Just as we’re placing bets on last year’s Oscar winners, a whole new set of hopefuls emerge, and you can be sure the diehard moviegoers will want to be well ahead of the game.

To those fans, just the thought of hearing how a movie ends before they have a chance to see it is a personal attack on their characters. Remember how you found out Hans Solo dies at the end of Star Wars before you even bought your ticket? Oh, the horror! But don’t worry – that won’t happen this year, and we won’t let it.

Here are some of the movies of 2019 you want to keep your eyes out for so if anyone spoils the plot, it will be you. 

Shazam

Sometimes the heroes are superheroes and sometimes the children are the heroes. In Shazam, it’s a little bit of both. 

Shazam is the story of a 14-year-old boy in foster care who finds out he can transform into a superpowered adult just by saying the magic word, which is, you guessed it: Shazam.  The trailer for Shazam is hilarious. Have you seen the part where Shazam explodes someone’s phone and ends up testing out his superpowers in a series of home videos? Where do they come up with this stuff?

The message is positive: even a little boy in a seemingly powerless position can do something earth-shattering. It’s entertaining enough to please the adults in the family and inspirational for the children.

Toy Story 4

First, there was the trilogy, and it was good. If a movie had mileage, three parts seemed like the perfect amount; the beginning, the middle, and the end. But then times changed, and Hollywood began to realize that for some fans,  too much of a good thing was never enough. Remember when we thought Rocky V was overkill? Now it seems like the part three of a movie is just a warmup. 

If there is still such a thing as the perfect trilogy, the first three parts of “Toy Story” fit the definition to a tee. We instantly fell in love with the characters in the first movie, staunchly supported and rooted for them in the second movie, and cried our hearts out for them in the third. It seemed like the perfect way to bid a fond adieu, yet, there was more ado to be had.

Now Toy Story is in its fourth life and back in the ring. With critics claiming it will be even sadder than part 3, we’re not sure if you shouldn’t prescreen it before showing it to your kids. Either way, we’re bringing our tissues. We figure if the story isn’t sad enough to make us cry, the death of Toy Story surely will. 

Will Toy Story satisfy its loyal fans or make them lose faith in life completely? We’ll have to wait for the post-show bathroom conversation to find out. See you there!

Dark Phoenix

Is it just us, or does it seem like the heroes and villains are getting harder to tell apart? Batman was always sort of dark (bat wings, mask, dark clothing), but now there’s actually a dark Spiderman, and Superman fans are writing theses on what the Superman Black Arrowverse Crossover suit may mean. Face it, heroes have flaws and, it seems that Hollywood thinks the sooner the kids figure it out, the better. 

Next in line for the title of not so good good-doer is Dark Phoenix, the namesake of the latest movie in the X-Men franchise.  Die-hard X-men followers will remember her from the X-Man Last Stand. Critics may have trashed the movie, but the film’s makers thought the Dark Phoenix character was worth salvaging.

Already shaping up to look like more of a horror meets action movie than an action movie alone, Dark Phoenix follows Jean Grey (the Phoenix’s alter-ego) back to a time when her psychic powers were spiraling out of control. However, unlike most action film premises, in this movie, it’s the Phoenix herself is the one who needs the rescue. The plot revolves around the X-Men team working to save Jean from herself, rather than saving anyone from any villains. Will the X-men succeed on their mission, and, more importantly, will the movie succeed in the box office? Tune in and find out! We’re on the edge of our seats with anticipation.

Terminator 6

If your thinking, “He’s back,” or more likely “He’s back?” don’t worry, he’s not. Even the Governator knows that its time to pass the reigns over gracefully, and he couldn’t have done it more respectably then by passing them over to a woman. 

Yes, the new Terminator is a female (who goes by the auspicious name of Grace), played by relative newcomer Mackenzie Davis, flanked by her left and right-hand women, Dani Ramos and Sarah Connor, and these are a bunch of machine gun-toting bad girls.

Mackenzie, sporting a ribbed wifebeater and the biceps of a teenage boy, has been sent not only to save the day but to save the franchise. If you’ll remember, the last two Terminator movies had less than a warm reception. However, maybe a little girl power will be just what it takes to breath new life into an old classic.

Captain Marvel

When we heard Captain Marvel was going to be played by a woman this year, two questions came to mind. The first was how it would tie into Infinity War (the last Captain Marvel installment), and the second was whether the title  “captain” was gender appropriate for a woman. While we have yet to answer the first question, the answer to the second is a resounding “no.” There is no such word as “Captainess” and “Madame Captain Marvel” seems to overstate the obvious.

