Saturday, January 16, 2010

2010 Film Preview: Part 1


Nothing kick starts a year in film like wild speculation and anticipation! Sometimes half the fun of being a film nut is in following productions from the first time you hear about them till you actually buy a ticket and take a seat in the theater. With 2009 now behind us, it's time to gaze into the film year that will be 2010. In the following posts, I'll try to round up all the films that I know about and have begun anticipating for one reason or another.

Like last year, I am gonna parcel this out into two different posts, this first containing my Top Ten Most Anticipated Films of 2010, and the next part featuring the next tiers. Keep in mind with lists like these, these dates and films are always subject to changes. In fact, one of my most anticipated from 2009, Shutter Island, is now a February release for 2010. With that in mind, I hope you enjoy! Did I miss a film that your expecting to be great this year? Feel free to comment.

For comparison sake, Here are the links to my Film Preview's for 2009
Part 1: Here Part 2: Here


- Directed by Michael Apted
- Opens in December
Though I found Prince Caspian to be a bit lackluster (its poor box office performance nearly killed the franchise altogether), I admit I have a good feeling about this one. I don't know why, I've never read the book, but Narnia fans keep assuring me that this is one of the best. We shall see, I do admit that it's exciting to be looking forward to another adventure story set at sea, we get so little of those.


- Directed by Philip Noyce
- Opens in July
Will it be Mr. and Mrs. Smith or Wanted? I am hoping for the former, as the trailer makes it seem to be a real good time at the movies. Noyce is an able director and Jolie is born to play these female action leads.


- Directed by Louis Leterrier
- Opens in March
It looks to be a more expansive and epic version of 300. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the pitch to studio executives exactly. Sam Worthington gets the lead role here (geez how did he become so big?), so lets see if you can shake free of his bland persona here. I'm hoping for some great actions sequences out of this one.


- Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
- Opens in July
Night's first attempt at adapting material rather than working with an original script, and it might be his last attempt to right his sinking ship. That's my interest here. I love some of his work, and I am hoping this is a return to form for Night.


- Directed by Lee Unkrich
- Opens in June
Others might have this higher on their lists, but I have a nagging suspicion that this franchise has exhausted it's material. What other themes can they mine? The trailers don't give me much hope as it looks like they are going to continue to stay in the 'what do you do when kids don't want to play with you anymore' vein. We'll see, I am hoping for the best though.


- Directed by Mike Mitchell
- Opens in May
I thought Shrek 2 was one of the greatest animated films of all-time, and while Shrek the Third wasn't close to that standard, I also don't think it was as bad as people claimed it to be. I just enjoy the Shrek franchise. This is why it's placed in front of Toy Story 3; Shrek feels like it's attempting to move forward with themes and characters, where I feel Toy Story is rehashing. Maybe it's just me, but thats how I see it. The recent Shrek Forever After trailer released has confirmed my enjoyment, and I look forward to laughing with and spending time with many of my favorite characters.


- Directed by Yuen Woo-Ping
- No Release Date yet
Yeun Woo-Ping's return to the director's chair has the possibility of becoming one of the greatest martial arts films of the last decade. The trailer promises some epic showdowns and crisp fighting. I am loving the new standards that Hong Kong have risen too.


- Directed by Ridley Scott
- Opens in May
- Trailer
I think I could very easily fall for this film. I think there is plenty of room for improvement over Prince of Thieves, I just pray that this is more Gladiator than Kingdom of Heaven.


- Directed by Teddy Chan
- No Release Date Yet
One of the largest and most hotly anticipated films to come out of Hong Kong since Ip Man and Red Cliff. The word of mouth is outstanding and the film is said to contain a final act featuring over an hour of non-stop action. Plus, Donnie Yen promises a new display of Hong Kong parkour within a standard setting fight scene. If nothing I said gets you excited, this isn't the movie for you.


- Directed by Christopher Nolan
- Opens in July
- Trailer
If this film doesn't have you excited, you need to check your pulse. From the director of The Prestige and The Dark Knight comes a science fiction thriller featuring Leonardo DiCaprio. The early teasers have promised some epic stuff and Nolan recently admitted in an interview that this was the biggest film he's ever made. Nolan is the kind of filmmaker that makes me feel like every film he makes could very well become my favorite of all-time. How often can one say that about a director?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I haven't even heard of some of these yet. I'm glad I previewed. Now, I'm excited as well!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous: Mom