In our recent New Year’s megapost we listed things that the Gabbing Geek crew were anticipating to in 2017.  We covered quite a bit, and there is no way we could cover every film, tv show, book, video game, comic, etc. that is scheduled to come out in the next 12 months.  That said, here are a few things that we would like to add that we missed the first go round.

Film

Dunkirk

What is it?  Christopher Nolan’s super secretive World War II film.

Why we’re excited:  That Christopher Nolan, he makes a lot of good movies.  Momento.  Inception.  The Dark Knight.  A master storyteller and director, Nolan tackles his first epic war film.

Why we’re wary:  Are we?  I’d point to The Dark Knight Rises as a point of concern, but I’m sure Ryan would disagree.  Plus that is the outlier in a super hero trilogy.

Tom says:  How in the name of any deity in the multiverse did I forget Nolan’s new movie comes out this summer?  A large cast, epic in scope given its the evacuation of Dunkirk, and what will probably be a somber war movie artfully directed, this is something I know I’ll be enjoying on my own.

Transformers: The Last Knight

What is it?  Transformers movie number 5 by Michael Bay.

Why we’re excited:  Are we?

Why we’re wary:  Have you seen Transformers: Age of Extinction?  If you have, I’m sorry.  If not, please don’t.

Tom says:  Here’s an experiment:  explain the concept of all things Transformers without sounding like an idiot.  If you can pull that off, maybe you should be in the movie because as ridiculous as, say, superheroes can be, at least they make more sense than living robots that turn into cars fighting each other for some reason.  I was a huge fan of these guys once…you know, when I was 12.

xXx: The Return of Xander Cage

What is it?  After 15 years, Vin Diesel returns to the role of xXx.

Why we’re excited:  The trailers look kinda cool and over the top and this is a Fast and Furious spin-off right?

Why we’re wary:  Who asked for this?  In a time when everything old is new again, xXx is back.  The original was a modest success, but even Vin never came back for the Ice Cube lead sequel.

Tom says:  So, who’s more desperate here?  Vin Diesel for a non-Fast and the Furious hit, or the producers of the xXx franchise for wanting another hit?

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

What is it?  The final film in the Resident Evil, uh, double trilogy?  No, that’s not right.  Hexology?  It’s the 6th one.

Why we’re excited:  I claim to be a big Resident Evil fan, but like the games, I don’t think I’ve seen any of the later sequels.  But I’m always excited to hear they are making more of both.  If I ever catch up on the rest of the films, I’ll be looking forward to this.

Why we’re wary:  The films are action-horror popcorn fun not to be taken too seriously.  Which also means they can quite easily be really not very good at all.

Tom says:  To quote my father, “I can’t wait to miss this!”

Flatliners

What is it?  A remake sequel to the 1990 hit of the same name.

Why we’re excited:  Flatliners was a great little thriller with an excellent cast.  Unfortunately it looks like only Kiefer Sutherland will reprise his role.  And that Ellen Page, she sure can act, but…

Why we’re wary:  …can Ellen Page open a movie?  Juno would say yes.  The rest of her filmography would say no.  And you thought a sequel after 15 years for xXx was a stretch.

Tom says:  I missed the original way back when, but you mean to tell me they couldn’t get Oliver Platt back?  Or whichever non-Alec Baldwin was in that one?  Or Julia Roberts’ 90s big hair?  If that image is Page’s look for the film, I will say they got her looking right for a person who decides to try dying and coming back multiple times.

TV

Star Trek: Discovery

What is it?  The first new Star Trek TV show since Enterprise went off the air 12 years ago.

Why we’re excited:  See “What is it?”

Why we’re wary:  I generally didn’t mind Enterprise.  Or Voyager for that matter.  But there really hasn’t been a great Star Trek series since Deep Space Nine ended in 1999.  And are we tired of prequels yet?  And have we moved on from the none JJ Abrams, i.e. the Original Series timeline?  Also, the decision to stream this show on All Access doesn’t seem like it will help draw an audience.

Tom says:  I do enjoy some good Star Trek, and love the work of Doug Jones, but that’s not enough to convince me to pay for a streaming service based off a network that’s free to view anyway.

Inhumans

What is it?  Marvel’s Inhumans movie is (probably) cancelled to make way for this new series in the fall of 2017.

Why we’re excited:   Oh, did I mention the show will debut on IMAX screens? 

Why we’re wary:  Shooting the first two episodes with IMAX cameras and debuting them at your local discoplex is a great hook…but that’s about it for me.  Marvel, just stop trying to make Inhumans a thing.  They’ll never be the X-Men, no matter how hard you try.  And I pretty much stopped watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. when all the Inhumans showed up, if that means anything.

Tom says:  The Inhumans?  Marvel is still trying to make them a thing.  For me, I want to know if this will be closer to the Neflix stuff I like or the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. stuff that bored me enough to stop watching after season one.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

What is it?  Larry David’s “what if George was the lead in Seinfeld?” sitcom.

Why we’re excited:  I think Curb may be an acquired taste to some, but it is such a funny show if you stick with it and give it a chance.  This will be the first new season since 2011.

Why we’re wary:  Comedies don’t often age well.  But this is not season 17, but season 9, as Larry David only makes the show when he feels he has something new to say.

Tom says:  HBO will continue to make new episodes of this series for as long as Larry David feels like making it.  I say let him.

Maniac

What is it?  A new Netflix dark comedy starring Emma Stone and Jonah Hill.  From Cary Fukunaga, whose name you may not know but was responsible for the first (and only, I don’t care what you way) season of True Detective.  As well as the acclaimed Beasts of No Nation.

Why we’re excited:  I like Stone and Hill and loved the first season of True Detective.  And the way that Netflix has been pumping out great original content lately like Stranger Things and The OA, this has a great pedigree.

Why we’re wary:  I don’t know enough about it at this point to be wary.  And I guess there is always a chance this never gets made, but so far so good.

Tom says:  You know what the most unbelievable part of Superbad was?  That Emma Stone was looking to hook up with Jonah Hill in a high school setting.