Speare's Tips: My Top Ten Most Anticipated Films of 2009 (Jan-Apr)

Some might equate the move from FM to TFR the equivalent of moving your favorite dance party from a high-class hotel ballroom to the nearest acoustically-sound abandoned warehouse, but hey, we’ll take what we can get at this point, right? Though the floor may be a bit grimier and there is still a few vestiges of hastily spray-painted-over graffiti on the walls, this place is home now, and since you guys apparently can’t get through the week without my rapier wit and questionable logic, I am happy to climb up on my soapbox for the Fantaverse once again.

But ooh, where to begin? I’m tempted to start with the first few wide-release films of January, but I’ll wait for Mr. Informative and Indie Jones to catch up before I do that, as I inordinately jumped ahead by sneaking the last weekend of 2008 into my final “goodbye” column. (Ain't I a sneak?) That, coupled with the fact that there are no actual big movies to talk about on the first Friday of ’09 (I’ll leave Defiance in the hands of our very capable resident Frenchman), I’ll do what I was going to do in this spot for FM… list my Ten Most Anticipated Movies of 2009 (January through April).

This seems to fit, as January is almost upon us, and the most recent poll question on TLMR asked you guys what YOUR most anticipated films are. So, without further ado, here is my list:

10. The Soloist (4/24) – When a movie gets bumped from the height of Oscar season to arguably the worst weekend of the year to release a film (outside the post-Thanksgiving and -Christmas weekends), you just have to wonder about the quality of the product. Robert Downey Jr., coming off of his best year ever, and Jamie Foxx, with his Best Actor performance not that far in his rear-view. Does the studio really have so little confidence in this very noteworthy premise? I guess we’ll see.

9. Race to Witch Mountain (3/13) – The original Witch Mountain movie is one of the very first Disney action films that I ever saw, and I am more than a little intrigued by this remake. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has proven that he can carry a family film, and Annasophia Robb is one of my very favorite rising stars. Should be interesting.

8. State of Play (4/17) – I’m sure you’re thinking the same thing I am… a great cast (Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman, Robin Wright Penn and Helen Mirren), a good director (Kevin MacDonald), and a terrific premise. Which begs the question: WHY APRIL? This is the month where films go to die, to be swallowed whole by the monsters of May. Really, a movie this good on paper should be higher on this list, but you just have to wonder…

7. Bride Wars (1/9) – Yeah, I know. I honestly tend to shy away from chick flicks, like FAR away, but this one actually looks very funny. 27 Dresses turned out to be a very entertaining DVD rental last year, and Anne Hathaway is on a hot streak. Kate Hudson’s streak? Not so impressive, but that doesn’t make this one any less tantalizing. And what guy can resist a good catfight?

6. Knowing (3/20) – By this time, the words “starring Nicolas Cage” are an instant turn-off to many moviegoers, but this story looks very compelling, if its trailer is anything to go by. And the fact that it’s directed by Alex Proyas, the man who helmed I, Robot (one of my favorite films of this century) makes it even more so. It won’t be a world-beater, but it may be enjoyable.

5. The International (2/13) – This could shape up to be a very good spring for Clive Owen. This gritty-looking espionage thriller, where Owen co-stars with Naomi Watts, looks like it could be one of the biggest adrenaline rushes of early 2009, much like Vantage Point was in February of this year.

4. Duplicity (3/20) – Michael Clayton earned high marks for director Tony Gilroy this year, as well as an Oscar nom for Tom Wilkinson. The two are back again this March with an ultra-cool corporate espionage story that looks like Clayton crossed with Ocean’s Eleven. To hammer that comparison home, Julia Roberts headlines (with Clive Owen stepping in for George Clooney), and Paul Giamatti rounds out the impressive-looking cast for a film that looks to be both cool and humorous.

3. Push (2/6) – One year ago, I was looking forward to Jumper probably more than any other late-winter film (outside of Vantage Point), but I was wholly let down by that film’s horrible editing. Plus, it starred Hayden Christensen, so I really should have known better. This film, on the other hand, features cooler superpowers, cooler actors (including Djimon Hounsou as the BAMF instead of Samuel L., and Dakota Fanning in her first role ever where she’s not playing an adorable waif), and it’s directed by Paul McGuigan, who helmed Lucky Number Slevin in 2006 (which was, as some of you know, my #1 film of that year). I’m sold.

2. Monsters vs. Aliens (3/27) – Given that I’ve only thoroughly enjoyed one out of DreamWorks last FIVE outings (that being Kung Fu Panda), I was not all that impressed by the one-sheet for this film… but when the trailer came out, oh, how that changed. This one could be huge, folks. Seth Rogen is letter-perfect as the voice of BOB (the blob), and I’d be willing to be that MvA ends up doing Horton-sized business.

1. Watchmen (3/6) – Okay, the biggest question surrounding this film is… the footage that we’ve seen in trailers, is that the part of the iceberg above the water or below? Honestly, very few movies with this much hype live up to it (Dark Knight being the most recent exception), but I have hopes that this one will deliver. Zack Snyder didn’t let me down with 300, and I’m fairly salivating with checking out his latest graphic-novel adaptation. I reckon I’m not alone in that regard, either.

I also plan on checking out, either in theaters or on DVD: Hotel For Dogs, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Notorious, Inkheart, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (my wife will insist), Killshot, Taken, Pink Panther 2, Fanboys, Coraline, Street Fighter, I Love You Man, 12 Rounds, The Wolfman and Observe and Report. There are still maybes attached to The Unborn, Possession, He’s Just Not That Into You, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Fired Up, All About Steve, Adventureland, The Ugly Truth, Case 39 and Fighting. Everything else is a definite pass, unless something really huge changes.

