Local, Movie News

A Look at 2010: Part 1 – January-June

Posted: January 7, 2010 at 2:23 pm   /   by   /   comments (0)

OK, here is my 010 preview for the first six months of the year. I will follow up in the next week or so with the second half and probably repost individual months as we go along. Anyways, on with the show!

January:

Youth in Revolt-Having seen this I can tell you that it is not to be missed and is going to be a tough one to beat in the top comedy of 010 department. Cera is hilarious and gets to show some range and this will hopefully be a banner year for Cera breaking out of his shell and typecast role.

Daybreakers-This Ethan Hawke vampire picture looks to be a fresh take on the genre with some good action and an interesting world to get to know. Plus the supporting cast is stellar and should help the picture from being a cheap genre cash in.

44 Inch Chest-The latest British mob import is getting raves across the pond and could be another excellent addition to the countries already stellar repertoire of gangster films released over the years.

The Book of Eli-The two leads in Denzel and Gary Oldman are worth the price of admission alone, let’s just hope the film pans out as well as both an action film and an interesting take on the dystopian theme that can become all too familiar in films.

Fish Tank-This indie picture has been getting a ton of festival raves throughout the 09 circuit and I can’t wait to see if this one pans out or not. It also stars Michael Fassbender who is primed to be the next big thing.

Creation– Paul Bettany and wife Jennifer Connelly star in this look at Charles Darwin and his relationship with his wife along with his scientific disputes. We have seen Bettany in a similar role in Master and Commander and I am encouraged to see him tackle the subject matter again.

Legion-Bettany has two flicks coming out the same day and they couldn’t be more different. This one is a genre picture that looks twisted and a lot of fun with Bettany playing an angel that comes to earth to help protect an unborn child that could stay the apocalypse. Could be horrible but we will see.

Edge of Darkness-Mel Gibson makes his return to the screen in this thriller that seems to be a bit of a cops and mob movie and maybe a shade of Taken thrown in. I wasn’t terribly sold on the trailer but I am a big Gibson fan and am hoping for the best.

When in Rome-I like Kristen Bell and Will Arnett and that is about my level of investment here so we will see how it pans out.

Sundance:

Blue Valentine-Ryan Gosling is back in a marriage drama with Michelle Williams that spans over a healthy length of time. Two of the finer young actors working today, could be great.

Holy Rollers-Jesse Eisenberg plays a young Hasidic Jew that becomes an international ecstasy smuggler, sign me up.

Howl-A film about Allen Ginsberg staring James Franco, David Stratharin, Jon Hamm, Mary-Louis Parker, and Jeff Daniels; where is the line?
Sympathy for Delicious-Mark Ruffalo stars and directs Orlando Bloom and Laura Linney in a tale about the world of faith healing for the lead characters newly paralyzed body.

February:

From Paris with Love-Pierre Morel of Taken fame directs this follow up which was written by Luc Besson and stars John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Hopefully he can keep the film as fun and thrilling as his previous thriller and this acting duo could certainly lend itself to that.

Frozen-A trio of friends are stranded on a ski lift over the course of a holiday weekend and are forced into incredible situations of survival, I have heard very good things about this one.

I Love You Phillip Morris-Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor star in this long in the coming dramedy about a con artist who falls in love with a fellow inmate in prison and the lengths he will go to keep the love affair alive. This one has earned good notes on the festival circuit and is one of my most anticipated of the year.

Valentine’s Day-A huge ensemble rom-com could be the American Love Actually or a mushy unoriginal flop, we will find out this Valentine’s Day.

The Wolfman-If this was still directed by Mark Romanek I would be super pumped, but with all the behind the scenes drama around this one I am hoping they can salvage this once vastly promising creature feature. It’s still got Benicio del Toro and an R rating going for it though.

Shutter Island-Could and probably will set the standard for all 010 films to be measured by. Apparently could have been released this year and been an Oscar contender but wanted to release it with less prestige pictures around it and the studio didn’t want dueling films in this and Up in the Air, expect great things.

