July 5, 2023
WRITTEN BY: THE BITESIZE CREW
Last July, we used our popular “Bitesize Top Five” series to highlight the releases that we, as a team, were most looking forward to in the second half of 2022. However, looking back, we don’t think it gave enough voice to the individual writers, or truly captured all the great films that were released late last year. For the most part, it became a list of tentpole movies, films from “event directors,” and, honestly, the things that we had already seen trailers for at the time. Also, television series were completely absent. It generally worked, but the final list wasn’t super creative. Plus, now a year wiser, we know we can do better.
With that in mind, we wanted to take a deeper look at both the movies and series that will be dropping over the next six months, while also providing some insight into what makes the Bitesize team tick as viewers. Below, you’ll find a list of 24 upcoming releases (12 movies, 12 series) that really excite us. Hopefully, some of these titles will excite you too!
NICK'S PICKS
FILM: REBEL MOON
As a director, Zack Snyder is a polarizing figure. His style is well known, and you're either a fan of it or you aren't - I very much am. So, when I heard he was adapting Rebel Moon from a Star Wars script he penned years ago, I got excited. The Star Wars universe is another that has been polarizing recently, in large part due to Kathleen Kennedy, so viewing that type of film through a new lens (Snyder's, to be exact) may just provide something more willing to take some risks. Snyder doesn't do subtle, and the behind-the-scenes teaser shows that this is going to be a big swing for him. Sure, it's Netflix so it could flop, but it also has the potential to be the launching point for the next great sci-fi franchise. Runner Up: NEXT GOAL WINS
SERIES: GEN V
The Boys has consistently been one of the best shows on television since it debuted in 2019, so the idea of a college spinoff with the potential for the same level of violence, brutality, dark humour, and wild superhero antics could be great… but it could also be the watered-down teen comedy that many adolescent shows become. Having had the pleasure of working on this series, I can confidently say it seems to be the former. New characters with new powers, all through the lens of the sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll college lifestyle? Sign me up. Runner Up: SUGAR
QUENTIN'S PICKS
FILM: THE KILLER
When it comes to directors whose work I will see with little to no explanation, David Fincher is very near the top of the list, which is good for The Killer since I don’t know much about the film’s plot other than it follows the life of an unnamed assassin. What I do know is that it’s based on a French graphic novel that was awarded "Best Indy Book" by IGN and "Best Comic You Didn’t Read” by Newsarama. I also know that it stars Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton, and that it has the same writer as Seven and Sleepy Hollow. There is a lot to be excited about in those few sentences, so what could go wrong?...Oh, it’s a Netflix movie? And Netflix doesn’t have the best track record for original movies? I remain hopeful, nonetheless. Runner-up: SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL
SERIES: JUSTIFIED: CITY PRIMEVAL
As a dedicated television watcher, I can say with some authority that FX’s Justified, which ran from 2010-2015, is one of the best shows of the 2010s, if not the 21st century. Based on a series of Elmore Leonard novels, Justified follows Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), a deputy U.S. Marshal that enforces his own brand of justice in rural Kentucky. It was a near perfect series with a near perfect ending. I didn’t need more…or so I thought. I can’t tell you how immediately excited I became when I heard FX was doing a sequel miniseries with Olyphant returning. And I can’t tell you how much more excited (excited-er?) I became when I heard it would center on Raylan hunting an elusive criminal known as The Oklahoma Wildman (Boyd Holbrook). I’m all in for this series. Runner-up: THE CONTINENTAL
AMARÚ'S PICKS
FILM: OPPENHEIMER
Call me a Christopher Nolan stan if you like, but I don’t think the man has missed once. He is one of a handful of people who I consider to be “event film directors.” I’ll watch anything of his, sight unseen. However, I have seen trailers for Oppenheimer, and what I’m most excited about is Cillian Murphy finally being able to show off his leading man chops. That man is an unsung Nolan hero, and I’m hoping this opportunity leads to some awards consideration. In addition to him, the ensemble looks great (though, I still would’ve loved to see melanin somewhere), the intensity seems spot on, and you know the bomb itself is gonna be worth the price of admission. Nolan always brings a must-see technical wonder to the big screen with every movie he releases, and this may be his biggest yet. Runner-up: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM
SERIES: LOKI: SEASON TWO
