Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2006

So now that you know what my favorite movies were this year, what am I looking forward to for next year? You might want to grab a pen, because these are 10 films you are not going to want to miss (Angry Talkbacker takes no responsibility for movies that should be cool and end up sucking).

10 The Da Vinci Code
As of right now I know nothing about this movie beyond the basic premise and the fantastic team they have working on it (director: Ron Howard, stars: Tom Hanks, Amelie Tautou, Ian McKellan). I also know that it’s based on the most popular book of the century not starring a boy wizard, but I’m hoping to find out as little else as I can before it hits theaters in May.

9 Sin City 2
It’s not often you see a sequel released the year after the original, but if anyone can do it, it’s the fastest man in Hollywood: Robert Rodriguez (with 2 films in between no less). Like the first one, I know pretty much the whole thing going in, but hopefully there are still a few surprises in store. If nothing else, I just want to see another beautiful picture in glorious black and white with splashes of red in all the right (and wrong) places.

8 300
300 is another Frank Miller adaptation (like the aforementioned Sin City), this time set in ancient Greece. The film is being directed by Dawn of the Dead helmer, Zack Snyder and is being shot in a style similar to that other Frank Miller movie. I doubt it will top Sin City, but I’m intrigued to see how they use the techniques developed there, as I think there will be quite a future with filmmaking of this type. Plus it’s got a great story to work from.

7 The Departed
Martin Scorcese’s latest marks his return to the gangster genre with a cast that just screams all-star (Leonardo Dicaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, and Jack Nicholson among others). Over the past year I’ve become a big Scorcese fan, and I’m hoping that this one finally gets him that statue he’s more than earned.

6 V for Vendetta
I was skeptical about this one at first since past adaptations of Alan Moore’s work has been beyond abysmal (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell), but the early word on V has been ecstatic. By all accounts, first time director James McTeigue and the Wachowski Brothers (officially listed as producers, but rumored to be taking a very active part in production) hit this one out of the park. This is going to be a political firebomb when it’s released, and will be the topic of endless debate, and I for one can’t wait.

5 Grind House
This is actually 2 short horror films directed by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez (think Four Rooms meets From Dusk Till Dawn) with several fake trailers in between. What the final product is gonna look like is anyone’s guess, but any new material from QT (not counting that “presented by” crap) always has me excited.

4 Southland Tales
This is the second film from Donnie Darko director, Richard Kelly. I have no idea what it’s about (despite my best efforts to find out), and it seems that no one else does either. That shouldn’t sound too surprising to anyone who’s seen Donnie Darko though as Kelly’s work defies any description. It seems that Kelly has gone out of his way to cast actors against type in this film (The Rock, Sean William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar, the list goes on), so I expect a lot of people will dismiss this one outright when they see who’s in it. From what I’ve heard from people who read the script however, this will be one of the most revolutionary films to come out of Hollywood in years. Or it could just be a big mess, I’ll be eager to find out either way.

3 Zodiac
Director David Fincher’s first film since Panic Room sees him return to the subject of serial killers. Fincher’s last foray into that subject matter, Se7en is one of my favorite films ever, and supposedly this one makes that movie look like a bucket of sunshine and kisses, which makes my head spin just thinking about it. It also sports a great cast that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo.

2 X3
OK, so the buzz on this one has not been the greatest, but it’s X-Men dammit. Of course it’s gonna be high on my list. Despite reservations regarding the director and script, we already know we’re starting out with a dead-on perfect cast, and I for one thought the trailer that was recently released looked awesome. Besides, we’re getting Beast and Dark Phoenix. How cool is that?

1 Superman Returns
A quick tally shows that 5 of this top 10 represent adaptations of comic books, so was it any surprise that this would top the list? Watchmen aside, this represents the holy grail of super-hero movies. Sure we’ve already had 4 Superman movies (including 2 great ones), but this is the first movie in the era of modern blockbuster filmmaking to star the greatest pop culture icon of all time. Not only that, but we have the director of arguably the best super-hero movie ever at the helm in Bryan Singer. Add that to the fact that they seemingly read the collective fandom’s minds with the casting of an unknown in the role of Clark and Kevin Spacey as criminal mastermind, Lex Luthor, and you have a recipe for a film that seems destined to make the list of all-time top grossing movies.