The reason is simple. The good old Writer's Strike from a few years back took its full toll on 2009, when movies that would have been written during the strike would theoretically come out. My guess is that this is why Avatar came out in 2009: writing clearly wasn't a necessity for ole' Jimmy Cameron.
So, I decided that, to help keep track of all the excellence (or perhaps not) that's set to release this year, I've crafted this handy-dandy preview for the movies of 2010 that generally fall under my interests. I'm sad to say that The Back-Up Plan didn't make the cut, nor did the new Cats & Dogs movie. You'll just have to see for yourself what does. Note that I'm not going to include movies that are already out, like Clash of the Titans, Date Night, or How to Train Your Dragon. That'd just be silly. This is a preview, after all.
Release Date: May 7th
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow
Premise: Tony Stark is back with his Iron Man suit, now known to the world for who he is. But has his public unveiling backfired, with the military and the government after his technology?
Reason to Watch: The first one was pretty good, and Marvel movies tend to follow a trend where the first one is good, the second one is incredible, and the third sucks.
Reason to Avoid: Replacing Terrance Howard with Don Cheadle? C'mon, guys.
Release Date: May 14
Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett
Premise: Reboot alert! Do I really have to say what this is going to be about?
Premise: Reboot alert! Do I really have to say what this is going to be about?
Reason to Watch: Russell Crowe has this habit of rocking every movie he does.
Reason to Avoid: Might take itself too seriously. Also, who decided that they should turn Marion into Xena: Warrior Princess?
Release Date: May 21
Starring: Mike Meyers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy
Premise: It's It's a Wonderful Life meets Shrek, in which our green hero gets to see what his world would be like if he'd never existed.
Premise: It's It's a Wonderful Life meets Shrek, in which our green hero gets to see what his world would be like if he'd never existed.
Reason to Watch: It's the final chapter in what has overall been a pretty good series of animated movies, and it appears as though they've laid off the pop culture references in favor of a plot.
Reason to Avoid: It'd have been better if they'd written Shrek into a world in which Shrek 3 never existed.
Release Date: May 21
Starring: Will Forte, Val Kilmer
Premise: Ex-special ops MacGruber must return to what he does best to stop his arch-nemesis from blowing up Washington.
Premise: Ex-special ops MacGruber must return to what he does best to stop his arch-nemesis from blowing up Washington.
Reason to Watch: The trailer looks promising, and this has always been a semi-amusing recurring character of SNL.
Reason to Avoid: The trailer lists it as "the best SNL sketch movie since Wayne's World". I love Wayne's World, but that's little comfort.
Release Date: May 28
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arteron, Ben Kingsley
Premise: The Prince of Persia must stop an evil Vizier from potentially destroying the world.
Premise: The Prince of Persia must stop an evil Vizier from potentially destroying the world.
Reason to Watch: The videogame was awesome.
Reason to Avoid: Ben Kingsley enjoys picking crap, and why are white people playing Persians?
Release Date: June 4
Starring: Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chaneac
Premise: Since cloning is illegal, scientists decide to see where the line is drawn by making a mutant human.
Premise: Since cloning is illegal, scientists decide to see where the line is drawn by making a mutant human.
Reason to Watch: We don't have enough good sci-fi thrillers these days.
Reason to Avoid: Mutant humans (not including X-Men) haven't been very popular since Total Recall.
Release Date: June 11
Starring: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley
Premise: Reboot alert! Four veterans who were wrongly accused of a crime must clear their names and find the true culprits.
Premise: Reboot alert! Four veterans who were wrongly accused of a crime must clear their names and find the true culprits.
Reason to Watch: Hollywood's reboot of a classic TV show.
Reason to Avoid: There should be a cap on the number of reboots that Hollywood's allowed to do per year. Also, no Mr. T, lest he makes a surprise cameo.
Release Date: June 11
Starring: Jackie Chan, Jayden Smith, Taraji P. Henson
Premise: Reboot alert! When his mother moves to China with him, Dre learns to defend himself from a wushu master.
Premise: Reboot alert! When his mother moves to China with him, Dre learns to defend himself from a wushu master.
Reason to Watch: Jackie Chan and Jayden Smith are each excellent to watch, in my opinion.
Reason to Avoid: Many, many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that Karate is NOT Chinese. Good lord. That's like making a movie about the Civil War and calling the North (or South) "Redcoats".
Release Date: June 18
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
Premise: Andy's off to college, so Woody, Buzz and the gang are off to a toy's equivalent of a retirement home: a preschool.
