What To See in 2011: Ray's Guide to the Movies

I can accept that there are certain things that I am good at...and that there are certain things that I am not so good at. For instance, I am not good at soccer and I never will be. Seriously...it is my family's not-so-secret shame. There are tapes of 4-year-old Ray being so bad at soccer that his parents start crying from the embarrassment by association. However, on the list of things that I exceptionally gifted at...there is movie prognostication. I know when a movie is going to be good long before anybody else knows. Anybody can tell you if a movie that came out five years ago was good, and most people with an ear to the ground can tell you if a movie that is currently out in theaters is good. But I can tell you if a movie will be good months before it hits theaters. I can tell you if a film will be good before there is even a trailer.

I have successfully predicted three of the past four Best Pictures before the Oscars of the previous year. That number should be four out of five, but the Academy decided that Crash was better then Brokeback Mountain for some reason. I selected our family's holiday films four consecutive times and went four for four on Oscar nominees. My picking privilege was revoked when my selection of Milk ruined Christmas. I promise to pick good films..not films that the whole family will enjoy. I was the first in line to see smaller release films like Memento and Mulholland Drive, which have become cult hits today. This was before websites like Rotten Tomatoes existed to let you know what you needed to see. This was back when you had to pick films solely on your knowledge of the personnel involved. Nowadays, it's significantly easier to tell if a movie is going to be good when it hits theaters.

This is why I have taken my gift for prognostication and gone where most others dare not venture. I will tell you the movies to see in 2011. Some of which are over a year away. Several of which have not even started filming. My reputation is now on the line here, but I think that the vast majority of these films will be films to see in 2011. I've left off several films that will assuredly be blockbusters. We all know that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Harry Potter 7, Mission Impossible IV, and Transformers 3 could push a billion dollars. Pixar never does bad films and Cars 2 should be no exception. I'm not here to tell you things you already know. I'm here to get you excited about things that you might not know about. Also, these are just picks that are coming out in 2011. I also have dozens of films that I am excited for that won't hit until 2012 and even 2013. However, some of these films might move up their release date. Anything that shifts it's release date forward to 2011 or that has flown under my radar at this point...I will update you on in my Oscar-season post in February. So here are my 40 picks to see in 2011. For those who have stated my posts are too long (basically my entire readership)...you have won the day. I am splitting this post from one excessively, ludicrously long post  into two still quite long posts so that it is more palatable. I will be posting the 24 movies that have release dates here...and the other 16 films will appear in a post a week from now. We'll order the 24 that have release dates by their release date.

January

7th - Unknown

The Plot - A man awakens in Berlin from a coma, only to discover that someone has taken on his identity and that no one, not even his wife, believes him. With the help of a young woman, he sets out to prove who he is.

The Who - 

1. Director = Jaume Collet-Serra (House of Wax, Orphan) 
2. The Man = Liam Neeson (Schindler's List, Star Wars Episode I) 
3. The Young Woman = Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds)
4. His Wife = January Jones (Mad Men) 
5. Also featuring Frank Langhella (Frost/Nixon)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - Taken meets The Bourne Identity

Why I'm on the Hook - I'm leading off with a film that might be my least sure thing on this whole list. There is no stone cold bedrock of stability that I can point to that will ensure that this movie will be good. Neither of the director's two previous films were spectacular, though neither were bad. House of Wax got bad reviews but I honestly think it got panned because critics felt that it was requisite to nail anything that had Paris Hilton in it. It was an about-average teen slasher flick (and Andy Busch's favorite movie). Orphan had an interesting twist and received above-average reviews but won't be confused for a great film by anyone. Liam Neeson has a history of doing excellent work, but like any actor he has a few bombs in the closet. I mainly just think that this could be an interesting premise for a thriller, and given that you have a prestige actor in the lead and a director who is good with concealing twists it could work.

14th - The Dilemma

The Plot - A man is unsure if he should tell his overweight best friend and business partner that his wife is cheating on him with another man after catching them in the act.

The Who - 

1. Director = Ron Howard (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind) 
2. The Man with the Dilemma = Vince Vaughn (Old School, Wedding Crashers) 
3. His Wife = Jennifer Connelly (Requiem for a Dream, A Beautiful Mind)
4. The Cuckold = Kevin James (The King of Queens, Hitch) 
5. The Cheating Wife = Winona Ryder (Edward Scissorhands, Mr. Deeds)
6. The Other Man = Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Dear John)
7. Also featuring Queen Latifah (Chicago, Bringing Down the House)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to -The Switch meets Splash

Why I'm on the Hook - There is a trailer for this film, so I'm not going in totally blind on this one. Any film directed by Ron Howard is good enough to get me interest peaked. He's done some sub-par films and he was a sitting duck on the Dan Brown films because those definitely don't translate as well to film. However, the man has several spectacular films and few, if any, awful films. Cinderella Man, A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon, Apollo 13, Cocoon, and The Missing were all awesome films. And Arrested Development proved that he knows how to do comedy. The cast is also a good one. Vince Vaughn and Kevin James are both hit or miss, but from what I see in the trailer it looks like they're packing the right stuff in this film. The cast is also smoking hot on the female side. I don't know if there has ever been a sexier cast of three females that are all at least 39 than Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, and Queen Latifah. They all look seriously gorgeous in this film. This is another film that could miss...but you can count me in.

