Every month, our contributors will be putting together a list of ten films on certain topics. Each month will be different and will feature an alphabetical list our selections, commentary from each of us on our picks and an itemized list showing what we each selected.

When looking forward to a new year of movies, it’s difficult to find lots of films you’re excited about. Most of the year-end releases have yet to enter play and the Oscar contenders aren’t readily apparent. This made for a challenging list for our contributors and Peter just couldn’t find enough quality content coming out that he was excited about, so has decided to sit this one out. Tripp and Thomas and I, however, have put together some lists.

Looking at what we’ve put together, two films managed to find spots on all of our lists. Steven Spielberg’s children’s lit adaptation The BFG is one and Ang Lee’s latest drama Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is the other. There were a handful of films that made two lists including X-Men: Apocalypse, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Passengers.

Instead of posters (which might not be available for most of these films), we’re including trailers of any film that already has one. Several have come up so far and a few were recently released, but not every film has a preview below.

Below is an alphabetical list of all of our choices along with commentary on each by each of our participating contributors.

The BFG

(dir. Steven Spielberg) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – It’s been five years since Spielberg gave us a kid-friendly film with 2011’s The Adventures of Tintin, a motion-capture spectacle adapting the famed French comic strip to the big screen. Yet, for live-action features, you have to go back 23 years to Jurassic Park, if you can call the sci-fi/horror thriller kid-friendly. Hook was a failure and might have counted 25 years ago, but ostensibly, this will be his first true children’s film since 1982’s E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial 34 years ago. For those familiar with that pinnacle of 1980’s spectacle, it’s hard not to wax nostalgic about all the children’s films he could have made since then. The first teaser trailer looks quite entertaining, which could bode well for the finished product.

Commentary By Tripp Burton – A family film with the combination of Steven Spielberg with his E.T. screenwriter Melissa Matheson would be enough to bring me to the theater, but throw in that it is based on one of Roald Dahl’s loveliest books and you have one of my most anticipated films of the year. The BFG has long felt like something that would easily translate to film (a perfectly fine, but uninspired, animated film came out in 1989), and from the teaser trailer it looks like the visual effects were worth the wait. Spielberg has also put together a top-notch team, led by Mark Rylance in inspired casting as the giant, including such Spielberg stalwarts as John Williams (composer), Janusz Kaminski (cinematographer) and Michael Kahn (editor). This could be the type of Spielberg family film we have been missing for so long.

Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – I chose this one partially because of Steven Spielberg directing (though he has had some mixed success with fantasy, thinking about A.I. Artificial Intelligence), but was more intrigued by the source material coming from the wild mind of Roald Dahl. I have not read the book it is based on, but that should make for a good pedigree. Having the British stars Mark Rylance and Penelope Wilton in the cast will not hurt either.

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

(dir. Ang Lee) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – A wartime drama from two-time Oscar winning director Ang Lee is an obvious choice for this list. Four years after his last big screen outing Life of Pi, Lee tackles the complicate subject of war and its effects on those who fight in them. With Lee’s careful and compelling look at human emotion, frailty and the perseverence of the human spirit through trying times, this film could be an Oscar contender even though it stars five actors who you wouldn’t normally imagine being in Oscar vehicles: Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Vin Diesel, Steve Martin and Chris Tucker. Hedlund at least had the Coens in his corner for their film Inside Llewyn Davis; Stewart earned great acclaim for Clouds of Sils Maria; and Steve Martin has always been a gifted comedic actor, but turned in a fantastic dramatic performance in The Spanish Prisoner. Diesel and Tucker, however, haven’t had that kind of opportunity, but if Ang Lee can take Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal and turn them into Oscar nominees, he can do the same with these folks.

Commentary By Tripp Burton – Ang Lee’s films are always films to be anticipated, if only because he is constantly reinventing himself and his cinematic language into new genres and moods. He follows up his Oscar-winning special effects bonanza Life of Pi with an Iraq war homefront film, based on an acclaimed book, and filmed in 120-frames-per-second, the fastest speed a film has ever been made at. It is an interesting combination, and a fascinating cast, and will hopefully be more The Ice Storm than Taking Woodstock.

Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – Ang Lee can usually be counted on to direct an interesting movie, and this one is based on a critically acclaimed book dealing with Iraq war, hero worship and how the government uses active duty soldiers to bolster excitement for an ongoing war. Shades of Flags of Our Fathers, perhaps? It should be a thoughtful and striking film.

Captain America: Civil War

(dir. Anthony & Joe Russo) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – While Captain America: The First Avenger was one of the better early Marvel Cinematic Universe outings, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is easily the best of the franchise. Starring Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Anthony Mackie, with a special cross-over appearance by Robert Downey Jr., Captain America: Civil War has a lot of promise to build on. The Winter Soldier tackled political theater, public surveillance and domestic terrorism in ways that few superhero films have dared. It was a pointed look at corruption within government and how America’s idealistic values were being carefully eroded by a power hungry political elite. While rumor is that the comic series on which the film is based is barely touched on with the premise, even a fraction of an attempt to play off the prior entry’s events should prove fascinating.

