Nerd Mentality

15 Movies You Gotta See in 2010

Posted January 1st 2010 by Frankie Aguilar.

2009 was a year of peaks and valleys when it came to the qualities of movie. For every District 9, there was a Transformers 2. 2010 will undoubtedly have the same ups and downs, but if you're looking for a heads up on what movies to waste your money on in the new year, this list is for you.

The Wolfman

Release Date: February 12, 2010
Director: Joe Johnston
Starring: Benecio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving
Trailer

Why you gotta see it: This remake of the original 1941 monster film seeks to bring the genre back from its current whiny vampire fixation to its terrifying roots. Starring Benicio Del Toro as the title creature, and attempting to recreate the nostalgic B-movie look with current CG, this movie is a must-see for horror and action fans alike.  Plus Emily Blunt, the love interest in this film, choose this movie over a role as the Black Widow in Iron Man II. Picking this film over Iron Man II, which would surely expose her to a wider audience, must mean that The Wolfman is more than just a simple monster flick.

Black Death

Release Date: 2010
Director: Christopher Smith
Starring: Sean Bean, Carice van Houten.

Why you gotta see it: Black Death is the first legitimate swords & sorcery film worth a the price of a ticket to come out since the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The historical familiarity of bubonic plague-infested England will pique the interest of people who like fantasy movies but don't want to be invested in the history of a brand new world. While this might be par for the course with most fantasy films, Black Death will be darker than Mordor and won't have any slow mo hobbit tickle fights. So far this movie only has UK and German releases scheduled, but hopefully it'll make its way to the USA.

Cop Out (a.k.a. A Couple of Dicks)

Release Date: February 26, 2010
Director: Kevin Smith
Starring: Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Seann William Scott
Trailer

Why you gotta see it: Three names: Kevin Smith, Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan. If that's not exciting enough, throw them all into a buddy cop movie, a film genre that hasn't be utilized in a while, and you've got yourself some unlimited comic possibilities. You can expect a ton of cameos from Smith's Askewniverse, and with his trademark social commentary delivered by Willis and Morgan, this could be the comedy of the year.

Alice in Wonderland

Release Date: March 5, 2010
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter
Trailer

Why you gotta see it: A Tim Burton film with Johnny Depp is usually a sure shot. Some people may be tired of Burton's style, or wary that Depp may end up with a bloated role in the spot light, but this film has the potential to be Burton's most visually stunning yet. Blending trippy live action visuals with motion capture technology, on top of an already out-there story, this Alice is sure to be the wildest yet.

Kick-Ass

Release Date: April 16, 2010
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Chloe Moretz
Trailer

Why you gotta see it: If you're a fan of comic books, or comic book movies at all, then this one is for you. This movie is based on the Kick-Ass comic book by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., which is itself kickass. What's funny about this movie is that the comic book story it's based on isn't even finished, so potentially, you'll see the end of this story on film before you see it in the book. Kick-Ass is filled with a bunch of relative unknowns, the only real acting credits are Nicholas Cage and Superbad's McLovin, but the comic's creators have been heavily involved in production and the trailer for it looks great.

Iron Man II

Release Date: May 7, 2010
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke
Trailer

Why you gotta see it: This might be the most highly anticipated film of 2010, and for good reason. Last year's Iron Man set a new standard for the comic book movie and hopefully director Jon Favreau can keep this level of excellence going. With the addition of Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson and Mickey Rourke to the already stellar cast, and a much larger budget, Iron Man II could raise the bar even higher for what it means to be a great comic book movie.

