Showing Out

The Book of Eli (starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman and Mila Kunis) (January 15)

This one kicks off the New Year with some post-apocalyptic goodness. Starring Denzel Washington, The Book of Eli focuses on a renegade that travels across the American terrain to defend a book that holds the secrets to saving mankind. Eli, directed by the Hughes Brothers (Dead Presidents, American Pimp, From Hell), is a gritty way to set off 2010, but seems pretty perfect in this bleak winter months.

The Wolfman (starring Benicio Del Toro, Geraldine Chaplin, Elizabeth Croft, Sam Hazeldine and David Sterne) (February 12)

Plagued with problems during shooting and post-production (they hired new editors to re-cut the film a few months ago), The Wolfman will finally grace theaters next month. Starring Benicio Del Toro as Lawrence Talbot, the film focuses on a man that returns home after his brother disappears, only to discover a horrifying reality about himself. This one looks like an EFX freak’s dream come true.

Takers (starring T.I., Chris Brown, Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Hayden Christensen, Matt Dillon, Jay Hernandez and Michael Ealy) (February 19)

T.I. and Chris Brown get their acting on in the upcoming Takers, a film with a cast heavy enough to make you go weak in the knees. The film, directed by John Luessenhop (Lockdown), centers on a group of highly skilled criminals that seamlessly execute one bank robbery after another, leaving officials angered and confounded by how beautifully orchestrated these heists are. Maybe this one will forget about the awful year that Chris Brown had in 2009.

Shutter Island (starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson, Max von Sydow and Curtiss Cook) (February 19)

In addition to starring in Inception, DiCaprio plays the lead in Martin Scorcese’s newest thriller Shutter Island, yet another addition to their spectacular collaborative track record (The Departed, Gangs of New York, The Aviator). This one stars DiCaprio and Ruffalo as Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two U.S. marshals who end up on a remote mental hospital on an island off the coast of Massachusetts to investigate the disappearance of an inmate. Soon, the pair is pulled into a psychological whirlpool, with their minds unraveling right before our very eyes. Guaranteed to be movie magic.

Brooklyn’s Finest (starring Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, Will Patton, Lili Taylor and Brian F. O’Byrne) (March 5)

Director Antoine Fuqua has released wonderful films on the past (Training Day), and he’s following up his most recent film Shooter with the gritty street flick Brooklyn’s Finest. Reuniting with Training Day star Ethan Hawke and enlisting Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Wesley Snipes and a host of others, Fuqua helms a story about three men whose lives are connected through drugs and crime, with Gere playing a cop one week from retirement, Hawke as a corrupt narcotics officer and Cheadle as an undercover cop whose ties are tested.

Alice in Wonderland (starring Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Stephen Fry, Crispin Glover, Mia Wasikowska and Helena Bonham Carter) (March 5)

Tim Burton has a fantastic imagination, and it looks like he put it to good use in this upcoming fantasy flick. Set to be released in digital 3-D and IMAX 3-D, Alice in Wonderland sees newcomer Mia Wasikowska playing Alice, a 19-year-old who goes on a “trip” to the magical kingdom of her childhood, where the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) has taken over. The visuals are enough to entice anyone to see this film, and with Depp playing the Mad Hatter, you really don’t have a choice.

Clash of the Titans (starring Sam Worthington, Pete Postlethwaite, Mads Mikkelsen, Gemma Arterton and Alexa Davalos) (March 26)

Warning: graphics overload above. Clash of the Titans looks chockfull of CG eye candy, with a power struggle ensuing between men, kings and gods. The flick focuses on Zeus’ son Perseus who travels to rescue Princess Andromeda, only to be faced with completing various tasks care of Zeus such as killing Medusa and capturing Pegasus. But we’re sure you don’t much care for the plot.

Why Did I Get Married Too? (starring Tyler Perry, Janet Jackson, Jill Scott, Michael Jai White, Tasha Smith, Malik Yoba, Richard T. Jones and Sharon Leal) (April 2)

Tyler Perry hops back in the director’s chair for the sequel to his blockbuster smash Why Did I Get Married?, wrangling some of the original cast for one of the most anticipated films in black cinema this year. This one sees four couples going on vacation in the Bahamas, only to deal with relationship woes when one woman’s ex-boyfriend unexpectedly shows up. The above trailer is a little kitschy, but what else do you expect from Perry? We wouldn’t be surprised if he somehow found a way to weave Madea into this one.

Kick-Ass (starring Nicolas Cage, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong and Lyndsy Fonseca) (April 16)

2010 is promised to be a year filled with comic book adaptations, so Kick-Ass will be a much needed breath of fresh air. Though it’s adapted from Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr.’s comic series, it’s a more realistic approach to comic book films, focusing on a gang of normals who dress up as superheroes and either fight crime or each other. The red band trailer above centers on Hit Girl (played by Chloe Moretz), and we’ll be damned if the kick-ass factor doesn’t live up to the film’s title.