Either way, Brie Larssen is going to be the one wearing the pants (or tights, and mohawk incidentally) in this first of its kind release. This latest installment of the franchise will mark the first of MCU’s first movies led by a female superhero. While Captain Marvel versus the odds in the movie, we’ll have to look at the box office to get an idea of what the odds are for more superhero movies with female leads. If the trailer for “Captain Marvel” is any indication, we forecast a lot more caped crusading sisters in the near future. 

Pet Sematary

When “Cujo” first hit theaters in the early eighties, two things became clear: 1. Stephen King had an affinity for horror, and 2. Stephen King had an affinity for animals. As vicious as Cujo was, King managed to develop empathy with the animal, which is pretty difficult, considering dogs don’t talk. 

“Pet Semetary” (the second adaptation of the 1986 version) follows King’s fascination with the animal kingdom into a rural Maine countryside complete with macabre graveyards, ghoulish children, and nightmarish forests. The trailer itself is quite harrowing, which bodes well for the picture as far as production value and spine chilling content. 

As far as comparisons between this and the 1986 version go, writer Jeff Buhler promises that the 2019 version will follow a more “psychological route” than the original, including themes of grief and loss. With Stephen King at the helm, and a bestselling book as inspiration, we see a lot of potential for this one. On April 5, we’ll see if it lives up to it.

Avengers Endgame

When Avenger’s Endgame starts out, it seems like more of an end then a beginning. Thanos has just wiped out half of all life in the Universe, and the future looks bleak; Tony is leaving a message for Pepper on the verge of his death, and even Steve is shedding tears. 

Yet, could that be a flicker of life in Robert Downey’s signature Iron Mask that tells us there is still hope left? The Avengers may be down, but they’re far from out. They’re mad as hell and they’re not going to take it anymore. 

Will they manage to undo Thanos’ mass extinction or will they die trying?  After all, we already know Marvel isn’t sentimental about its characters: look how many they killed off in Infinity War. 

But if its how the game is played, rest assured the Avengers are going to do it in style. We’ll be waiting to see the new diabolical tricks Marvel has up its sleeve in this major finale.

What Men Want

Those who remember the “What Women Want” will remember the rollicking tale of a lothario, Nick (played by Mel Gibson) whose hairdryer in the bathtub incident electric shocks him into the realization that he can read women’s thoughts. 

In “What Men Want” Taraji P. Henson is the recipient of said gift (only she can read men’s thoughts) when her head hits the glass ceiling at work. Actually, she gets the gift when she visits a psychic who gives her an odd blend of “tea,” but it’s the glass ceiling that Taraji is really up against. As the movie continues, we follow Taraji’s experience using her new gift to her advantage. Knowing what the men in her workplace really think to turn her into a force to be reckoned with, and the day of reckoning has come.

Whether or not the role reversing sequel will be as successful as its predecessor has yet to be seen, but fans of “Empire” will probably agree the role is cut out for Taraji. It also costars Tracy Morgan, good to have him back on the big screen. 

Isn’t It Romantic?

They say that girls go for funny guys, but judging by Rebel Wilson’s popularity, girls go for funny girls as well. Rebel Wilson is the bestie girls wish they had:  funny, supportive, self-deprecating and loyal. In “Isn’t It Romantic,” we’re only too happy to see her get her just rewards.

“Isn’t It Romantic” is a rom-com inside a rom-com. It stars Rebel as New York architect Natalie whose gig as Starbucks delivery girl was not mentioned in her job description. The foreshadowing begins when she expresses her derision for romantic comedies at work calling them” lies set to terrible pop songs.”

Ironically, after getting mugged on the subway, and being knocked unconscious, Natalie wakes up to find herself the leading lady in her own romantic comedy, cue the terrible pop song. Now her life is her own worst nightmare. She’s even got luxury New York digs with a full shoe closet- oh, the horror. But when Liam Hemsworth shows up at her firm and expresses a personal interest,  she thinks she just might start to get used to it. 

Frozen

The theme song may have been “Let It Go” but there’s no reason for Disney to let “Frozen” go, and judging from the fans requests, they don’t want to let Frozen go either. 

If Elsa was coming to terms with her identity in the first “Frozen,” the second Frozen is set to focus on how that identity evolves. Co-director Chris Buck ‘s promise of “big changes” for the character has many fans speculating about the possibility of Elsa’s coming out as Disney’s first gay princess.

However, judging from co-director Jennifer Lee’s cool response, and Disney’s previous reluctance to approach the issue of sexuality in relation to  characters, it’s pretty unlikely to see “Frozen 2” giving us any more insight into  Elsa’s gender preferences  than “Frozen 1.” 

While we wait for Disney to chill out on its apparent “frozenness” when it comes to gay representation, we still have a great movie to look forward to. It will be interesting to see how this new chapter in the Princess’s life plays out.