#10 - Tropic Thunder
I'm really surprised this isn't getting much buzz because the plot sounds hilarious. Ben Stiller directs and stars in this film as an action superstar who is cast in the most expensive war movie ever produced. In the making of the movie, the crew is forced to rely on their boot camp skills to stay alive when things go horribly wrong in the production. Other co-stars include Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black. It has been reported that this will be filled with a ton of cameos including a rather large, bald Tom Cruise as the head of the studio.
#9 - Get Smart
I have always thought for years that if a Get Smart movie were ever to be made, Steve Carell would be the best choice to play Maxwell Smart. So when he was cast as the lead last year I was really excited and have been ever since. I look forward to the phone-booth sequence and the shoe-phone, haha. A pretty good cast for the most part, including Alan Arkin as the Chielf...however, I'm worried about Anne Hathaway and The Rock co-starring. We'll see how it goes I guess.
#8 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
There's not a lot of information about this film right now, but what I do know is that David Fincher is directing and it stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. The synopsis is that it tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences...I'll see anything under David Fincher's direction.
#7 - Iron Man
While I was a comic book fan as kid, I never really got into the Iron Man comics...the character never intrigued that much. But from all the hype this is getting and the footage that Jon Favreau released at Comic-Con looks amazing. It appears to have a witty script and amazing special effects (I'm really trying to resist being brainwashed by Hollywood into actually liking CGI fests). Robert Downey Jr. appears to look the part of Tony Stark. However, I am really skeptical about this because Jon Favreau hasn't proved himself yet as a director.
#6 - The Incredible Hulk
Still waiting for the trailer, maybe we'll see some footage at the Super Bowl. The fact that it's completely ignoring the previous film is pretty cool. I think Edward Norton will do great job as Bruce Banner along with the rest of the cast including Tim Roth and William Hurt. Even if it's mediocre at best, it will still be 10 times better than Ang Lee's Hulk.
#5 - The Happening
A new M. Night Shyamalan film, what's not to be excited about? As far as I know I'm one of his few devoted fans...that's right, I even liked The Village and Lady in the Water. I don't understand why some people absolutely hated those films but like Hollywood trash like Transformers and such...but I could post a whole new blog over that. I like his films because they're all original, creative, and unique which is a rarity these days in the film industry. So there's lot much out on this his latest right now, but you should expect a trailer very soon. I'm not really ecstatic about the cast, but Shyamalan always has his actors give incredible performances in all his work...so I have no doubt they'll all deliver. I trust ya Wahlberg! I just hope that this film doesn't end up being a pro-global warming/environmentalist film. This is going to be so dark because it's his first R-rated film.
#4 - Star Trek
I'm not a "trekkie" by any means, but I've always been fascinated by the Star Trek franchise. J.J. Abrams (Lost, Mission: Impossible III) is the best guy for the job, he's a genius! The buzz is already big on this film and it doesn't come out until Christmas. I look forward to this reboot of the series and the cast is incredible, taking on some iconic roles. The teaser trailer gave me chills hearing Leonard Nimoy's voice. I am expecting nothing less than incredible with this film.
#3 - Quantum of Solace
In case your wondering this is the title to the new Bond sequel to Casino Royale. I was stoked when they announced this last week at the press conference. This begins right after the previous film left off with Bond devastated by his betrayal of his love Vesper Lynd. Daniel Craig said Ian Flemming, author of the Bond novels, defined a quantum of solace - means roughly a measure of comfort - as "that spark of niceness in a relationship that if you don't have, you might as well give up." Personally, I think this is the best title in the franchise because it stands out the most. However, a lot of people are having mixed reactions with it. Martin Campbell is not returning to direct, but the tone of the last one obviously contributed to it's success so I really hope that they'll stay on that more realistic, gritty track with this one.
#2 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
I have huge expectations with this and I'm not sure if it will live up to the hype. I hope that it will recapture the magic of "Raiders" and "Last Crusade". Spielberg has already said that this one will have the edge that "Raiders" had which I almost can't believe is humanly possible. Hears hoping that George Lucas didn't have much say in this considering that he's completely lost his artistic vision. What happened George? What bothers me most about this is that it will feature Shia LaBeouf, who plays "himself" in about all his movies as that annoying kid. Also, Harrison Ford hasn't had a decent role in well over 10 years. Really looking forward to seeing the Paramount logo fade into a mountain, the map montage, and of course John Williams phenomenal score. Great cast overall with Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, John Wurt, and Karen Allen's return as Marion Ravenwood...wow! So please, please don't let me down Steven!
#1 - The Dark Knight
Okay, I'll admit that I had some doubts when the late Heath Ledger was cast as the Joker last year. But I've always had complete faith in Christopher Nolan who is a big inspiration to me...just look at Following, Memento, The Prestige, and Batman Begins and try and tell me he's not one of the best directors right now. So when the trailer was finally released a few months ago I was speechless! I'm not convinced that's Heath Ledger, he appears to really get into character here. This will definitely be the movie that everyone will remember him for. Can't wait!
