10. Heartbreak Kid – The last time the Farrelly brothers and Ben Stiller teamed up, it was the funny and successful There’s Something About Mary. This time around they’re remaking the 1972 comedy, which starred Cybil Shepherd and Charles Grodin, about a newlywed man (Stiller) who might’ve married the wrong woman. Things will be much more raunchy and foulmouthed that it’s rated R. 10/5
9. 3:10 to Yuma – Not since Unforgiven, Oscar winning picture starring Gene Hackman and Clint Eastwood, is there a Western picture that has caught my eye. This updated version is about a rancher (Christian Bale) holding an outlaw (Russell Crowe) in custody until they can reach Yuma. With Crowe and Bale as the leads, hopefully these two no-nonsense men will bring the Western genre back to life. 9/7
8. Sweeney Todd – Tim Burton never does standard movies (Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice) and the trend continues as he directs a musical about a homicidal barber (Johnny Depp) returning to London. With a cast that includes Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen and Alan Rickman, what can go wrong? 12/21
7. Michael Clayton – Tony Gilroy, one of the writers on the Bourne movies, will be directing his first picture. Michael Clayton (George Clooney), who is running against the clock to “fix” a sabotage by one of his very own lawyers (Tom Wilkinson). 10/12
6. The Kingdom – The first of many political thrillers coming out this fall, this picture will try to tell a story with popcorn action and political dialogue. Jamie Foxx and company head to the Middle East to investigate a bombing on their territory. I hope that this movie does really well, considering three crewmembers died in producing this film. 9/28
5. Rendition – This movie looks like this year’s Syriana. A rookie CIA analyst (Jake Gyllenhaal) interrogates a supposed terrorist, whose wife (Reese Witherspoon) is asking questions about her husband’s whereabouts. With actors like Witherspoon, Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Meryl Streep and Alan Arkin, this movie will surely be in Oscar talks at the end of the season. 10/19
4. Across the Universe – If you ever loved the Beatles or the 60’s generation, then Julie Taymor’s new movie will surely delight you. Using little dialogue to tell the story of two lovers through Beatles music will surely be a challenge, but if anyone can tell a story so over-the-top, it’ll be Taymor. 9/21
3. Golden Compass – What is left to fill our fantastical mind without any LOTR, Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia? Golden Compass, the story of a young heroine living in a parallel world, should do. This is the first of Pullman’s Dark Materials trilogy. 12/7
2. I Am Legend – Robert Neville (Will Smith) is the last man on earth. His goal is to try to find a cure for a man-made virus. The catch? There are mutants that are listening to his every word, watching his every move to make sure it doesn’t happen. Will Smith has always had big success with sci-fi movies (I, Robot, Men in Black, Independence Day) and this looks to be the same. 12/14
1. American Gangster – Last time Denzel Washington played a bad guy, he was won an Oscar. He’s back to that role as Frank Lucas, a heroin dealer who smuggled drugs in the 70’s by hiding them in coffins of American soldiers. With Russell Crowe as the lead investigator and Ridley Scott behind the camera, this true story should be the talk of the town when it’s all said and done. 11/2