Looking Forward: 25 Must-Sees for the Rest of 2010

January is long gone and February is half over. If you're a movie buff you haven't missed much, but here's a list of 25 movies you can't miss this year. If you haven't heard of one of these yet, take the time to check out it's trailer by clicking on the title.

February 19 - Shutter Island (Leonadro DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams; directed by Martin Scorsese)

February 26 - Cop Out (Bruce Willis, Tracey Morgan, Sean William Scott, Jason Lee, Rashida Jones; directed by Kevin Smith)

March 5 - Alice in Wonderland (Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter; directed by Tim Burton)

March 12 - She's Out of My League (Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve)

March 19 - Repo Men (Jude Law, Forest Witaker, Liev Schreiber)

April 2 - Clash of the Titans (Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton)

April 9 - Date Night (Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Walhberg, James Franco, Mila Kunis)

April 16 - Kick-Ass (Nicolas Cage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Grace Moretz, Aaron Johnson)

April 23 - Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Javier Bardem, Carey Mulligan; directed by Oliver Stone)

May 7 - Iron Man 2 (Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell; directed by John Favreau)

May 14 - Robin Hood (Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt; directed by Ridley Scott)

May 28 - Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Gemma Arterton)

June 11 - Get Him to the Greek (Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Rose Byrne; produced by Judd Apatow)

June 11 - The A-Team (Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, Jessica Biel, Sharlto Copley)

June 18 - Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin, Megan Fox, John Malkovich, Will Arnett)

June 18 - Toy Story 3 (Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Michael Keaton, Joan Cusack; directed by Lee Unkrich)

June 25 - Grown Ups (Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider; directed by Dennis Dugan)

July 2 - The Last Airbender (Dev Patel, Noah Ringer Jackson Rathbone; directed by M. Night Shyamalan)

July 16 - Inception (Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy; directed by Christopher Nolan)

August 13 - The Expendables (Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Eric Roberts; directed by Sylvester Stallone)

October 8 - The Zookeeper (Kevin James, Rosario Dawson; the voices of Adam Sandler, Sylvester Stallone, Jon Favreau; directed by Frank Coraci)

November 5 - Due Date (Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Jamie Foxx, Alan Arkin, Michelle Monaghan; directed by Todd Phillips)

November 19 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint; directed by David Yates)

December 17 - Tron Legacy (Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde)

December 22 - The Green Hornet (Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz)

My Top 10 Movies of 2009

Ever since I posted “In Print: EW’s Best Films of the Year” two weeks ago, I’ve been thinking a lot about what my own Top 10 would look like. After a little while to think about it, I’ve chosen ten of my favorite. Before I dive into my Top 10, here are ten others that are worthy of honorable mention: (500) Days of Summer, Avatar, Away We Go, District 9, Duplicity, Notorious, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Up in the Air, Whip It, and Wolverine.

10. Funny People
(Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana; directed by Judd Apatow)
Ballas’ Bottomline: Sandler and Rogen were good; I always enjoy seeing comedy actors in serious roles; disagree with other critics that it was an off-film for Apatow





9. The Blind Side
(Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron; directed by John Lee Hancock)
Ballas’ Bottomline: Good enough to make a grown man tear up; lived up to my high expectations






8. Zombieland
(Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin; directed by Ruben Fleischer)
Ballas’ Bottomline: Much funnier than I expected; the foursome had good on-screen chemistry






7. I Love You, Man
(Paul Rudd, Jason Segal, Rashida Jones; directed by John Hamburg)
Ballas’ Bottomline: Rudd and Segal were hilarious; the ultimate buddy comedy






6. Terminator Salvation
(Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Moon Bloodgood, Anton Yelchin; directed by McG)
Ballas’ Bottomline: Solid performance all around; made me forget about T3






5. Star Trek
(Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Zaldana, Eric Bana; directed by J.J. Abrams)
Ballas’ Bottomline: J.J Abrams strikes again; made a Trekker out of someone with no prior Star Trek knowledge






4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
(Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint; directed by David Yates)
Ballas’ Bottomline: I never considered myself a big Harry Potter fan until I saw this film.






3. The Hangover
(Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong; directed by Todd Phillips)
Ballas’ Bottomline: I saw Hangover three times in theaters, and it was nearly as funny each time.