Premise: Andy's off to college, so Woody, Buzz and the gang are off to a toy's equivalent of a retirement home: a preschool.
Reason to Watch: The first two were awesome. The cast is stellar.
Reason to Avoid: None. This is made by Pixar; they can do no wrong.
Release Date: June 18
Starring: Josh Brolin, Megan Fox, John Malkovich
Premise: When a man's family is killed and his face seriously scarred, supernatural things begin to happen around him as he seeks out revenge.
Premise: When a man's family is killed and his face seriously scarred, supernatural things begin to happen around him as he seeks out revenge.
Reason to Watch: Interesting concept; John Malcovich with mutton chops.
Reason to Avoid: Thousands. It's changed directors several times. The hole in Josh Brolin's cheek is unsettling, though nowhere near so much as Megan Fox's horrific butchering of a Southern accent. Looks to be DC's version of Ghost Rider: good concept, poor execution, horrid female lead.
Release Date: July 2
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
Premise: Bella is caught between Edward and Jacob while a vampire army plans to exact revenge on our young heroine.
Premise: Bella is caught between Edward and Jacob while a vampire army plans to exact revenge on our young heroine.
Reason to Watch: I understand why this series is popular. Really, I do. I was a psychology major, and I would LOVE to run a study that examines the differences between Twilight fans and the rest of the world. Also, this one should be the most male-friendly, what with the possibility of some fighting and all.
Reason to Avoid: Among other reasons, the next movie down comes out the same weekend.
Release Date: July 2
Starring: Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone
Premise: In a war between the Fire Nation and the nations of Earth, Air and Water, one young boy, the long-awaited Avatar, may be the only hope for peace.
Premise: In a war between the Fire Nation and the nations of Earth, Air and Water, one young boy, the long-awaited Avatar, may be the only hope for peace.
Reason to Watch: Based upon one of the best cartoon series I've seen in a long time, and it's guaranteed to have awesome special effects as well as interesting views on spirituality.
Reason to Avoid: M. Night Shyamalan's past few movies haven't been so hot, but at least he didn't write this one. Oh wait, yes he did. Uh oh.
Release Date: July 9
Starring: Steve Carrel, Miranda Cosgrove, Kristen Wiig
Premise: A trio of adorable children befriend Gru, a would-be supervillian who begins to think that stealing the moon may not be the best idea after all.
Premise: A trio of adorable children befriend Gru, a would-be supervillian who begins to think that stealing the moon may not be the best idea after all.
Reason to Watch: Still hard to say, but this seems like your classic, heart-warming tale about an eccentric super-villian succumbing to the cuteness and love of adorable children.
Reason to Avoid: Hard to say. Russell Brand is in this movie, does that count? It does for me.
Release Date: July 9
Starring: Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Topher Grace
Premise: Reboot alert! A group of elite fighters find themselves stranded on a planet with the deadliest hunters known to man.
Premise: Reboot alert! A group of elite fighters find themselves stranded on a planet with the deadliest hunters known to man.
Reason to Watch: Adrien Brody as a special ops gunman? What the crap? Is there nothing this man can't do?
Reason to Avoid: The Predator movies are not usually known for their quality. Also, Topher Grace is in this movie. He's not usually known for his quality, either.
Release Date: July 16
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Monica Bellucci
Premise: A sorcerer recruits a boy unaware of his powers to fight his arch-nemesis.
Premise: A sorcerer recruits a boy unaware of his powers to fight his arch-nemesis.
Reason to Watch: Nic Cage is awesome in all he does, even when it's clear he's not even acting. Special effects look good. Plot's classic and good for younger audiences.
Reason to Avoid: Comes out the same weekend as the next movie down. Also, Nic Cage's movies lately haven't been so hot (except for Kick-Ass).
Release Date: July 16
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Ellen Page
Premise: A company creates a dreamworld made from one man's mind, then infiltrate it to steal his idea.
Premise: A company creates a dreamworld made from one man's mind, then infiltrate it to steal his idea.
Reason to Watch: This looks seriously awesome. Plot sounds weird as hell, but just check out the trailer. Psychological thriller of the year, I guarantee it. Oh, and it's directed by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Memento)
Reason to Avoid: Any that seem to exist are probably just illusions from your own dreamworld.
Release Date: July 23
Starring: Steve Carrel, Paul Rudd, Stephanie Szostak
Premise: (Sorry for the poor picture) Remake alert! Tim's company holds a monthly event called "dinner for idiots", in which the employee who shows up with the biggest doof wins certain benefits. He believes he has found a winner in Barry (Carrel).