In closing, let me just say that it’s great to move into the new place. It still feels like we’re living out of boxes, but hey, it’s all about the people, right? You guys ROCK!

BOB reminds me of Meatwad. They are both dumb yet entertaining masses of non-human matter.

And why do you think that Push is going to be so good? It's a low-rent Jumper wannabe with another overrated director at the helm and more bad actors in large parts (I like Fanning and Hounsou it's just that they'll get overshadowed by bad actors Chris Evans and Camilla "Blank Stare" Belle).

I think we need to give Chris Evans a chance. He was very good in Sunshine, I for one was surprisingly impressed.

Push really looks like a knock off of "Heroes" IMO.

I was about to say I think Push looks horrible. Jumper had way more potential.

Monsters vs. Aliens will be good. It looks really strange, just look at Steven Colbert's character.

And I think Bride Wars looks stupid. Chick flicks can be OK for me every onece in a while, but the trailer was them pranking each other the whole time.

Buscemi wrote:And why do you think that Push is going to be so good?

First impressions, that's all. I think it'll have good appeal to the 15-25 age group.

silversurfer19 wrote:I think we need to give Chris Evans a chance. He was very good in Sunshine, I for one was surprisingly impressed.

Agreed absolutely. He needs to do more quality work instead of being "the hot guy in towel" before he disappears.

In my list you'll find some guilty pleasures, BUT also some movies we don't know very much yet like Avatar, Surrogates or Shutter Island, but they look more than interesting for me so far...

My Top 20 Most Wanted 2009 Movies:

1. Watchmen - Zack Snyder's version of Alan Moore's graphic novel - need I say more?? Plus the cast is very intriguing... The trailers are my dreams come true... I hope that it won't disappoint...
2. Ice Age (3): Dawn of the Dinosaurs - I really liked part 1 & 2 and this time it will be 3D plus Scrat will have a girlfriend
3. Public Enemies - Johnny Depp as John Dillinger, Billy Crudup as J. Edgar Hoover, plus Christian Bale, Channing Tatum, Leelee Sobieski, Marion Cotillard, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Dorff, Emilie de Ravin and others... directed by Michael Mann...
4. Monsters Vs. Aliens - Dreamworks's production can surpass Pixar's UP? I think that this has a shot - 3D plus a very good voice cast...
5. Avatar - c'mon! It's James Cameron... High Impatience... can't wait for a 3D trailer...
6. Sherlock Holmes - Guy Ritchie's version with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law...
7. Shutter Island - the latest collaboration between Martin Scorsese & Leonardo DiCaprio. I really loved their coproduction... a perfect Dynamic Duo... this should be released in 2008 they used to do a movie every 2 years
8. The Soloist - I really don't understand why this movie wasn't released in 2008 the trailer made me think of an Oscar nom for Robert Downey Jr.
9. The Lovely Bones - a novel, Peter Jackson plus a very good cast = SUCCESS
10. Amelia - this could be 3rd Oscar for Hilary Swank...
11. Angels & Demons - yes, I know, I know, The Da Vinci Code wasn't closer to what I dream about Dan Brown's novel, BUT maybe both Ron Howard & Tom Hanks won't repeat their errors...
12. Earth - could be the docu-movie of the year...
13. Terminator (4) Salvation - Christian Bale directed by McG... who ever thought of this?
14. Fast & Furious - Resurrected or Reloaded, if I can add... Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster together again after 8 years...
15. Crank 2: High Voltage - I really liked the first one, so this will be another guilty pleasure for me...
16. Funny People - the screenwriter & director Judd Apatow will have the talents of Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jason Schwartzman and RZA combined...
17. Surrogates- I hope that it will be released in 2009... Bruce Willis...
18. G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra - Stephen Sommers plus a very good cast, it can be the sleeper hit of the year I heard that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is very good as Cobra...
19. Old Dogs - can't miss a movie with John Travolta (plus his family) & Robin Williams
20. 9 - an interesting screenplay, a very good voice-cast plus 9/9/9 for release date

I'm convinced that we'll have some surprises next year - movies that don't have a release date yet, or about we know nothing right now...

PS: I've seen Taken almost seven months ago... Yes, I know, I'm lucky... the American distributors are to blame for this delay in US... Liam Neeson is VERY VERY GOOD! PERFECT in his role! Also I admired the screenplay (very intelligent) & the direction (a very dynamic one by Pierre Morel - who also did a very good Banlieue 13/13th District)...

You need to see the Up trailer. When I saw it with Bolt, it shot up to Number 1 on my most anticipated for the year.

delfinasu wrote:I

PS: I've seen Taken almost seven months ago... Yes, I know, I'm lucky... the American distributors are to blame for this delay in US... Liam Neeson is VERY VERY GOOD! PERFECT in his role! Also I admired the screenplay (very intelligent) & the direction ...

Intelligent? Taken is hands down the dumbest film I've seen in years. I nearly laughed if it wasn't so racist. The direction feels like a poor Bourne knockoff, and the plot and writing are z-grade. It makes The Transporter look like high-art!

Shrykespeare wrote:

Buscemi wrote:And why do you think that Push is going to be so good?

First impressions, that's all. I think it'll have good appeal to the 15-25 age group.

I agree. I showed the trailer to my two teens and they also agree. I also thought that Jumper fell short.

Delfi said:

16. Funny People - the screenwriter & director Judd Apatow will have the talents of Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jason Schwartzman and RZA combined

If this fails it will only be because too much of a good thing sometimes isn't best. I'm hoping for big laughs, big bucks, no whammies.