In Contention

My top 10 most anticipated films of 2009

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Johnny Depp in Public EnemiesNo explanations, just my annual unfiltered, edge-of-my-seat anticipations.  My tastes tend to skew entertainment from afar; I don’t look forward to the Oscar stuff until later in the year, when the pieces of that crazy puzzle are slowly revealed.

Here’s what I’m looking forward to:

1. “Watchmen” (Zack Snyder, Warner Bros. Pictures, March 6)
2. “Public Enemies” (Michael Mann, Universal Pictures, July 1)
3. “Avatar” (James Cameron, 20th Century Fox, Dec. 18)
4. “A Christmas Carol” (Robert Zemeckis, Walt Disney Pictures, Nov. 5)
5. “Terminator Salvation” (McG, Warner Bros. Pictures, May 22)
6. “Shutter Island” (Martin Scorsese, Warner Bros. Pictures, Oct. 2)
7. “Green Zone” (Paul Greengrass, Universal Pictures, TBA)
8. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (Gavin Hood, 20th Century Fox, May 1)
9. “State of Play” (Kevin Macdonald, Universal Pictures, April 17)
10. “2012” (Roland Emmerich, Columbia Pictures, July 10)

Least anticipated: “Inglorious Bastards”

You?

Comments

85 responses to “My top 10 most anticipated films of 2009”

  1. Frank Lee Avatar
    Frank Lee

    The new Woody Allen movie.
    The new Almodovar movie.
    “The Proposal” (Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds)
    “Julie and Julia” (Meryl Streep, Amy Adams)

  2. BurmaShave Avatar
    BurmaShave

    1. Public Enemies
    2. Shutter Island
    3. Howl (James Franco as Ginsberg)
    4. Green Zone
    5. The Informant
    6. Nine
    7. Men Who Stare at Goats
    8. The Lovely Bones
    9. The Ghost (Polanski, if it’s this year)
    10. The Last Station (no one is more due than Plummer)

  3. Mr. F Avatar
    Mr. F

    2012? Really? oh well, to each his own I guess

    Here’s my list:

    1. The Lovely Bones (could go down if “Arrested Development is announced for this year)
    2. Avatar
    3. Watchmen
    4. Inglorious Basterds
    5. The Princess and the Frog
    6. Where the Wild Things Are
    7. Up
    8. Sunshine Cleaning
    9. New York, I Love You
    10. Nine

    Also Harry Potter, The Road, The Brothers Bloom, and if announced The Abstinence Teacher (although IMDB says 2010)

  4. seasondays Avatar
    seasondays

    away we go
    biutiful
    imaginarium of doctor parnassus
    mammoth
    nine
    shutter island
    star trek
    up
    watchmen
    2012

  5. Kristopher Tapley Avatar

    I refuse to misspell Tarantino’s film. I won’t let him bring me to his level of idiocy (and that script is a piece of shit).

    As for 2012, count me as a believer in the “some shit’s going to go down 12/21/12 but I don’t know what” stuff and I don’t mind Emmerich “blow stuff up good” cinema. Sue me.

    I don’t think this year looks particularly intriguing on the whole, though. In fact, I’d say it looks thinner than 2008 turned out to be. But we all know that can change on a dime.

  6. VHS Avatar
    VHS

    Some of your ten I won’t even see it. It looks just Hollywood routine.

    My top choice is Shutter Island.

  7. Michael Rogers Avatar
    Michael Rogers

    I think watchmen looks pretty good. Here is a nice and long new featurette:

    http://wbads-41.vo.llnwd.net/e1/wbmovies/watchmen/video/WatchmenNCM_480.mov

    Also Avatar, Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Tree of Life, Shutter Island, Harry Potter.

  8. BurmaShave Avatar
    BurmaShave

    Tapley you’re 100% correct on 2012. John Cusack and Chewitel Ejiofor, plus perhaps the greatest blockbuster teaser every conceived. God willing, Emmerich is back in proper form.

  9. Mr. Harmonica Avatar
    Mr. Harmonica

    The Shining teaser is perhaps the best teaser ever conceived, 2012 just jacked the music.

  10. John K Avatar

    Pretty big gap between the first three and the next seven…

    1. Public Enemies (Mann)
    2. The Lovely Bones (Jackson)
    3. Up (Docter)
    4. Sherlock Holmes (Ritchie)
    5. Green Zone (Greengrass)
    6. Star Trek (Abrams)
    7. Shutter Island (Scorsese)
    8. Where the Wild Things Are (Jonze)
    9. Funny People (Apatow)
    10. G.I. Joe (Sommers)

    “G.I. Joe” is probably going to be awful, but Channing Tatum and JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT give me hope. I’m also curious about “Inglorious Bastards.” (I don’t even know how you’re supposed to misspell it.)

    I have zero interest in “Watchmen,” the Emmerich movie, or the new Terminator.

    And even though 2009 is only a day old, I’m actually keeping an eye on 2010: a Scorsese biopic about Theodore Roosevelt starring Leonardo DiCaprio vs. a Spielberg biopic about Abraham Lincoln starring Liam Neeson. Holy shit, who the fuck wins that one?

