1. Star Trek (5/8)
The good: After Rick Berman ran this franchise into the ground with mediocre series and movies, Trek returns to theaters with J.J. Abrams at the helm, taking on the origin story of Captain Kirk and his crew. As a lifelong Trekker, I have been busting to see this ever since the announcement that the movie would be made. The visuals in the trailer look great, I love the new yet retro look of the Enterprise, and the bridge looks like an Apple Store on crack. Kudos for casting Zachary Quinto as Spock and Simon Pegg as Scotty. I hope this Chris Pine guy can fill the larger-than-life shoes of Jim Kirk.
The bad: The trailer is nonstop action from beginning to end, and I hope the actual movie is not wall-to-wall action, because "Star Trek is about people and emotions." (Gene Roddenberry's exact words). On the other hand, I hope the super hardcore Trekkers give the movie a little bit of latitude and don't expect every little shit detail to be absolutely correct, because this movie, even though it is "Trek," is a re-imagining of the concept. There are already people complaining that the saucer on the Enterprise is the wrong size, and I agree with Shatner that they need to get a life and get out of their parents' basements!
2. Watchmen (3/6?)
The good: This film, about costumed heroes in an alternate timeline in which the U.S. won the Vietnam War and Nixon is serving his fifth term as president, is based on what many say is the best graphic novel ever created. I am currently 3/4 of the way through it and it has blown me away. The plot, the characters and the artwork is like nothing I have ever seen before. The film has a big enough budget ($130 million) to handle the effects, will be rated R, and has a director (Zack Snyder) who seems to respect the source material. The trailers look damn good!
The bad: Legal problems, particularly a judge's ruling that Fox still owns the rights to the film, and Warner Bros. shouldn't be allowed to release it may delay the film. The result will be millions of pissed off comic book fans and moviegoers, so it would behoove both studios to resolve this dispute ASAFP.
3. Inglorious Basterds (8/21)
The good: Quentin Tarantino directs a film taking place in WWII Europe. He calls the film his version of "The Dirty Dozen." I'm sold!
The bad: Hmmm... I'm thinking....
4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (7/17)
The good: Director David Yates, who did a great job with "The Order of the Phoenix" returns. Also, I look forward to how a major plot development at the end of the book will turn out on the screen.
The bad: There really isn't anything that can go wrong here.
5. Avatar (12/18)
The good: James Cameron directs his first feature film since "Titanic". That was 11 years ago! Cameron promises a compelling sci-fi script with groundbreaking special effects. I, for one, believe him.
The bad: Multiple production delays and a budget approaching $300 million. This will likely be the most expensive movie ever made. Deja vu, anyone?
6. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (6/26)
The good: The first movie had little substance, but the effects were mind-blowing, and it was an absolute blast to watch. This time around, most of the cast is back, and the budget is up significantly over the first film, so I'm expecting another great popcorn movie.
The bad: Four words, "A Michael Bay Film."
7. Public Enemies (7/1)
The good: Johnny Depp plays John Dillinger, and Christian Bale plays the FBI agent who tries to take him down. I'm sold!
The bad: Michael Mann's last film, "Miami Vice," was a disappointment.
8. Monsters vs. Aliens (3/27)
The good: Good premise, and trailers make the movie look like it will have good action scenes and a lot of laughs. Dreamworks' animation department has been underwhelming lately, churning out "Shrek" sequels, and movies with groups of cute CGI animals that have mostly been 90-minute strings of pop-culture references and little actual plot. This film looks like a refreshing break from this. And Colbert plays the President of the United States!
The bad: The trailers have a few too many flatulence jokes for my tastes, and I hope this doesn't carry over to the movie.
9. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (5/1)
The good: Takes the best character from the X-Men movies and gives him his own story. Hugh Jackman says he loves playing this role.
The bad: Have the X-Men films worn out their welcome? Also, if "Watchmen" gets delayed as a result of the judge ruling that Fox has the rights to the film, many fans promised to boycott this movie, released by Fox.
10. Terminator: Salvation (5/22)
The good: Trailers look great, and the post-apocalyptic storyline looks compelling. Christian Bale portrays John Connor. I'm sold!
The bad: Can a Terminator movie work without Schwarzenegger? And former music video director McG, who was a grade-A hack on the awful Charlie's Angels films, redeemed himself with "We Are Marshall," but he is still a question mark in my book.
11. The Wolf Man (11/6)
The good: Now is a good time for a remake of this film, and they wisely decided to keep the setting in 1880s London. Also, the screenplay is co-written by Andrew Kevin Walker, who wrote "Se7en" and gave an uncredited rewrite to "Fight Club." Legendary makeup artist Rick Baker, who was responsible for the shocking transformations in the now classic "An American Werewolf in London" is also working on this film.
The bad: The film was moved from February to November, possibly because of production and/or marketing problems.
12. Untitled Bruno Project (5/15)
The good: "Borat" was one of the funniest movies ever made. In "Bruno," Sascha Baron Cohen is back, this time as a gay Austrian fashion reporter who wants to start a TV show in America. Supposedly "Bruno" uses the same mockumentary filmmaking approach, in which unsuspecting people who are interviewed appear in the movie. Cohen supposedly even made it on to the set of the TV show "Medium" in character, and this footage may or may not appear in the film.
The bad: This type of film was funny once, but could it work a second time?
Deliberately NOT on this list:
2012: Yet another special effects-laden disaster movie from Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin, which I am sure will have about as much depth as a puddle on a sidewalk.
Sherlock Holmes: Robert Downey Jr. is now an A-list star and a good choice to play such a legendary role, but Guy Ritchie should not be directing anything, let alone a big-budget star vehicle.
2 comments:
I am looking forward to many of those movies as well. I am also looking forward to "I, Lucifer" in which Daniel Craig plays the devil and Ewan McGregor plays the man he possesses. God is giving Satan one last chance at redemption but Satan wants to take advantage of the deal to put a human through as much drugs, sex,and other vices as possible. Mostly, I just love those 2 actors and will see just about anything they're in.
Haven't heard about that one until now. Sounds like fun.
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