THC's 2016 Movie Preview: Non-Horror!

With the new year comes a slew on new movies for us to enjoy (at least potentially), and so we decided to put together a 2016 Movie Preview, so that we could keep track of what's coming out and when.

There will be four parts to this preview:

• January-March (Which lists the most movies with actual release dates,  because we're in that time frame now.)
• April-September (Which is a bigger stretch, because less movies have been firmly set for release.)
• 4th Quarter & TBA (The TBA portion lists the most movies in general, because so many have yet to receive 2016 release dates.) 
• Non-Horror flicks (Because we need to know when the Comic Book, Action, and Sci-Fi flicks are hitting the big screen.)

We may focus on Horror movies around here, but we need more than just scares and gore to keep us entertained. We're just deep and complicated like that.

There will be no shortage of Superhero, Sci-Fi, Thriller, or Action flicks in 2016, and we'll eat them up just as greedily as we will our beloved Horror offerings.

Let's take a look, shall we?

13 HOURS (1/15, THEATRICAL)

An American Ambassador is killed during an attack at a U.S. compound in Libya as a security team struggles to make sense out of the chaos.

Based on actual events, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi looks to be the kind of Action flick that we love; a group of Mercs put their lives on the line to save the lives of innocents, because it's just what they do. This is exactly the kind of shit that we eat up, and we can't wait to see it.

THE 5TH WAVE (1/22, THEATRICAL)

Four waves of increasingly deadly alien attacks have left most of Earth decimated. Cassie is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother.

Another Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic movie about a young girl saving the world from some sort of oppressing force, where along the way, she'll learn a thing or two about love in the process. Yay.

Chloe Moretz is cool and all, but how many Hunger Games clones do we really need?

DEADPOOL (2/12, THEATRICAL)

A former Special Forces operative turned mercenary is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers and adopts the alter ego Deadpool.

Deapool is one of Marvel's funniest characters, and just like Wolverine, he's an alumni of the Weapon X program, so he's a badass too. This ought to be one funny movie, and with an R-rating, it shows that Marvel is going to give the foul-mouthed Superhero the treatment that he deserves.

Foul language, brutal violence, and gratuitous nudity, here we come!

TRIPLE 9 (2/26, THEATRICAL)

A gang of criminals and corrupt cops plan the murder of a police officer in order to pull off their biggest heist yet across town.

Another kind of flick that we love, and I mean really love, are Crime Thrillers. Directed by John Hillcoat (The Road, Lawless), and with a cast that includes Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie, Norman Reedus, Woody Harrelson, Chi Ejiafor, and Aaron Paul, to name a few, this Heat meets Training Day-looking Cops vs. Robbers flick is on our radar big-time.

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL (3/18, THEATRICAL)

A father and son go on the run after the dad learns his child possesses special powers.

As far as we're concerned, the guy who wrote and directed Mud (2012) can make a movie about the phonebook and we're there. Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, and Sam Sheppard just make it all the sweeter.

BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN (3/25, THEATRICAL)

Fearing the actions of Superman left unchecked, Batman takes on Superman, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero the world really needs. With Batman and Superman fighting each other, a new threat Doomsday created by Lex Luthor. Its up to Superman and Batman to set aside their difference along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex Luthor and Doomsday from destroying Metropolis.

Come on, who isn't going to see this movie?

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (5/6, THEATRICAL)

Political interference in the Avengers' activities causes a rift between former allies Captain America and Iron Man.

Again, who isn't going to see this movie?

We're calling it now; Civil War will be the best MCU movie to date, both quality-wise, and as far as Box Office receipts go.

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE (5/27, THEATRICAL)

With the emergence of the world's first mutant, Apocalypse, the X-Men must unite to defeat his extinction level plan.

We love The X-Men, but this movie really hasn't grabbed us by the short hairs quite yet. Apocalypse looks off, and Olivia Munn can't act to save her life... so I don't know.

We'll see it, but we just hope that it ends up being a better final product than its trailers have lead us to believe so far.

WARCRAFT (6/10, THEATRICAL)

The film portrays the origin story of the initial encounters between the humans and the orcs, with an emphasis upon both the Alliance's and the Horde's sides of their conflict. Featuring characters such as Durotan and Lothar, the film will take place in a variety of locations established in the video game series.

