#24 The Expendables (August 20)
Plot: A team of mercenaries head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator.
Personal opinion: It's a veritable who's who of action stars here, both old school (Stallone, Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren and others) and new school (Jet Li, Jason Statham, and Steve Austin, just to name a few). Also directed by Stallone, this film seems to harken back to the glory days of 80s action films. Stallone has already shown he can still make decent action films with his most recent Rambo film and the first trailer seems to indicate more of the same here. Looks to be a bloody good time.
#23 The Other Guys (August 6)
Plot: Set in New York City, "The Other Guys" follows Detective Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell), a forensic accountant who's more interested in paperwork than hitting the streets, and Detective Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg), who has been stuck with Allen as his partner ever since an embarrassing public incident with his quick trigger finger. Allen and Terry idolize the city's top cops, Danson and Manzetti (Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson), but when an opportunity arises for the Other Guys to step up, things don't quite go as planned.
Personal opinion: Little is known about this movie at this point, but all of the principle participants seem strong. True, Ferrell has had a string of duds lately, but being back with director Adam McKay (Anchorman, Talladega Nights) bodes well for him. It'll be interesting to see how this compares with Cop Out, the other police comedy due out this year.
#22 Shrek Forever After (May 21)
Plot: A bored and domesticated Shrek (Myers) pacts with deal-maker Rumpelstiltskin to get back to feeling like a real ogre again, but when he's duped and sent to a twisted version of Far Far Away -- where Rumpelstiltskin is king, ogres are hunted, and he and Fiona (Diaz) have never met -- he sets out to restore his world and reclaim his true love.
Personal opinion: What began as a creative twist on fairy tales, the Shrek franchise is now starting to get a little long in the tooth. The film's first trailer offers a few chuckles, but doesn't strike me as a particularly original story. Since they are offering this in 3D and billing it as the final chapter, here's hoping they are able to finish this franchise on a high note.
#21 Salt (July 23)
Plot: As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt's efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: "Who is Salt?"
Personal opinion: Based on the trailer, this seems to be a fairly run of the mill action thriller. However, Angelina Jolie seems to know which action films to allign herself with and they usually end up being good films with inventive stunts (ala Wanted), so that has me more hopeful here. Interestingly enough, Tom Cruise had been originally tapped to play Salt, so we'll see how much of a difference it makes have Jolie in the role instead.
#20 The Book of Eli (January 15)
Plot: A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.
Personal opinion: I'm sure many may be getting weary of the post-apocalyptic films, but if anyone was going to make one worth watching, I have a feeling it's Denzel Washington. And I will admit to being curious as to why the book he is protecting is so important. The wild card here is the Hughes brothers, who are directing their first film since From Hell. I never cared for that film, but many seem to think these two are very talented behind the camera. For that reason, I'm curious to see what they do here.
#19 MacGruber (April 16)
Plot: A comedy based on Will Forte's bumbling secret agent whose lack of skill and abundance of personal problems serve as a detriment to him -- and those around him.
Personal opinion: If you have never seen the SNL skits that this film is based on, I highly recommend watching them here. I fully know that the odds are against this film in terms of it being any good. Rarely have SNL skits been successfully turned into good full length movies. Having said that, I love these skits so much that I'm just praying they can somehow turn out a winner. At the very least, it can't be any worse than The Brothers Solomon.
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