Oh sure, I’m super excited to see if J.J. totally blows it knocks it out of the park with Star Wars 7: The Search for Jar Jar’s Gold. And how could I NOT get goosebumps after hearing Spader-Tron sing “I’ve Got No Strings” in that Avengers trailer? Clearly I’m a little jaded these days. Would you take a look at the graphic below?

The movie industry is a Venn Diagram of sequels, re-imaginings, and Hollywood Monopoly: Disney Edition. I’m also a hypocrite, because I’ll be in the audience of every major blockbuster due to release this year. But I plan to sulk in my popcorn, and you can’t stop me! Hrrrumph! In between eyerolls, I managed to find five movies* coming out THIS YEAR that have honest-to-Lourde potential. We’re talking about new intellectual property, with NEW characters, and landscapes, and storylines, and I’m excited about each and every one (I hope you will be too)!

Crimson Peak – October 16: “Ghosts are real, this much I know.” When was the last time a horror film scheduled to release NEAR Halloween actually looked as good as Guillermo Del Toro’s next picture? NO! Human Centipede came out April ’09. Doesn’t count. Starring Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, and Jessica Chastain, this film has all the makings of a fantastic psychological thriller/ghost story: the dark stranger, the trusty beau, the naïve girl, and a super creepy house. Sign me up, but someone go with me, please, for moral horror support.

Chappie – March 6: Before you say anything, I want to believe that this isn’t Short Circuit: 3. Yes, someone has created a robot that experiences human emotion, but can he dance? Oh wait. Um…is Steve Guttenberg in this one? No. At any rate, I really enjoy writer/director Neill Blomkamp’s stories, especially how he asks what makes us human, what makes us different? I have a feeling this picture will be no different. Plus, it stars Dev Patel (who I adored in Newsroom), Sigourney Weaver (my queen), and Hugh Jackson as Not-Wolverine!

Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter – March 13 (limited) Apparently based on a true story, Rinko Kikuchi plays Kumiko, a young woman living in a small apartment in Tokyo with her pet rabbit who dreams of adventure. Driven to go to America because of the false disclaimer at the beginning of the film Fargo, Kumiko goes to America to find to the “treasure” (suitcase full of money), buried somewhere in Nowhere, North Dakota (in the film). I know, sounds weird, but I like weird, and I adore Kikuchi, so I’ll definitely see this one.

Spy – May 22: I cannot get enough of Melissa McCarthy. Teamed up once again with director Paul Feig, this action comedy appears to be amazing. I say “appears to be” because I really don’t want to get my hopes up. McCarthy as a physical comedian can do no wrong, in my opinion, and I’m SO excited to see her play a kick-ass CIA agent opposite Jude Law and a very foul-mouthed Jason Statham (in the red-band trailer). But let’s not forget, she also played a bad-ass agent in Heat (also directed by Feig), so I’m curious to see how this film stands out.

Ex Machina – April 10th (limited): Another film exploring what it means to be human versus artificial intelligence, plus cool architecture. Writer/director Alex Garland takes us into a house that’s home – perhaps prison – to a very beautiful and possibly dangerous AI, as well as her creator. The trailer feels sci-fi meets Hitchcock, and looks really slick. I know very little about the two leads, Alicia Vikander and Domhnall Gleeson, but it’s clear the chemistry/tension between their two characters could be cut with a knife (no pun intended). (pause for effect) OOOOHHHHHH he’s in the new Star Wars!

I’d say that covers my top five, but I’m sure I missed something. So, which films are you excited to see that didn’t make this list?

*Disclaimer: Movies that didn’t make it on this list (mainly because they’re affiliated with Disney), but deserve honorable mention, are: Inside Out (Pixar), Tomorrowland (Disney), and Kingsman: The Secret Service (already released…haven’t seen it yet).