Most Anticipated #9

Ah! James McAvoy! You are 95% of the reason why this cracks my top 10 list. (3% Robert Redford, 2% time period/plot.) Already an Oscar winner in my eyes for his heartbreaking turn in Atonement, this will probably be the actor's best role yet (he seems to get better and better, doesn't he? Still waiting for that blasted The Last Station to come out!). Here's a quick plot summary: "Mary Surratt is the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln. As the whole nation turns against her, she is forced to rely on her reluctant lawyer to uncover the truth and save her life." The cast is stellar and includes the already aforementioned McAvoy, Robin Wright Penn, and Evan Rachel Woods. Expect Oscar talk for all three players, but I suspect the former two will steal the show. Penn hasn't scored an Oscar nomination either, so this could be both actors' "welcome to the club" roles. Film set for a fall 2010 release.

Most Anticipated #10

Iron Man 2 marks, of course, the second installment of the Iron Man series. Expected to be the mega-blockbuster of the summer, I can only hope that it retains the same scintillating humor and thrilling action as the first. IMDB describes the plot summary as follows: "With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark faces pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, along with Pepper Potts and James "Rhodey" Rhodes at his side, must forge new alliances -- and confront powerful enemies." Sounds like another chance for Downey Jr. to be ever-fanciful and full of sarcastic wit. And of course, we can't wait to see Mickey Rourke as Whiplash. He looked a bit campy in the trailer, but I expect at least another fun turn for the actor. Unfortunately Scarlett Johansson was chosen for the Black Widow after Emily Blunt had to drop out for scheduling conflicts. Maybe she'll show a bit more life than she has the last few years. The film opens on May 7, 2010.

Other cast: Gwyenth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, and Sam Rockwell

First post!

My new blog is officially created! Whoot! Things to do: top 10 most anticipated movies of the year, literary criticism, Shutter Island, and w/e else comes to mind. Stay tuned!