15 Films I Look Forward to in 2011

With the summer blockbuster films just around the corner and the often critically-acclaimed slew of movies that are released during the fall season, I would just like to compile a list here of movies that I a looking forward to this year. From superhero flicks to novel adaptations, there is a lot of films that I would like to see. Here's to hoping that I can somehow rake up the money to catch all of them in theaters when they are released.



1. The Tree of Life
Directed by Terrence Malick
Starring: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain

Little is known about this film's plot, though it has been said that it is a period piece set in the 1950s. On Summit Entertainment's website, a brief summary describes the movie as "the tale of a Texas boy's journey from the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as a 'lost soul in the modern world', and his quest to regain meaning in life."




2. War Horse
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring: David Thewlis and Benedict Cumberbatch

Based on the novel of the same name, the film is centered around the friendship between a young man and his horse during World War I.




3. Moneyball
Directed by Bennett Miller
Starring: Bradd Pitt, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Robin Wright

Based on the novel by Michael Lewis, who also wrote the novel behind the 2009 Best Picture Nominee The Blind Side, this baseball flick is about Oakland A’s manager Billy Beane’s revolutionary use of statistics to revamp his underdog baseball squad. I'm not a big fan of baseball but I just got ahold of an early draft of the movie's script which is written by one of my favorite screenwriters, Aaron Sorkin which is making me all the more interested seeing how this will all transcribe onto the big screen.




4. Captain America: The First Avenger
Directed by Joe Johnston
Starring: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving and Hayley Atwell

One of the superhero movies leading up to the big Avengers movie, this superhero flick stars Chris Evans as the iconic American superhero. After seeing the first TV spot for it during the Super Bowl, I thought that the movie was going to be lame. But when the full theatrical trailer was released this past week, I was sold after watching it. The movie looks action packed with nice cinematography and an artistic war-filled setting which makes the film very appealing to me. And despite the fact that I am not Chris Evan's biggest fan, you can now count me in as one of the people excited for this film to be released.




5. Green Lantern
Directed by Martin Campbell
Starring: Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively

I am a huge fan of Blake Lively. I've loved and adored her since her breakout role on television series Gossip Girl. And although I could care less about Ryan Reynolds, the fact that this movie has my beautiful wife Miss Lively in it, I am dying to see it just as much as I was to see The Town when it was first released.




6. The Help
Directed by Tate Taylor
Starring: Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard and Mike Vogel

I've seen this novel sitting on Barnes & Nobles' bestsellers shelf for the past year but have never actually picked it up to see what the book is about. And according to wikipedia, the novel is about "African American maids working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s." This film has the potential to push "it girl" Emma Stone to Oscar-worthy material and I look forward to seeing her performance in it.





7. The Ides of March
Directed by George Clooney
Starring: George Clooney, Ryan Gosling and Evan Rachel Wood

This film is written, directed by and starring George Clooney himself as a Democratic presidential candidate. It is based on the hit Broadway play Farragut North and also stars Ryan Gosling as a young, idealistic campaign staffer who gets swallowed up by the corrupt backroom politics. I must admit that very few movies about politics have actually excited me, but from the first day this film began production I have been excited for it, not because of its plot, but rather because it has George Clooney and Ryan Gosling in it.




8. The Conspirator
Directed by Robert Redford
Starring: Robin Wright, James McAvoy and Alexis Bledel

The story of Mary Surratt and the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln is an interesting historical story that just might be perfect for cinema. Add James McAvoy, one of my all-time favorite actors into the mix and this movie instantly makes my 'Must Watch List.' Further, upon watching the recently released trailer for the film, the haunting aspect it brought to the table made me all the more interested in seeing it.




9. Hugo Cabret
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring: Jude Law, Chloe Moretz and Sacha Baron Cohen

Set in 1930s Paris, Hugo Cabret is about an orphan boy living in a train station who continues his late father’s quest to solve the mystery of a broken toy robot. The movie is based on Brian Selznick's visual novel and is going to be shot in 3-D. It sounds like something that is going to be visually stunning which I think will be intriguing.




10. Super 8
Directed by J. J. Abrams
Starring: Kyle Chandler and Elle Fanning

Whatever the hell this movie is...it looks like one big intense Cloverfield-like science fiction thriller. The story may turn out to be a let-down, but I don't care. After seeing the teaser trailer for this movie, I am dying to find out what exactly is pounding so ferociously inside the long storage train.




11. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Directed by Rob Marshall
Starring: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush and Ian McShane
One of my all-time favorite Disney series is back with a fourth installment! I have always been a huge fan of Captain Jack Sparrow and his adventures out at sea, and removing Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley's characters from this franchise is the best choice Jerry Bruckheimer has ever made. Despite Pirates 2 & 3 being not as up to par as the first, I believe that this one is actually going to be good as many of the actors have said that they are going back to the roots of what made this series famous to begin with.




12. Young Adult
Directed by Jason Reitman
Starring: Charlize Theron and Patrick Wilson

Written by Juno's Academy Award winning Diablo Cody, the movie follows a fiction writer who returns to her hometown to rekindle a romance with her ex-boyfriend who is now married with kids. I loved Juno and have high hopes for a new Diablo Cody written film.




13. We Bought A Zoo
Directed by Cameron Crowe
Starring: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and Elle Fanning

From the director of Elizabethtown comes a movie about a man who moves his family to the English countryside to renovate a struggling zoo. It is based on the memoir by Patrick Mee and stars Matt Damon.




14. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Directed by Guy Ritchie
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams

I loved the first Sherlock Holmes, and the chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law as the acclaimed detective and his sidekick was impeccable. The film ended on a high-note as I recall which makes this one of my instant go-to movies for the 2011 Holiday Season.




15. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Directed by David Fincher
Starring: Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara

I loved the novel by Stieg Larsson. I am a fan of Daniel Craig and especially enjoyed him as James Bond. And after seeing Rooney Mara as Erica Albright in my favorite movie, The Social Network, my excitement for this movie could not be any higher. I expect it to be nominated in several categories at the Oscars next year, and I also believe that this movie is going to help Rooney Mara's career explode. Words cannot describe how stoked I am to see this novel play out on the big screen. And YES, I am well-aware that there is a Swedish film made already but I refuse to watch it because I am holding out for David Fincher's version.