Loki is a Top 3 villain/antagonist/antihero/whatever the hell you want to call him in the MCU, Tom Hiddleston gives arguably the best performance of all the MCU actors, and Loki: Season One is highly considered the best of the Disney+ MCU shows. There’s really no more reason for this to be my most anticipated show of 2023’s second half, but if I must elaborate more, there’s the Kang (Jonathan Majors) of it all (yea, yea, I know… but still), the WOW of it all (that’s an Owen Wilson reference, y’all), and the Rafael Casal of it all (I’ve mentioned Blindspotting to everyone before, right??). The combination of where Season One left off and the new additions of characters, actors, and storylines has me waiting impatiently for this next step in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. Runner-up: LUPIN: PART THREE
JACOB'S PICKS
FILM: KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
As perhaps the world’s greatest living film director, Martin Scorsese’s works always shoot to the top of my “Most Anticipated Movies” lists. A project long in development, with an unprecedented budget for a film of its type in the modern era, Killers of the Flower Moon reunites Scorsese not with one, but both of his great muses: Robert De Niro in a supporting part, and in the lead, maybe the world’s greatest living actor, Leonardo DiCaprio. Add in Jesse Plemons, Brendan Fraser, and apparent Oscar-hopeful Lily Gladstone, and this story of Native American genocide and Euro-American greed is likely to be one of the year’s absolute best. “Can you find the wolves in this picture?” Runner-Up: MAESTRO
SERIES: ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE
It's a special thing when one’s favorite book is adapted to any screen, big or small, as well as incredibly nerve-wracking. What if they don’t get it right? What if what it looks like makes no sense? What if the cast or crew don’t understand the material? Luckily, when it comes to the adaptation of Anthony Doerr’s celebrated novel All the Light We Cannot See, it appears that these concerns have been mitigated. And while I’m still not sure what to expect of newcomer Aria Mia Loberti or Louis Hofmann as the story’s chief characters, the supporting cast, trailers, and production design look as perfectly tailored as they could ever be. Runner-Up: MANHUNT
PAIGE'S PICKS
FILM: BARBIE
I can’t shut up about Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. The marketing behind the film has been next level, and it seems to have everything going for it to be a smash hit. It’s got an outstanding cast, a brilliant director, and from what I can tell, stunning visuals. Honestly, what more can you ask for? I’m telling you…this film is going to be more than meets the eye, and it will connect with the audience. Like the marketing says: if you love Barbie, then this film will be for you; if you hate Barbie, then this film will be for you! Runner Up: CHALLENGERS
SERIES: AHSOKA
With Star Wars Rebels being my favorite Star Wars animated show, the forthcoming Ahsoka series has my excitement through the roof. This series will pretty much serve as a live-action Season Five of Rebels, and it will bring some of our favorite animated characters to life with Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and the big baddie, Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen); not to mention the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin/Vader. Ahsoka also is going to serve as connective tissue for so many Star Wars branches, from The Clone Wars to The Mandalorian. It has to be the most important Star Wars series coming out since it’s going to bring all the various eras of the galaxy together. Runner Up: STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW
ADRIANO'S PICKS
FILM: DUNE: PART TWO
I have not read Frank Herbert’s novel Dune, but Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of the first half of the book was amongst my favorite films of 2021. So, suffice to say, I’m beyond excited to see his follow up and finish the story. With new additions to the cast, including Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, and Christopher Walken, Dune: Part Two seems to be more action-packed than its predecessor while still keeping up with the first film’s wonderful storytelling as it closes the chapter on the battle for Arakis. November 3rd cannot come soon enough. Runner-Up: PRISCILLA
SERIES: WINNING TIME: THE RISE OF THE LAKERS DYNASTY: SEASON TWO
As someone who couldn’t care less about basketball, the first season of Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht’s Winning Time: The Rise of The Lakers Dynasty captivated me from the get-go, and I sure as hell can’t wait to see where this story goes. Sure, I could’ve read the book on which the stories are based, or even just Googled what went down, but that won’t give me the show’s unique style or the stunning ensemble. I can’t wait much longer, but I just know the wait will be worth it for another winning season. Runner-Up: MASTERS OF THE AIR