The ten 2016 movies I'm most excited for (right now)

Liam Neeson in Silence

As Oscar season enters its home stretch we're about the enter the real doldrums as far as new movie releases are concerned. Although every year there are a couple gems before the summer movies (think the new horror classic It Follows) the first half of the year is usually a wasteland for film buffs seeking smart, original cinema.

So what is a frustrated film fan to do? Well, I have been scouring lists of release dates and upcoming projects and despite far too many superhero films, there are a number of projects worth getting excited about.

Of course, as the year goes on there will be more clarity about what is coming out and when, and the valuable film festival circuit will create real buzz around more low-key independent projects, which are often among the year's best.

With all those caveats, here are the ten 2016 films I'm most intrigued by.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - After the triumph of The Force Awakens, like any Star Wars fan, my appetite for more from this epic sci-fi universe is ravenous, and while this film is not a direct sequel (it's more like a sidebar preface to A New Hope). I think it's a cool concept -- how the rebels stole the plan for the Death Star -- with a lot of potential. Although director Gareth Edwards is no J.J. Abrams.

Silence - After making several blockbusters with Leonardo DiCaprio, my favorite director of all time, Martin Scorsese, returns with this mysterious personal passion project about priests facing violent opposition to their missionary zeal in Japan. I don't know what the commercial prospects for this film will be, but I love that at this stage of his career Scorsese is still taking risks outside of his comfort zone.

Hail, Caesar! - I may be in minority here but I love the Coen Brothers' sillier movies. And for their latest parody of Hollywood (they have visited this terrain before with Barton Fink) they have assembled an all-star cast, including George Clooney, Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johnansson and Channing Tatum just to name a few, to do some really broad goofy stuff in a typically gorgeous frame.

Cautiously optimistic

The Founder - Michael Keaton has been sadly snubbed this year for Best Supporting Actor for his terrific performance in Spotlight, but he may get a chance for a mea culpa with this promising (in theory) biopic about Ray Kroc, the man who turned McDonald's into a way of life. Hopefully, it will be a "warts n' all" kind of story instead of a sappy, feel-good movie. I expect Keaton to bring it in this role.

Keanu - Key and Peele take their sketch comedy genius to the big screen in this wacky sounding comedy about two nerds (played by the duo themselves) who get dragged into the criminal underworld while searching for their adorable missing cat. Their Comedy Central show only got smarter and more creative with each subsequent season, so I am psyched to see what they will do with a full-length movie.

Suicide Squad - The only superhero movie coming out this year that I am undeniably excited about (although if the Doctor Strange trailer is terrific, I could be persuaded). It's the one that feels like its premise could be refreshing (the bad guys are the good guys). It has a great cast (Margot Robbie in particular looks like a scene stealer), And while Jared Leto has huge shoes to fill as The Joker (it's now been done to perfection twice -- by Nicholson and Ledger) I am curious to see what he does with the role.

Untitled Howard Hughes Film - Warren Beatty is one of my all time favorite movie stars and he has sadly been absent from movie screens for over 15 years, and his last film was a notorious, big budget flop that nearly ruined his reputation (Town & Country). This film, about an aging Howard Hughes, has been his comeback dream project for decades, and its supposed to finally make it to the big screen this year. It could be another disaster, but it should at least be interesting.

The Nice Guys - This could be another film that turns out to be a big nothing but the early trailers had me cheering. Russell Crowe -- finally -- seems to be having fun with his rough and gruff persona as a private eye opposite a funny Ryan Gosling in this '70s-set throwback action film. I consider myself a Shane Black fan, and I'm excited to see a return to the kind of snarky cop films that made him famous (he wrote the original Lethal Weapon). This could be the sleeper hit of the summer.

Loving - One of the great, fascinating American stories finally gets the big screen treatment in this intriguing drama about the soft spoken mixed race couple from Virginia who were jailed for their relationship and whose case eventually led to the Supreme Court decision ending the ban on interracial relationships in the last remaining states that opposed it in the 60s. Starring Joel Edgerton, who seems poised for a big breakout. Could be very moving.

Ghostbusters - While I understand the reservations of hardcore fans of this franchise, and I count myself among them, I trust Paul Feig. And he has assembled a cast of mostly brilliant female comedians (I'm still not sold on Leslie Jones) to reboot the series. I'm excited that the surviving original Ghostbusters will all be involved in some capacity and I'm hopeful that this film in some way captures the cleverness of the '80s era hits.