Winter Movie Preview: The Watch (Cautiously) List

As promised, here are some other films that might pan out that didn’t quite have the chops for my Top 10 list. Check out the trailers below on YouTube and decide for yourself if they should’ve been Top 10 material.

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Leap Year (Jan. 8)

The Word: The impossible-to-dislike-even-slightly Amy Adams stars with handsome Brit Matthew Goode in a film about a girl who travels to Ireland because on Feb. 29 every year leap year, women are encouraged to propose to their boyfriends and Adams’ character is anxious to tie the knot. Why she doesn’t realize her beaux (Adam Scott) is a dick and why this film didn’t come out a little closer to Valentines Day (or on a leap year) is still up in the air.

My Thoughts: Rarely does a Rom Com choose two fresher talents in Adams and Goode instead of actors who guarantee more dollars (although you can make a case Adams is totally read). That alone makes me feel like there are worse romantic comedies to see than this one – in general. (View Trailer)

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The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus (Jan. ?)

The Word: I included this in my Holiday Top 10 but it’s barely been released anywhere so I figured I would give it a shout out here. Terry Gilliam’s mind-bending fantasy about a traveling troupe led by Dr. Parnassus, a man who’s made a couple deals with the devil. This is the legendary last film of Heath Ledger that was completed with the help of Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell.

My Thoughts: Those who saw this film already have said pretty good things, which Terry Gilliam hasn’t heard a lot of lately. It ought to be a pretty mesmerizing film full of visual spectacle and impressive performances from Christopher Plummer as well as Heath and the other boys. If you’re looking for a something imaginative and a little odd this winter, “Parnasssus” could be your ticket. (View Trailer)

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The Lovely Bones (Jan. 15)

The Word: When early reviews didn’t go so well for this film that made most people’s lists of movies to see this Holiday season, Paramount/Dreamworks decided not to let The Lovely Bones get swallowed up with all the popular Holiday releases. They’ll give it a try on Jan. 15 to see if it can win some favor, but most critics who got a chance to see it already have said the visual effects are a bit too much, among other things.

My Thoughts: I’m sure that the film can’t be that bad, but Paramount/Dreamworks’ decision was probably a smart one considering what Avatar and Sherlock Holmes have done to the box office along with The Blind Side and Up in the Air getting the good hype as far as dramas. Most people aware of the movie’s release that read the Alice Sebold book say they’re not sure they even want to see the film based on it dealing with rape. Can’t say I blame them. Then again, there’s lots of good talent around this film, which might make it a standout in a month such as January. (View Trailer)

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Frozen (Feb. 5)

The Word: A situational horror film where a group of friends get stuck on a ski lift when it closes down for the week and they have no way of letting anyone know where they are. Sounds creepy and more like shark horror film Open Water than the popular horror films these days.

My Thoughts: At least this isn’t a dumb slasher horror movie. There’s a very real chance this movie could do to ski lifts what Jaws did to beaches. Good thing I don’t ski. (View Trailer)

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Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (Feb. 12)

The Word: Chris Columbus, director of the first two Harry Potter films, will try and jumpstart a new young adult fantasy book franchise on the big screen with “Percy Jackson,” a story of yet another adolescent boy discovering his destiny – that he’s a demi-god and that he has some important role to play in Greek mythology. Fox has assembled a cool cast including Rosario Dawson, Sean Bean, Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan and Catherine Keener.

My Thoughts: Of all the attempts by studios to find the next book series to become the next Harry Potter franchise, “Percy Jackson” holds the most promise. Obviously if Fox were that confident, it would have released this in a better time slot than Valentines Day, but that doesn’t mean “Lightning Thief” won’t turn out to be a profitable film ranking behind Narnia in terms of book series success on the screen. Plus, it co-stars Alpa Chino, you know, the guy who drinks Booty Sweat. (View Trailer)

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Cop Out (Feb. 26)

The Word: Famous comedic director Kevin Smith directs his first film that he didn’t write, which means either Cop Out could be decent or Smith just really, really needed the cash. This is of course another buddy cop comedy starring the unlikely duo of Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan.

My Thoughts: I think I liked this film better when it was still being called A Couple of Dicks. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. went for something a bit more PC. This could really just be a horrible movie and I’m kind of expecting it to be (Sean William Scott also co-stars), but Smith gives me reason to even post about this film on this blog. (View Trailer)

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Well that’s that. Here’s to you and I getting our money’s worth at the movie theaters these next couple of months. I’ll be bringing you as many reviews as I can, so keep loggin’ on.