The Top 10 Most Anticipated Films Of 2010

2010 looks to be better than it's predecessor. Disney will be riding Alice In Wonderland, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and Toy Story 3, while many studios will be looking for hits from proven filmmakers (Darren Aronofsky, Roman Polanski, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers to name a few). Here, in alphabetical order, is a list of the ten films that seem most promising:

Release Date: March 5, 2010
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Christopher Lee

Why I’m Excited: I’m almost beginning to feel a personal backlash against Johnny Depp coming on. Almost. I love Disney’s animated version from 1951, but if anyone can pull off this remake, it’s Tim Burton. That being said, let’s hope it’s a little better than his dismal remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The trailer looks wonderful—I’m really liking what he’s done with Tweedledee and Tweedledum.

Black Swan
Release Date: TBA 2010
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder

Why I’m Excited: It’s about to be a, what, girl fight! Just read the IMDb plot description: “A thriller that hones in on the relationship between a veteran ballet dancer and a rival.” Aronofsky is one of today’s signature directors. He showed in 2008 with The Wrestler that he didn’t need special effects or controversial subject matter to make a motion picture, and now, with these leading ladies, I’m looking forward to watching this one unfold.

The Ghost Writer
Release Date: February 19, 2010 (limited)
Director: Roman Polanski
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, Tom Wilkinson

Why I’m Excited: I hate to say this, but child molester or not, Roman Polanski makes a good film—The Pianist is one of the best films of the past decade. Couple this with Ewan McGregor and the always-solid Tom Wilkinson and you’ve got yourself some excitement. The story, a thriller, is about a ghostwriter (McGregor) who is hired to complete the memoirs of a former British prime minister, and as he works on the book he discovers well-kept secrets that put him in danger. An early sneak-preview trailer, in which Brosnan calls someone off-screen a, cover your eyes, “cheeky fuck,” looks pure Polanski—a good attribute to have.

The Green Hornet
Release Date: December 22, 2010
Director: Michel Gondry
Starring: Seth Rogen, Christoph Waltz, Cameron Diaz, Tom Wilkinson

Why I’m Excited: By far the most bizarre film on the list, this superhero film was written by and features Seth Rogen—not the first vision you have when you hear the word “superhero.” Directing is Michel Gondry, an eclectic filmmaker—and one of my favorites—whose credits include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science Of Sleep. Then you’ve got Christoph Waltz, who figures to win an Oscar for his performance in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, as the villain, and things get really interesting…and exciting.

Greenberg
Release Date: March 26, 2010
Director: Noah Baumbach
Starring: Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rhys Ifans

Why I’m Excited: I think Ben Stiller is an underrated actor. His delivery of a line—“It's been a hard year, Dad”—in Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums is the highlight of that film—which is saying a lot. This film is about Greenberg (Stiller) and the sort of self-discovery he undergoes while house-sitting for his brother in Los Angeles. Baumbach may have misfired with Margot at the Wedding, but anyone who writes and directs a film like The Squid and the Whale—not to mention co-scripting this year’s visual feast, The Fantastic Mr. Fox—has a healthy scoop of talent. The trailer, which is infused with LCD Soundsystem, looks promising.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
Release Date: November 19, 2010
Director: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman

Why I’m Excited: I haven’t read the “Harry Potter” series, apart from The Sorcerer’s Stone. I’m still fascinated by the films. I think, looking back twenty years from now, the achievement of producing seven films with the same cast (save the replacement of the deceased Richard Harris) over a span of ten years—and that has included a number of different filmmakers and visions—is going to be exponentially more impressive. I have no plans to read the books, but you can be darn sure I’ll be sitting in the theater opening night—or earlier.

Inception
Release Date: July 16, 2010
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Leonardo Dicaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard, Cilian Murphy, Michael Caine

Why I’m Excited: Name one thing Christopher Nolan has touched that isn’t good. And look at that cast. This is by far the movie I’m most excited for. Plot details have been kept under wraps, but judging from the trailer, we’re in for something epic. I can’t say much more, just watch the trailer.

Margaret
Release Date: TBA 2010?
Director: Kenneth Lonergan
Starring: Matt Damon, Anna Paquin, Mark Ruffalo, Matthew Broderick

Why I’m Excited: If you haven’t seen Lonergan’s film, You Can Count On Me, you really need to move that to the top of your priority list. It’s one of the best—and probably the most overlooked—films from the past decade (along with The Pianist, which I mentioned earlier). Well, Mark Ruffalo and Matthew Broderick are back for Lonergan’s second film. But will it get released? The film was shot over 3 years ago and is wrapped up in some legal disputes. I don’t know, but the controversy surrounding it makes me even more provoked.

Shutter Island
Release Date: February 19, 2010
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Leonardo Dicaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams

Why I’m Excited: Shutter Island was on my list last year. That isn’t a good thing. Dicaprio’s accent doesn’t sound very good, and the film got pushed back—and thus out of this year’s awards race—but, still, it’s Martin Scorsese. The last three times Dicaprio and Scorsese collaborated resulted in The Departed, The Aviator and Gangs of New York. Throw in one of my favorite actors, Mark Ruffalo, and one of my favorite actresses, Michelle Williams; I’ve never been so excited for a February release.

True Grit
Release Date: December 25, 2010
Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin

Why I’m Excited: I’m not a fan of remakes or reboots, but the Coen brother’s remaking a John Wayne movie? I can find a way to be excited about that. Jeff Bridges—cooky and perfect—will play John Wayne’s character in a western about a U.S. Marshal who helps a young woman (not sure who will play this role) find—and presumably kill—her father’s murderer. Word to the wise: keep Tommy Lee Jones out of this.

5 Others to Look out For:
Toy Story 3
Date Night
Iron Man 2
Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time
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