Thor’s TOP 11 Most Anticipated Movies of 2010

A brand new year is always my favorite in terms of films; all of the big releases seem beaming with promise and potential.  Of course, by December, several will have fallen flat on their face, but lets not dwell on that, lets get excited while we still can.  Overall, there are plenty of fresh flicks to look forward to, at least for a genre fan like myself; a bunch of Cult Directors make their long awaited returns (John Carpenter, Vincenzo Natali), old school action makes a comeback (Predators, Machete, The Expendables) and a bunch of horror projects get the Big Budget treatment (Piranha 3-D, Wolfman, Shutter Island).  Anyway enough name-dropping, lets get on with it already, in no particular order…

 

1. THE EXPENDABLES

CAST: check below…

DIRECTOR: Sylvester Stallone

WHY? I’ll let the cast list do the talking: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Danny Trejo in the same movie…TOGETHER!…Blowing stuff up.  If you’re of the male population and that doesn’t get you excited, I suggest you check your pulse…or your testosterone level…or just go and rent Remains of the Day again because this movie wasn’t made for you.

 

2. PREDATORS

CAST: Adrian Brody, Danny Trejo, Laurence Fishburne

DIRECTOR: Nimrod Antal

WHY? Alright, alright, I know the general public and even several die hard fans have completely lost faith in this franchise since the AVP films, which lets face it, were the cinematic equivalent of two smelly turds.  But I for one am a true believer.  The original Predator is a film that I could describe as near perfect and has sorely been missing a worthwhile follow up since its release (Predator 2 was decent fun, but weak compared to its predecessor) and producer/co-writer/supervisor Robert Rodriguez has promised that this sequel will strive to deliver just that.  The premise (a group of Earth’s baddest bad-asses are transported to a hostile alien planet to battle it out with a squad of Predators) is painfully simple, but filled with potential for awesomeness.  Not to mention the cast has filled out quite nicely and the films stated reliance on practical effects is a big plus for this kind of picture.  While Director Nimrod Antal (“Vacancy”) is hardly A-list, I do believe he’s hungry and talented enough to deliver the goods.  Being realistic it could go either way, but I have a healthy dose of faith in Rodriguez.  After all, he adapted one of my all time favorite comic books (Sin City) into a five-star classic so I’m sure he can oversee a fun monster flick with a butt load of ballistic action.  Fingers are crossed.

 

3. PIRHANA 3-D

CAST: Ving Rhames, Richard Dreyfuss, Elisabeth Shue

DIRECTOR: Alexandre Aja

WHY? Director Aja was heralded in early 2000’s as the next big thing for horror cinema with his excellent debut Haute Tension. Since then his films have been decent yet sadly avoided the heights of his early promise, their usual flaw that the goofy premises were played too seriously.  This project, a remake basically in name and concept only of Joe Dante’s 1978 tongue-in-cheek Jaws spoof, has the potential to be one of Aja’s better projects as he trades in the grim and somber tone of his former films for an emphasis on fun, splatter and boobs.  I’m always a fan of simple Horror if done appropriately silly and coupled with a skilled Director balancing the tone.  This film appears to have all those ingredients plus who could turn down piranha wrecking havoc in 3-D?  Well probably most people, but not me, that’s for damn sure!

 

4. MACHETE

CAST: Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba

DIRECTOR: Robert Rodriguez,

WHY? Danny Trejo is MACHETE!  Anyone who wasn’t drooling to see this flick after witnessing the mock trailer accompanying Grindhouse either needs to check their contact prescription or was in the wrong bloody cinema.  Sure it didn’t look like it was going to win any Oscars, but if bloody, raunchy exploitation cinema was your thing, Machete looked like it was going to deliver on all fronts, after fans pleaded for two years straight, Rodriguez finally gave in and decided to expand it into its own feature.  Now I’m sure most of you think I’ve got a serious Rodriguez fetish considering this is his second mention on my list and you wouldn’t be far off.  Sure, I can admit he’s hardly perfect.  His carrier has had its fair shares of ups and downs, but he’s rarely stumbled with grimy, tongue-in-cheek genre material like this baby (the only exception…Once Upon a Time in Mexico) and with hard man Trejo retaining the lead role and being joined by a supporting cast that varies from A-list (Robert De Niro!) to C-list (Steven Seagal!) things are looking sweet.  I can’t wait to find out what happens when peeps F**k with the wrong Mexican!  Bring it on!

