I'm curious what people are looking forward to (or not looking forward to) this year, and I'll post some of my own!
Things I'm looking forward to in earnest:
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
While I think the third film is the low point of the series, I'm still looking forward to this. In many ways, it's a fresh start, and though it's unfortunate that Gore Verbinksi isn't directing, hopefully they ditched the writers who came up with that whole Kalypso plot that went nowhere.
Captain America: The First Avenger
This is pretty much my Scott Pilgrim for this year. I'm more hyped for this than anything else and will be all the more disappointed if it's not amazing. It has all the elements in place. I'm excited.
Super 8
This is one of those movies that has a neat-looking trailer, but if money comes up short at the time, I'll likely pass on it. Right now it looks like an awesome throw-back to the way kids movies were in the '80s, and I could tell before the credit came up that Steven Spielberg was involved just from the look of the small town. So, if I don't see it in theaters, this will probably be the movie I rent later and then regret not seeing in theaters.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Plan is to rent Part 1 that week, and then see this on the weekend, and soak up the last 6 hours of Harry Potter like that. I was disappointed in the sixth movie, but I'm hoping things will go out with a bang.
Cowboys & Aliens
Another "might skip" movie, but this looks cool and I'm looking forward to it. It was nice seeing Harrison Ford in a tough guy role (if the trailer is being honest) and I dig the premise.
The Muppets
A new Muppets movie, aimed at the general audience rather than kids who don't give a shit? GIMME!
Those are what I'm looking forward to.
And... some films to mention...
Thor
I don't care. I should care, but I don't, and the one thing that matters to me is that it means we're one step closer to The Avengers, which will likely be my Scott Pilgrim of 2012.
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1
Let the laughs begin! Oh Rifftrax, you make me glad these movies exist. This is the only film of the Twilight series I'm even willing to see without Rifftrax, in theaters, in hopes that they follow through with every wrong-headed stupid decision made in this wrong-headed stupid book. Bring on Renisthmane! Give me some gory birth and weird werewolf stuff!
Conan the Barbarian
I'm... probably not going to watch this, and I only note it because:
1. I adore the original movie. There are dumb parts in it, yes, but its story is so well-told, and the director was wise to use body language to convey emotion in many parts. The music is one of the finest scores ever written.
2. I was really gunning for The Rock to star as Conan, but oh well.
So this is noteworthy for its intention of starting a new franchise, but who knows what will happen or if it will be any good.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
David Fincher is an excellent director. Can he make this worth watching? I've kept it no secret how much I loathe the novel. The characters are inconsistent and poorly-written in the sense of how they develop, the overall plot is bad (though the actual mystery is very good and interesting)... and honestly, the book is just offensive. It's stupidly offensive and offensively stupid. Wrap your head around that one.
We tried watching the movie, stuck with it for a bit, but it started making the same dumbass mistakes as the book and we quit it. It probably went on making the same dumb mistakes. I want to trust Fincher. I really do. He should know better than to build certain elements of this story. That said, I cannot waste my good money giving this pond-scum story a third chance, especially not with theater prices these days, even when talent has his hands on it. So clap clap, done with that.
Those are my anticipations and gripes for the year. I probably won't see half of them in theaters, and there will probably be a few random things that get watched by surprise as the year winds down. Obviously most of the late year Oscar bait hasn't been made present on IMDB yet, so those are still more movies, but from what's slated for 2011, that's my take.
Things I'm looking forward to in earnest:
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
While I think the third film is the low point of the series, I'm still looking forward to this. In many ways, it's a fresh start, and though it's unfortunate that Gore Verbinksi isn't directing, hopefully they ditched the writers who came up with that whole Kalypso plot that went nowhere.
Captain America: The First Avenger
This is pretty much my Scott Pilgrim for this year. I'm more hyped for this than anything else and will be all the more disappointed if it's not amazing. It has all the elements in place. I'm excited.
Super 8
This is one of those movies that has a neat-looking trailer, but if money comes up short at the time, I'll likely pass on it. Right now it looks like an awesome throw-back to the way kids movies were in the '80s, and I could tell before the credit came up that Steven Spielberg was involved just from the look of the small town. So, if I don't see it in theaters, this will probably be the movie I rent later and then regret not seeing in theaters.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Plan is to rent Part 1 that week, and then see this on the weekend, and soak up the last 6 hours of Harry Potter like that. I was disappointed in the sixth movie, but I'm hoping things will go out with a bang.
Cowboys & Aliens
Another "might skip" movie, but this looks cool and I'm looking forward to it. It was nice seeing Harrison Ford in a tough guy role (if the trailer is being honest) and I dig the premise.
The Muppets
A new Muppets movie, aimed at the general audience rather than kids who don't give a shit? GIMME!
Those are what I'm looking forward to.
And... some films to mention...
Thor
I don't care. I should care, but I don't, and the one thing that matters to me is that it means we're one step closer to The Avengers, which will likely be my Scott Pilgrim of 2012.
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1
Let the laughs begin! Oh Rifftrax, you make me glad these movies exist. This is the only film of the Twilight series I'm even willing to see without Rifftrax, in theaters, in hopes that they follow through with every wrong-headed stupid decision made in this wrong-headed stupid book. Bring on Renisthmane! Give me some gory birth and weird werewolf stuff!
Conan the Barbarian
I'm... probably not going to watch this, and I only note it because:
1. I adore the original movie. There are dumb parts in it, yes, but its story is so well-told, and the director was wise to use body language to convey emotion in many parts. The music is one of the finest scores ever written.
2. I was really gunning for The Rock to star as Conan, but oh well.
So this is noteworthy for its intention of starting a new franchise, but who knows what will happen or if it will be any good.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
David Fincher is an excellent director. Can he make this worth watching? I've kept it no secret how much I loathe the novel. The characters are inconsistent and poorly-written in the sense of how they develop, the overall plot is bad (though the actual mystery is very good and interesting)... and honestly, the book is just offensive. It's stupidly offensive and offensively stupid. Wrap your head around that one.
We tried watching the movie, stuck with it for a bit, but it started making the same dumbass mistakes as the book and we quit it. It probably went on making the same dumb mistakes. I want to trust Fincher. I really do. He should know better than to build certain elements of this story. That said, I cannot waste my good money giving this pond-scum story a third chance, especially not with theater prices these days, even when talent has his hands on it. So clap clap, done with that.
Those are my anticipations and gripes for the year. I probably won't see half of them in theaters, and there will probably be a few random things that get watched by surprise as the year winds down. Obviously most of the late year Oscar bait hasn't been made present on IMDB yet, so those are still more movies, but from what's slated for 2011, that's my take.
