Anyways, here are the upcoming releases for the 2021/2022 winter that you can look forward to.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid / West Side Story / Spider-Man: No Way Home / Nightmare Alley / The Matrix Resurrections / Sing 2 / The King's Man / American Underdog / The Tragedy of Macbeth / Scream / Morbius / Moonfall / The Black Phone / Death on the Nile / Uncharted / Ambulance
The Expanse (Season 6) / The Witcher (Season 2) / The Book of Boba Fett / Cobra Kai (Season 4) / Peacemaker / Better Call Saul (Season 6)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
I am not a fan of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series or the live-action movies. So I am not looking forward to this movie. I saw the trailer and the animation looked garbage. They tried to copy the style of the book, but it doesn't look right. I might check it out just because it's going straight to Disney+ and it's under an hour long, but I do not expect to like it at all.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid hits Disney+ on December 3.
West Side Story
I don't like the 1961 adaptation of West Side Story. I wouldn't be excited for this movie either if it wasn't directed by Steven Spielberg. That gives me hope. I've dug the trailers so far. I think that this could be a really good movie. It's definitely an Oscar hopeful movie. We'll see. West Side Story is not my favorite musical, but I think that Spielberg can work his magic and make this a good film.
West Side Story is released exclusively to theaters on December 10.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Even before they announced that Doctor Octopus and all the other villains would be returning, No Way Home was one of my most anticipated movies of 2021. When it was called Spider-Man 3 and we knew nothing about it, I was still super excited for it. But the trailer blew me out of the water and I am beyond excited for this movie. We have five (possibly six) villains returning. It's going to be a wonderful two hours and forty minutes. I cannot wait to see where they end off Tom Holland's Spider-Man. And we finally get to explore the multiverse in film. This movie is gonna be amazing.
Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters on December 17.
Nightmare Alley
For those of you who don't know, Guillermo del Toro is a critically acclaimed director who has directed some really screwed up movies. His newest, Nightmare Alley, is a noir psychological thriller starring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Colette, Rooney Mara, Willem Dafoe, and even more famous actors. The trailers gave me a very creepy vibe, which is exactly what I'm looking for. I don't know when I will be able to see Nightmare Alley, but I really want to.
Nightmare Alley hits theaters on December 17.
The Matrix Resurrections
Yes. There is going to be a fourth Matrix movie. The Matrix is a landmark in science fiction movies, with it's unique, inventive style and tributes to sci-fi, fantasy, martial arts, anime, comic books, etc. I haven't seen Reloaded and Revolutions, but everyone hates them. So far, though, I have dug the marketing for The Matrix Resurrections. It looks like Lana Wachowski may have been able to capture the magic of the first Matrix again. I don't think this film will be good, but I think it will be a fun time at the movies.
The Matrix Resurrections hits theaters and drops on HBO Max on December 22.
Sing 2
I loved the first Sing. But it also didn't need a sequel. The trailers for this movie sucked and, besides the fun returning cast plus the addition of a few new cast members, this movie has nothing going for it. It premiered at AFI Fest on November 14, and it currently holds around a 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is genuinely surprising. I don't think I will check this movie out in theaters, but maybe once it comes on streaming, I'll see it.
Sing 2 is in theaters on December 22.
The King's Man
I've never seen any of the Kingsman movies. I think The King's Man is a prequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service, but I don't really know if I am being completely honest. I love Ralph Fiennes, and spy movies are always a good deal of fun, but I'm not really going out of my way to see this movie. If you are a Kingsman fan, I hope you enjoy this movie. But I will not be checking it out.
The King's Man hits theaters on December 22.
American Underdog
Starring Zachary Levi, American Underdog tells the story of Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner. For those of you who don't know, Warner was an undrafted rookie that eventually led the Rams to a Super Bowl and, later in his career, the Cardinals. This is a very good idea for a sports movie. Warner is a super interesting football story, and I love Zachary Levi, so I might watch this one if I can squeeze it in.
I don't know why Lionsgate is doing this, but American Underdog drops in theaters on Christmas Day, December 25.
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Now, 99% of people my age would not be interested in an A24 film about Macbeth that's directed by one of the Coen Brothers. Even that doesn't sound like me. But the trailer for this movie (or all three of the trailers, I guess) had me absolutely speechless. This looks like an absolute cinematic masterpiece. I love Denzel Washington. I like Joel Coen. And Macbeth is my personal favorite Shakespeare story. I think that this movie will win Best Picture. And I will definitely be checking it out.
The Tragedy of Macbeth has a limited theatrical release on December 25. It will be streaming on Apple TV+ on January 14.
Scream
The first movie that I will be seeing in 2022 is none other than Scream. The original Scream is one of the most important and iconic horror films ever made. And, after a ten-year drought with no Ghostface and no Sidney Prescott, Neve Campbell is finally returning to the big screen. The trailer for this movie looks like it goes back to the roots of the franchise, while introducing new characters that can carry the franchise when Sidney, Dewey, and Gale eventually bite the dust. I am very excited for this movie. And I will be checking it out on opening weekend (If I can).
Scream hits theaters on January 14.
Morbius
I really liked the first trailer for Morbius, mainly because it showed Vulture at the end, somewhat confirming that Sony's Marvel Universe ties into the MCU. With all the craziness surrounding No Way Home, though, that is kind of old news. The second trailer did not do it for me, so I don't have big expectations for this movie. Of course, I will see it. But I really can't say I'm looking forward to it.
