5. Inception – (July 16th 2010): After Memento there was no question that Christopher Nolan was both a great writer and director, but with The Dark Knight he achieved the impossible. He got me, a Marvel Comics fan, to enjoy a DC Comics film. So, I was very excited when I heard about this film starring Leonardo DiCaprio which, according to the press release, is set “in a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion”. Both Nolan and DiCaprio do great with this psychological stuff and I love it. Now, add to this equation Ellen Page the star of Juno (one of my absolute favorite films of all time) and this film is starting to look pretty dang good.
5. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – (August 13th 2010): The poster claims that this will be “an epic of epic epicness” and the trailer looks it. It appears to be stylized film that is set-up like a comic book (with POW! and ZAP! appearing by peoples fists) or an old-school video game (with VS. Screens and K.O.’s). Luckily stylized is what British director Edgar Wright does best. I enjoy Edgar Wright’s work (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) and am curious to see how he will do without the presence of his fellow Brits and constant collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (much like I’m curious to see those two star in Paul, an upcoming non-Wright directed film). Instead he will be working with some talented young North Americans like Michael Cera (Juno, Superbad) and Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air). Anyway you slice it, this film looks … epic.
4. Kick-Ass – (April 16th 2010): Now, I’ve already scene this movie, but I ranked it forth because hat's where I would have ranked it if I hadn’t. This movie originally interested me because of the involvement of Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Clark Duke and because it was based on a comic book by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. (the best comic book writer and illustrator currently in the biz respectively). However, any expectations I had for the movie were not only exceeded, but were shot through the head killing two other expectations. This movie was so flippin' awesome! Kick-Ass seemed to be almost tailor-made for my movie tastes. It has a relatable protagonist (incredibly relatable for me as a teenager), a compelling story, laugh-out-load comedy and mind-blowing fight scenes. Most of those great fight scenes are thanks to eleven-year-old Chloe Moretz who plays the foul-mouthed assassin Hit-Girl and was the highlight of the film. I predict that this young lady has terrific acting career ahead of her, a career that I will be closely following. You don’t know “awesome” until you’ve seen a little girl take down about seventeen armed gangsters in a hallway. Kick-Ass is one movie that truly lives up to it’s name.
3. Toy Story 3 – (June 18th 2010): Who doesn’t like Pixar movies? Seriously, who? Tell me! I want to kick their face in! Pixar has as close to a spotless record as you can get in this business (completely spotless if you don’t count 2006’s Cars). There is not a single demographic that Pixar movies do not appeal to. You could watch a Pixar film with any one of your friends or any member of your family and have a great time. Sure, they’re cartoons, but they usually have more depth and more heart than most of the other movies released that year combined. It’s been 11 years since the last Toy Story feature film and a lot has changed (just compare the quality of animation). John Lasseter is now Principal Creative Advisor for Disney and will not be directing this 3D instalment of the franchize. Instead he will be a producer and Lee Unkrich will direct, but Toy Story is a classic. These are characters we all know and love. The audience already has an emotional attachment to Buzz and Woody and they’re ready to love this movie. The only question is: "Can lightening strike thrice?" With Pixar? I’m thinking: "Yes!" In fact, I bet this movie will win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Just a wild guess!
2. Iron Man 2 – (May 7th 2010): I was a huge Iron Man fan before the first movie came out. Back in the days when you would tell someone that Iron Man was your favorite superhero and they would reply “Who?” I was nervous and excited for Iron Man's first leap to the big screen and I was not disappointed. The film had everything a fan could have wanted: a story that stayed true to the source material, little references that only the fans would catch and perfect casting of the lead. Robert Downey Jr. had Tony Stark’s character down to a tee and that is what really made the film work for me. So, I’m pumped to revisit this wonderful movie universe. With additions such as Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Don Cheadle as War Machine and Mickey Rourke as Whiplash it’s sure to be a thrill ride. I’m stoked for the all AC/DC soundtrack (consult the chart for more info), but no matter what the reason I most want to see this film is to see Downey Jr. once again bring life to my hero Tony Stark.
1. MacGruber – (May 21st 2010): Since 2007 the critically-acclaimed sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live has been airing three-part, prerecorded MacGyver parodies entitled MacGruber starring Will Forte and funniest woman alive Kristen Wiig. These sketches have become a staple of the show and always end with the title character exploding, but when member of The Lonely Island and writer of the original sketches Jorma Taccone was approached about writing and directing a feature film based on the sketch he saw potential. The film looks hilarious and is sure to have appearances from various SNL alums, but the surprise move was casting Val Kilmer and Ryan Phillippe along with many other dramatic actors in the supporting roles. The film is an homage to 1980’s action movies, but it’s not a spoof. By casting all these “serious” actors it makes Will and Kristen’s characters even more ridiculous by comparison. The other surprise here is that the film is rated R. The previous SNL films have aimed for a PG-13 in order to keep most of their TV audience, but apparently Taccone has pulled no punches claiming that film boarders on an NC-17. Jorma Taccone is one of my biggest comedy influences and idols. So, I’ll see anything that he does, but this film has the potential to be the next Hot Rod and that is one big reason to get excited about *BOOM* MACGRUBER!
So, with all these fantastic looking motion pictures coming out, it looks like it will be good (albeit expensive) summer.
Kick Ass was so KICK ASS! I hope to see many of these films with you my friend, you are truly my Gene Siskel, myself being Roger Ebert.
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