Most Anticipated of 2011

2010 turned out to be a decent year for film with the likes of Toy Story 3, Kick Ass and, of course, the breath taking Inception, cementing themselves as modern day classics, with immense box office success to boot.

Early 2011 promises great things, with a handful of highly anticipated movies being released within the first few months, we really are in for quite a treat and that's before the likes of Cowboys and Aliens, Super 8, The Hangover 2 and Captain America hit the screens this Summer. There's a lot coming our way throughout this year, but here's the 5 films I am most excited about for the immediate future...

5. THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU - 4th March

The Adjustment Bureau sees David Norris (Matt Damon) and Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt) meet randomly, by chance, or so it would seem. Cue the uncovering of a secret group of men known as the Adjustment Team, adapted from the Philip K. Dick novel of the same name, who claim to run the world and monitor everyone's chosen path. The only problem is, David decides to oppose the powers that be and pursue a life with Elise, thus throwing both his and her futures into jeopardy, which obviously would cause a massive shit storm with the hat wearing men in command . It appears to have all the ingredients for success, the trailer is sinister, thrilling and ever so slightly Inception-like, not to mention a great cast with Damon, Blunt and (largely unknown) Michael Kelly. Oh, and did I mention the $65m budget? That might help too.
Anticipation  ★★★

4. 127 HOURS - 7th Jan

Released last Friday, Danny Boyle's real life story of a climber who gets trapped down a canyon in Utah for, well, 127 hours promises to grip and shock audiences. Well received so far, it's lead, played by the brilliant James Franco, gives a worthy performance as stranded mountaineer Aron Ralston who takes drastic measures to avert death at any cost. In parts it gets gruesome so not for the faint hearted, you have been warned.
Anticipation  ★★★

3. THE FIGHTER - 4th Feb

Another film with Oscar buzz in the air, Mark Wahlberg is real life ex-boxer Mickey Ward as he struggles to  make a name for himself in the ring. He's too old and frankly not that great, but is given one last shot at his fighting career. It's the Rocky for the new millennium, but clichéd underdog story aside, looks set to earn Wahlberg and even Christian Bale, who plays his volatile tempered trainer/half-brother, Oscar nominations. Watch this space.
Anticipation  ★★★★

2. BLACK SWAN - 21st Jan

Director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream) is at the helm for this dark tale of ballerina Nina (Natalie Portman) who is thrilled when presented, by director Thomas (Vincent Cassel), with the lead role of production Swan Lake. Problem is, Nina encapsulates the white swan perfectly but needs to fulfil the alter ego persona of the black swan also, which she fails to do. She soon becomes threatened by new rival Lily (Mila Kunis) whom challenges for her role as she is more adept as the black swan. The result is an intense emotional struggle as Nina tries to hold onto the lead by allowing her dark side through, which drags her down a scarily dark, paranoid path. Oscar buzz surrounds Portman and indeed the film itself, making it one to certainly check out. If the thrills and emotional performances don't have you panting in excitement, the intimate scene with Portman and Kunis will.

Anticipation  ★★★★★

1. TRUE GRIT - 11th Feb

This is the one I am waiting for. The Coen Brothers (The Big Lebowski, No Country For Old Men, Burn After Reading) are back, hallelujah! A loose remake of the 1969 film by the same name starring John Wayne, Jeff Bridges assumes the role of renegade hell raiser, I-don't-play-by-the-book, gun slingin', all round bad ass Rooster Cogburn. Did I mention he has an eye patch? To be honest, looks like it will be the film of the year and the piece that will get people talking about the Coen's once more. The story focuses on Mattie (Hailee Steinfeld), a young girl who hires Cogburn to hunt down the killer of her Father, a hitman by the name of Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the pair are accompanied by Texas Ranger; LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) with his own personal agenda. The trio embark on a journey to find Chaney and lets just say the events thereafter involve lots of adventure and just a little bit of killing along the way. If you're not into Westerns, then now is the time to take an interest!

A strong cast mixed with the slick, quirky and unforgiving style the Coen's are synonymous with, True Grit will surely propel the genius pair right back into the mix, after a somewhat quiet year.
Anticipation  ★★★★★


Sources: Internet Movie DataBase, Total Film Magazine ISSUE 175