This year was my first time attending the infamous Comic-Con and it couldn’t be closer to being a wonderful experience. It’s a nerd’s heaven. You’re surrounded by people as passionate or even more-so around the things you love. While the best part for me was meeting people whose writing I’ve followed for quite sometime now, it was also a nice kicker to learn a bit more about some of the upcoming films that were showcased there. Even though I saw pretty much no footage – excluding Thor – the word-of-mouth travels at light-speed that it’s almost as if you don’t even need to be there. Also, thanks to some shoddy flip-cam work it’s pretty simple to find the Q an A’s from the panels online to learn more about some of these upcoming films.
But which ones should you be excited about? Well, there’s plenty to be looking forward to. There’s definitely some films that my mind wasn’t changed on (*cough* Green Lantern *cough*) there was still some films that rose a bit on my anticipation horizon. And no, Resident Evil 4 or whatever it’s called didn’t quite make the cut.
Note: The only reason Scott Pilgrim v.s. The World isn’t on the list is because I’ve already seen it. If you’ve read my review, you already know I loved it.
Honorable Mentions: Skyline, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, and The Goon.
15. Red (Robert Schwentke; October 15th, 2010)
Red looks like fluff. Not bad fluff, but that fun fluff we all actually like. It seems to be settling for just being a B-movie and, from the looks of it, it’s going to succeed. The trailer was impressive and promised many things: a Helen Mirren packing, a crazed John Malkovich, and Bruce Willis being the Bruce Willis that is hard not to like. Expect nothing more than an overflowing popcorn movie, but a solid one at that.
14. Green Lantern (Martin Campbell; June 17th, 2011)
The Green Lantern had practically nothing to show at Comic-Con hence the fact it’s not high up on the list. This is a film that could go either way: an original space adventure superhero film or possibly the next Flash Gordon. The photos recently released made me think the latter. While I trust Martin Campbell enough to deliver the goods (as well as the mostly excellent cast), solid proof, aka footage, is still needed to prove this wont be campy or lame.
13. Priest (Scott Stewart; May 13th, 2011)
One of the major problems with Scott Stewart’s directorial debut Legion seems to have been fixed in Priest: scope. Stewart shot with anamorphic lenses here and he apparently had twice (or more) the budget he had on Legion and it shows in that recently released trailer. It looks flashy enough, Bettany looks solid, and the idea of Karl Urban playing a vamp villain is a promising one.
12. The Other Guys (Adam McKay; August 6th, 2010)
Yeah, it’s coming out Friday, but an Adam McKay film is still an Adam McKay film so whether or not it’s coming out in days or years doesn’t change the fact that you should be excited for it. The footage apparently went over well and the panel itself was just as funny as what they showed. Early word from the press screenings is that it’s the solid comedy you expect from McKay and Farrell.
11. Battle: Los Angeles (Jonathan Liebesman; March 11th, 2011)
The concept for Battle: Los Angeles is an intriguing one: A gritty war film, but has aliens thrown in the mix. As director Jonathan Liebesman describes it, it’s Black Hawk Down with but with aliens. That idea is full of potential as for what could be done. The footage won plenty of people over and it’s got Aaron Eckhart at the lead which always gets a film bonus points. If Battle: Los Angeles lives up to the possibilities, expect something memorable.
10. Super (James Gunn; TBD)
James Gunn is a cultish figure in the nerd film world. The man has made a name for himself. With PG Porn and (the excellent) Slither he’s proved himself as a director worth following. Super is his second outing of turning the idea of a superhero on its ear. Gunn previously did that with his co-penned The Specials, but here he’s the one behind the camera. While there’s still no distributor yet, I’m sure we’ll hear some good news soon.
9. Drive Angry (Patrick Lussier; February 11th, 2011)
Right from the beginning of the teaser for Drive Angry it already became apparent that Drive Angry is destined for B-movie glory. Hearing Nicolas Cage saying, “Hell already is walking the earth,” and then going blowing a guy away is so brilliant Shakespeare himself couldn’t have written it better. It looks incredibly fun, similar to Patrick Lussier’s previous film My Bloody Valentine. Expect a 3D crazed, blood-spattered action film.
