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20. The WolfmanDirected by: Joe Johnston
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt
Benicio Del Toro looks sort of wolfish normally, so kudos to director Joe Johnston for casting him in his remake of the 1940s horror classic. A solid supporting cast always helps, but The Wolfman is worth anticipating because of Del Toro. He's made precious few films since his Oscar win for Traffic in 2000, but he always plays each role with gusto.
19. Green Zone
Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Starring: Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan
Green Zone's best-selling source material, Imperial Life in the Emerald City, should be aces for Mystic River scribe Brian Helgeland to adapt. And in United 93, director Paul Greengrass proved he could gracefully handle the most difficult of subject matters. That touch will be needed for yet another film about Iraq, a subject moviegoers have routinely ignored (Stop-Loss, In the Valley of Elah, The Lucky Ones).
18. Sherlock Holmes
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams
Robert Downey Jr. had an incredible comeback in 2008, and that looks to continue with Guy Ritchie's re-working of Sherlock Holmes. (Downey Jr. also has The Soloist, but that looks schmaltzy.) It will be interesting to see if Ritchie can regain some of his luster after a series of disappointments. It's also been a while since Jude Law or Rachel McAdams have been in a hit, so the timing seems right for all involved.
17. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
Starring: Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell
The time travel fantasy Imaginarium will be Heath Ledger's final screen appearance, in a role that will also be played by A-listers Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell because of his untimely death. Whether Imaginarium will turn out to be anything other than a curio remains to be seen, but you can't argue with the talent involved.
16. Nine
Directed by: Rob Marshall
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Penélope Cruz
Is there anything Daniel Day-Lewis can't do? In Nine—a musical inspired by Fellini's 8½—he'll sing, he'll dance, he'll drink your milkshake, he'll do it all. Nicole Kidman has already said people will be astonished when they hear his pipes. Even without Day-Lewis, Nine would be worth watching for its smattering of female stars, which also includes Marion Cotillard, Kate Hudson and Judi Dench.
15. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
Warner Bros. broke hearts last year when they delayed Harry Potter from November to July, so the anticipation of the film should be at an all-time high. Order of the Phoenix director David Yates returns to direct this sixth installment, which should provide veteran British actors Michael Gambon and Alan Rickman some juicy scenes as their characters take a larger part in the story.
14. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Featuring the voices of: George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray
A change of pace has been a long time coming for Wes Anderson, and a stop-motion animation adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic children's book definitely qualifies. Dahl hasn't always translated to the screen smoothly, but there's hope for Anderson's quirky/indie sensibilites to lend the story a certain offbeat humor.
13. The Road
Directed by: John Hillcoat
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce
John Hillcoat's last film, the criminally underseen Western The Proposition, was beautifully shot. This adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic tale should be too. And after A History of Violence, Eastern Promises and Appaloosa, Viggo Mortensen has to be considered one of the best actors in the business. Maybe The Road will land him an Oscar?
12. Funny People
Directed by: Judd Apatow
Starring: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Eric Bana
Judd Apatow's name has been branded on slew of recent movies (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Superbad, Drillbit Taylor), but Funny People is only his third directorial effort, after The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. This one seems a bit heavier in theme—Sandler will play a comedian with a terminal illness who takes a young upstart (Rogen) under his wing as his opening act. Sandler can thrive if given the right director (i.e. Paul Thomas Anderson in Punch-Drunk Love).
11. Where the Wild Things Are
Directed by: Spike Jonze
Starring: Max Records, Catherine Keener
It's been a long time coming, but Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are should finally see the light of day in 2009 (it's been plagued by production trouble). The adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic is said to be a combination of live-action, CGI and animatronics. It's tough to visualize how this all will work, but Jonze is a mega-talent so there's light at the end of this tunnel. That is, assuming it finally reaches theaters.
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Galactic - Frends of Science
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Some of those look very cool ...
Um, and what about The Limits of Control, dir. by Jim Jarmusch, starring BILL MURRAY, Gael Garcia Bernal,John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, and the ever so versatile and evocative lead actor, Isacc De Bankole,along with many others in this suspense thriller set in Spain, also written by the ingenious Mr. Jarmusch. sure to be a gem
The people that made this list clearly forgot about Transformers 2.
No love for Transformers 2??
some of these really look great, and thanks liz for the heads up on limits of control. but the movie i am most looking forward to is ninja assassin, the new wachowski flick. features korean pop star rain, and if his dancing is any indication, it will be an awesome movie.
What about The Time Travellers Wife? And looking forward to Sunshine Cleaning too.
I was looking forward to The Time Traveler's Wife (the book is certainly terrific), but between the odd casting and rumors of it tanking in previews, I'm not sure it's going anywhere.
I'm mostly looking forward to The Road, The Lovely Bones, and The Tempest (with Helen Mirren as Prospera!).
Christian Bale does the throaty Batman voice in Terminator? PASS!