Demolition

(dir. Jean-Marc Vallée) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – It’s hard to believe that after films like The Day After Tomorrow and Prince of Persia that Jake Gyllenhaal would turn into one of the finest working actors today. With an Oscar nomination for Brokeback Mountain under his belt and serious acclaim for his performances in Enemy, Nightcrawler and Southpaw, it’s hard not to look forward to this new film. Add in the compelling Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallée, whose brilliant film C.R.A.Z.Y. demands your attention if you haven’t seen it, and you have a film that builds on the presence of Oscar nominee Naomi Watts and Oscar winner Chris Cooper to create a potential engaging picture.

Everybody Wants Some

(dir. Richard Linklater) Commentary By Tripp Burton – After Boyhood, I would watch whatever Richard Linklater wanted to do as a follow-up, but when he describes it as a thematic continuation of that film, and a spiritual sequel to his breakthrough Dazed and Confused, I have reason to anticipate it. With a fresh cast of college-age actors, this promises to be funny, authentic and exciting Linklater, and that is about as good as American film gets.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

(dir. David Yates) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – If you’re a fan of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, any chance to see your favorite universe back on the big screen is one to be taken. Although the initial teaser trailer is a touch disappointing, there’s still hope that it could still be one of the year’s most fun adventures. Apart from Eddie Redmayne being highly overexposed, the original series’ author, J.K. Rowling, is behind the screenplay, which should give any Potterhead a reason to be enthused.

Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – David Yates has previously directed four of the Harry Potter films, so he is well attuned to the fantastical world created by J.K. Rowling. Eddie Redmayne seems like a good fit for the lead role too.

Finding Dory

(dir. Andrew Stanton) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – One of Pixar’s most popular films, Finding Nemo is the high water mark the studio has been trying to achieve with each subsequent outing. What made that film so lively and entertaining was the vocal performance of Ellen DeGeneres as the forgetful Dory and her loony actions. After creating sequels or prequels to three of its properties (Toy Story, Cars and Monsters, Inc.), it’s little surprise that they’ve finally turned their attention to this film. The first teaser has some hints of fun times returning even if it seems a little shallow. That said, Pixar has put out weak trailers before and still knocked us dead.

Hail, Caesar!

(dir. Joel & Ethan Coen) Commentary By Tripp Burton – It has been almost a decade since the Coen Brothers have given us an all-out comedy, and Hail, Caesar! looks like the Coens at their broadest. They have proven they can do Hollywood satire before, they have proven they can do period comedies before, they have proven they can do big ensemble films before, and Hail Caesar! has all of that rolled into one. They are also reuniting with George Clooney, who is never funnier than with the Coen Brothers, as well as Josh Brolin, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton, while also adding Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum to their growing ensemble of players. If nothing else, this could be the best cast of the year.

How to Talk to Girls at Parties

(dir. John Cameron Mitchell) Commentary By Tripp Burton – As prolific as science fiction writer Neil Gaiman is, he hasn’t seen a lot of his work translate to film, and even less of it translate successfully. Put in the arms of eccentric filmmaker John Cameron Mitchell, though, with a cast including Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman and Alex Sharp, and Gaiman could finally have a live-action film worthy of his writing. Mitchell is a constantly surprising filmmaker, bouncing from the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch to the graphic sex drama Shortbus to the sedate, perfectly tuned Rabbit Hole, so there is no doubt that he should be able to tackle this funny, bizarre, but touching Neil Gaiman story.

Kung Fu Panda 3

(dir. Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – Normally, I’m not a fan of derivative works of animated films (or live-action films for that matter); however, Kung Fu Panda is one of those rare exceptions. With its high flying martial arts, incredibly humorous gags and gorgeous designs, the sequel proved that you can continue making competent and equivalent products without feeling like you’re repeating yourself. This third film has a lot of promise behind it, which means that any fan of the prior two films (which I am one) should be more than happy to check out its third offering.

La La Land

(dir. Damien Chazelle) Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – I do not know much about this so far, but the fact that it is a musical has me intrigued. They are an art form I adore, though they have had limited success on film of late. Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash did have some reality issues in my mind, but it was impressively acted. If he can bring and evoke the same passion in this one, it could be a very interesting film.

The Lobster

(dir. Yorgos Lanthimos) Commentary By Tripp Burton – With Dogtooth and Alps, Yorgos Lanthimos proved himself to be one of the most original voices in cinema today. The Lobster is his first English-language film, and it also looks to be perhaps his most audacious. It was a film festival favorite last year, and although it got pushed back from a possible 2015 release, it could still be one of the most entertaining films of the Spring.

Midnight Special

(dir. Jeff Nichols) Commentary By Tripp Burton – Through his first three films, Jeff Nichols has given us a very particular, powerful vision of American today. His films are realistic, powerful and grounded. For his fourth film, Nichols has turned to 1980s John Carpenter as his inspiration and is creating a science-fiction chase film. I love that era of Carpenter, and I’ve loved everything Nichols has done, so I don’t see any reason that Midnight Special can’t be wonderful.

