I debated on just how many films to include when making this list. However, as the list got bigger it just didn’t end as I just added several films showing at this year’s Sundance Film Festival (seriously check out the pics for Mary and Max right here) and on and on and on. So, that’s how I ended up with 15 and even had to add two more to a “Just Missed” section which follows shortly.
A lot of folks are saying how great 2009 looks, but to be honest I am not feeling the vibe entirely. Sure, there are a bunch of fanboy flicks, but so often those films hit theaters and may excite for the moment, but even in 2008 The Dark Knight was the only fanboy film to make my year end top ten as I most often find the truly memorable films feature more than special effects and explosions. With that in mind I give you my fifteen most anticipated films of 2009, with three that fell just shy of the list. Why not go for 20? Because I only added these next three because there is only a small piece of me that wants to see them, but the overall excitement factor is just average.
Mel Gibson returns after the his run-in with “sugar tits” and he is under the direction of Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, Goldeneye). Intriguing for sure.
About six months ago this probably would have been in my top ten, but since seeing the trailers I am not as impressed as it is starting to look like a TV show with a bigger budget. Then again, isn’t that all it really is?
I am a fan of these films even if each one is hardly any different than the one before it.
With that over with… Here’s my top fifteen most anticipated…
I only have this on the list because I absolutely love the book and am curious to see if this film will turn out to be the dud I believe it will be or if Peter Jackson will surprise me. Based on the cast he has put together I don’t have a good feeling about it at all, and I am also not sure it is a book that truly can be adapted for the screen and work on the same level as the novel. I am also worried the massive delays the film has seen don’t bode well as the film was shot at the tail end of 2007 and was supposed to be released in 2008 only to now find a December 11 release date. I don’t know about you, but two years of post-production seems a bit lengthy. Nevertheless, I hold out hope… meager hope…
For more on this film click here.
I am sure this will be at the top of many lists of anticipated 2009 films, but I can’t bring myself to get overly excited. James Cameron is a true talent and his attitude toward this film would lead us all to believe it will be the greatest thing since fire. Expectation for this film from the fanboy corners of the online spectrum is through the roof and I can only wonder will it be able to live up to it?
For more on this film click here.
The only reason I am excited about this one is due to Paul Greengrass, otherwise yet another film about the war in Iraq doesn’t interest me.
For more on this film click here.
Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer and Jackie Earle Haley making a film based on a Dennis Lehane novel. Uh, how could you not want to see this movie?
The only reason I have it here at number twelve as opposed to inside my top ten is because I have read the book and have serious doubts about the ability of turning this psychological thriller into a good film. I wonder, anyone out there read the book and agree with me on this one?
For more on this film click here.
This flick wouldn’t have even shown up on my radar had that impressive teaser trailer not recently debuted. Yet it did, and now I find myself intrigued by a film set in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by rag dolls. Go figure.
For more on this film click here.
