Coming Soon
by saidiontheside

must see movies of 2023

It seems like every website I go to these days has a list of the most anticipated movies coming in 2023.  Here is my current list – which probably will be changing during the year after I see a new trailer, or read news about a movie, or hear a review of a movie from a friend.  

Also, keep in mind that of the movies I wanted to see in the last quarter of 2022, most of them were just OK.  None of them were really bad but none of them were really good.

(In alphabetical order)

“A Haunting in Venice”

  • Release date: Sept 15
  • The 3rd movie in the modern Hercule Poirot movie series directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh.
  • I actually preferred the 70s versions of “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death on the Nile”, but they never made a movie of this Agatha Christie story so I’m looking forward to seeing this one.

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”

  • Release Date: Feb 17th
  • Action/Adventure/Superhero movie.  The 3rd “Ant-Man” movie.  This one is supposedly has more about the Quantum Realm originally mentioned in the previous movie.
  • I almost always end up seeing EVERY movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and I liked the previous 2 “Ant-Man” movies.

“Borderlands”

  • Release date: TBA (recent news says it’s currently working on some reshoots)
  • Action Adventure based on the hit video game where people search for a mysterious relic.  Cowritten and directed by Eli Roth and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Cate Blanchett, Jack Black, Haley Bennet, and Kevin Hart.
  • Back at Cinema Con 2022, Lionsgate showed a very short teaser trailer for this movie.  A friend of mine says he “can’t wait to see it”.  However, after that the teaser was never released online and Lionsgate never mentioned it or scheduled a release date after that until the very recent news that writer/director Eli Roth is starting to work on his next movie so director Tim Miller (director of the first “Deadpool”) is overseeing some new reshoots.  That could be a good thing or could be a bad thing.

“Elemental”

  • Release date: June 16
  • Animated action adventure about a city where fire, water, land, and air all live together
  • I have liked almost all the Pixar movies and, so far, this summer’s Pixar movie looks like it will be very funny.

“Ferrari”

  • Release date: TBA (possibly October)
  • Biographical drama about the life of sports car maker Enzo Ferrari.  Co-written and directed by Michael Mann and stars Adam Driver, Jack O’Connell, and Shailene Woodley.
  • People say that Michael Mann has been wanting to do this movie for years.  I’m a fan of most of his movies (although I didn’t like his last one – “Blackhat” from 2015)

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”

  • Release date: May 5
  • Action/adventure/Superhero movie.  The 3rd movie in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” series.  The movie is suggesting it could be the end of the Guardians.
  • This will be the final movie that writer/director James Gunn makes for Marvel Studios since he is now the co-head of the DC Studios.  It’s also rumored to be the final movie for some of the characters – Dave Bautista said it will be the final movie for him.  I really enjoyed the previous 2 movies – the holiday special that was on Disney+ last month not so much – so the story will hopefully end well.

“Indiana Jones & The Dial of Destiny”

  • Release date: June 30
  • Indiana Jones returns for one more movie.  The plot is being kept secret so far, but it looks like Phoebe Waller-Bridge is related to him (maybe a goddaughter).
  • Since it will probably be the final Indiana Jones movie PLEASE LET IT BE GOOD, PLEASE LET IT BE GOOD, PLEASE LET IT BE GOOD!!!!  I will forgive the terrible “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” if it’s good.

“The Killer”

  • Release date: TBA (released in limited theaters and then on Netflix – same as his previous movie “Mank”)
  • Based on the French graphic novel about a killer that starts to grow a conscience.  Directed by David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker.  Starring Tilda Swinton and Michael Fassbender.
  • The main thing that has me interested in this movie is that it’s the first time the writer and director have worked together since “Se7en” (1995).  I loved that movie and I hear some good things about this one.

“The Marvels”

  • Release date: July 28
  • Action/Adventure/Superhero movie.  The 3rd Marvel movie coming out in 2023 and the 2nd movie in the Captain Marvel series starring Brie Larson.  This movie also includes Ms. Marvel from the Marvel TV series.
  • I really enjoyed the first “Captain Marvel” movie but I’m a little unsure about this one since it just seems to be adding more characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  I’ll have to wait and see what the storyline will be.

“Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One”

  • Release date: July 14
  • The seventh entry in the Mission Impossible series – and possibly part 1 of the FINAL movie of the series.  By the looks of the trailer, almost everyone who didn’t die in previous movies returns for this one.
  • I have liked almost all the movies in the series (LOVED the first one – didn’t like the 2nd one so much) and it looks like the series is going to end on a high note with part 1 and 2 (part 2 is currently scheduled for 2024).

“No Hard Feelings”

  • Release date: June 23
  • The story hasn’t officially been announced yet but it’s supposedly a raunchy R-rated comedy about a woman who answers a Craigslist ad posted by a mother who wants a woman to date her son before he goes off to college.  It’s cowritten and directed by Gene Stupnitsky and stars Jennifer Lawrence.
  • I’ve heard from 2 different people that this is a VERY FUNNY script.  One person has read the script and the other person knows someone who worked on the movie.  Supposedly, it was on a list of best unproduced scripts a few years ago.  Also, it looks like Sony has high hopes for it scheduling it in the middle of summer close to 4th of July weekend.  The only thing I’m not sure about is it’s supposedly a raunchy R rated comedy.  That would be the first time Jennifer Lawrence stars in one of those.

“Oppenheimer”

  • Release date: July 21
  • Biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer written and directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon.
  • While I haven’t liked some of his scripts, I always see Christopher Nolan movies on a big screen because the cinematography is always great.  Although, I’m not sure if things will be different now that he’s left Warner Bros – who he’s worked with since the Dark Knight trilogy.  

“Quasi”

  • Release date: April 20 (possibly not playing in movie theaters – just on Hulu)
  • A modern adult version of the “Hunchback of Notre Dame” story starring the “Broken Lizard” guys and Adrianne Palicki.
  • The “Broken Lizard” guys who created the very funny “Super Troopers” and “Beerfest” write and direct a new adult comedy version of the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

“Untitled Jon Watts Project”

  • Release date: POSSIBLY in 2023
  • There is no information about the official story, but it’s rumored to be about two “fixers” who both get the same assignment.  It’s directed by Jon Watts and starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt.
  • IMDB still lists the movie as “In development” but Apple Studios acquired the movie back in Sept 2021 (right before “Spider-Man No Way Home” – directed by Jon Watts – was released) and there are a couple websites that say the movie started filming in the summer of 2022.  Apple doesn’t announce its movie releases far in advance like the studios do so this movie may or may not come out in 2023.

“Wonka”

  • Release date: Dec 15
  • The prequel to the Willy Wonka movie featuring a young Willy Wonka played by Timothee Chalamet.  
  • I’m not really sure that a prequel to Willy Wonka is needed or wanted but it’s directed by Paul King who directed the very fun “Paddington” movies.  So, I have this on my list of movies to see for now.

As far as other movies that are listed on other lists:

  • “Scream 6”, “Creed 3”, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts“, “The Flash”, “Blue Beetle”, “Dune Part 2”, “Fast X”, “Shazam: Fury of the Gods”, “Dune: Part 2”, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”.  As of right now, these are all probably a no for me.  I didn’t like the previous movies for most of these sequels.
  • “John Wick: Chapter 4”, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”, “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Martin Scorsese’s upcoming movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio), “Blue Beetle”, “Barbie”, “The Little Mermaid”.  I need more information about these movies.  They are movies that might be added to the list later this year.