The most anticipated movies of 2020 (from my perspective)

Last year was a pretty strong year for movies -- it was very hard to come up with a top 10 and gratefully, some of the movies I was most excited about in April of last year ended up not disappointing -- like Midsommar and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

This year's slate is chockfull of movies that at least right now I can't wait to see. A lot is going to depend on how trailers look and most importantly what the reviews are.

Here are the top movies I'm keeping my eyes on (in no particular) order:

Tenet - Christopher Nolan's mysterious new thriller looks to be yet another complex exploration of time, following his Oscar-nominated Dunkirk. I'm thrilled that Nolan has put the promising young John David Washington in the lead role and this promises to be yet another epic with real stunts at its center and some very compelling concepts on its mind.

The French Dispatch - After several years, director Wes Anderson finally returns to live action filmmaking with this tribute to traditional journalists. He's assembled an even more eye-popping, star-studded cast than usual for this one (in addition to some of his regulars like Bill Murray and Owen Wilson) and if the first trailer is any indication, this may be his visually most inventive movie yet.

Bill Murray on set with Sofia Coppola

Dune - Frank Herbert's sci-fi classic has been infamously difficult to adapt (see David Lynch's ill-fated 1984 version) but if there's anyone I trust to do it it's Denis Villeneuve. He has demonstrated his ability to making heady sci-fi with both Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, and it looks like he has the budget and the technology to make what's on the page feel vital and real on-screen.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife - I am very cautiously optimistic about this one. The toxic debate around the last attempted reboot really sullied the franchise, but this attempt to bring it back to its roots seems heartfelt and original. Still, I wish that trailer had a single laugh in it.

Antebellum - The first trailers have a very mysterious but riveting way about them. Very little is divulged except for the fact that this horror film seems to have something to do with people of color being sucked through a portal perhaps into the slavery area. It is sure to be controversial -- but it may be as illuminating as Jordan Peele's first two directorial efforts. Also, I'm excited to see Janelle Monae's anchoring her own movie.

No Time to Die - Daniel Craig's swan song as James Bond looks like a doozy. Even though I'm not thrilled that it appears to be something of a direct sequel to Spectre, I'm just so excited to have 007 back. And this new film feels like the first one in years that might be genuinely unpredictable. Will they kill off Craig's Bond (as is rumored) and replace him with an African-American woman? If so, there will be an uproar, but if the movie is great it might not matter.

On the Rocks - Seventeen years after Lost In Translation, Bill Murray and Sofia Coppola are finally reuniting for this father-daughter drama co-starring Rashida Jones. Murray is long overdue for the kind of committed semi-dramatic performances he's definitely capable of delivering, and Coppola's best work was arguably with him. I am hoping this a real Oscar play and not just an indie curio, but only time will tell.

Da 5 Bloods - Following his Oscar-winning success with BlacKkKlansman, Spike Lee has the opportunity for another breakout hit with this Vietnam war drama starring Chadwick Boseman. Lee has stumbled in the past with a war film (Miracle at St. Anna) but my hope is that he will be in the conversation this coming awards season and will remain relevant as a major filmmaker for years to come.

A Quiet Place Part II - The first film -- directed, starring and co-written by John Krasinski -- was such an unexpected critical and commercial smash that it's easy to write it off as a fluke. And who knows, it might have been. But something tells me that the ongoing saga, centered on survivor Emily Blunt and family, will only be more ambitious than its predecessor. It's such an elegant, simple premise that still has so much potential if handled just right.

Promising Young Woman - Early buzz out of the festival circuit suggests that this black comedy that seeks to turn toxic masculinity in on itself is a can't miss and a showcase for a revitalized Carey Mulligan. Certainly the trailer captures for your attention. I always love a good zeitgeist-y movie that gets people talking and this one appears to fit the bill in spades.