  11. John K Avatar

    And just like Mr. F, you can basically drop every single movie on my list down a slot if the “Arrested Development” movie is announced for 2009.

  12. ivich Avatar
    ivich

    Looking forward to

    Tree of Life
    Taking Woodstock
    The Limits of Control
    Mammoth
    Sympathy for Delicious (if Mark Ruffalo still has it in his plans for 2009)
    Ponyo on a Cliff
    13 (English version of 13 Tzameti with Rourke and Sam Riley)
    Whatever Works
    The Last Station
    The Bell Jar (Stiles’ first Oscar nom if it gets made)

  13. ivich Avatar
    ivich

    Also, This Side of the Truth (Fey + Gervais = Genius).

  14. debt relief Avatar

    Why do you not want to see Inglorious Bastards? besides Death proof and to a milder extent Jackie Brown Quentin has made mostly good movies.

  15. Matthew Lingo Avatar
    Matthew Lingo

    1. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick)

    the end

  16. Lane Avatar
    Lane

    Public Enemies & Watchmen.

  17. Raw Shark Avatar
    Raw Shark

    Watchmen
    Where the Wild Things Are
    Coraline
    The Brothers Bloom
    Up
    Terminator Salvation
    Inglourious Basterds
    The International (because Clive Owen is awesome)
    Sunshine Cleaning
    Ponyo on a Cliff

  18. Ziyad Abul Hawa Avatar

    01. Up
    02. Nine
    03. Los Abrazos Rotos
    04. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
    05. The Lovely Bones
    06. Princess And The Frog
    07. Agora
    08. Coraline
    09. 9
    10. Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
    11. The Human Factor
    12. Monsters vs Aliens
    13. Avatar
    14. Watchmen
    15. Angels & Demons
    16. A Christmas Carol
    17. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
    18. The Imaginarium of doctor Parnassus
    19. Wolverine
    20. Land of the Lost

  19. […] Contention picks out the 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2009, with Watchmen coming in at number one. […]

  20. debt settlement Avatar

    Where the Wild Things Are
    Coraline
    Up
    Terminator Salvation
    The International
    The Brothers Bloom
    Sunshine Cleaning
    Ponyo on a Cliff
    Watchman
    Inglourious Basterds

  21. K.K. Avatar
    K.K.

    Just found out one of my favourite actress Emily Watson, is coming out with Within the Whirlwind….hopefully it will bring her recognition again…*sigh*

  22. Mr. Gittes Avatar
    Mr. Gittes

    Really looking forward to Soderbergh’s The Informant with Matt Damon. Oscar for Damon could be in the cards.

  23. Cat in the Hat Avatar
    Cat in the Hat

    I’m anxiously awaiting for The Watchmen too but let’s hope that it DOES get RELEASE. This Fox vs. WB thing looks like it’s gettin’ dirty.

  24. Troy Avatar
    Troy

    The Limits of Control

  25. BurmaShave Avatar
    BurmaShave

    I know this thread is long dead, but having just watched the trailer and some clips of it, I’m going to have to include Pierre Morrel’s TAKEN with Liam Neeson among my most anticipated, and it drops in 1/30. Looks unbelievably badass, can’t wait.

  26. Kristopher Tapley Avatar

    Really? Looks like pedestrian tripe to me.

  27. ivich Avatar
    ivich

    Also, cant wait to see Ben Whishaw again. He will next appear as John Keats in Bright Star, Jane Campion’s next. He is also supposed to be in The Tempest. Another promising film.

  28. BurmaShave Avatar
    BurmaShave

    Tripe? Yes. Pedestrian? No.

  29. Guy Lodge Avatar

    Really? Has “Taken” not landed in the US yet? I saw it back in August.

    Kris is closer to the mark. It just feels about 15 years out of time.

  30. Voyager Avatar
    Voyager

    I think you all bloody moron (just like your bloody fucking stupid assasin brother Israel).

    In first place must be Harry Potter and the half-blood prince.

  31. Harry Avatar
    Harry

    1. Nine
    2. Taking Woodstock
    3. The Lovely Bones
    4. Shutter Island
    5. The Human Factor
    6. Amelia
    7. The Road
    8. The Tree of Life
    9. Broken Embraces
    10. Public Enemies

  32. ilias Avatar
    ilias

    1.the limits of control- jim jarmoush
    2.Broken Embraces
    3.nine
    4.the tree of life
    5.new coen film

  33. Bill Avatar
    Bill

    This Side of the Truth has potential to make comedy history.

  34. smith Avatar
    smith

    1. Harry Potter and the half-blood prince
    2. Transformers: revenge of the fallen
    3. Hannah Montana The Movie
    4. Terminator Salvation
    5. New Moon
    6. The Lovely Bones
    7. Inglourious Basterds

    that’s about it for 2009 for me anyway

  35. insurance in arizona Avatar

    Avatar and Terminator were the 2 best movies out of that list. Now I am looking forward to watching Jackass 3D this weekend.