Here it is! The final part of my 5-day guide to what films I'm anticipating seeing this year. My top 10 is below! I know my choices are probably fairly predictable, but I'm just being honest -- these are the big films that have me buzzing just thinking about them...
10. WALL-Edir: Andrew Stanton / 27 June
Pixar animation about the last robot on Earth, busy tidying up a planet devoid of humans, who discovers a new purpose when he meets another robot called EVE. From the director of Finding Nemo. Despite being tainted by the underachieving Cars, Pixar's track record is very impressive and this has the potential to be E.T-like in its family appeal this summer. The wonderful trailer is here.
9. Where The Wild Things Aredir: Spike Jonze / 3 October
Movie adaptation of the classic children's book by Maurice Sendak, about a mischievous boy who creates his own secret world in a forest inhabited by wild beasts, directed by Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich). Starring Forest Whitaker, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hare and Paul Dano.
Jonze is another of those kooky, inventive filmmakers, whose skewed world-view really hits highs when he translates Charlie Kaufman scripts to the screen (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation). That said, Where The Wild Things Are is sans a Kaufman script... but it's unlikely Jonze will go wrong with the illustrated book as his guide. Expect a magic, rich, children-friendly adventure with the power to enchanted adults...
8. The Incredible Hulkdir: Louis Leterrier / 13 June
Reset of Hulk (2003), with Edward Norton replacing Eric Bana as Bruce Banner, who's now on the run from the military. The filmmakers are promising a more action-orientated film, compared to Ang Lee's ponderous version.
I quite liked Lee's derided effort a few years back, and while the idea of a reboot by the director of The Transporter doesn't fill me with glee, the fact Norton's aboard (and wrote the script!) has me curiously psyched for more big, green mayhem. Co-stars Liv Tyler as Banner's girlfriend Betty, Tim Roth as villain "The Abomination", and William Hurt.
7. Bond 22
dir: Marc Forster / 7 November
dir: Marc Forster / 7 November
Sequel to the James Bond revamp Casino Royale, again starring Daniel Craig as Agent 007, directed by Marc Forster (Stranger Than Fiction.) Co-stars include Olga Kurylenko (Hitman) as Bond Girl Camille, Gemma Arterton (St Trinian's) as MI6 Agent Fields, Judi Dench is back as M, Frenchman Mathieu Amalric is the new Bond Villain, Jeffrey Wright returns as Felix Leiter, and Giancarlo Giannini will reprise his role as Mathis.
No details about the story have emerged just yet, but it has been confirmed that it will continue directly from the previous film – something no Bond film has ever done. I enjoyed Casino Royale and thought Daniel Craig did a great job, but I still don't really see him as "James Bond" per se (which was sort of the point, I guess.) So I hope Craig's second outing finds him settling into the role more, now that he's been accepted by the masses.
Marc Forster is an unusual choice to direct, but hopefully he'll bring out more drama and characterisation (as his stock-in-trade isn't really big explosions). Mind you, everyone knows it's the Second Unit that provide Bond's thrills every movie. Is it too much to hope for some geek-outs like gadget-man Q and baddies SPECTRE turning up? Oh. It is.
6. Harry Potter &
The Half-Blood Prince
dir: David Yates / 21 November
The Half-Blood Prince
dir: David Yates / 21 November
Director David Yates stays on from Order Of The Phoenix, for the penultimate Potter adventure. This time, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) discovers an ancient book and learns more about Lord Voldemort's sinister past. Co-stars Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Jim Broadbent, Michael Gambon, Ralph Fiennes… and every other British thespian with kids to impress.
I've avoided every book since the film series started (I only managed one third of Philosopher's Stone before I got bored), so I always go into these films blind. But I've heard Prince is one of the "better books", and no Potter film has ever bored me – although Phoenix came very close at times.
