Top 5 Movies To Look Forward To For The Second Half Of 2017

At the beginning of the year I came up withfive movies to look forward to for the first half of the year, and I would say four out of the five movies turned out to be good (stupid Baywatch). So here are five for the second half of the year; there are a lot of other interesting choices, too, but you have to cut the list somewhere.

 Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7
 

Okay, perhaps you are sick of Spider-Man movies. That's fair. Andrew Garfield did no favors to the franchise. But did you see Civil War? Arguably the best part of a great movie was the young Tom Holland as the new Spider-Man. It's nice to see a young guy playing the teenage version of Peter Parker. Marvel has been the most successful studio in Hollywood and this has all the makings of an upbeat, funny Marvel movie. And that doesn't even take into consideration the fact that Michael Keaton, who has been amazing lately, is playing The Vulture, a villain we should have seen three movies ago. We probably don't need a sixth Spider-Man movie over the past two decades, but this one feels right.

Dunkirk (July 21)

Say what you will about Interstellar. Tell me you didn't like Inception. Christopher Nolan is still one of my favorite directors out there and I would follow him into whatever hellscape Dunkirk is. This is a World War II story and takes place in England. I don't know much about the real-life events off which this story is based; I do know that a bunch of great British actors are in the movie, including Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, and the dreamiest One Directioner of them all: Harry Styles. The movie is filmed entirely on IMAX cameras, and Christopher Nolan is the king of big-time IMAX movie-making. The best part about the story is that because it's based on true events, there shouldn't be any unnecessary twists. This has all the makings to be one of my favorite movies of the year.

Baby Driver (August 11)

I actually don't know too much about Baby Driver beyond the fact that Edgar Wright is directing. I also know that every critic that has seen it has liked it, which is why the movie currently sits at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Edgar Wright has a great track record for making both funny and action-packed movies. And with a cast like Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, and Kevin Spacey, I think this movie will be a lot of fun to watch.

Ferdinand (December 15)

I was going to put the new Pixar movie Coco on this list due in part to the fact that it's a new Pixar movie and it's being directed by the same people who directed Toy Story 3. I know full well I will probably wind up bawling my eyes out while watching the movie. However, that's not the animated movie I'm most excited for. I'm excited to see Ferdinand. Based on the childhood book of the same name, it's about a bull who just wants to pick flowers. This is a heartwarming story that every parent should read to their kids. I love that John Cena is playing the bull; I believe he could be one of the next great comedic/action actors out there. If that wasn't enough, the movie's trailer is set to Ed Sheeran's “Castle on the Hill.” So now whenever I hear that song on the radio (which is a lot) I think of this movie, which probably says something about how excited I am. But the fact that it is coming out the same day as the next movie on this list makes me worried that the studio is burying Ferdinand.

Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (December 15)

I wasn't a huge fan of the Rogue One, but apparently, I was the only one. I did, however, love Episode VII and will watch it anytime it comes on Starz. If this series follows the trajectory of the original that should mean this eighth installment will be both better and darker than part one in the trilogy. While I do wish J.J. Abrams was returning to direct this movie, I love the director they have in Rain Johnson. He's the same guy who did Brick and Looper. Just take my money now and add it to what I assume will be another billion dollar movie for the Star Wars franchise.