11. The A-Team [June 11 - Wide] dir. Joe Carnahan
Who's in it?: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copely, Jessica Biel, Patrick Wilson
What's the story?: An adaptation of the 80s TV action series.
Why:
- It looks loud and fun.
- Sharlto Copely, who had a terrific breakout in District 9 is getting work. Yay!
- Cigar-chomping Liam Neeson.
Why Not:
- Uninspired trailer.
- TV adaptations don't have the best history.
- Why does Bradley Cooper always look so smug?
10. Jonah Hex [June 18 - Wide] dir. Jimmy Hayward
What's the story?: A bounty hunter tries to stop a voodoo practitioner from unleashing the undead to liberate the Old South.
Who's in it?: Josh Brolin, Michael Fassbender, Megan Fox, Michael Shannon, John Malkovich
Why:
- Strong cast.
- Good source material with a cool mix of magic and the Old West.
Why Not:
- No trailer. No new posters. No buzz. Nada.
09. Date Night [April 9 - Wide] dir. Shawn Levy
What's the story?: A case of mistaken identities traps a married couple in a gangster-filled night of insanity.
Who's in it?: Steve Carrell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, Taraji P. Henson
Why:
- Carrell and Fey are a great comic duo, and star on two of the best comedies currently on TV.
- The action-comedy genre is tricky, but when done right it can be a blast.
- Great supporting cast.
- Solid trailer.
Why Not:
- Funny people doesn't mean a funny movie.
- Could be a classic case of "everything funny was in the trailer".
- No early word.
08. I Love You, Phillip Morris [May 7 - LA only] dirs. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
What's the story?: A con man falls in love with a fellow in mate, and tries to maintain a relationship as he continuously escapes/is trapped in prison.
Who's in it?: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro
Why:
- A true and unique story that reportedly handles the homosexual subject manner extremely well.
- Strong praise for the performances (especially McGregor).
Why Not:
- It's been delayed for ages.
- The reviews have generally been good, but not great.
- It's difficult to tell how much of Jim Carrey's schtick is intact for the performance.
07. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time [May 28 - Wide] dir. Mike Newell
What's the story?: Prince Dastan must return a time-controlling dagger to its home to prevent an evil wizard from using its powers to take over the world.
Who's in it?: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Gemma Artreton, Alfred Molina
Why:
- The 2003 video game (of the same name) was a stellar example of how video games can tell a simple-yet-engaging story, mixed with amazing action and environments.
- The game's creator, Jordan Mechner, was commissioned to come up with the story.
- Director Mike Newell is no stranger to big budget fantasy fare; he directed 2005's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
- Jerry Bruckheimer has likened the tone to Pirates of the Caribbean.
- The trailer doesn't make the film look cheap.
Why Not:
- Was Gyllenhaal the best choice for the prince?
- The story is quite different from that of the video game, which has a knockout of a finale. If it ain't broke...
- The special effects look fine, but that's it.
- Pirates of the Caribbean (well, the first one) was a special pop culture phenomenon with a brilliant lead character. Just having two comically bickering leads doesn't mean that you'll achieve the same charm of that franchise.
06. Clash of the Titans [April 2 - Wide] dir. Louis Leterrier
What's the story?: Perseus, the son of Zeus, must stop the gods from unleashing total chaos (and the kraken) on increasingly anti-theist mankind.
Who's in it?: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Artreton, Alexa Davalos, Mads Mikkelson
Why:
- Rockin' trailer (that song better be on the soundtrack)
- How can you resist seeing Liam Neeson bellow "RELEASE THE KRAKEN!" on the big screen?
- Special effects have come a looooong way since the original, lending the film a slick, super-charged vibe. The action looks kinetic without being confusing.
- Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes on screen together again. Schindler and Goeth don't have sh*t on Zeus and Hades.
- The studio actually gave the film more money to add extra monsters/gods.
Why Not:
- Could extra monsters/gods create clutter?
- Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk had effective action, but was utterly brain dead in between fights.
- Could struggle with tone issues. Will they try and be gritty and epic, or maintain some of the camp of the original?