2. Slumdog Millionaire
(Dev Patel, Frieda Pinto; directed by Danny Boyle)
Ballas’ Bottomline: A real feel-good movie; easy to understand why it won so many Oscars






1. Gran Torino
(Clint Eastwood; directed by Clint Eastwood)
Ballas’ Bottomline: Clint Eastwood was great in his final acting role.

Say It Ain't So: Broderick Approves "Bueller" Remake

Matthew Broderick has given approval for a Ferris Bueller remake. Really? Has Hollywood really run out of fresh ideas? I'm up for a good remake every once in awhile - as long as the movie warrants a remake. Ferris Bueller's Day Off is not one of those movies. I could see a studio making a Ferris sequel - possibly where Ferris continues his rebellious antics at the college level or 40-year-old Ferris attempts to collect a paycheck without ever going to work - but to remake this classic just seems unnecessary. Fortunately, while Broderick has given the green light on the project, he won't be involved. Broderick told Cinematical, "[A remake] would be fine. I would be perfectly happy for somebody to do that. I probably wouldn't enjoy [having a role in the film]. I would rather leave what we did as our thing." Let's hope the rest of the 1986 original cast take the day off as well.

Reviewed: Youth in Revolt

Youth in Revolt (Michael Cera, Portia Doubleday; directed by Miguel Arteta)
Quick Synopsis: Teenager develops alternate ego in order to get his dream girl
Ballas' Bottomline: Good, funny story; don't expect Superbad 2
Ballasometer: 7.0

Youth in Revolt tells the story of Nick Twisp (Michael Cera), who falls instantly in love with Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday) while on vacation with his mother (Jean Smart) and her current loser boyfriend (Zach Galifianakis). When geography and family matters keep Nick and Sheeni apart, he decides to abandon his boring personality and develops a rebellious, mustached, cigarette-smoking, "supplementary persona" named Francois Dillinger. Nick's bad-bay alter ego leads him down a disruptive path in an attempt to be reunited with his dream girl.

"In movies it's usually the good guy who gets the girl. In real life, it's usually the prick." - Michael Cera as Nick Twisp

It was interesting to see Cera portray Francois. The character was enjoyably different than the awkward teenager he has been virtually typecast to play. However, those expecting to see Cera play the dorky teen he has made a career playing won't be disappointed. The film follows Nick/Francois as he puts himself in all kinds of awkward situations. Everything that appears to go right at first, usually ends up going humorously wrong. While some of Nick's antics were a little far-fetched, none can be completely disregarded as something a teenager would do with the right amount of motivation to lose his virginity.

If there's one major thing wrong with the screenplay (penned by Charlie Barlett's Gustin Nash), it is the introduction of the supporting cast. Miss Twisp's newest boyfriend and police officer, Lance Wescott (Ray Liotta), and Sheeni's older brother, Paul (Justin Long), seemed to be borderline unnecessary except to make certain plot points possible. Nick's father, George Twisp (Steve Buscemi), also could have been developed further.

One thing moviegoers might enjoy about this film is its use of animation (created by Peter Sluszka). Nick, his mother, and her boyfriend were recreated in clay for a stop-motion opening title sequence. Sluszka also directed Michael Cera in a pixelation sequence for a road trip scene, and his hand-drawn images where used in another in which Nick hallucinates. The animation was used well to transition scenes and added a little something extra to the feel of the movie - similar to the opening and chapter titles in Juno.

A critique of this movie in general was the way it was marketed. The previews suggest Youth is a pure comedy, which may lead viewers to expect to see Superbad 2. While the film had its share of laughs, it could be more accurately categorized as a teenage RomDramedy. Cera's character is more comparable to those he played in Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist and Juno than in Superbad. While viewers probably won't mind watching Cera strive for his dream girl, it's likely not quite the movie they thought they were going to see. If nothing else, Youth in Revolt provides some solid laughs and reminds us how far we are willing to go for love.

