TOP TEN Anticipated Movies (8/08)

This month I decided to pick closer releases, rather than many that are still 4+ months away, so that I don't have to write about most of them EVERY month until then. Most of my picks may seem juvenile, but trust me when I say I can't wait for the holidays when we can throw away most of the mainstream junk until January and start to break down and analyze the "serious" junk.

In order of tentative release:

Tropic Thunder (8/13)
Iron Man has come and gone, and almost seems diminutive compared to the juggernaut that is The Dark Knight, but Robert Downey Jr. gets another chance to reign supreme. I hope beyond all hope that despite the rocky presence of Ben Stiller and Jack Black that Tropic Thunder is a cohesively funny film, which can't be said for most of the comedies this year.

Mirrors (8/15)
I don't know about you, but there's something just magical about the way Kiefer Sutherland, Jack Bauer of all fictional people, stands next to a demon mirror and screams "What do you want!?". But who knows, maybe a horror film with Sutherland, Paula Patton, and the literally jaw-breaking Amy Smart will actually be kind of good? Too much to ask?

Hamlet 2 (8/22; limited)
Since we're still a few months away from getting into ultra-serious award fare, Hamlet 2 looks like the oddball little comedy that might score well at the indie theatres. After that box office debacle Around The World In 80 Days remake, can Steve Coogan really take America by storm with "Rock Me Sexy Jesus?"

Disaster Movie (8/29)
My friend Mikey @ The Movies sits through way too much cheap direct-to-DVD fare for me to handle, but sneaking into these bottom of the barrel "parody" films have become almost a rite of passage. We do not condone this kind of filmmaking with our hard-earned money, but damned if we don't peek our heads in and get tortured with 90 minutes of this.

Burn After Reading (9/12)
Clooney! Pitt! Malkovich! McDormand! Swinton! Coens! That's all I'm going to say, lest this gets overhyped.

Righteous Kill (9/12)
This is going to be either really good, or really, really, really, terrible. Consider; Robert De Niro and Al Pacino pair up for the first time on the same screen and only the 2nd time (after Heat) in a film, and written by Russell Gewirtz of the tantalizing Inside Man. But, Pacino hasn't made a decent film since 2002's Insomnia, and Righteous Kill is directed by none other than Pacino's 88 Minutes auteur Jon Avnet. And it co-stars 50 Cent as 'Spider'. Yeah.

Miracle At St. Anna/Blindness/Eagle Eye/Choke (9/26)
This is a cop-out I know, but September 26th looks to be an amazingly strong week in movies, especially in a September filled with uninspiring fare such as Bangkok Dangerous and Lakeview Terrace. We have a serious Spike Lee war movie, a new Fernando Meirelles film (Cidade de Deus, The Constant Gardener), a goofy new Shia LaBeouf flick, and independent theatres will run Sam Rockwell's sex-fest Choke.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (10/3)
All hail the return of Michael Cera, our hero of teenage neurosis. Youth In Revolt comes in December, but for October Cera teams with Charlie Bartlett and 40 Year Old Virgin girl Kat Dennings for a romance set in NYC's underground band scene. Expect plenty of Cera being a badass on the music stage, while stumbling with his words off-stage.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua (10/3)
In the season of the dog (future slated dog movies this winter include Bolt, Marley & Me, and Hotel For Dogs), Beverly Hills Chihuahua, directed by Scooby-Doo fanboy Raja Gosnell, is going to be outright horrible. But damn it if I haven't been caught mumbling "Chihuahua!" in group affairs. Whether it turns out to be pure infantile crap or an infectious holiday hit (I'm leaning towards the former), I know I'll end up seeing this. Natch, I'm actually looking forward to this... yikes.

Max Payne/Flash Of Genius/W. (10/17)
Another cop-out, but what an interesting weekend this presents. First and most popularly is Max Payne, Mark Wahlberg's gory thriller based on the iconic video game. But this same weekend also features a quaint tale about the corporate injustices of a car company over a patent, starring Greg Kinnear, and Oliver Stone's slick-looking, fascinating but questionably needed W.

Future Must-Sees: The Brothers Bloom (10/24), Changeling (10/24), Zack & Miri Make A Porno (10/31), Quantum Of Solace (11/7), Australia (11/14), Harry Potter (11/21), Defiance (12/12), The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (12/19), Yes Man (12/19), Marley & Me (12/25), Revolutionary Road (12/25)

TOP 10 Anticipated Movies (July 08)

For the mini-review of The Air I Breathe, starring Forest Whitaker, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Brendan Fraser, Click Here.

10 Anticipated Movies, in order of tentative release:

The Dark Knight (7/18)
Thankfully the hype died down just enough to keep TDK from over-saturation. Yes, Heath Ledger keeps getting sick posthumous praise for his work as the Joker despite most people and critics having yet to see his performance, but it builds suspense. We almost got a look at Aaron Eckhart's Two-Face face in an online teaser.

Mamma Mia! (7/18)
Just kidding. Even as a chronic sneaker into other movies (to curb the high price of film-going, heh), it will be a sad day if I am forced to sneak into this film after TDK. This movie makes Hairspray (which I actually enjoyed) look like a Steven Seagal actioner. I'd sadly be more interested in sneaking into Andy Samberg's Space Chimps instead.

Step Brothers (7/25)
The red band trailer did much to improve on the lackluster showing of its theatre presentation. Bad language, while a film it doesn't make, can help improve one, which it did for the Step Brothers. The full scene with Ferrell and the employment interviewer is genuinely funny, so let's hope the entire film can sustain that ingenuity.