Premise: (Sorry for the poor picture) Remake alert! Tim's company holds a monthly event called "dinner for idiots", in which the employee who shows up with the biggest doof wins certain benefits. He believes he has found a winner in Barry (Carrel).
Reason to Watch: Paul Rudd and Steve Carrel could have starred in Catwoman and it would have been awesome.
Reason to Avoid: Haven't seen any ratings yet, but these two have a habit of starring in R movies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and I Love You, Man, which are both great, but don't appeal to everybody.
Release Date: July 23
Starring: Joey King, Selena Gomez, Bridget Moynahan
Premise: Ramona Quimby's always causing trouble for her older sister, Beezus.
Premise: Ramona Quimby's always causing trouble for her older sister, Beezus.
Reason to Watch: Anyone who's a fan of the books should totally dig this adaptation. The girl they got for Ramona looks perfect.
Reason to Avoid: No special effects in a family movie? Who DOES that nowadays? Hopefully America won't be so shallow.
Release Date: July 30
Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgens, Mary-Kate Olsen
Premise: Semi-reboot alert! A modern-day retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast fairytale.
Premise: Semi-reboot alert! A modern-day retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast fairytale.
Reason to Watch: Interesting look for the "beast", and I'm curious to see how they make the old tale modern.
Reason to Avoid: Vanessa Hudgens.
Release Date: August 6
Starring: Will Ferrel, Mark Wahlberg
Premise: (Sorry for the poor picture) A pair of New York detectives seek to be just like their idols... only things don't go exactly how they intended.
Premise: (Sorry for the poor picture) A pair of New York detectives seek to be just like their idols... only things don't go exactly how they intended.
Reason to Watch: Will Ferrel and Mark Wahlberg could be a potentially brilliant comedic pairing.
Reason to Avoid: Ferrel's gotten a bit stale lately.
Release Date: August 13
Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin
Premise: In order to win the heart of Ramona, Scott Pilgrim must defeat her Seven Evil Exes.
Premise: In order to win the heart of Ramona, Scott Pilgrim must defeat her Seven Evil Exes.
Reason to Watch: The comic book-style effects might just be zany enough to be awesome, and what teenage boy doesn't want to prove himself to his girlfriend by destroying her jerk exes?
Reason to Avoid: Like Will Ferrel, Michael Cera keeps on playing the same character over and over and over and over...
Release Date: August 13
Starring: Every B-movie action star EVER... plus Jet Li, minus Jean Claude Van Dam
Premise: A team of kick-ass mercenaries blows stuff up. Does the plot really matter?
Premise: A team of kick-ass mercenaries blows stuff up. Does the plot really matter?
Reason to Watch: See category labeled "Starring".
Reason to Avoid: See category labeled "Starring".
Release Date: August 27 (limited)
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Dominic West, Olga Kurylenko
Premise: After the Roman Ninth Legion almost gets wiped out by Celts, the survivors cross into Celt territory... I'm guessing to extract revenge.
Premise: After the Roman Ninth Legion almost gets wiped out by Celts, the survivors cross into Celt territory... I'm guessing to extract revenge.
Reason to Watch: Haven't seen a lot of sword-and-sandal lately...
Reason to Avoid: The last sword-and-sandal movie I saw was Clash of the Titans.
Release Date: September 10
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller
Premise: (Sorry for the bad picture) As the T-Virus continues to spread, Alice and Claire make for Los Angeles, a supposed safe haven.
Premise: (Sorry for the bad picture) As the T-Virus continues to spread, Alice and Claire make for Los Angeles, a supposed safe haven.
Reason to Watch: Milla Jovovich. Also, a little bit of zombie-killing never hurt anyone.
Reason to Avoid: The first three were each a bit of a gorefest. Also, once a series reaches its 4th, it's often best to, you know, stop (See: Shrek Forever After).
Release Date: September 25
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland
Premise: (Sorry for the bad picture) A band of intrepid soldiers embark on a quest to steal back their plotline from Centurion.
Premise: (Sorry for the bad picture) A band of intrepid soldiers embark on a quest to steal back their plotline from Centurion.
Reason to Watch: Um, Donald Sutherland?
Reason to Avoid: Come on, this movie's about the SAME group of soldiers that Centurion's about! That just seems criminal.