21st - Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

The Plot - Sally, a young girl, after moving in with her father and his girlfriend, soon discovers that there are creatures living in the house with them. They are originally thought to be friendly, but she soon learns otherwise.

The Who -

1. Writer = Guillermo Del Toro (Hell Boy, Pan's Labyrinth) 
2. Sally = Bailee Madison (Bridge to Terebithia) 
3. Sally's father = Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential, Memento)
4. Sally's father's girlfriend = Katie Holmes (Dawson's Creek, Batman Begins)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - Pan's Labyrinth meets What Lies Beneath

Why I'm on the Hook - It's the re-make of a film from 1973 so we know that the story is good but not great. I'm hoping they keep the passable aspect of the original while adding a spin to throw it into the great realm. The trailer is already out and it looks suspenseful...so it's got that going for it. It also has two people associated with it who's work I am a huge fan of. The first is Guy Pearce. I will see any movie with Guy Pearce. I have loved his performances in just about everything from Memento to LA Confidential from The Hurt Locker to The Count of Monte Cristo. He is also awesome in several lesser seen films such as First Snow and The Hard Word. This is the only film that he has slated for 2011 unless The Hungry Rabbit Jumps gets bumped back from it's December 2011 release date. This might happen, and if it does that film also belongs on this list. I am also a huge fan of Guillermo Del Toro. Pan's Labyrinth is one of the ten best films that have ever been made and he's flirting with some of the same subject matter. Granted that subject matter is the young girls vs. magical creatures angle and not the Spanish Civil War and Glasgow smiles angle...but I think he can pull it off nevertheless.

21st - No Strings

The Plot - A guy and a girl struggle to have an exclusively sexual relationship as they both come to realize that what they truly want is much more.

The Who -

1. Director = Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, Kindergarten Cop) 
2. Guy = Ashton Kutcher (That 70s Show, Dude Where's My Car?) 
3. Girl = Natalie Portman (Star Wars Ep. 1-3, V for Vendetta)
4. Also featuring Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride, Saw)
5. Also featuring Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda, Dave)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - Juno meets Zach and Miri Make a Porno

Why I'm on the Hook - SPOILER ALERT: Do Not Read if you haven't seen Shutter Island or Inception. I'm just going to let you know right now that we have a dicey situation here. There are two movies coming out this year that are extremely similar and this is one of them. There is nothing to be alarmed about...this happens all the time. In 2010 Amanda Seyfried probably should have told each of her star projects that she was making another romantic movie that also heavily featured letter-writing as a plot premise and in the title. Likewise, Leonardo DiCaprio probably should have informed each of his projects that he was also doing another thriller that featured heavily in subconscious and dealt with the guilt he felt over the death of his crazy wife which was his fault. No Strings is extremely similar in plot to another film that is coming out this year called Friends with Benefits. They are so similar that they both fought over the name Friends with Benefits...guess who won. They also apparently both went to the set of Darren Aranofsky's The Black Swan to cast actresses and No Strings walked away with Natalie Portman while Friends with Benefits walked away with Mila Kunis...both prime picks. Just to hedge my bets I've included both of them on this list but I'm siding with No Strings for now because it has Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, who I love. It is being directed by a director with more resume oomph. And it is based on the script Fuckbuddies by Elizabeth Meriweather which was one of 2008's hottest scripts in Hollywood. 

February

4th - The Roommate

The Plot - A college freshman, Sara, is randomly assigned to a dorm with a stranger named Rebecca. They start off as friends but things turn deadly when Rebecca begins to target people in Sara's life.

The Who -

1. Sara = Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights) 
2. Rebecca = Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl) 
3. Also featuring Danneel Harris (One Tree Hill)
4. Also featuring Cam Gigandet (Twilight, The O.C.)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - Single White Female meets Wild Things

Why I'm on the Hook - Here we have a college horror film by a young up-and-coming Danish director without much on his resume. I know you're starting to question what I see in this movie. The truth is that I'm not expecting it to be great film-making. But I am expecting it to be passable film-making with a hearty dose of sexy to make up for what it lacks in story. The top three billing spots are all taken by Hot 100 actresses and if two of those three don't make out with each other I will be disappointed. This is clearly a modern-day takeoff of Single White Female, which I thought was a good film, and I am expecting a well-done suspense story with maybe an interesting twist, a macabre ending, and some girl on girl rasslin'.

