24 The Green Hornet (January 14)
Plot: Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) is the son of LA's most prominent and respected media magnate and perfectly happy to maintain a directionless existence on the party scene – until his father (Tom Wilkinson) mysteriously dies, leaving Britt his vast media empire. Striking an unlikely friendship with one of his father's more industrious and inventive employees, Kato (Jay Chou), they see their chance to do something meaningful for the first time in their lives: fight crime. But in order to do this, they decide to become criminals themselves – protecting the law by breaking it, Britt becomes the vigilante The Green Hornet as he and Kato hit the streets.
Personal opinion: In what is sadly a theme for a lot of films on this year's list, I'm picking up more on their flaws than I am their strengths. In this case, it's the combination of my disappointment in Seth Rogen's recent films and a sense that I feel like I've already seen the majority of the film thanks to a heavy advertising campaign that included an entire episode of Mythbusters dedicated to the film. The fact that the film is being directed by Michel Gondry may be a detriment as well since he seems to do better with art house fare than mainstream films like this. Still, I am always in support of superhero films and this one has a nice supporting cast with it. I'll be particularly interested to see what Christophe Waltz does as a follow-up to Inglorious Basterds. It's likely not going to be great, but in the dead of winter, it may be our best offering.
23 Crazy Stupid Love (July 29)
Plot: At fortysomething, straight-laced Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) is living the dream--good job, nice house, great kids and marriage to his high school sweetheart. But when Cal learns that his wife, Emily (Julianne Moore), has cheated on him and wants a divorce, his "perfect" life quickly unravels. Worse, in today's single world, Cal, who hasn't dated in decades, stands out as the epitome of un-smooth. Now spending his free evenings sulking alone at a local bar, the hapless Cal is taken on as wingman and protege to handsome, thirtysomething player Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling). In an effort to help Cal get over his wife and start living his life, Jacob opens Cal's eyes to the many options before him: flirty women, manly drinks and a sense of style that can't be found at Supercuts or The Gap. Cal and Emily aren't the only ones looking for love in what might be all the wrong places: Cal's 13-year-old son, Robbie, is crazy about his 17-year-old babysitter, Jessica, who harbors a crush on Cal. And despite Cal's makeover and his many new conquests, the one thing that can't be made over is his heart, which seems to keep leading him back to where he began.
Personal opinion: This was a late entry on my list and ended up replacing another comedy that has for now been removed from the schedule. Based on the film's plot alone, I'm not sure if it would merit a spot on my list, but I trust Steve Carell enough to now that this has to be worth a look. This seems like a comedy perfectly suited to his strengths. The casting of Ryan Gosling as co-star is interesting as he's been mostly doing independent films recently. We'll see how he handles co-starring a big summer film like this. Here's hoping though that this movie gets a new title before it actually comes out because it's doing this few no service.
22 Cedar Rapids (February 11)
Plot: To call insurance agent Tim Lippe (Ed Helms), "naive" is a gross understatement. He's never left his small hometown. He's never stayed at a hotel. And he's never experienced anything like Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Sent to represent his company at the annual insurance convention, Tim is soon distracted by three convention veterans (John C. Reilly, Anne Heche and Isiah Whitlock Jr.) who will show him the ropes and push his boundaries. For a guy who plays everything by the book, this convention will be anything but conventional.
Personal opinion: This fills the small independent comedy slot on the list. It likely will be ignored by the masses, but its trailer makes it seem like a lot of fun. Ed Helms is clearly a star on the rise and he's surrounded himself with some very funny people in this film. John C. Reilly, Stephen Root, and Kurtwood Smith always seem to bring the goods in these type of films, so I'll expect nothing less from them again here. If it is as good as the previews suggest, this will likely be a film I'll be promoting for a while on here.
21 Unknown (February 18)
Plot: Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) awakens after a car accident in Berlin to discover that his wife (January Jones) suddenly doesn't recognize him and another man (Aidan Quinn) has assumed his identity. Ignored by disbelieving authorities and hunted by mysterious assassins, he finds himself alone, tired and on the run. Aided by an unlikely ally (Diane Kruger), Martin plunges headlong into a deadly mystery that will force him to question his sanity, his identity, and just how far he's willing to go to uncover the truth.
Personal opinion: Just as in Taken, it appears that Liam Neeson is here on a mission to kick some serious ass. This time around, what's been 'taken' is his identity and he's none too happy about it. The answer as to why this is happening to him will likely be eye-rolling bad and/or convoluted, but I'm sure most viewers won't matter. As long as this film can deliver some unabashed action scenes, then this will be a winner.
20 Larry Crowne (July 1)
Plot: When appealing everyman Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks) is inexplicably fired from his job as a big box store clerk, he realizes it's time fro some meaningful change in his life. Deeply in debt and without direction, he returns to college where he befriends a group of scooter-riding students and eventually develops a real affection for his beautiful speech class instructor, Mercedes Tainot (Julia Roberts). Charming and smart, "Larry Crowne" reminds us of life's small surprises. Sometimes clouds really do have a silver lining. It's also about the power of new beginnings like the time Larry Crowne, an ordinary man with a gentle heart, was forced to downsize his world... and ended up expanding his life.
Personal opinion: On description alone, this seems like a film that would be better suited for the end of the year awards season rather than the middle of the summer. Since I don't know much about this film beyond the plot summary listed above, I can't really tell if this is a suitable Fourth of July weekend film or not. Regardless, there's no denying the star power that Hanks and Roberts pack when in a film together. It seems like it's been a while since Hanks was starring in a live action film, so I'm excited to check this one out.
19 Transformers: Dark of the Moon (July 1)
Plot: "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" features Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) taking his first tenuous steps into adulthood while remaining a reluctant human ally of Optimus Prime. The film centers around the space race between the U.S.S.R. and the USA, suggesting there was a hidden Transformers role in it all that remains one of the planet's most dangerous secrets.
Personal opinion: It's no secret that I have not enjoyed the Transformers films as much as some people have. The enormity of the franchise though practically necessitates that I include this third film on my list. Since I was not a huge fan of the first two and the fact that Shia Lebeouf is still around, I can't put this film any higher on my list. However, the teaser trailer that was released a few weeks ago did pique my interest, which is why it made it this far up the list. The fact that they are trying to connect the space race with the Transformers' war makes it seem that they may be attempting to actually focus on the story this time around instead of settling for loud noises and terrible comedy.
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