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.