11th - Gnomeo and Juliet

The Plot - An American-British CGI film that will tell Romeo and Juliet using garden gnomes.

The Who -

1. Director = Kelly Asbury (Shrek 2) 
2. Writer = Big Willie Shakespeare (Hamlet, MacBeth)
3. Gnomeo = James McAvoy (Atonement, Wanted) 
4. Juliet = Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada, The Wolfman)
5. Gnomeo's Mother = Maggie Smith (The Prime of Miss Jean Brody, Harry Potter franchise)
6. Juliet's Father = Michael Caine (Cider House Rules, The Muppet Christmas Carol)
7. Also featuring Jason Statham (Snatch, Crank)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - Romeo + Juliet meets Despicable, Me

Why I'm on the Hook - Well...now that we've got my sexy pick out of the way from earlier this month, we can finally get to my fun for the whole family pick. There are a ton of movies that are coming out this year for a child audience. Do yourself a favor and do not take your kids to go see Alvin and the Chipmunks 3-D. Take them to see this film. It looks like it could actually be good. It's got an all-star cast that contains several huge names that I haven't even referenced above and it's based on a story that we already know is a winner. It will just be a matter of how they use that story and if there is anybody I trust with a CGI film like this it is Kelly Asbury. Not only is Shrek 2 the best of the Shrek films but it might be one of the ten funniest films ever. I somehow see Gnomeo and Juliet not dying in this version though, and that could complicate things. But hey...who doesn't love garden gnomes? Al-Queda. That's who. So if you don't like garden gnomes, go join your friends in Al-Queda.

March

4th - The Adjustment Bureau

The Plot - David Norris is a charismatic US Congressman who seems destined for national stardom. He meets a beautiful dancer named Elise Sellas, only to find that strange circumstances keep them from becoming romantically involved.

The Who -

1. Writer (screenplay) = George Nolfi (The Bourne Ultimatum) 
2. Writer (story) = Philip K. Dick (Blade Runner, Minority Report)
3. David Norris = Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, the Bourne franchise) 
4. Elise Sellas = Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada, The Wolfman)
5. Also featuring Anthony Mackie (8 Mile, The Hurt Locker)
6. Also featuring Daniel Dae Kim (LOST, Hawaii 5-0)
7. Also featuring John Slattery (Mad Men)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - The Bourne Ultimatum meets Road to Perdition

Why I'm on the Hook - Big-time conspiracy thrillers disappoint more often than not, but I refuse to be discouraged because when they hit...they hit big. I really like the feel of this film. When I liken films on this list to other films in the past I have just been using theatrical films, but this one really gives me an X-Files vibe. Also, Philip K. Dick works translate very well to the big screen and I like that the director is also the writer. A unified vision is often a good thing. Throw in Emily Blunt for the second movie in a row, this time with Matt Damon who is on a hot streak of quality flicks and I like this film. The trailer is pretty trippy and if this film can properly live up to it's concept and throw down a good ending then I think that it's got nothing to worry about. I trust the script and I trust the leads so I am trusting that this movie will not disappoint.

4th - Kids in America

The Plot - Recent college graduate Matt Franklin, his twin sister Wendy, and his best friend Barry Nathan attempt to come to a conclusion about what they should do with their lives. Matt also pursues his dream girl Tori Frederking at a wild Labor Day party in 1988 by telling her that he works for Goldman Sachs.

The Who -

1. Matt Franklin = Topher Grace (That 70s Show, Spider-Man 3) 
2. Wendy Franklin = Anna Faris (Lost in Translation, The House Bunny)
3. Barry Nathan = Dan Fogler (Balls of Fury, Fanboys) 
4. Tori Frederking = Teresa Palmer (Bedtime Stories, The Sorcerer's Apprentice)
5. Also featuring Michelle Trachtenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Euro Trip)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - American Graffiti meets Definitely, Maybe

Why I'm on the Hook - I am fully ready to admit that of all of my picks, this is the one that stands the best chance of coming back and hitting me square in the face...like that chick trying to launch a watermelon on The Amazing Race. This could totally not be the film that I hope that it is...but I'm flying on a hunch here. Every person associated with this film has some sub-par films associated with their name but there is some talent here and I think that the direction of the film, trying to find one's way after graduation, resonates even more now than it did in 1988. Topher Grace, Anna Faris, and Michelle Trachtenberg all have some great comic chops and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this film fulfills it's potential.

4th - Rango

The Plot - Rango is a pet chameleon who lives in a terrarium. He has long thought himself a hero, but then finds himself removed from his contemporary American southwest surroundings and ending up in an Old West town called Dirt, which is populated by various desert critters garbed like characters out of a spaghetti western. Rango soon becomes the town lawman, an occupation in Dirt that, judging from the tombstones in the local cemetery, doesn't allow for a very long lifespan.