8. Paul (Greg Mottola; March 18th, 2011)
Greg Mottola’s sci-fi comedy is a no brainer. Mottola is one of the best directors working in comedies today and he’s one of the few who’s capable of making comedies that have a heart. Paul will most likely be of the caliber that Superbad and Adventureland are. Both excellent films that set the bar high, but with the cast and concept Mottola has on his side Paul is an easy project to get behind. And come on, Seth Rogen voicing an alien? Simply brilliant.
7. Tron: Legacy (Joseph Kosinski; December 17th, 2010)
The twenty years later or so direct sequel isn’t as high up on my excitement list as most. The original is no classic. It’s an enjoyable, boundary pushing spectacle that looks great (for its time). The sequel – similar to the first film – seems technically impressive, but lets hope there’s actual something there. And when I say “something there” I mean that it features solid storytelling and has the heart it seems to be going for i.e. the father/son relationship.
6. The Green Hornet (Michel Gondry; January 14th, 2011)
The trailer for The Green Hornet didn’t raise expectations like it should have, but it didn’t ruin mine like some. A Michel Gondry helmed superhero film with Seth Rogen at the center of it should get any film nerd excited. There’s some oddball touches in the trailer (a double barreled Desert Eagle?), but I’m guessing there’s more off-the-wall Gondry touches that the trailer doesn’t display. Hopefully, that’s the case. If not, I’m sure we’ll still get an enjoyable action movie out of it.
5. Captain America: The First Avenger (Joe Johnston; July 22nd, 2011)
Joe Johnston is a better filmmaker than he’s giving credit for. Even his much mangled The Wolfman has sprinkles of his talent. Johnston has a knack for old school, adventure storytelling. That’s obviously apparent in The Rocketeer, Hidalgo, and it became more apparent at Comic-Con when he cited Raiders of the Lost Arc as his favorite film and as a template for Captain America. With a solid cast and an apparently strong script that Joss Whedon himself did work on, bet on on both Johnston and Captain America exceeding the current expectations.
4. Cowboys & Aliens (Jon Favreau; July 29th, 2011)
While the idea of Cowboys fighting Aliens sounds genius, you should be more excited by the idea of some of the best actors around fighting aliens: Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, and Sam Rockwell. And, really, who could forget Clancy Brown? With Jon Favreau at the helm you’ll know he’ll deliver on the goods. While Favreau still has room to grow and needs to work on some of his storytelling issues – that were mostly apparent in Iron Man 2 – Favreau still is one of the few directors out there we can consistently rely on. He’s a popcorn filmmaker, but a damn good one. You know Favreau isn’t straying far from his popcorn roots when he’s got Olivia Wilde playing a dancer in those days– really, I doubt dancers back then looked like that…
3. Let Me In (Matt Reeves; October 1st, 2010)
The Let the Right One In remake proved a lot of people wrong at Comic-Con. This is a remake that’s been causing uproar since it was first announced, but those loud skeptics were recently quieted. Matt Reeves proved himself with Cloverfield and while I think that monster film is far from great, it showed that Reeves has talent. The teaser trailer was promising and the word from the test screenings is that it’s excellent. So, get your hopes up and stop complaining about this remake.
2. Thor (Kenneth Branagh; May 6th, 2011)
My main concerns for Thor were put to rest at Comic-Con: Would it be cheesy? Will Chris Hemsworth work as the title character? For the cheese factor, it seems un-present in the trailer. Outside of Thor screaming towards the sky in fury, very little hinted at bland campiness. And as for Hemsworth, the guy’s got charisma and doesn’t look goofy wielding that hammer. As of right now, the only concern to have is whether or not Kat Dennings has to be there. Dennings is a solid actor, but will she be a totally useless character simply used for comedic relief? Perhaps…
1. Sucker Punch (Zack Snyder; March 25th, 2011)
It’s difficult for one to piece together what the plot for Sucker Punch actually is based on its teaser trailer, but one thing that everyone can all agree on: It looks stunning. Visually, it seems like Zack Snyder has zero restraint and is going all out in Sucker Punch. No, that’s not a slant. In fact, it couldn’t be a higher compliment. Who doesn’t want to see Snyder – who is known for his lavish visuals – be unrelenting?
What films from San Diego Comic-Con 2010 are you looking forward to?