Looking over the crop of movie releases for 2011 gives me little hope of good times at the movies. It seems as if the studios are playing it safe again. Plenty of animated fare, sequels, comic book adaptations, remakes, lame action, and political intrigue. It's bad when Piranha 3 DD is near the top of my list of hopeful movies to see.
There are horror movies on the way, but few appear to be interesting to me. Anthony Hopkins is in another exorcism-themed movie. I'll probably give it a chance.
The Apparition is another horror movie, which looks to cash in on the whole paranormal thing.
Maybe Johnny Depp again appearing as Hunter S. Thompson in The Rum Diary will finally happen. It's announced, but I'll believe it when my ticket is being torn.
Brad Anderson has a new one called Vanishing on 7th St. I still don't think he's topped his masterful Session 9, but I'll give this one a chance if it comes to the multiplex.
My money is on Bridesmaids. Co-written and starring the magnificent Kristen Wiig and directed by Freaks and Geeks' Paul Feig, I think this will be a winner. The Apatow team can use another big success at this point.
Alien invasions and apocalyptic stories are big business these days. Coming in 2011 are 11 11 11, The Darkest Hour, Super 8, Cowboys and Aliens, Priest, Battle: Los Angeles 2011, I Am Number Four. Of them all, Battle: Los Angeles seems to hold the most promise.
Then there are the inevitable sequels. We'll be treated to another Harry Potter (actually the second part of one that was released this year), Scream 4, Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2, yet another uneeded Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son, The Hangover 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, Cars 2, Paranormal Activity 3, Final Destination 5, a new Mission: Impossible, Happy Feet 2, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas, The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made, Alvin and the Chipmunks 3D, Spy Kids 4, Johnny English Reborn, another Transformers, and another X Men movie. Oh, and "Fast Five", the fifth in the Fast and Furious series.
Kinda depressing, ain't it? And I'm sure I'm missing some.
On the remake front, there are plenty to look for:
Fright Night. I love the first one so much I'm equally excited and appalled. Maybe, possibly, it will be good.
The Thing. No way any CGI could ever top or even equal Rob Bottin's groundbreaking work in Carpenter's original.
Straw Dogs. Again, no way Peckinpah's original can be topped, but I might check this one out. James Marsden is a good actor for the lead.
Rise of the Apes. Said to be a 'reboot' of Planet of the Apes. I don't know about you, but I'm still smarting over Tim Burton's agonizing remake.
The Three Musketeers. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Need I say more?
The Mechanic. I sat through Jason Statham grinding his jaws through the execrable Death Race remake. No way I'm watching him mumble through a remake of this Charles Bronson classic.
Sinbad: the Fifth Voyage. I'm not quite sure if this will be a remake or a sequel. Either way, prospects are dim.
Mother's Day. A remake of the Troma exploitation gem? Wonders never cease. I wonder if it'll play at theaters. Probably not, but you never know.
Footloose. I hated the first one. Not much chance I'll even see it.
I don't know. It all looks pretty depressing to me. 2010 wasn't a great year, but it looks better than '11 will be. If only all years were like 2009, when I saw movies nearly every week and liked nearly all of them.
There are horror movies on the way, but few appear to be interesting to me. Anthony Hopkins is in another exorcism-themed movie. I'll probably give it a chance.
The Apparition is another horror movie, which looks to cash in on the whole paranormal thing.
Maybe Johnny Depp again appearing as Hunter S. Thompson in The Rum Diary will finally happen. It's announced, but I'll believe it when my ticket is being torn.
Brad Anderson has a new one called Vanishing on 7th St. I still don't think he's topped his masterful Session 9, but I'll give this one a chance if it comes to the multiplex.
My money is on Bridesmaids. Co-written and starring the magnificent Kristen Wiig and directed by Freaks and Geeks' Paul Feig, I think this will be a winner. The Apatow team can use another big success at this point.
Alien invasions and apocalyptic stories are big business these days. Coming in 2011 are 11 11 11, The Darkest Hour, Super 8, Cowboys and Aliens, Priest, Battle: Los Angeles 2011, I Am Number Four. Of them all, Battle: Los Angeles seems to hold the most promise.
Then there are the inevitable sequels. We'll be treated to another Harry Potter (actually the second part of one that was released this year), Scream 4, Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2, yet another uneeded Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son, The Hangover 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, Cars 2, Paranormal Activity 3, Final Destination 5, a new Mission: Impossible, Happy Feet 2, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas, The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made, Alvin and the Chipmunks 3D, Spy Kids 4, Johnny English Reborn, another Transformers, and another X Men movie. Oh, and "Fast Five", the fifth in the Fast and Furious series.
Kinda depressing, ain't it? And I'm sure I'm missing some.
On the remake front, there are plenty to look for:
Fright Night. I love the first one so much I'm equally excited and appalled. Maybe, possibly, it will be good.
The Thing. No way any CGI could ever top or even equal Rob Bottin's groundbreaking work in Carpenter's original.
Straw Dogs. Again, no way Peckinpah's original can be topped, but I might check this one out. James Marsden is a good actor for the lead.
Rise of the Apes. Said to be a 'reboot' of Planet of the Apes. I don't know about you, but I'm still smarting over Tim Burton's agonizing remake.
The Three Musketeers. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Need I say more?
The Mechanic. I sat through Jason Statham grinding his jaws through the execrable Death Race remake. No way I'm watching him mumble through a remake of this Charles Bronson classic.
Sinbad: the Fifth Voyage. I'm not quite sure if this will be a remake or a sequel. Either way, prospects are dim.
Mother's Day. A remake of the Troma exploitation gem? Wonders never cease. I wonder if it'll play at theaters. Probably not, but you never know.
Footloose. I hated the first one. Not much chance I'll even see it.
I don't know. It all looks pretty depressing to me. 2010 wasn't a great year, but it looks better than '11 will be. If only all years were like 2009, when I saw movies nearly every week and liked nearly all of them.
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