The Who -

1. Director = Gore Verbinski (The Ring, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise)
2. Rango = Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) 
3. Writer = John Logan (Any Given Sunday, Gladiator)
4. Also featuring Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers, Definitely, Maybe)
5. Also featuring Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, Zombieland)
6. Also featuring Bill Nighy (Underworld, Hot Fuzz)
7. Also featuring Timothy Olymphant (Deadwood, Live Free or Die Hard)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - Unforgiven meets Wall-E

Why I'm on the Hook - If the last several years are any indication, there should be one major red flag that goes up in regards to this movie. This is a CGI film that is not flying underneath the Disney, Pixar, or Dreamworks banner. Those tend not to fare very well. That being said...everything else about this movie screams Absolutely Must See! This is a film that I can truly get excited about. It has a skilled director who has given us suspenseful masterpieces like The Ring and entertaining spectacles like the Pirates of the Caribbean films. I'm also sure that it will be a great script because it's by the guy who wrote Gladiator. Gladiator! "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next." He wrote that! Plus the cast is stud nasty. You've got Johnny Depp in the lead...it doesn't get any more A-List than that. You have the re-uniting of Abigail Breslin and Isla Fisher from Definitely, Maybe. And you have some seasoned western vets like Timothy Olymphant (Deadwood, Justified), Alfred Molina (Maverick), and Ray Winstone (The Proposition). All in all, I am very excited and I will stamp this film as the first Can't Miss film of the year.

18th - Paul

The Plot - Two British comic geeks, Graham and Clive, go on a road trip throughout America. On the way, they discover an alien named Paul at Area 51.

The Who -

1. Director = Greg Mottola (Superbad, Adventureland) 
2. Graham = Simon Pegg (Star Trek, Mission Impossible franchise)
3. Clive = Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) 
4. Paul = Seth Rogan (Knocked Up, Monsters vs. Aliens)
5. Also featuring Jason Bateman (Arrested Development, Hancock)
6. Also featuring Kristen Wiig (SNL, MacGruber)
7. Also featuring Jane Lynch (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Glee)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - Hot Fuzz meets Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Why I'm on the Hook - The trailer for this film just came out and to be honest I wasn't wowed. But that can't stop me from being super excited about it because the amount of faith that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have accrued from their pairing in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz is going to get me into the theater. I'm not as excited for this film as I am for their third pairing with Edgar Wright for The World's End...but that doesn't come out in 2011 so this will have to tide us over. I could see this movie being excellent. I'm not expecting Hot Fuzz which might be the funniest film I have ever seen, but it has an excellent cast to rely on. Aside from the actors mentioned above it also has heavyweights Sigourney Weaver, Bill Hader, Blythe Danner, Jeffrey Tambor, David Koechner, and Gilbert Gottfried. It's director is proven with both of his other wide release films being critical and commercial success stories. All said, I think this might be in my Top 10 in terms of anticipation.

25th - Sucker Punch

The Plot - Set in the 1950s, it tells the story of Baby Doll, who is trying to hide from the pain caused by her evil stepfather and lobotomy. She ends up in mental institution in Brattleboro, Vermont, and while there she starts to imagine an alternate reality. She plans to escape from that imaginary world but to do that she needs to steal five objects before she is captured by an unknown adversary. 

The Who -

1. Director = Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) 
2. Baby Doll = Emily Browning (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events)
3. Also featuring Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical franchise)
4. Also featuring Abbie Cornish (A Good Year, Elizabeth: The Golden Age)
5. Also featuring Jamie Chung (The Real World: San Diego)
6. Also featuring Jena Malone (Donnie Darko, Saved!)
7. Also featuring Carla Gugino (The Spy Kids franchise, Karen Sisco)
8. Also featuring Jon Hamm (Mad Men, The Town)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - Alice in Wonderland meets Sin City

Why I'm on the Hook - The trailer is out and this film is going to be excellent, I don't think there will be much argument there. The visuals and action appear as though they might be taking that next step that we get once a decade. Star Wars, Terminator 2, The Matrix, and Avatar all upped the game. And this might be the next progression. The only reason my excitement is tempered is because this film was supposed to be made five years ago with Sarah Michelle Gellar and it got scrapped. However, it's here now and it looks ridiculously good. It's director has multiple proven winners behind him and it has a hot young cast for what looks to be the female version of 300. It's going to be kick-ass chicks wearing ten times the clothing that the 300 Spartans were...if feminists can't get down with this film and say that it's exploitative then I think that I am done listening to them. The feel of it is excellent, however, the plot seems dicey. However, I think that movies like Inception and Shutter Island with their mind as the scene of the action plot device will help give it ground to stand on. 