Feeling Buzzed?: Youth in Revolt

If you haven't heard much about Youth in Revolt, I encourage you to check out the newest trailer (click on the title). I've known about this movie for awhile, but didn't start to get really excited about it until I saw Michael Cera (Juno, Superbad) on Jimmy Fallon last night and remembered that he is hilarious. "With heavy emphasis on the need for Nick ... to "Be Bad' to lose his virginity, it's the closest to calling the film Superbad 2 without calling the film Superbad 2," says the blogger for HSX.com. I'm feeling the buzz and hope to make time to see this movie this weekend.

Say It Ain't So: Sony Postpones Production on Spider-Man 4

According to Variety, Spider-Man 4 has been officially postponed. The pre-production halt was originally thought to be part of a planned holiday hiatus, but the delay has since been attributed to major problems with the script. The script has gone through many writers including most recently Alvin Sargent, who penned Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3.

It is rumored that John Malkovich (Burn After Reading, Rounders) will play the Vulture, a villain Sony apparently doesn't like very much. I've never been a huge fan of the Vulture, but I like Malkovich, and after playing Spider-Man: Web of Shadows on PS3, I actually think the character could be a good fit for the next Spidey. The Lizard could also be an option. Dylan Baker, who played Dr. Curt Connors (aka The Lizard) in Spider-Man 2 could be easily inserted into the plot. I have also heard rumors that the Black Cat could make an appearance. While I didn't have a big problem with the Sandman/Venom team-up in Spider-Man 3, I'd prefer the writer(s) - whoever he/they turn out to be - don't take a page out of the Batman & Robin playbook and cram three villains into one movie.

"For those who asked, of course I would and could write Spidey 4. In a heartbeat. I know exactly what that movie should be," tweets Brian Michael Bendis (@BRIANMBENDIS), the writer of the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book series. Upon reading this, the 15-year-old inside of me got perhaps a little too excited as Ultimate Spider-Man was one of the few things, comics or otherwise, I enjoyed reading in high school and early college. It's probably not highly likely Bendis gets brought on board, but if he does, can I pre-order my ticket now?

I for one don't care if Spider-Man 4's May 6, 2011 release date gets pushed back as long as the filmmakers wait until they have it right.

UPDATE: According to Variety, Thor will move into Spider-Man 4's May 6 realease date. Disney wasted no time moving Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides into Thor's former spot on May 20.

Headed in the Right Direction: Sam Mendes to Direct Bond 23

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sam Mendes (Away We Go, American Beauty) has been chosen to direct the 23rd installment of the James Bond franchise with Daniel Craig returning as 007. Production is being fast-tracked and could begin as early as June for a 2011 release. Bond 23 will be written by Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen) and the duo of Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who have worked on previous Bond films.

I have to respectfully disagree with Patrick Goldstein of the LA Times that Mendes is wrong for Bond 23. Goldstein points out the critical and commercial success of Mendes' films have spiraled downward since his directorial debut in 1999's American Beauty, which won five Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director. Since American Beauty made $130 million domestically in 1999 here's how Mendes' follow-ups have fared: Road to Perdition ($104 million), Jarhead ($62 million), Revolutionary Road ($22 million), and Away We Go (only $9.4 million). Goldstein does have a point. However, none of these have had a fraction of the commercial appeal of the James Bond franchise. Mendes just needs to worry about doing the job he was hired to do and make a good film.

Goldstein also doesn't feel there is a way for a director to put his 'personal stamp' on a Bond film. Maybe, but what do GoldenEye and Casino Royale (my favorites and arguably the best of the newer-era Bond flicks) have in common? They were both directed by Martin Campbell. "Even if Mendes does a solid, professional job, the resulting film will do little to change anyone's perception of his commercial touch (or lack of it)," says Goldstein. Again, maybe, but I'm sure there are worse movies Mendes could take on at this point in his career.

Just because Mendes might not be the best fit for this movie doesn't mean Bond 23 is doomed. I remember thinking Sam Raimi was an odd choice to do Spider-Man, but you won't hear me, or many other webheads, complaining. Call me optimistic, but I'm ready to see Mendes rebound with this one. Hollywood loves a comeback.

In Print: EW's Best Films of the Year

One of my New Year's resolutions this year (as it has been in many years past) is to read more. I've decided that every Monday for the foreseeable future I'm going to pick up a copy of Entertainment Weekly. Yes, magazines count.

