This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

For all the talk about how 2017 has to be better than 2016, at the movies it will be much like the previous year. And the year before that, and the year before that, and so on.

It's become a cliché to complain about Hollywood constantly churning out sequels, remakes and reboots. It's not the studios' fault if audiences want more of what they saw before. Last year, only two of the 10 highest-grossing movies weren't extensions of an existing franchise — and they were both animated animal movies: "The Secret Life of Pets" and "Zootopia."

This year, we will be getting more stories in the Marvel, DC Comics, "Star Wars," "Fast & Furious," "Transformers," "Fifty Shades of Grey," "King Kong," "Alien," "Cloverfield" and "LEGO" franchises. We'll get sequels to "Despicable Me," "Cars," "John Wick," "Blade Runner" and "Insidious," among many others. There will be remakes of "Beauty and the Beast," "Ghost in the Shell," "Flatliners," "Going in Style" and "The Beguiled." And there will be reboots of such familiar titles as "Baywatch," "CHiPs," "Power Rangers," "The Mummy," "Friday the 13th" and "My Little Pony."

If one seeks out something unique, something new, it can be found, though. Here are 10 titles I'm looking forward to seeing that venture into new territory:

"Wind River"

This could be one of the more hotly anticipated titles at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival: a crime thriller about a rookie FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) and a veteran tracker (Jeremy Renner) investigating a death on an Indian reservation. Besides the oddball reteaming of two of the Avengers, this movie is the directorial debut of screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, who has been golden with his first two scripts, "Sicario" and "Hell or High Water." (Premieres at Sundance on Jan. 21; release date to be determined.)

"The Discovery"

Also debuting at Sundance is this mix of romance and science fiction, set in a time when a researcher (played by Sundance's boss, Robert Redford) finds scientific evidence of an afterlife. The romance in this drama, directed and written by Charlie McDowell, centers on Redford's character's son (Jason Segel) and a grieving woman (Rooney Mara). (Premieres at Sundance on Jan. 20; Netflix, which has the rights to the film, has not set a release date.)

"A Cure for Wellness"

The visuals are stunning in the trailer for this thriller, in which a man (Dane DeHaan) investigates a spa that seems to have the same checkout rules as The Eagles' Hotel California. Here's hoping director Gore Verbinski has more up his sleeve than "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. (Feb. 17)

"Get Out"

Jordan Peele, half of the comedy duo Key & Peele, directed and wrote this horror movie starring Daniel Kaluuya as a black man experiencing the terror of visiting the rich parents (Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener) of his white girlfriend (Allison Williams). (Feb. 24)

"The Lovers"

In this comedy by writer-director Azazel Jacobs, a husband and wife are each having affairs with other people when they suddenly find their old flame rekindling. The kicker is that the couple are played by Broadway actor-playwright Tracy Letts and the too-long-absent Debra Winger. (May 5)

"Snatched"

The pairing of Goldie Hawn and Amy Schumer as mother and daughter, kidnapped while on a tropical vacation, is inspired. So is the fact that Schumer teamed with Katie Dippold ("Ghostbusters") on the screenplay. (May 12)

"Dunkirk"

After three runs through Gotham City (The "Dark Knight" trilogy), one through the brain ("Inception") and one to outer space ("Interstellar"), director Christopher Nolan goes to war for this drama about the evacuation of retreating Allied soldiers in World War II. The cast includes Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh and One Direction heartthrob Harry Styles. (July 21)

"Baby Driver"

Edgar Wright ("Shaun of the Dead," "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World") wrote and directed this comedy, centering on a young getaway driver played by Ansel Elgort ("The Fault in Our Stars"). (Aug. 11)

"Logan Lucky"

You knew that director Steven Soderbergh would come out of retirement eventually. He does it for this caper comedy about two brothers (Channing Tatum and Adam Driver) attempting a heist during a NASCAR race. The cast also includes Katie Holmes, Hilary Swank, Daniel Craig and Katherine Waterston. (Oct. 13)

"Coco"

Pixar Animation Studios will be spending the summer bringing back Lightning McQueen in "Cars 3," but for Thanksgiving weekend the animation house is offering this musical tale themed around the Mexican holiday of Día de los Muertos. Original Pixar is the best early Christmas present. (Nov. 22)

Sean P. Means writes The Cricket in daily blog form at www.sltrib.com/blogs/moviecricket. Follow him on Twitter @moviecricket. Email him at spmeans@sltrib.com.

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TribTalk event gives inside look at Sundance '17

You want to get an inside look at what's going to play at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival?

The Salt Lake Tribune, with the help of Sundance Institute and Salt Lake Film Society, is presenting a TribTalk Live conversation between Trevor Groth, the festival's director of programming, and Sean P. Means, movie critic and writer of The Cricket column for The Salt Lake Tribune.

When • Monday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m.

Where • Tower Theatre, 876 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City

Tickets • $15 at GrowTix.com (popcorn is free)

Information • facebook.com/events/236869363404806