April

8th - Hanna

The Plot - A 14-year-old who was raised by her father to be a cold-hearted killing machine connects with a French family who look to help ease her into a more conventional life.  

The Who -

1. Director = Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice) 
2. Hanna = Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, The Lovely Bones)
3. Her father = Eric Bana  (Troy, Munich)
4. Also featuring Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth, The Aviator)
5. Also featuring Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense, Dollhouse)
6. Also featuring Tom Hollander (Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, In the Loop)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - The Professional meets Mission Impossible

Why I'm on the Hook - I'm taking a flyer on this one. I look at this film and I see an Oscar-nominated director whose three previous films have included two critical smash hits (Pride and Prejudice and Atonement) and a good film that just didn't have the narrative focus to resonate with audiences enough to be exceptional (The Soloist). He is re-teaming with one of the brightest young stars of one of his earlier films who is coming off a critical success in The Way Back and a role that is "the role" for a teenage girl as Susie Salmon in The Lovely Bones (whose failure was not her fault). Throw in Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett who always do good work and you have the right personnel for the job. Throw in a plot that can't help but make you think of The Professional and Kick-Ass and you can see why I like where this is going. The script was also in the Top 10 on the Hollywood Black list in 2006...read on to find out what this means.

8th - Your Highness

The Plot - Thadeous is a lazy, arrogant prince whose brother, Fabious, must go on an epic quest in order to save his virginal bride, Belladonna, and their father's kingdom.

The Who -

1. Director = David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, Snow Angels) 
2. Thadeous = Danny McBride (Tropic Thunder, Eastbound and Down)
3. Fabious = James Franco (Spider-Man, Milk)
4. Belladonna = Zooey Deschanel (Almost Famous, Elf)
5. Also featuring Natalie Portman (Star Wars Ep. 1-3, V for Vendetta)
6. Also featuring Damian Lewis (Life, Dreamcatcher)
7. Also featuring Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile, Sin City)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - Enchanted meets Anchor Man

Why I'm on the Hook - This is where I am willing to prove to you that I am better than movie critics. Movie critics have the arrogance to tell you if they liked a movie. I expect them to tell me if they think I will like a movie which most reviews fail to do at the most basic level. For instance, I did not like Pineapple Express. I thought it was trite and lacked any sort of resonance with me because I have never smoked pot and don't understand a lot of the emotions and under-lying humor that go along with that. However, this movie was popular with audiences and the team of David Gordon Green, James Franco, and Danny McBride is hooking up again for this film. So if you liked Pineapple Express you will probably like this movie. And they are tossing in two mega hotties for good measure. The concept seems intriguing and I think they could be even better this time around. 

15th - Scream 4

The Plot - Ten years have passed, and Sidney Prescott, who has put herself back together thanks in part to her writing, is visited by the Ghostface Killer.

The Who -

1. Director = Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes) 
2. Writer = Kevin Williamson (I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Vampire Diaries)
3. Sidney Prescott = Neve Campbell (Party of Five, Wild Things)
4. Also featuring Courtney Cox (Friends, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective)
5. Also featuring David Arquette (Never Been Kissed, Ready to Rumble)
6. Also featuring Emma Roberts (Nancy Drew, Valentine's Day)
7. Also featuring Hayden Panettiere (Heroes, Remember the Titans)
8. Also featuring Rory Culkin (Signs, Down in the Valley)
9. Also featuring Alison Brie (Mad Men, Community)
10. Also featuring Adam Brody (The O.C., Thank You for Smoking)
11. Also featuring Marley Shelton (Sugar and Spice, Pleasantville)
12. Also featuring Mary McDonnell (Dances with Wolves, Battlestar Galactica)
13. Also featuring Anthony Anderson (The Shield, Transformers)
14. Also featuring Aimee Teegarden (Friday Night Lights, 90210)
15. Also featuring Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) 
16. Also featuring Anna Paquin (True Blood, The X-Men franchise)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - Psycho meets Cruel Intentions

Why I'm on the Hook - Yeah...that's a big, long, illustrious cast list filled with people whose past work I love and respect. And what's not to love. I was a big fan of the original Scream trilogy and most of the original parts are back for Round 4. This is alleged to be a launching pad for a new Scream trilogy which will feature Emma Roberts and whichever of the young guns (Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, Aimee Teegarden, etc.) make it out of this one alive. And that's the beauty of these films, you don't know whose going to die. Maybe Emma Roberts is a false protagonist and she is going to get the knife. In the original Scream Wes Craven took a note from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and allowed you to believe in trailers and press releases that Drew Barrymore was the star of that film. Look how that turned out. Plus you know I'll get behind any film that has Kristen Bell in it...even if it's just a cameo. I might even go to Burlesque. 