This week's double issue (#1082/1083 for those of you reading at home) features 2009's best and worst of everything from books to TV shows. Being most interested in The Best Films of the Year, I started there. These are the best films of the year according to Owen Gleiberman:

1. Up in the Air* - Ballas' Bottomline: funny, but not hilarious; very time-appropriate; Clooney and Farmiga were very good

2. Inglourious Basterds* - Ballas' Bottomline: I don't always love Tarantino, but this was one of his better movies.

3. Precious

4. I Love You, Man* - Ballas' Bottomline: must-see buddy comedy; Paul Rudd and Jason Segel were hilarious

5. Food, Inc.

6. (500) Days of Summer* - Ballas' Bottomline: story told in a very interesting way; hard not to like Zooey and Joseph Gordon-Levitt

7. Fantastic Mr. Fox

8. The Girlfriend Experience

9. The Hurt Locker

10. Adventure Land* - Ballas' Bottomline: top-notch cast; liked it, but expected it to be funnier
* movies I saw last year

I was honestly a little surprised by the top half. I could understand how Up in the Air and Inglourious Basterds could make it into someone's top five, but I was near amazed to see Precious at #3. I had no interest in seeing this movie. (Sorry, Chad Ochocinco. I know you gave out free tickets to see this one, but that's the only way I would've seen it - with you... for free.) I'm not a big fan of Mariah Carey's singing, and I can't imagine I would like her acting. I didn't know that Mo'Nique (who I find annoying) was in the movie, but this doesn't change my perception of the film. Carey and Mo'Nique might actually be good actors, but I will never know.

I Love You, Man was the most accurately ranked in my opinion. If you haven't seen it yet, don't bother renting it - buy it.

I was also surprised to see Food, Inc. in the top half of this list. I'm familiar with the documentary from following Monsanto (an agriculture company) while working in the financial services industry this summer and seeing ads for it at Chipotle, but I never saw it. Even if this was the best documentary ever made, I still don't think it has any business being on this list. Call me uncultured, but when I go to a movie I want a story; I don't want to worry about fact-checking or becoming afraid of my favorite foods. In all seriousness though, this documentary is probably pretty entertaining.

I don't have much of an objection with (500) Days of Summer being where Gleiberman ranked it. On top of good lead acting, I really liked Chloe Moretz as Joseph Gordon-Levitt's kid sister. I think she has potential to grow into a decent young actress like Dakota Fanning and Abigail Breslin.

Wes Anderson (director; Rushmore, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) is hit or miss with me. I wouldn't have minded seeing this one, but it came out around Thanksgiving, and I was more interested in seeing The Blind Side, and to a lesser extent, Twilight: New Moon.

I don't think I had ever heard of The Girlfriend Experience until I read the EW article. Steven Soderbergh (Ocean's Eleven, Traffic) directed it, so it can't be too bad. I am unfamiliar with any of the cast. I thought the female lead's name, Sasha Grey, sounded familiar, but as I read in the article, she is a porn star... and that couldn't be where I know the name. The movie is about a high-end escort, so I'm thinking Grey was probably a good choice for the part.

The Hurt Locker is a movie I really wanted to see this summer, but never got the chance. I remember wanting to see it around the 4th of July while I was back home in Zanesville, Ohio. Unfortunately a limited release in Zanesville is like a Catholic in a synagogue; it happens, but not very often. If it ever came to Newport, I missed it. Thankfully, The Hurt Locker comes to DVD on January 12.

I liked Adventureland. The story hit home with me. In the movie, Jesse Eisenberg's character is a post-grad who ends up working at an amusement park due to lack of better options. At the time, I could envision myself in a similar situation. The amusement park also reminded me of working at Colony Square Cinema 10 - kind of lame, but a lot of fun. I also thought this movie had a really good cast. I've like Ryan Reynolds and Kristen Stewart since Van Wilder and Zathura, respectively, and Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig always do a great job of providing laughs in supporting roles. I also agree with Gleiberman that Adventureland could considered the 80's Dazed and Confused. I remember expecting a little more humor out of this one, but it was a solid flick.

Gleiberman, not my Top 10, but not terrible.