Death at a Funeral (starring Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Danny Glover, James Marsden, Luke Wilson, Zoe Saldana and Peter Dinklage) (April 16)

Chris Rock is back on the comedy grind in his forthcoming com Death at a Funeral, a remake of the 2007 Frank Oz original. Instead of keeping on with the cheeky humor, Rock turns the flick into a black comedy – literally – enlisting a whole new cast (with the exception of Peter Dinklage, who reprises his role from the original in this version). Directed by Neil LaBute (The Wicker Man, Lakeview Terrace), the film focuses on a family that goes through a crazy day surrounding the death of the patriarch. Looks hilarious.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (starring Jackie Earle Haley, Rooney Mara, Kyle Gallner, Katie Cassidy, Thomas Dekker, Kellan Lutz and Clancy Brown) (April 30)

2010 is bound to be replete with remakes, but this one actually looks like it has potential. Unlike the terrible remake of Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street is re-imagined in this Michael Bay-produced thriller, which takes Wes Craven’s original and makes it look much spookier. The above trailer is just a preview of the carnage expected to occur in the remake, focusing on Freddy Kruger as he gets chased down by a group of bloodthirsty parents whose children are later terrorized by the burned killer in their dreams. Let’s hope this one doesn’t taint the original.

Iron Man 2 (starring Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell) (May 7)

Undeniably one of the most anticipated films of 2010, Iron Man 2 sees Robert Downey, Jr. suiting up as Tony Starks a mere six months after he came out to the world as being Iron Man. This time, his enemy takes the form of Whiplash (Rourke), a creepy stalker-like villain that brandishes electric chains as weapons. The only thing that still left a sour taste in our mouths was the decision to replace Terrance Howard with Don Cheadle. Like we wouldn’t notice?

Robin Hood (starring Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Cate Blanchett, Kevin Durand and Matthew Macfadyen) (May 14)

Ridley Scott gives the Robin Hood story another shot with his upcoming reincarnation of the flick. Starring Russell Crowe as Richard Coeur de Lion (aka Robin Hood), Robin Hood focuses on him as he battles the Norman invaders and becomes the legendary hero. Though the trailer doesn’t have us doing backflips of joy or anything, it looks like it’ll be yet another epic battle movie, which is fine by us.

Shrek Forever After (starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Paul McCartney, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas and John Lithgow) (May 21)

In addition to another installment of the Toy Story 3 franchise taking over theaters this year, Shrek Forever After comes as the fourquel in the successful Shrek series. In this one, Shrek (Mike Myers) gets domesticated before inking a deal with the evil Rumpelstiltskin (Paul McCartney). Soon, Shrek lands in a bizarre alternate universe version of Far Far Away, where Rumpelstiltskin is king, Donkey (Eddie Murphy) is smart, Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) lives and Shrek and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) have never met. Looks like fun for the whole family.

Sex and the City 2 (starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall and Kristin Davis) (May 28)

Carrie and the gang are back in the sequel to the big screen adaptation of their successful HBO series, and they look more glam than ever before. The sequel, once again written and directed by Michael Patrick King, ropes in the same SATC clichés that women have come to love about this fearsome foursome, including expensive designer clothing, aimless promiscuity, romance and, of course, shoes. Strap on those heels and practice running a few miles to get ready to sprint to the theater when this one drops.

The Karate Kid (starring Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan and Taraji P. Henson) (June 11)

Will Smith’s son Jaden gets his first shot at the big leagues with the upcoming remake of The Karate Kid, a reimagining of the 1984 original. This one sees Jaden Smith starring as Dre, a skateboarding kid who’s forced to move to China against his will after his mom (Henson) gets a new job there. Dre has a hard time adapting and gets picked on by the kids until a maintenance man named Mr. Han (Chan) steps in and gives him martial arts lessons. Directed by Harald Zwart (The Pink Panther 2), The Karate Kid is kicking its way into theaters this summer.

Toy Story 3 (starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Whoopi Goldberg, Jodi Benson and Michael Keaton) (June 18)

Woody and Buzz Lightyear return for another installment of Toy Story, this time faced with the ultimate dilemma of their owner Andy heading off to college and leaving them behind. The only problem is that instead of leaving them in his toy chest, Andy is forced to give away all the toys to a nursery school. The film follows the gang as they try to escape from said circumstance, and can we just say how adorable this looks? Guaranteed to be one of the biggest flicks of the summer.

Grown Ups (starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maya Rudolph, Gary Busey, Jamie Chung, Norm MacDonald and Tim Meadows) (June 25)

This might just be comedy gold, especially for a cast of characters that have had some missteps in recent years. Grown Ups focuses on a group of five childhood friends that reunite 30 years after their high school graduation. The film is directed by Dennis Dugan (The Benchwarmers, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan) and written by Adam Sandler and Fred Wolf, and if the above trailer is any indication, this one will be a barrel of giggles.

Inception (starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine and Cillian Murphy) (July 16)

The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan takes a break from the Batman franchise and focuses on the mind in his upcoming psych thriller Inception. This one is “set within the architecture of the mind about a CEO who is involved in a blackmailing scandal,” with DiCaprio holding it down as the leading dude and an incredible cast of supporting talent. The visual element of the movie is mouthwatering, but we imagine the acting and directing will hold a candle to the graphics.

Salt (starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Zoe Lister Jones, Corey Stoll, Nicole Signore and Victor Slezak) (July 23)

Angelina Jolie is back on the big screen as Evelyn Salt in Salt, which is currently undergoing reshoots as you read this. Salt, a CIA agent that’s accused of being a Russian sleeper spy, attempts to clear her name of any misdeed, dodging CIA operatives that want to wipe her off the face of the planet. The flick also stars Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor and is directed by Phillip Noyce (The Bone Collector, Patriot Games). Angelina Jolie is a good bargaining chip to get us to the theater this year.