15th - Source Code

The Plot - A soldier becomes part of an experimental government program that is investigating a train bombing. He is forced to relive the incident over and over again until he can find out who is responsible and how to prevent the next terrorist attack from occurring.

The Who -

1. Writer = Billy Ray (State of Play, Shattered Glass) 
2. Soldier = Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain, Donnie Darko)
3. Also featuring Vera Farmiga (The Departed, Up in the Air)
4. Also featuring Michelle Monaghan (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Mission Impossible III)
5. Also featuring Jeffrey Wright (Casino Royale, W.)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - 12 Monkeys meets The Usual Suspects

Why I'm on the Hook - A film by a proven writer with a highly-respected cast and a script that has been compared to 12 Monkeys in terms of it's pace and feel. This is probably a good place for me to explain what the Hollywood Black List is. It's not the list that was going around in the 1950s of suspected communists. The current Hollywood Black List is the list if best unproduced scripts circulating in Hollywood as graded by people who read scripts for a living. In it's short career it has a very good track record of predicting Oscar-caliber films out of thousands of scripts. Here are a few examples: Juno was #2 on the 2005 list, Lars and the Real Girl was #4 and Charlie Wilson's War was #5 on the 2005 list, (500) Days of Summer was #13 on the 2006 list, In Bruges, The Queen, Babel, Inglourious Basterds, and The Social Network were also all very high on their respective lists. Well, Source Code came in at #13 on the 2007 list which means people in the know think that the script is good. And when good script meets good cast that usually equates to good movie.

May

26th - The Hangover 2

The Plot - Plot details a scarce on this highly-anticipated sequel to 2009's The Hangover. It will allegedly take place in Thailand (but maybe Amsterdam).

The Who -

1. Director = Todd Phillips (Old School, Starsky and Hutch) 
2. Phil Wennick = Bradley Cooper (Alias, The A-Team)
3. Stu Price = Ed Helms (The Office, The Daily Show)
4. Alan Garner = Zach Galifianakis (Tru Calling, Youth in Revolt)
5. Doug Billings = Justin Bartha (National Treasure franchise, Failure to Launch)
6. Allegedly featuring Heather Graham (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me)
7. Allegedly featuring Ken Jeong (Community, Role Models)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - The Hangover meets Short Circuit 2

Why I'm on the Hook - I don't need to explain to you why I'm excited for this movie. You know that you are twice as excited as I am. The first one was a monster of a film with great pacing and outrageous comedy and all of the characters that we grew to love will be back for Round 2. Big things are popping when the boys go to Bangkok. Ken Leung returns to reprise his role as Leslie Chow which means we get to hear more of his hilarious but ridiculous voice which is basically just an impersonation of the villains of questionable ethnic origin from the Johnny Quest cartoons. Mike Tyson will also be back though Heather Graham appears to have been replaced as Stu's fiancee by Real World: San Diego's Jamie Chung...marking the second movie on this list for the alum of my favorite Real World season. We also are going to be getting a cameo from Liam Neeson who was called in by A-Team co-star Bradley Cooper to replace Mel Gibson in the part of a Bangkok tattoo artist. Basically myself and the rest of America are just hoping the the sequel can live up to the original. Only I hope that the plot is a little more realistic because I found the first one to be extremely non-sensical. If I want to Las Vegas with three of my best guy friends and one of us went missing. The other three would not spend five minutes looking for the one who got lost. I'm pretty sure on their last trip to Vegas, Andrew went MIA for 7-8 hours and nobody thought twice about it. They just ordered $27 bacon.

June

3rd - X-Men: First Class

The Plot - Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-Men.

The Who -

1. Director = Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Kick-Ass) 
2. Charles Xavier = James McAvoy (Atonement, Wanted)
3. Erik Lensherr = Michael Fassbender (Band of Brothers, Inglourious Basterds)
   
4. Also featuring Kevin Bacon (Footloose, A Few Good Men)
   
5. Also featuring January Jones (Mad Men, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada)
   
6. Also featuring Rose Byrne (Damages, 28 Weeks Later)
   
7. Also featuring Oliver Platt (The Three Musketeers, Deadline)
   

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - Iron Man meets John Q

Why I'm on the Hook - This is the next in the line of super hero films that also fancy themselves as social commentary. The Dark Knight, Watchmen, Hellboy, and The Incredible Hulk all have agendas that they are trying to preach to us from accepting those who are different to questioning the decency of humankind. Even Daredevil taught us to never underestimate the handicapped. Only Ghost Rider and Nicholas Cage's flaming skull can provide us with mindless action without a shred of underlying educational value. However, X-Men: First Class is taking the X-Men narrative back to the 1960s to parallel it with the civil rights movement. And in doing so they are bringing in some sweet ass X-Men that are not featured in the other films. We're getting a look at Emma Frost, easily among the hottest X-Men of all-time, as played by January Jones. We are also getting our first look at Tempest, Riptide, and Darwin. I like the director. I like the casting of James McAvoy as a young Xavier. And X-Men is so rich with material that if they feed off of the comics they could make hundreds of X-Men films and they would all be good.