Not sure what to make of this one, but the CGI looks pretty damned impressive, and it stars Ragnar Lothbrok from Vikings, so we'll give it a chance.

INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE (6/24, THEATRICAL)

Two decades after the first Independence Day invasion, Earth is faced with a new extra-Solar threat. But will mankind's new space defenses be enough?

20 years ago, Independence Day broke bold new ground in the Special Effects game. On repeat viewings, the movie plays way too cheesy for our tastes, but it's still a classic of sorts for what it was.

That said, the sequel looks to be just as visually impressive as the first movie (more so, even) at the very least, so I'm sure that it will do boffo Box Office. Might end up being cool too.

THE BFG (7/1, THEATRICAL)

A girl named Sophie encounters the Big Friendly Giant who, despite his intimidating appearance, turns out to be a kindhearted soul who is considered an outcast by the other giants because unlike his peers refuses to eat boys and girls.

Spielberg, kids movie, big hit. *It looks kinda cool.

STAR TREK: BEYOND (7/22, THEATRICAL)

Stranded on a hostile planet, Capt. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of the Enterprise crew face an alien threat.

I'm not personally very big on Star Trek, so I'm not all that geeked for this one, but I'm sure that millions and millions of Sci-Fi fans would just love to tell me how crazy I am for not loving the exploits of the Starship Enterprise, so what do I know?

I do love the hell out of Idris Elba though, so maybe I'll have to see it...

SUICIDE SQUAD (8/5, THEATRICAL)

A secret government agency recruits imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency.

DC sure is going to do their best to challenge Marvel with their own Cinematic Universe, and as cool as Batman Vs. Superman looks, Suicide Squad might be end up being even cooler. If they do this one right, they'll be right in the game. Let's hope that it's as dark and twisted as they're making it look.

SOLACE (9/2, THEATRICAL)

A psychic works with the FBI in order to hunt down a serial killer.

Again, we're absolute suckers for this kind of flick, and we've always suspected that Colin Farrell was a Serial Killer, and we can't wait to see him brought to justice! Especially by Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (9/23, THEATRICAL)

Seven gun men in the old west gradually come together to help a poor village against savage thieves.

Antione Fuqua is one of our favorite directors; Training Day; Tears of the Sun; The Equalizer; Southpaw... the guy just knows how to make emotion-filled Action flicks that kick ass. We dare you to go watch King Arthur and not shout "Rus!" by the end. If you don't get the manly feels from that movie, then we just don't know who you are anymore.

Anywho, Fuqua directing a remake of one of the best Westerns of all-time gives us great confidence, and the fact that Denzel, Chris Pratt, and Byung-hun Lee are starring, makes us giddy.

Bring this shit on.

JACK REACHER 2 (10/21, THEATRICAL)

Jack Reacher returns to the headquarters of his old unit, only to find out he's now accused of a 16-year-old homicide.

Loved the books, loved the first movie, and you just can't bruise The Cruise.

DOCTOR STRANGE (11/4, THEATRICAL)

After his career is destroyed, a brilliant but arrogant surgeon gets a new lease on life when a sorcerer takes him under his wing and trains him to defend the world against evil.

Holy shit Benedict Cumberbatch looks phenomenal as Stephen Strange, and that visualization of that spell look just as great. He's going to be a great addition to The Avengers.

Dying to see this one.

ROGUE ONE (12/16, THEATRICAL)

Rebels set out on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star.

Good lord, we're never going to see the end of Star Wars now, are we?

Mads Mikkelsen is in this one, and given the plotline, we'll probably be seeing Darth Vader on screen again. DARTH VADER!

Who are we kidding, just take our money now. 

ASSASSIN'S CREED (12/1, THEATRICAL)

Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day.

The Assassin's Creed games are pretty cool, and Michel Fassbender is frigging phenomenal, so how can we not want to see this one?

BTW, if you haven't seen Steve Jobs yet, do so at your first opportunity. It's Fassbender brilliantly chewing through 2 hours of Aaron Sorkin dialogue. Shit was cash. Total cash.

THE END.