2011 looks like it is going to be a big year for movies; the kind of movies that get geek blood pumping, especially comic book fans. Here’s my initial overview of stuff to watch.
January
“The Green Hornet”
I mean I am all for running any and all superhero / comic book-type adaptations, but this one just seems even awesomer than usual. I don’t remember the last movie I saw featuring Cameron Diaz, but I think I’ve at least medium-liked everything I’ve ever seen starring Seth Rogen.
But what really put this one on the list for me was this story from The New York Times RE: director Michel Gondry:
But the director was unable to work with Nicolas Cage, the film’s original villain. For reasons known only to him, he insisted on using a Jamaican accent.
“I was quite relieved when he announced he no longer wanted the part,†Mr. Gondry said.
Mr. Cage was replaced by Christoph Waltz, the Oscar-winning SS colonel in “Inglourious Basterds.†The character lost the accent but gained a midlife crisis.
One of the greatest bad guy performers of this generation directed by one of the most innovative directors? With like domino masks and solving problems with fists?
Sign.
Me.
Up.
Incidentally I was a bit surprised RE: Nic Cage… I mean the guy loves superheroes and was an important part of “Kick-Ass” … without a Jamaican accent 🙂
Passing on: “The Mechanic” (I love Jason Statham but watch DI on video).
February
“Just Go With It”
MovieFone.com did a great job summarizing a movie that I had never heard of in such a way that I 100% want to see it. So rather than pretending that I have an independent thought on this one I am just going to paste a screen shot of what they said.
March
“Sucker Punch”
This trailer is unreal:
“300” is a movie I watch whenever I need to get pumped up. Snyder didn’t really do “Watchmen” justice, but it’s hard to follow Alan Moore at his best, so I’ll give him a pass on that one. Plus, that trailer was just unreal, right? It seems like a combination of “Kick-Ass”, “Kill Bill”, “Special” by Garbage, “Reign of Fire” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” … But with shorter skirts.
Just can’t wait.
April
“Scream 4”
I mean, mise.
The “Scream” franchise was actually fairly pivotal in my becoming a movie buff… or at least movie zombie. I think I saw every movie that played in the local cineplex in the year 1998-1999. “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” might have ruined me for movies for all time; luckily I recovered via “Shakespeare in Love”.
May
“Thor”
/ crosses fingers
On the fence: “The Hangover, Part II” (probably catch it on vid), “Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom” (ditto… although the first “Kung Fu Panda” is about the best martial arts movie of all time).
Passing on: “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (I didn’t even see the third one, the second one was so bad).
June
“X-Men: First Class”
“Kick-Ass” and “Stardust” director Matthew Vaughn is directing a James Bond-esque 1960’s X-Men prequel starring January Jones as Emma Frost of the Hellfire Club.
Trivia question – Do you know what the Hellfire Club-era Emma Frost dresses like?
Second trivia question – Have you ever heard of Betty Draper?
Sounds gorgeous / awful / awesome.
“The Green Lantern”
Weird how X-Men prequel star Ryan Reynolds is starring opposite the most recent X-Men prequel the same month.
More comics – Hopefully all these movies will be awesome.
Hopefully.
July
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II”
All the other movies on this nerd-list put together pale in comparison to the culmination of this mighty franchise.
I have never really loved any of the Harry Potter movies; like I adored each and every book, but I didn’t particularly like any of the movies; maybe number three (I didn’t think they could really do a better job). But for example Order of the Phoenix and The Half-Blood Prince both seemed rushed to YT.
I guess we definitely won’t have that issue having split Number Seven into two parts.
Anyway – I’m really looking forward to this one… Probably not a surprise.
“Captain America: The First Avenger”
I never really liked Captain America (at least not before the Ed Brubaker run). His costume is ridiculous I think you will agree.
That said, you have to watch this one, right? The Avengers crossover coming up basically requires complete devotion to Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and now Cap.
Is it just me or are there DI comics movies this year?
“Green Hornet”, “Thor”, “X-Men: First Class”, “Green Lantern” and “Captain America: The First Avenger”? It’s like Wednesday, every day.
“Cowboys and Aliens”
Some of you who have been following me for a few years know that I did well in a comics-drawing contest and landed a graphic novel contract with Platinum Studios back in 2003. My Magic writing took off soon after, and I was never able to realize that particular dream of making comics professionally.
What does that have to do with “Cowboys and Aliens” you ask? That was / is a Platinum Studios property!
They seem to have gone full bore on this one, with “Iron Man” director Jon Favreau directing, with basically the nut high nerd-gathering cast of James Bond, Indiana Jones, and the hottest woman on earth as his cast.
One more comics movie it is!
August
“The Smurfs”
Definitely not seeing this.
I actually hated the damn Smurfs as a kid, and the movie looks insufferable.
September
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October
…
November
…
December
So it looks like I will go four months without seeing a movie in the theater. The most interesting thing between July and December is “Moneyball”, which despite my interest in sports economics and quite liking basically every Brad Pitt movie I have ever seen, doesn’t seem like a movie I would go and see in the theater.
Might see: “Sherlock Holmes 2”, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” … Honestly, both of these will probably be straight to video releases for YT.
So… How about you?
LOVE
MIKE
7 comments ↓
Holy crapmonkeys Sucker Punch looks awesome. It looks like what I imagined in my head as a kid when I would play with my G.I. Joes, Ronin Warriors, Transformers, and other random toys all at once!
Stuff to Watch (in the theater) – 2011…
Your story has been summoned to the battlefield – Trackback from MTGBattlefield…
Wow I’m actually really surprised to hear you didn’t love the Watchmen adaptation, what did you think was missing?
@ PatrickClark – I think Watchmen is difficult to evaluate fairly. Basically we are talking about a big screen adaptation by a good director (I loved 300)… But of essentially the greatest piece of graphic storytelling, ever. So on the one hand we have the #1 overall comic book being translated to another medium… Anything short of the greatest movie of all time would almost by definition be a disappointment. Watchmen certainly had mark-out moments, but I felt like it lost the sheer perfection of storytelling of the original. That said, I loved the Bob Dylan section at the beginning, Silk Spectre I, and other elements.
Well then I guess you’re right, I just never held the movie to the same standard as the book (I never do because books are always better, and the best movie can probably never be an adaptation of a book because of the radical difference in medium, barring 2001 because its not really an adaptation of a book, but a book and a movie), rather I let it be a pleasant reminder of the book. The same goes for the Harry Potter series, you cannot match the excitement of reading those books with solely visuals, unfortunately. Thanks for the reply!
“Your Highness” in April seems awesome to me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD425EnZt6w
“Cowboys and Aliens” sounds really weird, but the trailer was pretty cool. Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde and with people like Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Jon Favreau behind it? Must be something special.
Anyone who says the book is always better certainly hasn’t been subjected to “A Night to Remember.”
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