 

5. SHUTTER ISLAND

CAST: Leonardo Dicaprio, Mark Ruffalo

DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese

WHY? When saluted “Greatest Living American Director” Martin Scorsese makes a new film its always time for film buffs and general audiences to take notice, even when the man’s material is miscast (Kundun) or messy (Gangs of New York) his films always make for an interesting watch, be it for his guarantied handle on style or assured skill with actors.  Shutters Island catches the man on a recent high after his long deserved Best Director Oscar for his sharpest film in a decade (The Departed).  It also promises to be his first straight Genre film since 1993’s Cape Fear, which was a great example of a skilled master having a blast cranking out a fun and dark Horror/Thriller without the heavy baggage delivering a message.  Add to that the source material by solid novelist Dennis Lehane and the fourth collaboration with his Scorsese muse Leonardo Dicaprio, its safe to say that things are looking slick with the promise of a classy, quality movie that will delver some serious scares and doesn’t play it stupid.

 

 

6. IRON MAN 2

CAST: Robert Downey JR, Mickey Rourke

DIRECTOR: Jon Favreau

WHY? I’ve been hard pressed to find someone who walked out of the cinema after Iron Man without a big grin plastered across his or her face.  It was pure unadulterated fun with a solid character arc and resulted in one of the best films out its sub-genre to boot.  Sure it had flaws, as most superhero origin stories do, but luckily the central performance from Downey Jr. glossed over its cracks and surprisingly slick direction from Favereau cemented his rise from tubby sidekick to a bonifide A-list helmer.  Well, now comes time for part two (the only major comic book sequel this year) and if we’re judging the Genre franchises by their installments, the second ones tend to stand as the strongest.  It’s simple math; once no. 1 establishes the ground rules and the hero’s powers, part 2 can hit the ground running and bring home the bacon (e.g. X-Men 2, Spiderman 2, The Dark Knight). Now considering the level of success the first flick achieved both creatively and financially, I have the distinct feeling it will result in something glorious.  Plus the addition of Don Cheadle as War Machine and Mickey Rourke as a bad-ass Russian villain only further confirms my institution that it will kick major ass.

 

7. SPLICE

CAST: Vincenzo Natali

DIRECTOR: Adrian Brody, Sarah Polley

WHY? Director Natali is hardly a household name, but without a doubt he’s a director with a soft spot in the heart of many a geek like myself, mostly due to his first feature Cube.  In my opinion it was one of the strongest debuts of last the 15 years (along with Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko) with Natali delivering a tense sci-fi thriller that excelled well beyond its low budget by being cleverly inventive.  Since then things have been fairly quiet, he directed the luke-warm Cypher and did some TV work and documentaries.  Well Splice has the possibility to kill the silence surrounding him, as he tackles another simple yet devilishly smart premise (two scientists create a new species through genetics) that hints at heading towards territory that echoes early Cronenberg.  Other bonuses are the deliciously leftfield choices of lead actors (Brody, Polley) and the creature effects and designs done by my personal favorites KNB FX.  Ultimately, I doubt the film will achieve massive mainstream or even sleeper success, but hopefully it can at least result in a compelling, original film that will tear up the Cult scene and prove Cube was no fluke.

 

8. INCEPTION

CAST: Leonardo Dicaprio, Ellen Paige

DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan

WHY? All eyes are on Nolan nowadays to make the third Batman.  Sure I’d be jazzed if he’d confirm it as his next, but on the other hand my favorite out his filmography wasn’t last years’ The Dark Knight but The Prestige, the film he made in between Bat flicks.  It was an original, twisted, mindf**k that packed an odd emotional weight and demanded repeat viewings.  The idea that he’s returning to another original premise with an A-list cast and an enormous budget is enticing enough.  The fact that the whole thing has been shrouded in ‘Iron Curtain’ like secrecy makes it almost unbearable.   From what little we’ve seen (the recent teaser trailer), the conception borders on out of this world stunning, bringing up the assumption that I’m not the only sitting on the edge of his seat, waiting to uncovers it mysteries.