Weekend Wrap-Up: January 1-3

Top Grossing Films of the Weekend

1. Avatar - $68.3 million

2. Sherlock Holmes - $38.4 million

3. Alvin and the Chimpmunks: The Squeakqual - $36.6 million

4. It's Complicated - $18.7 million

5. The Blind Side - $12.7 million

Congratulations, James Cameron! Avatar has been the #1 movie for three straight weekends. At $1.02 billion and counting, Avatar is just the fifth movie ever to gross more than $1 billion worldwide. Cameron also becomes the only director to have two films reach this elite status. Cameron's other film to do so was 1997's Titanic with $1.8 billion. With second-place Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King at $1.13 billion, it's not hard to imagine Cameron shortly becoming the director of the two highest-grossing films of all time. If you haven't seen Avatar yet, I highly recommend it. Even if you don't love the storyline, the visual aspect is incredible. It's definitely worth ponying up an extra couple bucks to see this one in 3D or IMAX 3D.

Avatar combines live-action and digitally enhanced performance in what could quite possibly be the future of film. I'm not saying Avatar will win 11 Oscars like Titanic, but I think it's fairly safe to say we will hear James Cameron's name called on Oscar night. The 82nd Academy Awards are Sunday, March 7.

As Seen on TV: Action Trailers

Today's early football games were littered with movie trailers during commercials. If you chose to go to the bathroom during the breaks, check out the trailers for these flicks coming out in the next month or so by clicking on their titles.

From Paris with Love (John Travolta, directed by Pierre Morel) - February 5
Quick Synopsis: Bad-ass U.S. agent is sent to Paris to stop a terrorist attack.

This movie looks like James Bond meets Rush Hour. John Travolta's character in this movie initially reminds me of a wise-cracking, good-guy-version of the character he played in Swordfish. From the trailer, it looks like this movie could be a decent action flick with a nice dose of comedy. I really enjoyed the action sequences in Morel's Taken. My only hope is that Travolta's Bond-esque one-liners don't dominate his dialogue. I felt the script for Taken could have been stronger.


Edge of Darkness (Mel Gibson, directed by Martin Campbell) - January 29
Quick Synopsis: Boston cop searches for answers to why his daughter was murdered.

Despite his alcoholism and alleged anti-Semitism, I like Mel Gibson - as an actor. Gibson hasn't been in anything (good) since 2002's Signs. I'm looking forward to seeing Gibson's dark-side like we saw in parts of The Patriot and Payback. I'm also excited to see how director Martin Campbell follows up Casino Royale. All in all, Mel is a guy '...with nothing to lose,' and I want to see if he's still got it.


Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball - On DVD January 19
Quick Synopsis: Hitmen compete for a huge bounty on an FBI informant.

I liked the first Smokin' Aces enough that I'll probably rent this one at some point. The prequel doesn't bring back many of the original cast - in fact, Tommy Flanagan (Sons of Anarchy) was the only one I notice in the trailer - but it does add Vinnie Jones (aka The Juggernaut), who we already know can play this kind of role from his work in movies such as Snatch. Try to curb your enthusiasm though; after all, this is a straight-to-DVD release.

Feeling Buzzed?: Micronauts

When I saw Micronauts listed as the IPO of the Day on HSX.com, I couldn't help but ask myself, 'Why?' I've never heard of the Micronauts before (probably due to the fact that I have since learned it was a popular toy in Japan in the 1970's), and from the sound of its name and the look of its photo, it looks like a rip-off of Transformers (although it seems the Micronauts came first). Unfamiliar with what the movie will be about, I decided to read the synopsis. I was pleasantly surprised to see that J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Lost) is signed on to produce. I was also intrigued to learn that the three-inch tall microheroes were once a Marvel comic series. I quickly realized that there is plenty of hope for something that I had discarded as a bad Japanese cartoon seconds earlier.

While Marvel has had success with (and I've been a huge fan of) big names like Spider-Man and Iron Man, I think it will be interesting to see what Marvel can do with the lesser-known of its 5000-plus characters. I also think it will be interesting to see how (if at all) the acquisition of Marvel by Disney affects the production of Marvel Studios. Personally, I hope they don't change a thing. Don't fix what isn't broken.

While it's hard to get overly excited about Micronauts when the movie is only in the development stage, I'm starting to feel the buzz.