20. Avatar (Dec. 18)
Plot: Avatar is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people. More than ten years in the making, Avatar marks Cameron's return to feature directing since helming 1997's Titanic, the highest grossing film of all time and winner of eleven Oscars® including Best Picture. WETA Digital, renowned for its work in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and King Kong, will incorporate new intuitive CGI technologies to transform the environments and characters into photorealistic 3D imagery that will transport the audience into the alien world rich with imaginative vistas, creatures and characters.
Quick thoughts: This movie managed to get on my top 30 of '09, but frankly I'm actually losing interest in this movie instead of gaining as the months go on. The sci-fi genre is not a favorite of mine, nor do I really care about the whole 3D craze. Really the main selling point here is James Cameron's return to filmmaking. I'm sure this will be a bigger deal for others than it is for me.
19. Invictus (December 11)
Plot: The film tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela joined forces with the captain of South Africa's rugby team to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match.
Quick thoughts: Similar to Avatar, this has a lot of pedigree but not exactly a story I'm all that interested in. However, given that it stars Morgan Freeman as Mandela and has Matt Damon co-starring, that just might be enough quality acting to lure me in. With Clint Eastwood directing this, look for Invictus to be big come awards season.
18. Up in the Air (December TBA)
Plot: From Jason Reitman, the Oscar® nominated director of Juno, comes a comedy called Up in the Air starring Oscar® winner George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a corporate hatchet man who loves his life on the road but is forced to fight for his job when his company downsizes its travel budget. He is required to spend more time at home just as he is on the cusp of a goal he's worked toward for years: reaching five million frequent flyer miles and just after he's met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams.
Quick thoughts: This seems like a unique and different concept and Jason Reitman has certainly established a lot of goodwill with Juno and Thank You For Smoking. However, I'm hesitant to put this one any higher up on the list until I see an actual trailer for the movie.
17. Disney's A Christmas Carol (November 6)
Plot: Disney's A Christmas Carol, a multi-sensory thrill ride re-envisioned by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, captures the fantastical essence of the classic Dickens tale in a groundbreaking 3-D motion picture event. Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk (Gary Oldman) and his cheery nephew (Colin Firth). But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come take him on an eye-opening journey revealing truths Old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it's too late.
Quick thoughts: If you haven't seen the trailer yet, this has a similar look to The Polar Express, which may or may not be a selling point for people. Let's face it, there's nothing new about the story, so the hope is that the new visual presentation combined with Jim Carrey's multi-voiced performance will make this something worth seeing during the holiday season.
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