17th - Green Lantern

The Plot - Hal Jordan, a test pilot, is granted a mystical green ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe.

The Who -

1. Director = Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, The Mask of Zorro) 
2. Hal Jordan = Ryan Reynolds (Van Wilder, Two Guys and a Girl)
3. Also featuring Blake Lively (Gossip Girl, The Town)
   
4. Also featuring Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes, Kick-Ass)
   
5. Also featuring Peter Sarsgaard (Garden State, Kinsey)
   
6. Also featuring Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption, Mystic River)
7. Also featuring Angela Bassett (What's Love Got to Do With It?, The Score)
   

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - Spiderman meets Goldfinger

Why I'm on the Hook - I decided to limit myself in terms of the super hero blockbusters that are going to be coming out. There are a ton of them. I'm passing on The Green Hornet, and Captain America, and Thor. But I just can't pass on Ryan Reynolds fare. There's something irresistible about his movies. Even when you think that they almost have to suck they end up being good. Chaos Theory was good. Definitely, Maybe was very good. I thought Smokin' Aces was excellent. I can watch anything the man does. And you have him in a film directed by the man who made the Bond franchise relevant and awesome again with a girl who in The Town terms is a "wicked hot box". Green Lantern isn't all that as a super hero but this might be all that as a movie. The Hulk isn't green with anger...he's green with envy because Batman, Iron Man, and Green Lantern are getting sweet movies and his suck.

July

22nd - Friends with Benefits

The Plot -  Two professionals meet but are too busy to find a mate. They agree to have an intimate relationship with no strings attached. Things get complicated when the guy falls for the girl, who’s dating someone else.

The Who -

1. Director = Will Gluck (Fired Up!, Easy A) 
2. Guy = Justin Timberlake (Alpha Dog, The Social Network)
3. Girl = Mila Kunis (That 70s Show, Forgetting Sarah Marshall)
   
4. Also featuring Woody Harrelson (Cheers, The People vs. Larry Flynt)
   
5. Also featuring Emma Stone (Superbad, Easy A)
   
6. Also featuring Jenna Elfman (Dharma and Greg, Keeping the Faith)
7. Also featuring Andy Samberg (SNL, I Love You, Man)
   

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - Zombieland meets Definitely, Maybe

Why I'm on the Hook - This movie will undoubtedly be compared to the Ivan Reitman film No Strings...and not unfairly so. They basically are the same movie, this is just going to be one of those US Weekly "Who wore the dress better?" pieces except with movies on The Big Screen. I like both of them and I can't count out Friends with Benefits. Justin Timberlake is on an acting role right now. Spoiler Alert: Mila Kunis cracked the Top 10 for my Hot 100 which is due out next month. And director Will Gluck has a penchant for using gratuitous sex appeal in his films. I think we have a solid combination there. I also am a big fan of Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Jenna Elfman. And maybe Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake can re-capture some of their "Dick in a Box" magic.

29th - Cowboys and Aliens

The Plot -  1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger named Jake Lonergan with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveller Ella, he pulls together a posse of former opponents — townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors—all in danger of annihilation.

The Who -

1. Director = Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Elf)
2. Writer = Damon Lidelof (LOST, Crossing Jordan)
3. Jake Lonergan = Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, Layer Cake)
4. Colenol Dolarhyde = Harrison Ford (Star Wars, Indiana Jones)
5. Ella = Olivia Wilde (House, The O.C.)
6. Also featuring Sam Rockwell (Iron Man 2, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind)
   
7. Also featuring Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, There Will Be Blood)
   
8. Also featuring Walton Goggins (The Shield, Justified)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - The Quick and the Dead meets Independence Day

Why I'm on the Hook - Of all the films on this list, this is the one where I would have most wanted to be in the room when the pitch was delivered to the studio. I'm imagining that their first thought at Universal Studios was that this was a sequel to Monsters vs. Aliens and that Paramount still has the rights to that. Then they find out that this is a live action film and they are thinking "What the Fuck?" However, when you find out that it's based on a popular graphic novel, the re-write is being done by a head LOST writer, it will be directed by the director of Iron Man, Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard want to produce, and the cast is set to include James Bond, Han Solo/Indiana Jones, and MAXIM's #1 hottest female from 2009...how can you say "No" at that point? And that is why I am so excited. Although, all they really needed was Harrison Ford. I will see anything with that man in it. I'm even going to see Morning Glory.

October

21st - Contagion

The Plot -  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.