Robin Hood

Release Date: May 14, 2010
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt
Trailer

Why you gotta see it: Robin Hood has gone through a ton of iterations. He's been played by a fox, by Kevin Costner, and pretty comically by Cary Elwes. But one thing those cats never had was Ridley Scott directing them, and none of them were Russell Crowe. The story will be basically the same, but I imagine the execution will beyond satisfactory; if the action sequences are even half as good as the Scott/Crowe Gladiator, we're all in for a treat.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time


Release Date: May 26, 2010
Director: Mike Newell
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina
Trailer

Why you gotta see it: Based on the 2003 platforming masterpiece of the same name, Prince of Persia comes to us from basically the same team that brought us the hit or miss Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal as the Prince, the film will have elements of the game's story but won't be a straight adaptation. Since this movie is being backed by the Disney machine as well, you have to imagine the love story aspect of the game will become all too important, but hopefully that won't take away from the action packed sequences you can expect from the Prince.

Jonah Hex

Release Date: June 18, 2010
Director: Jimmy Hayward
Starring: Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Megan Fox

Why you gotta see it: Here's another comic book movie coming at you, but this one might be a little more obscure. In fact, if you've never read the source material, there's really no point of reference here. What I can tell you is that Josh Brolin, the lead role in No Country for Old Men, plays a scarred bounty hunter in search of a terrorist attempting to re-win the Civil War. It might sound a little hokey, but the premise lends itself to some fun old west action, without forced comedy a la Wild Wild West. Also, Megan Fox has finally found the role she was born to play: a gun wielding prostitute.

Toy Story 3

Release Date: June 18, 2010
Director: Lee Unkrich
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
Trailer

Why you gotta see it: I don't really feel like I need to sell this one to you, but in case for some reason you're on the fence here it goes. Not only is this the third movie in an already fantastic series, it's a Pixar movie, a company that rarely stumbles.  A brief synopsis of the story: Andy is going to college and all the toys end up in a daycare, and through that transfer, Buzz reverts to a Spanish mode.  All your favorite toys are making their return, and with this movie being filmed in true Disney 3D, this could be the best Toy Story yet.

Priest

Release Date: October 01, 2010
Director: Scott Stewart
Starring: Paul Bettany, Karl Urban, Maggie Q

Why you gotta see it: Another film based (loosely) on a comic book, only this time it's Korean and it's about killing vampires. If that came at you to quickly, here it comes a little slower: Priest is about a priest (go figure) that against the will of his church, joins with a young sheriff and a priestess to hunt down and kill the vampires who kidnapped his niece. This film stars Paul Bettany, the albino monk from The Da Vinci Code. Killing vampires in a post-apocalyptic setting might just be what the Twilight weary might want to see.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I

Release Date: November 19, 2010
Director: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
Trailer

Why you gotta see it: Here's another movie that you've probably already decided if you are going to see or not. If you've invested yourself enough to see all the rest of the films, then you're going to see this one. Deathly Hallows will be split into two parts, which seems to be the next fad in fantasy movies. Part I will take place almost entirely outside the walls of Hogwarts, so the feel of this movie will be a lot different from all the previous installments. Whether or not this final chapter will illicit the same overwhelming emotions that the final book did remains to be seen, but it'll be nice to see how they choose to end it.

Rapunzel


Release Date: November 24, 2010
Director: Nathan Greno and Byron Howard
Starring: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi

Why you gotta see it: It seems like Disney is attempting to return to its animation roots, what with The Princess and the Frog released late in 2009. Rapunzel, like most of the Disney "princess" movies, will be loosely based on its source material with the normal Disney flair. Expect this Rapunzel to be more independent woman and less damsel in distress. The art style takes notes from French paintings to bring a fresh sense of style to the CG imagery, bringing together a visually deep movie.

Paul

Release Date: 2010
Director: Greg Mottola
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen

Why you gotta see it: This film stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as comic book geeks who are traveling across America and end up befriending an alien named Paul at Area 51. I don't know if there's a been a better movie premise since Zombie Ninja Robots from Space. Pegg and Frost make for one of the best comedy duos in movie history, and it'll be interesting to see them in a movie not directed by their long time collaborator Edgar Wright. Add on top of that SNL stars Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig and this might be the best movie you've never heard of.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

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