In the first column I write for the Source Weekly every year, I always look ahead to the upcoming months and write about the movies I’m really looking forward to seeing. The problem with this concept right now is two-fold: One, half the movies I wrote about in this space last year still haven’t been released, and two, there’s no real guarantee that film releases in 2021 will be any less insane or unpredictable as they were last year.


So, instead of just looking ahead at movies, let’s look at a few cool things that are peeking their heads over the pop-culture horizon. Why limit ourselves to just movies when we can be excited for everything? I’m going full optimist here, so have patience with me.

“WandaVision

Listen, it’s been since the summer of 2019 since we’ve had a new Marvel movie (with “Black Widow” and THREE other new MCU films due to drop in 2021), and I need a fix something fierce. “WandaVision” will be the first of around 10 new Marvel series to be released on Disney+ and other streaming services, and it’s the one that has me the most excited. Wanda Maximoff has the power to warp reality, and with all of her losses from “Endgame” still fresh, imagine “WandaVision” to be a cross between “Doctor Strange,” “Bewitched” and “Ozzie and Harriet.” It’s gonna be a weird one. Premieres Jan. 15 on Disney+

“No Time to Die”

Cary Fukunaga directed every single episode of the masterfully intense first season of “True Detective,” so it’s pretty exciting to imagine what he’s going to do with the final film in Daniel Craig’s James Bond series. The film looks dark and intense with some genuinely jaw-dropping moments. No matter what, it can’t be worse than “SPECTRE.” Premieres April 2 in theaters.

“Dune”

I want to see this on the biggest screen possible, but I’m still so hyped for it that I’ll watch it on my laptop if I have to. From the visionary behind “Arrival” comes the third attempt at making “Dune” a mega-franchise hit, which it so very deserves to be. With a cast featuring Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Oscar Isaac and Zendaya, this new version has a solid pedigree backed by some of the most jaw-dropping visuals I’ve ever seen. Sandworms forever. Premieres Oct. 1 in theaters and on HBOMax

“The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air)”

It’s been over a year since the second season of the OHC podcast was released and I am so very ready for its beauty back in my life. I have no new information about what season three will be or when it will air, but this is my optimism showing. Featuring John Cameron Mitchell (“Hedwig and the Angry Inch”) and Julian Koster (from the band Neutral Milk Hotel), this podcast focuses on a mysterious radio show being broadcast from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Just a beautiful work of art all around.