Movies to watch for in 2018

We're in a new year, and that means new movies! As we look forward to what we have to look forward to in 2018, here's 15 movies that I'm excited to see this year. They appear in order of release date, but those are subject to change. Let's just hope none of these get booted to 2019!

Black Panther (Friday, February 16)
About: This is the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it's one that has people talking. And for good reason. Chadwick Boseman debuted his Black Panther character in "Captain America: Civil War," but now we get a full feature focused on him and his home world of Wakanda. The trailers are great, and this looks like it will be something fun and different. I'm excited to see him square off against Michael B. Jordan, too. There's a reason this film has exploded in pre-sale tickets.

A Wrinkle in Time (March 9)
About: Disney has put a big marketing push behind this film, and you can see why. It's based on the popular book, and the cast includes Chris Pine, Reese Witherspoon and Oprah. The trailers look great and this looks like it could be one of the first big films of 2018. Disney has had success in recent years with fairy tale films like "Beauty and the Beast" in this time frame, and I could see this one being a Box Office monster. Plus, the visuals from Ava DuVernay look pretty incredible, too.

Ready Player One (March 30)
About: Based on the novel from Ernest Cline, this film from Steven Spielberg showcases a future where people's only escape from the over crowded and harsh world around them is The Oasis, a simulated game world. The trailer gives you a pretty good feel for some of the incredible visuals and graphics in the film, including plenty of 1980s nostalgia. Being right in that age range, this made perfect sense to me, and will probably appeal most to those between 25 and 45. It also looks like a pretty interesting film with a strong cast. One of the benefits of the traditional blockbuster season expanding into the Spring and Fall is we get movies like this earlier in the year.

A Quiet Place (April 6)
About: John Krasinski is probably best know for playing loveable Jim on "The Office." Here he stars in, co-writes and directs this unique horror thriller about a family trying to survive an intense threat that can find you when you make noise. The cast also includes Krasinski's wife, Emily Blunt, and the trailers have me intrigued. The beauty of the horror genre is that you can get all kinds of different expressions of stories, some surprisingly delightful. That's my hope here.

Avengers: Infinity War (May 4)
About: This is the third "Avengers" film, and the biggest one to date. It will feature all the characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including the Guardians of the Galaxy, coming together to battle Thanos. And Marvel has already said this film and it's companion (due out in 2019) will be the end of the MCU as we know it. That this film comes out on my actual birthday is just icing on the cake!

Deadpool 2 (May 18)
About: Remember what I said about moving release dates? This film was set for June 1 as recently as Wednesday, but that's how quickly things can change. The first "Deadpool," released on Valentine's Day in 2016, was a surprising delight, something unlike all the rest of the many, many superhero films in release. The fact that the film will soon come under the Marvel umbrella makes it easy to wonder what future installments will be like, but for now I'm excited to see how Ryan Reynolds follows up the first film. I think summer is a perfect time for this movie to drop. Just leave the kids at home.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 25)
About: There have been few productions as troubled as this one, which shed directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller in the middle of the shoot. Ron Howard came aboard to finish the film, and it's still slated for a Memorial Day Weekend release.(Though there are rumors it could get bumped to the fall, as the rest of these "Star Wars" films have been December releases.) There's also rumors the film isn't great. But who is to say. Either way, Han Solo remains one of the most iconic characters in pop culture and I can't wait to see what they do with this film.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (June 22)
About: The summer is about big movie spectacles, and it doesn't get any bigger than a "Jurassic Park/World" film. This follow up to "Jurassic World" returns stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in a new adventure. This is the fifth installment in the film franchise, and it's fair to wonder what new ideas are left untapped. Still, "Jurassic World" was such an incredible delight, that I can't wait for chapter two of the summer of Pratt. (He appears in "Avengers: Infinity War" mentioned above.)

Sicario 2: Soldado (June 29)
About: In the fall of 2015, "Sicario" became one of my favorite films of the year, and perhaps the most over looked film of that year. This sequel returns the characters played by Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro, but not Emily Blunt. So I'm curious how that changes things and how it will work without Dennis Villenuve behind the camera, but I thought the trailer was great and I can't wait to dive into this film that comes from returning screenwriter Taylor Sheridan.

Venom (October 5)
About: It's hard to build compelling films around comic book villains. (Just ask the folks involved with "Catwoman.") But seeing a cast that includes Tom Hardy, and a film directed by Ruben Fleischer ("Zombieland") makes me excited. The supporting cast includes Michelle Williams and Woody Harelson, too, so there are all the elements to make this unique and fun.

The Girl in the Spider's Web (October 19)
About: This is an English-language follow up to "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo," but it's not really a sequel. I was one of the few that really loved the David Fincher take on the movie, and loved Rooney Mara in the lead role. None of that cast or director returns for this one, so you're probably wondering why the optimism. It's part curiosity, and part a vote of confidence for Claire Foy, who takes over as Lisbeth Salander. She was incredible as Queen Elizabeth in "The Crown," and I'm curious to see where she goes with this completely different kind of role.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix (November 2)
About: We're used to seeing "X-Men" movies come in the summer, so to see this one in November makes me even more curious about what kind of film they're trying to make. This is another film where the future direction of the franchise seems a bit up-in-the-air given the merger with Disney and Marvel films. I'm interested in seeing Simon Kinberg take the reigns here, especially the passion with which he talks about the Dark Phoenix storyline and wanting to get it right after 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand," which was a major disappointment. Sophie Turner has shown her range and ability in the last few years on "Game of Thrones," and the rest of this new wave X-Men cast is great. I think this has a chance to be a really special film.

Nutcracker and the Four Realms (November 2)
About: I'm just gonna say this now, November 2018 is going to be quite a month for movies and only a few of them are on this list. But November is the place where we really turn our eye to the Christmas holiday, and one of the staples of that is the tale of the Nutcracker. In this new movie we get a great cinematic spin on that tale with a cast that includes Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, and Keira Knightly. The trailer is already out, so we have nearly a year to get hyped!

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (November 16)
About: The first "Fantastic Beasts" movie was such a delightful surprise to me. I enjoyed the "Harry Potter" films, especially the last four, and own them all. But I never considered myself a superfan. And I didn't really feel a burning pull to need to return to that world. But when I saw this film, I instantly got excited about the prospect of being in this world (even if it's really an off-shoot and different tangent) for the next decade. There's been a lot made of Johnny Depp playing the villain, probably moreso since Colin Farrell was so good in the first film. But I trust this filmmaking team and cast, and I'm excited to see the next installment.

Mary Poppins Returns (December 25)
About: How do you top "Mary Poppins?" How do you follow an iconic performance from Julie Andrews? I have no answer as to how either of those things work, but I'm really fascinated to see them try. Emily Blunt assumes the iconic role, and the supporting cast includes Meryl Streep and Lin-Manuel Miranda. This could be really fun.