Cop Out-Kevin Smith’s new feature is not written by him and stars Bruce Willis and Tracey Morgan and seems to be a traditional buddy comedy per its trailer. Hopefully Smith did a secret re-write and can find a hand for action in his craft and this one could be a lot of fun.

A Prophet-A vastly praised frontrunner for Best Foreign Language film at next years Oscars and it gets it’s U.S. rollout this February, can’t wait to see this French/Italian import.

The Crazies-This remake of a Romero flick of the same name has a creepy trailer and an interesting premise. The cast is solid but I am still a bit skeptical, yet intrigued, by this bizarre remake. P.S. Mad World will never work better in any film than it does in Donnie Darko so don’t even try; sorry The Crazies trailer editor man.

March:

Alice in Wonderland-Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, need I say more? Well I will, the effects look great, I am intrigued to see what Burton does with performance capture and 3-D, and I think they need to clarify a bit more that this is a sequel and not a remake.

Brooklyn’s Finest-Another Sundance 09 holdover that has gotten good reviews and could be an early standout for awards pictures. Featuring a great cast and directed by Antoine Fuqua this could be a nice entry into the crime genre.
Green Zone-Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon team up for their first non-Bourne film that takes place in the early stages of the second Iraq War and is more thriller than the action film the trailer is selling. Add to this that these are two of the best in their respective crafts and have a great track record already and this should be a winner.

Greenberg-Noah Baumbach’s latest effort stars Ben Stiller in this odd looking but most likely brilliant tale that is sure to have plenty of Baumbach’s trademark wit and quirk that I have loved for some time now; can’t wait.

Remember Me-Robert Pattinson gets to show off his non vampire skills in this dramatic romance that features some fine actors and should be a breath of fresh air to those people that think Pattinson is a one trick pony.

The Bounty Hunter-An action comedy with Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler could really go either way, but both actors can be great and I will hope for the best with this one.

Chloe-Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried, and Liam Neeson star in this intriguing family thriller that has a wicked premise surrounding fidelity and trust. The less you know the better I think here, solid cast though.

Hot Tub Time Machine-Crazy concept, could be stupid, but John Cussack and Craig Robinson will put me in the seats and the zany premise could end up panning out to be a fun little comedy adventure.

Last Night-Little is known about this drama, but it stars Keira Knightley and Sam Worthington as a married couple that are both tempted with infidelity over the course of one night in respective situations. I just want to see Worthington in a non action flick to see what he is made of.

The Runaways-The trailer for this band biopic really got me pumped and could be the coming out party for Dakota Fanning to the adult world as she looks hot as Cherie Currie. Kristen Stewart stars as Joan Jett and she gets a chance to show us her acting chops again. Count me in, let’s just hope this rocks.

Season of the Witch-I will give Nic Cage a shot in just about anything, but who knows how this supernatural thriller will pan out. It’s got Rob Perlman in it though, so that is a start in the right direction.

Clash of the Titans-Sam Worthington stars in this update of the Harryhausen classic and it looks like it could be some fun, especially with Liam Nesson and Ralph Fiennes playing Zeus and Hades. WB is making this 3-D and pumping more money into the picture for added scenes as well so something must be working on this one.

How to Train Your Dragon-Dreamworks’ track record has been more bad than good but the Norse setting for this film should hopefully keep the film out of the pop references and hopefully build a fun and original fantasy world to live in. The trailer is ok, but I am optimistic for better things.

The Greatest-This family drama surrounds the loss of a son and the appearance of his pregnant girlfriend with the family having to take her in as we follow the affects it has on the family. A brilliant premise and a cast that can pull this off this is one to watch out for.

April:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid-Having never read the adored source material I don’t know what to expect, but the material could turn into a great picture and hopefully transcends all ages of audiences.

Repo Men-Jude Law and Forest Whitaker come and steal your organs if you default on your payments in leave your bloody mess behind. Brilliant concept and I can’t wait to see this as it looks like a lot of fun with some great actors.

