The movies of 2010 are already soooo 2010. If you're a movie fan, you're probably already looking forward to the movies of 2011.
There are plenty of sequels (more "Harry Potter," "Twilight," "Transformers," "Fast and the Furious" and "Cars") and superheroes ("Thor," "The Green Lantern" and his color chart compadre, "The Green Hornet"). Although there's a sequel or two on my list, the stuff I'm most looking forward to is a little more off-the-beaten-path.
1. "We Need to Talk About Kevin" — It's easily my most-anticipated movie, and for a variety of reasons: It's based on a book (by Lionel Shriver) I love. The perfect director, Lynne Ramsay ("Ratcatcher"), is in charge. The cast, including Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly, is ideal. And, when Reilly was in town last year to promote "Cyrus," he had just finished work on "Kevin" and he couldn't shut up about how much he loved the film, Ramsay and Swinton. (Tentatively scheduled for September.)
2. "Contagion" — This star-packed thriller has my name all over it. Focusing on the people attempting to contain a deadly virus, it features Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard and Jude Law under the direction of Steven Soderbergh, who does this sort of thing very well ("Out of Sight," "Traffic") but who has said he will quit directing soon. (Bonus points for Soderbergh: He also produced "We Need to Talk About Kevin.")
film on this list that requires me to get over my suspicion of movies based on books I loved. Usually, I'd say there's no way the movie can capture the beauty of the book but, like "We Need to Talk About Kevin," I feel this one is in the right hands (the book is called "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" and you should read it right now). Those hands belong to Martin Scorsese, who has cast two of our best child actors, Chloe Moretz ("Kick Ass") and Asa Butterfield ("The Boy in the Striped Pajamas") in a heartfelt adventure story that involves a subject close to his heart: the birth of the movies. (December)
4. "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol" — Call me a glutton for punishment, but I still love this sometimes wayward series. I like the idea of Jeremy Renner ("The Hurt Locker") as the bad guy and I think Brad Bird ("Ratatouille") was an inspired choice to direct. (December)
5. "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" — I have no allegiance to the comic book character, Tintin (note to self: probably ought to check those out), but I have faith in two of the most crowd-pleasing directors in the history of the movies, Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson, who joined forces for this motion-capture-animated adventure. (December)
6. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules" — The first one was such an affectionate portrait of a modern American family that I'm eager for round two. (March)
7. "Take This Waltz" — Sarah Polley directed my favorite movie of 2006, "Away From Her," so I'm eager to see what she's done to follow it up. It's a big left turn: a romantic comedy with Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen. But Polley's script was on the 2009 Black List, a list — voted on by Hollywood insiders — that includes the best yet-to-be-produced screenplays and that also included "The Social Network." (No date yet)
8. "The Tree of Life" — I'm looking forward to it because it's from writer/director Terrence Malick, because it's been buzzed about forever and because the trailer ( movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810022079/trailer ) is drop-dead gorgeous. (Summer)
9. "Paul" — Funny things happen when Brits Simon Pegg and Nick Frost team up ("Shaun of the Dead," "Hot Fuzz"). Here, they're working in a sci-fi vein, with a director who has a flair for fun, Greg Mottola ("The Daytrippers," "Superbad") and a dandy supporting cast: Sigourney Weaver, Jane Lynch, Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman and Kristen Wiig. (March)
10. "Straw Dogs" — Not to be selfish, but this one could be a double treat for me. I've never seen the highly regarded original film, which stars Dustin Hoffman as a man driven to violence to protect himself and his wife. So I'll get to check that out some time soon and then see the remake, starring James Marsden. (September)
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