Listosaurus Rex

The guys over at filmschoolrejects.com have put together a list of the twenty films to most look forward to this year.

Here is their top ten:

1. The Dark Knight
2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
3. Zack and Miri Make a Porno
4. Iron Man
5. Cloverfield
6. Wall-E
7. Star Trek
8. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
9. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
10. Hellboy II: The Golden Army

They would have been mad not to put The Dark Knight, sequel to the phenomenal Batman Begins and featuring a psychotic-looking Heath Ledger as Joker, at #1, even though I don’t think it will be the best movie of the year. Nope, I think his #6 pick, Wall-E, Pixar’s next movie, will be the best movie of the year. I am somewhat of a Pixar fan boy, mind you, but I really think Wall-E will be their magnum opus. Pixar’s other movies feature creative and touching scenarios — toys that can talk and have their own little world, a rat that is really a great chef, a lonely clownfish losing his son in the vast ocean, a former superhero going through a middle-age crisis — but Wall-E tops them all: The last robot on Earth is spending eternity at Earth in a junk yard, crushing metal into cubes, before he’s greeted by some extra-terrestrial visitors.

Back to the list: The world is certainly looking forward to the fourth Indiana Jones movie, as the first three are some of the most exciting films ever made. Rumor has it that this one will have more of a campy sci-fi feel to it than previous ones, which should make for some spectacular visuals and exciting cinema.

After that, though, it quickly becomes obvious that 2008 will not be full of as many high-profile sequels as last year. Though this makes the headlines a little bit less exciting, I’m ready for this change. I want to fall in love with a movie I have little expectation for, rather than be constantly disappointed by a movie not living up to the original. Rarely are blockbuster sequels better than the originals. Terminator 2, The Empire Strikes Back, Spider-Man 2, that’s about it.

Iron Man looks to be an excellent Marvel super-hero movie, with one of the coolest trailers around. Cloverfield aims at being this year’s Blair Witch Project, except scarier and deeper. Stoner comedy stars Harold and Kumar need another good movie after their first one was such a hit. Hellboy, work of visual maestro Guillermo del Toro, was decent, and looks to up the ante this time around. The first Chronicles of Narnia was a respectable cinematic translation of the classic children’s book series, but nothing to write home about.

Two movies on the top ten I’m particularly curious about are Star Trek and Zack and Miri. With plenty of franchises seeing grittier, darker, more character-based rebirths (Batman, Bond), it’ll be interesting to see how this Star Trek movie plays out. It could have the potential to convert a lot of casual viewers to the historically nerd-based world of Star Trek.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno, despite its off-setting name, has the potential to be an awkward but warm comedy from director Kevin Smith of Clerks fame. It’s about two people who decide to set up an adult film studio together. I get the feeling it’s going to be something like Little Miss Sunshine but with fewer characters and less cross-country VW Bus riding.

But this is the sort of year when a dark horse could pop out of nowhere and be the big hit of the year, thanks to the lack of big-name sequels headed our way.

What movies are you most looking forward to this year?

Don’t forget to check out the original list, he’s got plenty of good stuff to say.