12.05.2010

The Most Anticipated Movies of 2011: The would-be contenders.

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It's getting down to the real money makers. And while I think the next five on this list will no doubt generate some money, it remains to be seen if they're going to be blockbusters. They all have potential to rake in the money - especially because they don't release in the crowded summer season. I think February is already looking great and it's only going to get better from there!





35. Hall Pass
Starring: Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Christina Applegate
Director: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Release Date: February 25
You're always guaranteed an interesting, if not entertaining, comedy when the Farrelly brothers direct something. They've done such great comedies like Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary, but lately they've done such horrible stinkers like The Heartbreak Kid and Stuck on You. Some say they've lost their touch - but I think this movie may give them their mojo back. It doesn't hurt when you have such a great cast - along with the headliners, Richard Jenkins, Jenna Fischer and Alyssa Milano round out the rest of the cast. It's a high concept comedy, but it has loads of potential to be hilarious. But the February release date and trailer seem underwhelming - this one remains up in the air.



34. Paul
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen (voice)
Director: Greg Mottola
Release Date: March 18
This comedy would be higher on my list, but the trailer seemed kind of a let down after what I thought was a great idea when I first heard about the movie. There's still high hopes that this movie can deliver the funny. Greg Mottola, Mr. Superbad himself, is behind the camera for the fourth time and he hasn't had a bad movie yet. I thought Adventureland was vastly underrated and although this movie seems a bit out of his wheelhouse,  I think he can take this movie from good to great. Plus, the cast is great, not only do Pegg and Frost star in the movie, they wrote the damn thing. I trust their comic sensibilities. The interesting thing about this movie is how realistic Paul, the alien, will be. That is to say, how well he acts with the other characters and how much viewers can believe they're seeing an alien on the screen and not Seth Rogen's dismembered voice.


Starring: David Thewlis, Peter Mullan
Director: Steven Spielberg
Release Date: December 28
Okay, this movie doesn't even come out for more than year, but it's still going to be an exciting release. This movie is based on the play, which is based on the young adult novel by Michael Morpurgo. The tale follows a young boy named Albert and his horse, Joey. During World War 1, Joey is sold to the cavalry and Albert sets out on a mission to find his friend. Now this sounds like a hokey tale, but the play has won numerous awards and, dude it's Spielberg. And this is his kind of movie - with themes like war, adolescence and brotherhood - you can't help but think this will be spectacular. But it doesn't get any much higher than this because it's just too far out to get more excited. It was extremely hard to find any photos at all, even though it's in post-production. To me that says a lot - the studio knows it probably has a winner on its hands and is keeping things tight-lipped.



32. The Eagle
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Release Date: February 11
I don't think this movie was on my radar until the trailer came out. It's astonishing how much a trailer can change your viewpoint about a movie or be the only source of generating excitement for a movie. But whoever made the trailer deserves some kudos - this has my pretty psyched for this period piece. I'm really not into movies like these, but I think the premise is solid and despite my reservations about Channing Tatum, I think he might actually do some good acting in this movie. Plus, the director, Kevin Macdonald, has done some good movies, including State of Play and The Last King of Scotland. So the movie's in good hands and I think this could be a great movie if everything comes together right.


Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Director: Bennett Miller
Release Date: September 23
Another year, another Aaron Sorkin screenplay that's already generating buzz. Based on the nonfiction book, Moneyball follows the story of the Oakland Athletics' general manager Billy Beane and his successful attempt to put together a baseball team within budget restrictions using computers to draft his players. Sorkin's name immediately got my attention and I'm sure this is going to be a great character-driven story. I love Brad Pitt and I think he's a good fit for the role. Jonah Hill is a crazy addition to the cast, but I'm sure he'll be great - this might give people a chance to see a more serious side to Hill, whom I think is a great actor - he's only getting better and better in his roles!

Check out 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16  | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1

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