‘The Dilemma,’ ‘The Green Hornet’ among most anticipated
1. “The Dilemma”
Vince Vaughan and Kevin James are funny men, but both have had some pretty disappointing films recently.
Ron Howard directs this upcoming flick, which could mark a comeback for the two actors into the comedy world. “The Dilemma” tells the story of a man discovering that his best friend’s wife is having an affair and poses the quandary: how does one go about breaking the news? The film opens in theaters January 14.
2.“The Green Hornet”
The crime fighter that started as a radio show in the ‘30s hits the big screen January 14. With quite a comedic cast in line, including Seth Rogen and Cameron Diaz, the movie will probably provide for laughs as well as action, which could be a winning attribute. Seth Rogen is an odd choice to play the playboy-turned-masked-vigilante, but this film will nonetheless prove to be entertaining. But does it really need to be shot in 3-D?
3.“I Am Number Four”
“I Am Number Four” is a film based on a planned book series. It is about a group of alien teenagers on Earth who possess extraordinary abilities and are being hunted down and killed one by one by a bald, tattooed enemy. The question here is this: with the Harry Potter and Twilight film series soon drawing to a close, will “I Am Number Four” be the blockbuster for teen audiences or will it just be discontinued like “Eragon” and “The Golden Compass?” Opens in theaters February 18.
4.“Sucker Punch”
Zack Snyder has introduced audiences to Spartan warriors, a league of superheroes and computer-animated owls. Now Snyder takes audiences into an escapist fantasy world with dragons, B-52 bombers and machine-gun toting teenage girls. Hopefully, with this film, Snyder will continue his streak as an outstanding visual stylist. “Sucker Punch” opens in theaters March 25.
5.“Rango”
Johnny Depp has played some cartoonish characters in the past, like Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series and the Mad Hatter in “Alice in Wonderland,” but he actually becomes a cartoon in “Rango.” Depp works again with “Pirates of the Caribbean” director Gore Verbinski in this wacky western animated feature. “Rango” already shows promise in both comedy and animation, but let’s see if it has the potential to rival a Disney-Pixar blockbuster. “Rango” premieres on March 4.
6.“Red Riding Hood”
The idea of taking a children’s story and turning it into a horror flick is a pretty rotten idea. It didn’t work for “Lady in the Water” back in 2006 and it probably won’t work now. Also, when you have Amanda Seyfried as the lead, you won’t just have a horror flick, but more likely a crappy teen horror flick. The dastardly old wolf will strike once more when “Red Riding Hood” hits theaters on March 11.
7.“The Mechanic”
Fast cars! Explosions! Jason Statham is once again doing what he does best playing a professional hired killer. The star of “The Transporter” (2002) teams with Ben Foster and Donald Sutherland in this hit man action remake filled with destruction and violence. Anticipate a fast-paced and action-packed thriller when “The Mechanic” comes to theaters January 28.
8.“Unknown”
After a spectacular performance in “Taken” (2008), Liam Neeson returns to the action scene in “Unknown,” a film that tells the story of a doctor waking from a coma and finding that his identity has been stolen. Viewers may have to suspend their disbelief to watch a regular doctor fight against professional assassins, but it’s Liam Neeson doing what he does best. “Unknown” arrives in theaters February 18.
9.“Drive Angry”
From what trailers have shown, “Drive Angry” will be as a combination of “Gone in Sixty Seconds” (2000) and “Ghost Rider” (2007), two of Nicolas Cage’s worst films. In fact, this looks very similar to “Ghost Rider,” minus the flaming skeletons. It probably won’t help that Cage continues to use his dull style of acting and if the trailer is any indication, he’ll also have some corny taglines. “Drive Angry” races into theaters February 25.
10.“Sanctum”
James Cameron wowed audiences with the advanced 3-D technology used to film “Avatar” (2009). Now he serves as executive producer of “Sanctum,” an upcoming 3-D film about an underwater cave diving team trying to survive a tropical storm. “Sanctum” looks to be visually impressive, but its script doesn’t look very gripping. “Sanctum” opens in theaters February 4.