5. The Lovely Bones
dir: Peter Jackson / summer
dir: Peter Jackson / summer
The director of the Lord Of The Rings and King Kong returns with this adaptation of Alice Sebold's acclaimed novel, about a young teenager who is murdered by a neighbour and watches over her grieving family and friends, whilst trying to encourage someone to find her body. Co-stars Ryan Gosling, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci and Rachel Weisz.
It's weighty material for Peter Jackson, but people forget that he broke through into the mainstream from low-budget zombie flicks with Heavenly Creatures, which covered similar territory. A heartbreaking classic in waiting?
4. The Dark Knightdir: Christopher Nolan / 18 July
Sequel to the wonderful Batman Begins, focusing on master criminal The Joker (Heath Ledger), in the wake of a crime spree across Gotham City. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman return, with Maggie Gyllenhaal (replacing Katie Holmes), Aaron Eckhart (as Two-Face in waiting), Cillian Murphy (reprising The Scarecrow) & Anthony Michael Hall.
I just love Christopher Nolan's work (even early stumble Insomnia is decent enough), and his Batman reboot in particular ticked all of my boxes. I've been waiting for a psychotic version of The Joker for years, and Begins' denouement in 2005 left me grinning like a loon for days. Ledger seemed a bad choice initially, but the trailer has put any lurking doubts to rest. Bring on the best superhero/villain double-act in comic-book history! The addictive trailer is here.
3. Star Trekdir: J.J Abrams / 25 December
Reset of the Star Trek franchise by Lost co-creator J.J Abrams, focusing on a younger crew of the U.S.S Enterprise. Chris Pine stars as Captain Kirk, Heroes' baddie Zachary Quinto dons the pointy ears as Spock, Simon Pegg is Scotty, and Eric Bana has been cast as the Romulan villain Nero. Co-stars Anton Yelchin, Zoe Saldana and John Cho.
Trek was the sci-fi dynasty that saw me through childhood, and if there's one team that can reboot Trek to make it palatable for non-fans, it's the guys behind Lost. Early reports suggest that Abrams' movie is going to upset die-hard fans (particularly in its characterization of Kirk), but that it contains a scope and ambition unseen in Star Trek since the earlier films.
2. Cloverfielddir: Matt Reeves / 18 January
Monster movie about a giant beast that starts tearing up New York. A group of friends are caught in the middle of the disaster, filming the terrifying event on camcorders. Godzilla-meets-The Blair Witch Project? Stars Mike Vogel, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J Miller and Michael Stahl-David. The viral internet campaign has been marvelous and I'm genuinely excited to actually see what Cloverfield has in store for us. Yes, it could all be a massive let-down in the end, but we'll see… and I'm counting the days. Out 1 February in the UK. Look for clues in this trailer.
1. Indiana Jones &The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
dir: Steven Spielberg / 22 May
The long-awaited return of cinematic legend Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), 19 years after the third film and 27 years since the first! Transformers hero Shia LaBeouf co-stars as Indy's son, Karen Allen returns as feisty Marion Ravenwood, Cate Blanchett is a Russian villain (no Nazis, as this is set in the 50s), and Ray Winstone plays Indy's latest accomplice...
Okay, it's a predictable choice, but Indy has left an indelible mark on the movie landscape and this is probably the biggest "comeback" film since Star Wars in 1999. Yes, we all know how that turned out, but producer George Lucas has wisely ensured Steven Spielberg is back behind the camera, and Harrison Ford may be older, but he's not the geriatric joke many predicted (well, judging from publicity photos.) Oh, and Karen Allen hasn't aged a day! She must have had her own adventure to find the Fountain Of Youth in the interim…
So there you have it. As you can see, quite a few of the Top 10 don't even have teaser trailers or publicity photos yet (and some don't even have titles, in the case of Bond!), so while they're all much anticipated... there's a small chance they'll take a tumble down my Top 50 once we get a closer look. But, hey -- I don't think anyone's going to be knocking Indy 4 off my #1 spot! Do you?