The Who -

1. Director = Stephen Soderbergh (Traffic, Erin Brockavich)
2. Writer = Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum, The Informant!)
3. Also featuring Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, The Departed)
   
4. Also featuring Kate Winslet (Titanic, The Reader)
   
5. Also featuring Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes, Cold Mountain)
6. Also featuring Gwenyth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love, Iron Man)
   
7. Also featuring Marion Cotillard (Public Enemies, Inception)
   
8. Also featuring Lawrence Fishburne (The Matrix trilogy, CSI)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - The Stand meets Hotel Rwanda

Why I'm on the Hook - This cast list gives this movie a total Oscar-bait feel. You have an Oscar-winning director. You have three Oscar-winning actresses. You have the re-teaming of two Talented Mr. Ripley actors who have each been nominated for Oscars more than once. Then you have Oscar-nominated Lawrence Fishburne. And you have Illinois senator Dick Durbin making a cameo appearance. How much more of a prestige pick can you get. This is not the film that I'm most excited for but this looks to be the surest bet on this list of a film that will be good. If I had to bet my house on good reviews for a film in 2011, I'm taking Pixar's Cars 2 first because critics love themselves some Pixar and then I'm taking Contagion because critics love themselves some Kate Winslet and Matt Damon.

December

9th - Hugo Cabret

The Plot - The film tells the tale of an orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station. When Hugo encounters a broken machine, an eccentric girl, and the cold, reserved man who runs the toy shop, he is caught up in a magical, mysterious adventure that could put all of his secrets in jeopardy.

The Who -

1. Director = Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas, The Departed)
2. Writer = John Logan (Gladiator, Any Given Sunday)
3. Hugo Cabret = Asa Butterfield (The Wolfman, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas)
   
4. Eccentric girl = Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass, Let Me In)
   
5. Also featuring Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes, Cold Mountain)
6. Also featuring Sasha Baron Cohen (Borat, Talladega Nights)
   
7. Also featuring Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Schindler's List)
   
8. Also featuring Christopher Lee (Star Wars franchise, Lord of the Rings trilogy)
9. Also featuring Emily Mortimer (Match Point, Lars and the Real Girl)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - Pan's Labyrinth meets Shutter Island

Why I'm on the Hook - I won't keep you here long on this one. There really is only one reason that this film has my eye. If the above film was directed by 3-time Oscar nominee Stephen Daldry, as good as he is, it wouldn't have even gotten a second look to make this list. However, it's directed by hands-down Top 5 director of all time Martin Scorsese. Just because of that it gets the benefit of the doubt. And Johnny Depp is producing...so he likes what he sees.

16th - Sherlock Holmes 2

The Plot - Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson join forces to outwit and bring down their fiercest adversary, Professor Moriarty.

The Who -

1. Director = Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Revolver)
2. Sherlock Holmes = Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man, Tropic Thunder)
3. Watson = Jude Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley, Cold Mountain)
4. Professor Moriarty = Jared Harris (Mad Men, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
   
5. Also featuring Rachel McAdams (Mean Girls, The Notebook)
   
6. Also featuring Stephen Fry (Gosford Park, Alice in Wonderland)

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - Sherlock Holmes meets Shrek 2

Why I'm on the Hook - I'm on the bus for this sequel. I often consider picking sequels as cop-outs because there is a relatively good chance that you already know whether they will be enjoyable or a mistake, so I tried to limit myself to only three or four on this list and ended up leaving a few that I'm sure will be good off the list. However, I can't leave Sherlock Holmes off this list. I loved the first movie and I feel like they have a lot more material to tap. If you asked me for the best five actors and actresses each working today, I would include both Downey and McAdams on those lists. And here we have them together in one film. The first one brilliantly blended comedy, action, intrigue, and romance. And now we are finally getting to Holmes' arch nemesis Professor Moriarty. Jared Harris might not be a big name, or even known to those who don't watch Mad Men, but he beat out guys like Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and Daniel Day-Lewis for the part so I'm expecting quite a bit from him.

25th - The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made

The Plot - Kermit the Frog and his Muppet pals put on a show to save their old theater.

The Who -

1. Featuring Jason Segal (How I Met Your Mother, Forgetting Sarah Marshall)
2. Featuring Amy Adams (Enchanted, Doubt)
   

Films I Hope it Can be Likened to - Muppet Treasure Island meets Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Why I'm on the Hook - There is no way I could not be excited for this film. The Muppets are legendary performers who have done great film after great film and if they say that this is the greatest one ever made then I have no choice but to believe them. Although with no Tim Curry I don't see how they can best my favorite Muppet Treasure Island. EW recently had a promotional spread for the film and my interest is at an all-time high. The Muppets might not be for everyone, such as people who hate fun, but for me this is easily one of two or three films that I am most excited for.

PART 2 WILL ARRIVE ON NOVEMBER 18TH.