Preview of 2010

Well, it’s the New Year and the film studios are all locked and loaded to blast us into 2010 with an array of sequels, re-inventions and new ideas to keep your eyes and ears entertained and the A team are back – what more can you wish for?

Continuing an ever present trend within Hollywood, studios have returned to old franchises to ensure big box office returns rather than narrative purposes. Here’s looking at you Shrek Forever After. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas return for one last adventure in eye popping 3D. It seems to have an interesting story and looks set to be an improvement upon the travesty that was Shrek the Third. However, more importantly, there is the long awaited Toy Story 3 creating extremely high buzz, especially with me, with the regular cast present with the additions of Timothy Dalton and Michael Keaton boosting the stellar cast, this could be amazing. There is also part one of the finale of the Harry Potter series which will be a huge success and will feature old favourites and much more of Severus Snape which can only be a good thing.

Looking outside the children’s market, there is the return of Robert Downey Jr in Iron Man 2 where he faces the rejuvenated Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson which looks sets to be a really cool and fun summer blockbuster. Furthermore, there is the return of the third Twilight film, Eclipse. Add the following factors and work out whether this will be a success or not. Eclipse is the most popular book, New Moon grossed over $650 million dollars, Robert Pattison is back, all form of upper body clothing has disappeared- basically, Eclipse will be huge. Sex and the City 2 is also released with the return of the girls and designer labels en masse, so if glitz and glamour is your thing, this is for you. Sadly it’s not for me. Nor ever will be.

A further revelation throughout 2010 is the revival of 80’s films with Oliver Stone revisiting the topical Wall Street following the economic crisis of the last few years. Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps stars Shia Laboeuf and Michael Douglas returns as Gordon Gekko and personally here’s to hoping Stone returns to form after the sleep inducing W and melodramatic World Trade Center. Nightmare on Elm Street, Predators and the Karate Kid also resurface making the Eighties the hot decade for Hollywood. This is epitomised in the big screen appearance of the A-Team. Yes, the theme tune has just gone off in your head. The cast stars Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley, Liam Neeson and, UFC fighter Quinton Jackson who will don the bling to become B.A Baracus. Sadly, rumours of a cameo from Mr. T have have been dismissed. Bad times.

However, Hollywood has not limited themselves to the Eighties in their quest for successful remakes with Louis Letterier remaking Ray Harryhausen stop motion Clash of the Titans, with man of 2009 Sam Worthington taking the title role. Furthermore, Tim Burton reunites with Johnny Depp to make his version of Alice in Wonderland with unknown Mia Wasikowska taking the lead role of Alice with a wealth of British talent starring such as Stephen Fry, Alan Rickman and Michael Sheen.

Nevertheless, 2010 seems to have a funny bone with Matthew Vaughn’s Kick Ass blasting onto our screens with Nicholas Cage and Christopher Mintz-Passe, better known as McLovin, about a teenager who decides to become a superhero. After receiving a standing ovation at Sundance and stars 12 year old Chloe Moretz as Hit-Girl who will just make you feel just inadequate due to how cool she is. Another Sundance hit, I Love You Phillip Morris, with Jim Carrey changing from a married Christian man into a homosexual and becoming a con man (not saying that the two factors are related!) ending up in jail and meeting Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). Furthermore, there is Get Him to the Greek with Russell Brand reprising his role from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Cemetery Junction with Ricky Gervais and action comedy Knight and Day with Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise.

2010 plays host to numerous amazing prospects, most importantly, Inception. This film is shrowded in mystery and directed by Christopher Nolan with an all star cast led by Leonardo DiCaprio. With a tagline, “your mind is the scene of the crime”, you know will be in for something strange and like nothing else this year.