Morbius is in theaters on January 28.
Moonfall
Moonfall is a sci-fi disaster film with Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson. As the title indicates, this is a movie about the moon heading toward Earth and threatening to destroy it. It sounds as stupid as it probably will be. I haven't watched the trailer, but I'm sure that this is going to be a fun popcorn movie that will abandon logic and have no interesting characters.
Moonfall hits theaters on February 4.
The Black Phone
I had heard about The Black Phone and I was intrigued. Directed by Scott Derrickson of Doctor Strange and Sinister, this is a supernatural horror film starring Ethan Hawke as "The Grabber". It looks scary as all hell. Ethan Hawke terrifies in this devil-ish mask. The concept is very interesting. A kid has to escape from The Grabber and receives help from the ghosts of The Grabber's prior victims. The trailer was sick. I'm hyped for this film.
The Black Phone hits theaters on February 4.
Death on the Nile
So, Death on the Nile. This movie was supposed to come out in October of 2020. Then it got delayed a billion times, and we are finally getting it in February. An all-star cast stars in the adaptation of Agatha Christie's classic murder mystery. Kenneth Branagh is very good at adapting older, British stories, including Christie novels and Shakespeare plays, so I think this film has a lot of potential...but the trailers looked pretty bad, so I don't exactly now what to expect.
Death on the Nile is in theaters on February 11.
Uncharted
Based on the popular video game series, Uncharted sees Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg star in an action-adventure film that seems like it is set before the games take place. Nathan Drake is much younger in this movie. I'm not a big Uncharted fan, so I don't really care about this movie. Video game movies almost always suck. I like Holland and Wahlberg a lot, but the trailer for this movie was booty. I probably won't see it unless people say it's good. I did say that about Mortal Kombat last year, and ended up watching it, so there's always a chance, but not a likely one at that.
Uncharted is in theaters on February 18.
Ambulance
The last movie of the winter season is Ambulance. This is an action movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, two actors that I am very fond of. The reason I refuse to watch this movie is because it is directed by Michael Bay, and I hate him. His movies are all big, loud CGI explosions that make your brain melt. I cannot stand his films. I do not think I will be able to pull myself together and watch this movie. It's just not possible.
Ambulance explodes into theaters on February 18.
The Expanse (Season 6)
The Expanse is a sci-fi TV show that seems pretty cool. It sounds like it's a more mature sci-fi story, like Dune, and I think that's cool. I've never heard of it until doing research for this preview. And, since they are in the sixth season, I won't be watching it, but if you are a sci-fi fan and currently don't have any shows you are binging, The Expanse is on Amazon Prime.
Season six of The Expanse premieres on Amazon Prime Video on December 10.
The Witcher (Season 2)
The Witcher is the highest of high fantasy. My uncle has suggested countless times that I watch this show, and I just haven't gotten around to it. I do not like Henry Cavill, but high fantasy like Lord of the Rings is cool. It sounds like an epic, heavy, fun TV show that I would enjoy. When I get around to it, I'm sure I'll like it.
Season two of The Witcher premieres on Netflix on December 17.
The Book of Boba Fett
In the post-credits of The Mandalorian season two, this show was announced. And I am not looking forward to it. Boba Fett is a character that the less we know about him, the better. He's super cool in the original trilogy, and seemingly dies off, but he returns in The Mandalorian...which I guess was okay, but then when you give him his own spin-off show, I just can't get on board with it. Of course, I will watch this show. But I am frustrated by its existence.
The Book of Boba Fett drops on Disney+ on December 29.
Cobra Kai (Season 4)
This is one that I am actually pretty excited for. I'm not a huge Cobra Kai fan, but the finale of the third season was cool. And I like that they are bringing back Terry Silver. I want to see how Daniel and Johnny work together. I don't think Cobra Kai can go on for very much longer, as it is mostly a cheese-fest about rival karate schools, but the fourth season will be a good bit of fun.
Season four of Cobra Kai is on Netflix on December 31.
Peacemaker
I really dug The Suicide Squad, so I'm excited to see where they take John Cena's character. He was one of the more interesting characters inside of that movie. He's betrayal in the back half of the film hurt, but before that, he was a really funny and entertaining character. Hopefully they can capture both sides of him in this show: the funny and the more emotional side. John Cena is an absolute goofball, but he fits inside of this whack job of a role. I'm pumped for this show. James Gunn wrote it, so it has to be good.
Peacemaker hits HBO Max on January 13.
Better Call Saul (Season 6)
For those of you who don't know, Breaking Bad is one of my favorite shows. And I will get around to Better Call Saul. I just haven't yet. Saul Goodman is a fantastic character, and I'm sure season six will bring in more familiar faces that make the show exciting. Obviously, nobody compares Better Call Saul to Breaking Bad, but the show has still received critical acclaim, so I will watch it at some point. I don't know when that will be, but it will hopefully be soon. The producers have confirmed that this is the final season, so Breaking Bad fans will have to go without any Walter White, Saul Goodman, Jesse Pinkman, or Gus Fring for a few more years after this.
Season six of Better Call Saul is expected to debut in early 2022 on AMC.