 

9. TRUE GRIT

CAST: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon,

DIRECTORS: The Coen Brothers

WHY? I’m a dedicated fan boy of the Coen brothers and for a solid 20 year period they produced non-stop quality work (yes I’m even counting Intolerable Cruelty) to the extent I even began to question if they originated from planet Earth, as it seemed everything they touched turned out flawless.  Then they made The Ladykillers, a film where their usual strengths (eccentric characters, off-kilter dialogue) came out as awkward and irritating.  To complain about one sole movie in a vast filmography is no doubt petty, but it did put my theory to rest, the brothers were only human after all.  Naturally they’ve bounced back with good work since yet this recently announced project is the most excited I’ve been about a film of theirs for years.  It stands as their first take on the Western Genre and the combination seems like a match in heaven.  Whenever they’ve dabbled with the setting (Blood Simple, No Country of Old Men) it has resulted in their best outings, yet this time they won’t be misplacing Film Noir thematics and instead will exploit the Genre in all it glory.  Another plus is it’s an adaptation of Charles Portis excellent rough-edged novel and Jeff Bridges is taking on the role that won John Wayne a damn Oscar (in the former 1969 version) as the eye patched, brass balled Marshall ‘Rooster’.  Bridges is always awesome especially when coupled with the Coen’s and he’s joined by an able support of Matt Damon and Josh Brolin.  The film hasn’t begun filming and is due for a release in December, but in my opinion, it couldn’t arrive soon enough.

 

10. THE WARD

CAST: Amber Heard, Danielle Panabaker

DIRECTOR: John Carpenter

WHY? Anyone familiar with this column can attest I’m a complete John Carpenter whore.  You could almost consider it a bizarre illness, for example I’ll watch a lame movie he made, say Escape From L.A. and during its runtime I’m aware its complete ass, but for some reason I can’t help but dig it.  Well The Ward is his first feature project to grace the cinema screens since 2001 when he suffered a creative burnout, and I’ll be honest, the movie could be about a group of old women sitting around and discussing War and Peace for three hours and I would still go bats**t for it.  Fortunately, from what I’ve read, the premise sounds like a sizzler; a girl (Amber Heard) is sentenced to an isolation ward of a psychiatric clinic, but soon discovers that something evil is haunting its corridors.  The idea is simplistic, yet in his capable hands, has a good opportunity to be a balls-out scare fest and a hopeful return to his former glory.  But as said before, I’ll love this film no matter what; so don’t take my word for it.

 

11. THE WOLFMAN

CAST: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving

DIRECTOR: Joe Johnston

WHY? A good Werewolf movie is a rare beast.  In fact, I could count all the great ones on both hands (and that’s not even using all my fingers!).  So when news arrived that Universal was dusting off the old 1941 classic for a Big Budget remake you could count me excited.  Then sudden news put a damper on my parade; visionary auteur Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) dropped out last minute and was replaced with hit-and-miss director Joe Johnston.  But in the end, its not enough to deter my excitement because the pros kick the cons in the bollocks; Del Toro is the titular monster, the supporting cast is A-list (Hopkins, Weaving), the script is by Andrew Kevin Walker, the practical effects are by Rick Baker, the plot retains the originals period setting and best of all its Rated R for gruesome violence!  Overall, all the element are in place, but we’ll have to see if the rumored studio interference has mauled it beyond recognition or if it’ll stand as one of the great Wolf Man flicks.  I’ll be first in line to find out.

 

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

A-Team, Bitch Slap, Brooklyn’s Finest, Cop Out, Clash of the Titans, The Green Zone, The Hot Tub Time Machine, Kick-Ass, Legion, Priest, Prince of Persia, Robin Hood, The Rum Diary, Scott Pilgrim VS The World, The Social Network, Unstoppable, Your Highness