- A rushed conversion to 3D has left those at previews unimpressed (the film was delayed a week because of this conversion).
- Sam Worthington needs to carry the movie, and, like Keira Knightley, he can be very good or very bland.
05. Robin Hood [May 14 - Wide] dir. Ridley Scott
What's the story?: An archer in the army of Richard the Lionhearted fights against the Normans and becomes the legendary Robin Hood.
Who's in it?: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Mark Strong, Danny Huston, Max Von Sydow, William Hurt
Why:
- A fresh, gritty take on the Robin Hood story with a knock out cast.
- Crowe and Scott are a reliable combination.
- Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett, together at last.
- Ridley Scott films always have lush period details, making you feel like you're in X time period.
- The action is reportedly very gritty, with very few special effects shots (most of which are just for a fleet of ships).
- Brian Helgeland, the writer behind that masterpiece LA Confidential, wrote the screenplay, trying to give it a more historical angle.
Why Not:
- The off chance that it ends up being dull.
- Crowe and Blanchett may not have the right chemistry.
- The actor who plays King John seems a little over the top ("I declare him an out-LAAAAAAAAAW!!")
04. Kick Ass [April 16 - Wide] dir. Matthew Vaughn
What's the story?: Dave Lizewski, an ordinary student, decides to become a super hero, and inspires a wave of masked vigilantes, angering a local mob syndicate.
Who's in it?: Aaron Johnson, Nicholas Cage, Mark Strong, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Moretz
Why:
- Fantastic reception from the SXSW Film Festival. Some reviews hailed it as the best super hero flick behind The Dark Knight (albeit completely different in tone).
- The mix of visceral action and laugh out loud comedy also has a surprising share of emotional weight.
- The performances have earned across the board praise, especially young Moretz as the purple-haired, foul-mouthed Hit Girl.
- Finally a chance to see Nicholas Cage give a knowingly silly performance.
- Mintz-Plasse is inching closer to breaking out of his McLovin' mould.
Why Not:
- Matthew Vaughn's last film, Stardust, was generally well received, but was really a clunky, poorly structured film. Let's hope it doesn't carry over here.
03. I am Love [June 18 - Limited] dir. Luca Guadagnino
What's the story?: At the turn of the millennium, a prominent Milanese family is shaken by romantic passions and infidelity.
Who's in it?: Tilda Swinton, various and sundry Italians
Why:
- Have you seen the trailer? If you haven't, it calls to mind A Single Man, which teased beautifully without giving away its minimal plot at all.
- Early reviews have been extremely positive, especially for Swinton, who was criminally snubbed for Oscar consideration last year for her work in Julia.
- The music is by opera composer John Adams, who is composing his first ever film score (sadly, the music in the trailer is from previous work).
- Even if it's bad, it will sure as hell be gorgeous.
Why Not:
- Is it just empty prettiness?
02. Toy Story 3 [June 18 - Wide] dir. Lee Unkrich
What's the story?: When Andy departs for college, the toys are donated to a day-care, and must cope with the change.
Who's in it?: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberger, Joan Cusack, Michael Keaton, Bonnie Hunt
Why:
- The original Pixar masterpiece comes full circle.
- According to early word, if WALL-E or UP!, made you cry, you'll be bawling over the last (brilliant) 20 minutes of this one.
- Written by Michael Arndt of Little Miss Sunshine fame.
Why Not:
- The one in a million chance that it's either just "good", or even "bad". Yeah, probably not.
01. Iron Man 2 [May 7 - Wide] dir. Jon Favreau
What's the story?: Tony Stark must deal with his newfound super hero status, demands from the government to hand over the Iron Man suit, and new threats from a business rival and a deranged Russian villain with a vendetta named Whiplash.
Who's in it?: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johannson, Samuel L. Jackson
Why:
- The first was a surprise thrill ride, and this one looks bigger and better.
- Mickey Rourke looks f-ing insane.
- With the Tony Stark universe established, the film can jump right into the good stuff without all of the set up from before.
- Fun new cast members.
Why Not:
- I still wish Emily Blunt had gotten the Black Widow role over Johannson.
- It could be judged too harshly next to its predecessor.
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