Moana

(dir. Ron Clements, John Musker) Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – Disney animated films are usually worth seeing, and I like the idea of an original idea set in the South Pacific. The directors had previously worked on The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and The Princess and the Frog among others, so they should be able to handle this one as well. The computer animated ocean work should be gorgeous.

Passengers

(dir. Morten Tyldum) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – After his last outing, I’m not particularly fond of director Morten Tyldum’s work. The Imitation Game, while a compelling narrative, was hampered by his ham fisted directing style and inability to collapse a bloated narrative into something more fascinating. Yet, I look at the cast list for Passengers and wonder what amazing possibilities might be in store. Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen and Laurence Fishburne have a lot of talent between them and paired with an interesting science fiction plot, you might not be able to go wrong. Of course, the fact that one of the scribes of the risible Prometheus is writing the script, perhaps I should be more worried than I am.

Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – Morten Tyldum had an impressive film with strong performances last year with The Imitation Game, so hopefully he will do as well with this science fiction romance. The combination of Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen and Laurence Fishburne should make for a very strong cast.

Patient Zero

(dir. Stefan Ruzowitzky) Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – I chose this one because it stars Matt Smith, late of Doctor Who. He does not have a long list of films so far, but he proved quite capable as the doctor, so he could be fun in this sci-fi thriller as he tries to save humanity. The director already has an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and the writer was listed as one of Variety’s ten to watch. It may not be that great, or it could be above average for the genre.

Rogue One

(dir. Gareth Edwards) Commentary By Tripp Burton – Star Wars was a gigantic part of my childhood, and the resurgence of Star Wars films has me very excited. Next year, with Rogue One, we get our first stand-alone film in the series, away from the saga of the Skywalker family. It will be interesting to see how the series does as it expands and variates itself, and also to see how Gareth Edwards handles another huge budget action film. Like The Force Awakens, Rogue One also features a solid cast, including an Oscar winner (Forest Whitaker), an Oscar nominee (Felicity Jones), and a lot of independent favorites (Ben Mendelsohn, Mads Mikkelsen, Riz Ahmed, Diego Luna).

Sing

(dir. Garth Jennings) Commentary By Tripp Burton – I loved Garth Jenning’s Son of Rambow, about a group of boys in 1980s England who film their own shot-for-shot remake of First Blood, and Sing looks to be a return to Jenning’s unique voice and sense of humor. It is an animated musical comedy, with an A-List cast and some wonderful character descriptions, and could be the most family fun of the year.

Star Trek Beyond

(dir. Justin Lin) Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – The previous films in the Star Trek reboot have been enjoyable, so there is every reason to hope that the returning cast will make this as good. Having Simon Pegg as one of the writers should not hurt either.

Warcraft

(dir. Duncan Jones) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – For any fan of the Warcraft universe, it’s quite obvious that there will be excitement for this film. I will state up front that I am and have been a player of World of Warcraft since before its first expansion in 2007. That said, the main reason I’m enthused about this film is director Duncan Jones. Jones’ debut film, Moon, is one of the most inventive and audacious science fiction films ever made. While Source Code couldn’t ever expect to live up to Moon‘s expectations, it was still a competent and fascinating sci-fi pic. This time, with a much larger budget, we’ll finally see if Jones has what it takes to move beyond the small intimacies of Moon and, to a lesser extent, Source Code and deliver a rousing, brilliant examination of war and peace at the hands of bitter enemies.

X-Men: Apocalypse

(dir. Bryan Singer) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – I will admit that I enjoy superhero movies a great deal. The franchise I’m most engaged with is X-Men, which is because of its idealism regarding people who are different than the “norm” banding together for mutual protection and support. While X-Men: The Last Stand is often considered the nadir of the franchise, it remains a film I still enjoy to this day. As for the rest of the films, they all are significantly better than nearly everything the Marvel Cinematic Universe has put out there today. The new trailer only enforces me appreciation for the franchise and explains entirely why I’m so excited about its impending release.

Commentary By Tripp Burton – In my eyes, the X-Men franchise, especially the last two, rebooted entries, is the most exciting superhero series going today. It feels fresh, funny, exciting and novel, while also featuring a slew of talented actors giving it their all. For this “final” entry in the series, or at least this iteration of the series, it looks like director Bryan Singer and writer Simon Kinberg are going all out and creating a blockbuster conclusion. I am looking forward to it more than any other comic book film this year, hands down.

The Zookeeper’s Wife

(dir. Niki Caro) Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – The true story of the directors of the Warsaw zoo using the facility to hide and rescue people during the Nazi occupation should make for an exciting film. The always watchable Jessica Chastain stars, which is an added plus.

Zootopia

(dir. Byron Howard, Rich Moore) Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – Yes, this is the second Disney animated film I have on the list, but it has looked like fun in the previews. The directors had previously worked on Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph, so they should understand the style. It features animals in anthropomorphic roles and they have tried to base the city on what they think it would look like if it was designed by the animals themselves, which is an interesting concept. Could be fun.