After.Life-This intriguing thriller about the inbetween sports a nice little cast and could prove to be an intriguing little picture about the experience between life and death.

Warlords-Jet Li’s latest historical picture from China features epic battles and what not, let’s hope it can set itself apart from the rest of these sorts of films released over the years.

Date Night-Tina Fey and Steve Carell in the date night from hell, this is sure to deliver plenty of laughs and a bit of adventure that could be a winner in the comedy department in 010.

The Losers-A crazy action thriller following a group of U.S. Special Forces this one has the potential to be a big R-rated action movie of the early year. The worst thing this has going for it?, Kick-Ass comes out the next week.

Kick-Ass-This adaptation of Mark Millar’s over the top superhero comedy has screened and has been absolutely raved about and is a front runner for genre picture of the year and maybe even beyond that. Matthew Vaughn went all out and it seems to have paid off. I can’t wait for Hit Girl!

The Square-Having been seen by a few people this is supposed to be quite good but let’s wait and see how this one pans out as we get closer to release date.

Babies-This documentary follows four families as they expect and raise their little babies through their first few months and promises to be a cute and interesting look into the varying cultures of childhood.

Death at a Funeral-This African American remake of the British classic seems to be sticking to the formula laid out in the original to a T and if so that could be a good thing as the cast is a lot of fun here and Peter Dinklage is even reprising his hilarious role. Avoid the trailers, just see the movie.

The Joneses-This interesting premise revolves around an idolized family that is actually a marketing ploy to get suburbanites to upgrade to the high end products that they company they work for pushes, an interesting premise that I am intrigued to see where it goes.

MacGruber-Early buzz on this SNL flick is actually quite good and it might be the best SNL flick since Wayne’s World. The skit doesn’t seem to translate to a film, but they seem to have possibly made it work, we will see this April.

Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps-I am intrigued to see what Oliver Stone does with his out of the blue sequel though the subject matter is ripe for the picking again. Hopefully he admonishes and calls out these corrupt sectors of our financial system and opens some eyes to the problems Wall Street is causing.

May:

Iron Man 2-More Tony Stark is a good thing and adding Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, and Scarlett Johansson is a smart move. Many people’s most anticipated film of the year this one will hopefully not disappoint, I for one can’t wait.

Robin Hood-Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe bring us the “real” version of Robin Hood. Gritty and brutal, the film is going to be akin to Kingdom of Heaven and Gladiator when it comes to battles and hopefully the romance in the film is as engaging as the action is sure to be.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time-Based on early trailers this could be the best video game adaptation of all time and the effects work is phenomenal. Some people might have a problem with Gyllenhaal the action star but I am confident he will quickly put any of those fears to rest.

June:

The A-Team-This is the latest TV remake but the cast could take this one over the top. Liam Nesson and Bradley Cooper should be a lot of fun, and I am excited to see Sharlto Copley in his first post District 9 role. Let’s hope Joe Carnahan has plenty of intrigue to go with the guaranteed action.

Get Him to the Greek-This follow up to Forgetting Sarah Marshall focuses on Russell Brand and Jonah Hill’s characters and could be a disaster. Luckily both of these guys are really funny so hopefully they can make this work.

Jonah Hex-Josh Brolin and Megan Fox star in this comic adaptation that promises to provide some darker material for comic book adaptations and hopefully a fun hero in Brolin who could breakout to the mainstream audiences with this picture.

Toy Story 3-In my top 5 most anticipated films of the year I can’t wait to see the gang back together and hopefully put in a final home that we can all be content with and will hopefully conclude one of the best trilogies ever put on screen.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse-Yeah I want to see it, I hope David Slade brings a needed adultness and edge to series, and hopefully the Cullens get more screen time this time around. Apparently Slade is trying to make this a very horror oriented film, sign me up.

Check back next week for the rest of the calendar year of 010!