Most Anticipated Films of 2009

This morning I sort of haphazardly threw together my 10 most anticipated films of 2009. It's an interesting list in my opinion, but then again I made it. Without further ado:


10. All Good Things
I love the pairing of Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst in this mystery love drama. After The Notebook, Half Nelson, and Lars and the Real Girl I will watch Gosling in anything. I also thought Dunst was the shining light of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but she sadly never gained the recognition she deserved.

9. The Lovely Bones
I am briefly familiar with this popular novel. I really need to pick it up and read it. This should be an emotional tearjerker. I would like to see how Peter Jackson handles this because this is not a film I had imagined him doing. The cast looks great led by Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, and Saoirse Ronan. Still, this has to live up to the hype of the novel and please its fanbase.

8. The Box
This was much higher last year on my most anticipated films of 2008, but it sadly got pushed back to 2009. It has done a lot of shifting between the September and November release months, and it has (hopefully) settled on November. Richard Kelly created the masterpiece Donnie Darko. Southland Tales was hugely underwhelming, but I think this will be a step in the right direction.

7. Sherlock Holmes
This should be one of the movie events of the year. Robert Downey, Jr. is coming off a banner year, and this film should help increase his rising star power. I don’t know if this remake will turn out to be one of the best films of the year, but it could turn out to be one of the most fun ones. Extra kudos to casting Rachel McAdams—my favorite working actress today.

6. Shutter Island
This could be the big Oscar movie of 2009. Martin Scorsese directs Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, and Ben Kingsley in this drama/thriller. Huge expectations from critics could lead to huge disappointment, but I don’t think so.

5. Watchmen
I knew practically nothing of this graphic novel before the announcement of the film. Still, the film looks intriguing and promises to be one of the movie events, if not THE movie event, of the year. The copyright debate has gotten me even more intrigued. This should be a film to watch out for, a force to be reckoned with.

4. 500 Days of Summer
I feel kind of stupid putting this on my most anticipated list, but this trailer is amazing. It looks just like a film that Fox Searchlight would release. The trailer is undeniably charming. I am a sucker for a good love story, or a story about love, as the trailer suggests. This also appears to have mainstream appeal, and I would not be surprised if it brings in a hefty amount at the box-office.

3. Nine
Felinni’s 8 ½ is a great film, and this adaptation sounds like a winner. The cast is amazing led by Daniel Day-Lewis under the direction of Rob Marshall. This film could totally end up bombing because I’m sure this could possibly receive early front-runner status at next year’s Oscars, but for now I am intrigued.

2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
I love Harry Potter with a passion, and anytime a film will be released it will appear close to the top of my most anticipated list. Enough said.

1. The Time Traveler’s Wife
I fell in love with this beautiful novel when I read it last summer and have been eagerly anticipating the movie ever since. It should be a beautiful love story if done right. Rachel McAdams as the lead is great casting, but this was supposed to be released by New Line before their demise. I won’t hold that against it until I see it.

Nominations!

And here they are:

Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

I'm surprised at The Reader's mention. It's a good movie, but not one of the best. I think the only film from my personal top 5 that matches with this category is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Actor
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

A nice crop of nominees. I would loved to have seen DiCaprio nominated but oh well.

Actress
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - The Reader

I thought Jolie would be snubbed, but at least Hawkins missed out. I found nothing special in Happy-Go-Lucky. I really hate the fact that Winslet got in for The Reader and not Revolutionary Road. My last major Oscar contender to see is The Wrestler (on Friday), and Winslet and DiCaprio give the two best performances out of any actors this year. It's a shame they don't get the attention they deserve.

Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

Loved the mention of Michael Shannon! This is Ledger's hands down though.

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

Glad that The Reader wasn't included since it doesn't belong here. It would have been nice to see DeWitt get in.

Director
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant - Milk
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Where the fu#@ is The Dark Knight?!

Original Screenplay
Courtney Hunt - Frozen River
Mike Leigh - Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McDonagh - In Bruges
Dustin Lance Black - Milk
Andrew Stanton - WALL•E

My personal favorite category. I loved the mention of Frozen River! It's one of the year's best.

Adapted Screenplay
Eric Roth + Robin Swicord - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley - Doubt
Peter Morgan - Frost/Nixon
David Hare - The Reader
Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire

Nothing too special. Slumdog pretty much has this.

Oscar Predictions

Here are my Oscar predictions. Tomorrow is the big day! I also included a dark horse that could pop out of nowhere to be nominated in each of the top 8 categories.

PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Slumdog Millionaire
Milk
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Dark Horse: The Wrestler

DIRECTOR
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Gus van Sant, Milk
Darren Aronofsky, The Wrestler
Dark Horse: Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky

ACTOR
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Sean Penn, Milk
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino
Dark Horse: Josh Brolin, W

ACTRESS
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Dark Horse: Michelle Williams, Wendy & Lucy

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Josh Brolin, Milk
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire
Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder
Dark Horse: Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Freida Pinto, Slumdog Millionaire
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married
Dark Horse: Debra Winger, Rachel Getting Married

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Milk
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Wall-E
The Wrestler
Happy-Go-Lucky
Dark Horse: The Visitor

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon
The Dark Knight
Revolutionary Road
Dark Horse: Let the Right One In

ANIMATED FEATURE
Wall-E
Waltz with Bashir
Kung Fu Panda

ART DIRECTION
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Milk
Revolutionary Road
Frost/Nixon
Australia

CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire
The Dark Knight
Australia

COSTUME DESIGN
The Duchess
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Fall
Revolutionary Road
Changeling

FILM EDITING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Slumdog Millionaire
Milk
The Dark Knight
The Wrestler

MAKEUP
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Reader
The Wrestler

SCORE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E
The Dark Knight
Revolutionary Road

SONG
The Wrestler
Slumdog Millionaire
High School Musical 3
Trouble the Water
Wall-E

SOUND EDITING
Wall-E
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

SOUND MIXING
Wall-E
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

VISUAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man