Way to not know what you are talking about. Joe Johnston replaced Mark Romanek on Wolfman AFTER Del Toro was cast.
I demand you take away those kudos immediately.
Good list. Glad Watchmen made top 5. But arn't you forgetting a little remake of horror gem Friday the 13th? Coming out Friday the 13th?? Bound to be epic.
Borat was one of the funniest movies of the decade? I guess it is if you live your life with a railroad spike shoved deep into your brain.
Nice list, but you should have Sunshine Cleaning, Los Abrazos Rotos, and New York I Love You on there, as well.
For everyone wondering about Transformers 2, what is wrong with you people? Did you watch the first Transformers? What was it that you liked? Was it the Chevy car commercials as they shot every vehicle from the cross emblem up (they might as well have had Shia say "Chevy an American Revolution") Was it the acting or the dialog (Megan Fox in her serious tone "No matter what happens, I'm really glad I got in that car with you")
I can't say enough about one of the worst movies I have ever seen
Kudos though to the way Michael Bay depicted transformer battles. All the shiny CGI metal flying through the air really caught my attention.
As for this post I'm looking forward to a lot of these, especially The Watchmen and The Road (both great novels) although I haven't seen a release date yet for The Road.
Julie and Julia looks good
wow the second top anticipated film list of 2009 to either forget or just ignore transformers 2. the LA Times list did the same thing last week. this cant be just an oversight but a ass kick to Bay
What about "The Brothers Bloom", Rian Johnson's follow-up to "Brick", with Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz and Mark Ruffalo?
Click here to read my 35 most anticipated films of 2009 (second entry)
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=3752440&blogID=442267518
No G.I. Joe?
Granted, it's a popcorn flick, but it's going to be big none-the-less.
Where are the smaller films? All of these are the blockbusters. Personally, im looking foward to seeing "The River Why". Great Cast, Great Story, nuff said!
Dustin, Stop hating on Transformers. You're just mad because you thought the film was about Transvestites. But don't worry, you can still enjoy the film with your dad and cut a hole in the bottom of his popcorn so you can butter it from him. While you are at it, why don't you have a Payday bar? You sound like someone who likes to have a lot nuts in his mouth.
For those wondering about Transformers 2, please read Paste's review of Transformers (blatant plug, I know, but still).
General comment: Jeremy, you're missing out on foreign films and documentaries entirely! I'm tempted to write up my own list of 10 of each to anticipate for 2009. Especially since, imo, 2008 was a much better year for those categories than for American features, it's definitely something worth thinking about.
are we forgetting "angles and demons"?
c'mon plp!!!!
You guys put Avatar where nothing else has been told about this movie where as you took out tranformers 2 and dragonball. Transformers 1 was a major success and the hype towards number 2 is greater. Dragonball had the most viewed trailer when it was released. So clearly these two movies are worthy to be hyped about. Not only that but transformers 2 had a teaser in between the super bowl that shows how hyped this movie is gonig to be
Watch this upcoming film, if you want your mind blown:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcl-uofCzRc
OFFICIAL SELECTION: London Independent & St. Louis International Film Festivals
QUOTES:
• “Shocking, compelling… intense...”
Thom Hartmann, Air America Radio
• “My best character since ‘Uhura’”
Nichelle Nichols
• "I got sucked right in... from beginning to end. It's like a Stephen King/John Grisham short story. SCARY!!! I'm a little spooked now..."
Christina Park, WNYW/ Fox 5, New York, CNN
• “Amazing…. It’s the perfect festival film”
Chad Coles, Asst. Producer, “SAW” 1,2,3,4&5
• “A riveting film… great performances...”
James Seale – Director, “Throttle” and “Juncture”
• “The flick is killer!! To the Nth degree! You and anybody else can kiss my @ss if you, they... whoever thinks different!!”
Mark Alston, Producer “Music is My Life, Politics my Mistress”
• “An excellent job conveying the horrors of torture and the impossible plight of the prisoners.”
Laurie Walters, Ironweed Films
• “I can't get it out of my mind. It really stays with you. It was incredible. By far the best film (at the AFM 2008).”
Charlie Fagin – American Film Market, Projectionist
• “Extremely Powerful”
Ban Bessie, Producer “Executive Action” (Burt Lancaster, Will Geer)
• “Extremely powerful and would be nominated for a Political Film Society award if available for a week at a commercial cinema in LA”
Michael Haas, CEO, Political Film Society, Stanley Awards
• “An important film and one that deserves wide distribution”
Linda Zises, WBAI, New York
• “I wish you the best of luck and say that I appreciate what you are doing”
Anthony Lagouranis, author of the biography “Fear Up Harsh: An Army Interrogator's Dark Journey Through Iraq”
• “About time.”
An Army Wife
new moon should be on the list!!!!
Ah!!! at last I found what I was looking for. Somtimes it takes so much effort to find even tiny useful piece of information.
Nice post. Thanks