What to look forward to in 2011: films

The Eagle
Feb. 11
To honor his father, a young Roman soldier (played by one of the worst actors with one of the worst names Channing Tatum) goes on a quest to find the eagle, his father's lost legion's emblem. Okay, so Channing is awful, but the movie is VERY reminiscent of King Arthur's gritty style. And besides, Tatum and Clive Owen have the same acting skills, which is one face the entire time (mad while bored and surprised, respectively). It might be good. It's worth a rental later this year.


The Resident
Feb. 17 (limited release), Mar. 29 (DVD)
A woman finds out her landlord is obsessed with her and may be in her apartment while she's there. It stars Hilary Swank, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Christopher Lee, and Lee Pace.

I Am Number 4
Feb. 18
Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Dianna Agron, and Teresa Palmer star in this sci-fi flick. Pettyfier's character has supernatural powers. What's his origin? Is he an alien? Mutant? What?! I want to know! He's also somehow connected to the others being killed, who likely also have powers. He's fourth on the hit-list, and one through three are dead.

Queens of Country
Mar. 1
Lizzy Caplan stars as Jolene Gillis in a dry comedy in which she finds a lost mp3 player, filled with music that she loves, country songs from long ago. She sets out on a quest to find her soul mate who the mp3 player belongs to. Wanda Jackson makes an appearance as herself!

Kill the Irishman
Mar. 11
This tells the true story of Cleveland-based Irish mobster Danny Greene (played by Ray Stevenson) during the 1970s. Val Kilmer, Linda Cardellini, Christopher Walken, Vinnie Jones, and Laura Ramsey also star.

Paul
Mar. 18
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost team up for their next adventure in Paul as two British tourists touring around Area 51, where they run into an unexpected host: Paul the alien. The always-hilarious Jane Lynch, Jason Bateman, Sigourney Weaver, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, and Jeffery Tambor co-star with Seth Rogen as Paul.

Sucker Punch
Mar. 25
In this Zack Snyder-directed film, a young woman is in a mental hospital because of her abusive stepfather. To deal, she retreats to an alternative reality where she is a badass, along with other ladies. In this time, she plans an escape form the institution. Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens (breaking away form her teen music star roles!), Jamie Chung, and Carla Gugino star. This looks amazing.

Peep World
Mar. 25
Family events are always cause for hilarious drama, and this is no exception. At their father's 70th birthday party, the children cope with the fact that their youngest sibling has written a book, revealing all their family's secrets. How will the siblings react? Hopefully with a lot of bawdy jokes, as it has Sarah Silverman, Rainn Wilson, Ben Schwartz, Judy Greer, Kate Mara, and Michael C. Hall.

Super
Apr. 1
Super is a mock-superhero film with over-the-top, damaged characters. Rainn Wilson, Ellen Paige, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, Linda Cardellini, Nathan Fillion, and Sean Gunn star in this highly anticipated comedy, directed and written by James Gunn.

Hanna
Apr. 8
A father raises his daughter to become an assassin. We follow the sixteen-year-old girl (played by Saoirse Ronon) Europe on a mission. Eric Bana plays the father, and Cate Blanchett plays a special agent tracking the assassin. Think....realistic Hit-Girl. :)

Your Highness
Apr. 8
A stoner medieval fantasy comedy in which Natalie Portman plays a badass woman warrior. I'm sold. Zooey Deschanel plays the damsel in distress princess, but somehow I don't think she'd adhere to that role very well. You can be sure that her character will be stubborn and blunt. James Franco (the prince) and Danny McBride (who I find annoying) also star to complete the heroic trio. Portman describes it as Pineapple Express combined with Princess Bride. Seeing as I like Pineapple Express for some reason and absolutely LOVE Princess Bride, I will definitely see this for the comedic value, if not for the badass female lead. for those of you who care, Justin Theroux is also in it (Justin from Parks and Recreation...Tom's man-crush!!!).

Ceremony
April 8
A young man Sam, played by Michael Angarano, crashes the wedding of a woman Zoe, played Uma Thurman, and her groom Whit, played by LEE PACE.  Sam is intent on getting her back in this romantic comedy.

The Conspirator
Apr. 15
This movie is right up my ally. Based on true historical events, The Conspirator stars Robin Wright as Mary Surratt, the only woman charged with the involvement in the assassination of Abe Lincoln. James McAvoy, Alexis Bledel, Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Kline, and Norman Reedus also star.

Scream 4
Apr. 15
Hear me out: yes, this is Scream 4. I'm not big on the movies, but this has an all-star cast. David Arquette, Courteney Cox, and Neve Campbell return. Emma Roberts, Hayden Panetiere, Rory Culkin, Mary McDonnell, Adam Brody, Alison Brie, Kristen Bell, Anna Paquin, and Shenae Grimes also star. It's completely worth seeing with all these actors. I wouldn't support it in theaters, though.

Bridesmaids
May 13
Okay, I'm going to be the first person to tell you that I'm not a big advocate of Judd Apatow flicks, but this one may be different, bringing a whole new cast, director (Paul Feig of The Office and Arrested Development fame) and writers, helmed by Kristen Wiig, who also stars in it. Maya Rudolph's character is getting married, and Wiig's is the maid of honor. Also starring as the bridesmaids are Rose Byrne (of Damages, Troy, and Get Him to the Greek), Melissa McCarthy (of The Nines and Gilmore Girls), Ellie Kemper (of The Office), and Wendi McLendon-Covey (Clementine of Reno 911). Chris O'Dowd (of The IT Crowd) and Jon Hamm also star. It's the ladies' time to shine. With Spring Breakdown being a flop (even though I love it), this will possibly appeal to a broader audience and possibly make all-female casts a more common trend, which needs to happen ASAP.


part 2 to follow...