Happy New Year. Here is my "Top Ten Most Anticipated Big Movies of 2011" list. This list includes movies that are most likely getting wide releases and will be possible blockbusters. I am also doing a Top Ten Most Anticipated Indie Movies list that will be posted tomorrow. This is only my opinion. If you don't like my list, go do your own.
#10 Contagion - Steven Soderbergh is hit or miss for me, but this one sounds like it could be good. Contagion is an action-thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak. It has a really good cast including Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, and more. Also, this could be Soderbergh's last movie as there are rumors of his retirement floating around. If he is going to go, better go out with a bang.
Release date: October 21, 2011
Trailer: Not yet released.
#9 The Green Hornet - I'm a huge fan of Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of my favorite films of all-time), but there's just something about The Green Hornet that doesn't fancy me as much as other films this year. I still think it'll be a good film with some clever visuals (the multiple car effect and Kato kicking people in the air stuff looks cool), but I'm just not as stoked for the film as I feel I should be. My faith in Gondry is high. Here's to hoping.
Release date: January 14, 2011
Trailer:
#8 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - If this wasn't going to be the last Harry Potter movie, I wouldn't put it on my list. You all know about my displeasure toward David Yates, but I think it'll be nice to finally see the series wrap up. There should be a lot of great action, which I do think has been done well in the last few films. We shall see.
Release date: July 15, 2011
Trailer:
#7 Your Highness - I laughed so hard the first time I saw the trailer for Your Highness. As long as all the funny parts aren't in the previews, I think this could be one of the best comedies of the year. It stars Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, and Zooey Deschanel, and is directed by Pineapple Express and Eastbound & Down director David Gordon Green. I love how their accents are all terrible, but done that way on purpose. Just how the movie is very aware of itself could be funny.
Release date: April 8, 2011
Trailer:
#6 Sucker Punch - It's already easy to tell that Zack Snyder's latest is not going to be the best movie in the world, but it is sure to have some impressive visuals. Snyder has always been good at delivering us at least that with 300 and Watchmen. I have doubts about the story and possibly the acting. Those doubts to be replaced by the joy of Japanese schoolgirl uniform upskirt shots. Just kidding.
Release date: March 25, 2011
Trailer:
#5 Rango - Rango looks to be a unique CGI animated film because of the way they actually recorded the actors' voices. Sets were actually built in sound stages and the actors really got to perform all together in one big room to capture their voices. This lends a natural sound and feel to the dialogue of the movie. Animators also watched the videos of the actors' movements and used that for the characters. Only other movie I can think of that did something like this is Surf's Up where the actors performed in the same room, were able to improv, and play off of each other. And I really enjoyed that movie. Rango just seems to take it a step further with the sets. Could be really cool.
Release date: March 4, 2011
Trailer:
#4 Paul - Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are absolutely hilarious to me, but how will they do without Edgar Wright's brilliant direction? Well, I think they'll be alright as they are being directed by Greg Mottola; the director responsible for Superbad and Adventureland, two movies that I enjoyed. Pegg and Frost still wrote the script for Paul, so it's sure to have some really funny bits in it. My only worry now is that the film might have gotten Americanized.
Release date: March 18, 2011
Trailer:
#3 The Tree of Life - Terrence Malick started directing in 1969, but The Tree of Life will only be his fifth feature film. To say that Malick takes his time to perfect his films would be an understatement. Malick's idea for The Tree of Life has been around since about 2005/2006 and has gone through a few different distribution battles. However, we finally have a release date, and even better, a trailer for the film which look beautiful so far. The story centers around the evolution of a boy who is the oldest of three brothers and how he witnesses the loss of innocence in the 1950s.
Release date: May 27, 2011
Trailer:
#2 Super 8 - I've been so impressed with J.J. Abrams that even though there is barely anything known about this movie, I'm confident enough to put it high up on my list. What has been confirmed is that it will take place in 1979 and it will be a homage/tribute to Steven Spielberg's '70s and '80s science fiction films with a mystery and supernatural feel from Abrams. Oh yeah, and Spielberg is also producing. Can't wait for this one.
Release date: June 10, 2011
Trailer:
Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for...
#1 - Justin Bieber: Never Say Never - Sike!
#1 The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn - I've read Tintin ever since I was in fifth grade. Having three of the biggest directors in Hollywood, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, and Edgar Wright, Secret of the Unicorn aims to be a hit. The thing is, no matter how much it may suck or underperform here in the States, it is sure to bring in boatloads of money in the European market. But, I doubt that'll be the case. The first of the three planned Tintin movies will be entertaining, I am sure. They will be filmed in the motion capture CGI style like The Polar Express, Beowulf, and A Christmas Carol. Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost will star and John Williams will be doing the score. This movie has everything going for it.
Release date: December 28, 2011
Trailer: Not yet released, but here are some pictures.
Runners-up: Scream 4, We Bought a Zoo, Winnie the Pooh, Cowboys & Aliens, Cars 2, Source Code, Hanna, Immortals, X-Men: First Class, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.
I know there are going to be one or two people crying foul that I did not include any of the big superhero movies coming out this year. Fact of the matter is, I don't really think many of them look good. I mean, I might be wrong, but none of them seem to really have any potential. I did include Cowboys & Aliens and X-Men in the runners-up, but that's it. Thor, Captain America, Green Lantern... they all look meh.
Past lists:
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
UPDATE 1/2: Just posted my top ten indie films list.
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