Release Date: September 25
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving, David Wenham
Premise: Soren's always listened to tales of the Owls of Ga'Hoole, famed warriors from long ago. Now he may get the chance to follow in their... wingbeats?
Premise: Soren's always listened to tales of the Owls of Ga'Hoole, famed warriors from long ago. Now he may get the chance to follow in their... wingbeats?
Reason to Watch: Visuals look fan-friggen-tastic. Directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen).
Reason to Avoid: As someone on IMDb put it, this may be this year's Golden Compass. God I hope not.
Release Date: November 5
Starring: Will Ferrel, Jonah Hill, Brad Pitt
Premise: When MegaMind, a supervillian, finally kills the hero, he grows bored and decides to build a new one. But when the new hero turns evil, MegaMind must turn hero to stop him.
Premise: When MegaMind, a supervillian, finally kills the hero, he grows bored and decides to build a new one. But when the new hero turns evil, MegaMind must turn hero to stop him.
Reason to Watch: Solid cast; Ferrel's MegaMind might just be eccentric enough to work.
Reason to Avoid: The Incredibles will probably be better.
Release Date: November 19
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson Rupert Grint
Premise: Harry, Ron and Hermione seek out a way to finally defeat Lord Voldemort, once and for all.
Premise: Harry, Ron and Hermione seek out a way to finally defeat Lord Voldemort, once and for all.
Reason to Watch: The Potter story is all about love, and good triumphing over evil. If nothing else, this should set up for a killer Part II movie next summer. Also, this one's in 3D!
Reason to Avoid: Nitpicking fans of the books have a lot to complain about in previous Potter outtings.
Red Dawn
Release Date: November 24
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Isabel Lucas, Josh Hutcherson
Premise: Reboot alert! A group of teens defend their town from invading Russians... AND Chinese.
Reason to Watch: Russians and Chinese make for great badguys, AND they both love red, so the title makes sense.
Reason to Avoid: It sounds like they're just making the same movie again, only adding China. Hmm, sounds like The Karate Kid. Weird.
Release Date: November 24
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Isabel Lucas, Josh Hutcherson
Premise: Reboot alert! A group of teens defend their town from invading Russians... AND Chinese.
Reason to Watch: Russians and Chinese make for great badguys, AND they both love red, so the title makes sense.
Reason to Avoid: It sounds like they're just making the same movie again, only adding China. Hmm, sounds like The Karate Kid. Weird.
Release Date: December 10
Starring: Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley
Premise: (Note: poster-picture is fan-made) Two of the Pevensie children return to Narnia to travel with Prince Caspian to the edge of the world.
Premise: (Note: poster-picture is fan-made) Two of the Pevensie children return to Narnia to travel with Prince Caspian to the edge of the world.
Reason to Watch: This was arguably one of the best of the seven Chronicles of Narnia novels.
Reason to Avoid: Not a fan of Christian symbolism? You probably don't like the Chronicles of Narnia movies or books, then.
Release Date: December 17
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde
Premise: Almost-reboot alert! The son of Flynn from the first movie rediscovers the game machine in which his father has been trapped for the past 20 years.
Premise: Almost-reboot alert! The son of Flynn from the first movie rediscovers the game machine in which his father has been trapped for the past 20 years.
Reason to Watch: Cool special effects, potentially huge sentimental value.
Reason to Avoid: You'd think there should be a limit to how much time is allowed to pass between a movie and its sequel.
So, there you have it. 31 movies of potential awesomeness. A whopping 7 are reboots (8 if you count Eagle of the Ninth as being a reboot of Centurion), 8 are sequels, and 7 are adaptations. Perhaps my taste is just in things that I've heard of already, so selection bias may be responsible there. Whatever the case, this looks to be a killer year. Alice in Wonderland, How to Train Your Dragon, and Kick-Ass were all excellent and made up for Clash of the Titans. If 75% of the above-previewed movies are as good as those three, 2010 will be little short of epic. Can't wait.
So, there you have it. 31 movies of potential awesomeness. A whopping 7 are reboots (8 if you count Eagle of the Ninth as being a reboot of Centurion), 8 are sequels, and 7 are adaptations. Perhaps my taste is just in things that I've heard of already, so selection bias may be responsible there. Whatever the case, this looks to be a killer year. Alice in Wonderland, How to Train Your Dragon, and Kick-Ass were all excellent and made up for Clash of the Titans. If 75% of the above-previewed movies are as good as those three, 2010 will be little short of epic. Can't wait.
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