Pineapple Express (8/8)
Word has sort of died in the mainstream as of late, but will surely pick up once the release draws near. In the marijuana aficionado circles, it's the greatest thing since the sliced bong. It's exciting because everyday, after a particularly long smoking session, they discover a movie called Pineapple Express is coming out! Woah!

Tropic Thunder (8/15)
It's still hard to muster up genuine excitement for this project. As much as Downey Jr has my heart and Black has rejuvenated his career tolerance with Be Kind Rewind and Kung Fu Panda, I can't see this being more than a one-joke kind of film. Stiller, for example, hasn't had a genuine across-the-board comedy hit since Dodgeball and Meet The Fockers in 2004. So can all these egos and range of talents come together cohesively?

Disaster Movie (8/29)
I am a sick, twisted soul. In order to appreciate the fine, immaculate texture of the great films, I have to know just how bad a film can go in the opposite direction. Meet The Spartans was sheer torture, and Disaster Movie will probably be akin to scheduling a root canal with no Novocaine. Call me Arthur Denton, but as long as I can see it for free, I like knowing just how bad films can get. I'm waiting for someone to release Ass: The Movie.

Burn After Reading (9/12)
Something about this project gets stuck in my head. Possibly it's just the brilliant use of forgotten sixties psychedelic pop in the trailer (Spirit's "I've Got A Line On You"), or possibly because it's the Coen Brothers going back to comedic roots with an all-star cast (Pitt! Clooney! Swinton! Malkovich! McDormand!) that actually looks funnier than any of Pitt/Clooney's Ocean series.

Choke (9/26)
The trailer feels very disjointed, but still adequately shows the heart of the film while adding a touch of absurd humor, which I'm sure will foretell the real film considering the plot. Rockwell looks very Rockwell-esque, that is, offbeat, dirty, and yet somehow good. Kelly McDonald of Trainspotting and more recently No Country For Old Men could come off annoying.

Zack & Miri Make A Porno (10/31)
A teaser trailer pretty much shows us all we really need to know. Kevin Smith, he of Jersey Girl fame (what, wrong film of his to promote?), is going for Knocked Up territory with two hours of semi-improvisational sex jokes courtesy of Seth Rogen and a hotter woman (in this case, Elizabeth Banks) wrapped around an earnest love story. I've heard this thing might have to get cut a little to stay away from an NC-17 rating.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (12/25)
I just cannot get enough of the full-length trailer, which has now fully debuted online. It's magnificently done, and shows just enough of the plot to get the general idea of what's in store, while giving away absolutely nothing about the intricate details of its contents. A sure Oscar contender if it doesn't flame out.

Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies (May/08)

The Dark Knight (7/18)
Just when the hype about the late Heath Ledger's soon to be iconic Joker role started to slowly go down in momentum, up perks the interest of Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent/Two Face role. Combine that with an already solid Christian Bale and Christoper Nolan, and you've got the hottest movie in a decade.

Pineapple Express (8/8)
This could be one of the most truly unique kind of film to come out in years. A buddy-buddy action comedy about stoners? The fact that it looks ultra-stylish and is taken seriously enough to warrant a sizable budget, this could become almost a whole new genre. Seth Rogen as always since his Freaks & Geeks days, looks brilliant.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (12/25)
What was once a 'curious' project teaming together Babel co-stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett with director David Fincher and an old F. Scott Fitzgerald story, has become a full-blown interest watch thanks to the trailer that was shown in front of Indiana Jones. Reminds me alot of Big Fish. But this one could win some major awards if it doesn't fall flat like another Pitt morality tale, Meet Joe Black.

Wall-E (6/27)
Aside from maybe the Shrek series, Pixar is about the only computer animated company you can trust to produce outstanding quality films. Each trailer looks amazing in both depth of detail and story, a true adventure for kids and adults alike. And the adorable Wall-E himself is destined to be a kiddy favorite.

Tropic Thunder (8/15)
At first this was only to see the amazing Robert Downey Jr completely devote himself to an unrecognizable role (even in his blond Australian actor garb he looks completely different). Otherwise it'd be the dual-powered tired antics of Ben Stiller & Jack Black to ruin the film. However, the redband trailer shows alot of promise that might dilute the egos and schtick that is sure to be rampant here.

Get Smart (6/20)
"Missed it by that much". As excited as I was to see Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway starring in a great old goofy Mel Brooks show, the trailers have done nothing to impress me. Hopefully this one will be smarter (or at least non flatulent) than the trailer indicates. Terence Stamp's bit of dialogue brings hope though.

Choke (8/26)
One of my favorite actors, Sam Rockwell, stars in a Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club) book adaptation about the troubles of a lazy med-school dropout who chokes himself to form 'kept' relationships to help pay for his sick mother's care. Don't understand it? Me neither, but it should be quite a fascinating independent film.

Zack & Miri Make A Porno (10/31)
I'm sold based on the premise alone, even if a trailer hasn't been released. Kevin Smith directs a tale about Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks, two lifelong friends, who decide to make an awkward attempt at the porn business to pay the rent. Did I mention there's the word 'porno' in the title? (Cue a pack of teenagers snickering in the theatre lobby queue)

The Happening (6/13)
I've heard terrible things about this film. Worst acting in Mark Wahlberg's career? Another pointless direction by M. Night Shyamalan? The original trailer was creepy in an okay way, but the redband trailer at least looked interesting.

Step-Brothers (7/25)
The last time Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly teamed up, Talladega Nights, it made me realize Will Ferrell was never going to recapture the lightning-in-a-bottle he had with Anchorman. So it's hard to say if I'm truly excited to see this film, especially after Reilly's disappointing Walk Hard (although it wasn't his performance at fault).