Of movies upcoming ... Part II

I realized that some people do stop by this blog from time to time, and a significant number of them (meaning a number greater than the largest non-prime, non-composite natural number) seemed to have expressed interest in a blog I wrote last year in a bit of a juvenile fit (here). In due deference to this blogging trend started last year, here’s my list of movies to watch out for this year. The usual inabilities regarding non-Hollywood movies apply.

1. On the Road – Based on a legendary book of the same name which became THE defining feature of the post-War America generation. The book has the power to provide wings to one’s spirits, and heighten the desire to take the nearest highway out of the city, to anywhere. Arguably the movie is half a century late in coming, but what the hell.
2. Kung Fu Panda 2 – Kung Fu Panda is back. No other description needed.
3. Cars 2 – Pixar is back for its obligatory movie event of the year, quietly flicking off other animation movies out of contention for awesomeness. (Except for maybe…. that’s right, #2) earlier, to which we owe the lexicon of awesomeness)
4. Hangover 2 – In a year littered with sequels (more on this later), this should be a cracker, if the predecessor was anything to go by. Todd Phillips is back with the same team.
5. God of Carnage – Roman Polanski’s next venture, littered with an awesome star cast. The storyline doesn’t sound out-of-the-world, but magic has been independently delivered before by the director and his cast.
6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – I daresay that this could be the most awaited movie of the year. David Fincher is handling the remake of a trilogy (or at any rate, the first book of the trilogy) which has already captured the attention of the reading audience.
7. Rango – The director-actor pair of Gore Verbinski-Johnny Depp is back, but not with another Pirate of the Caribbean movie! This is another of those cutesy animated flicks, but I m hoping that the same witty dialogues and inventive direction should be on display.
8. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – And while we are at it, the long discussed POTC4 is on, later this year. Only, everyone’s different, except Jack Sparrow and his crew. Given that they pretty much pulled the first three movies on their own, maybe we won’t miss anyone.
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Didn’t really need to put this in here. With the series at its end, let’s hope the search for the final horcruxes and beyond is shown true to the books.
10. The Black Hole – This is a bit of dark horse. The only reason I put it here is because I thought Tron:Legacy was visually awesome, and the same director is handling this one. With some extra money available, who knows – this might be another visual marvel.

There is also the customary bunch of superhero and/or sequel/prequel movies (Captain America, Thor, X-men: First Class, Green Lantern, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and so on). Most of them would turn out to be crappy and make pots of money. I will shell out some myself, even though I won’t like a bit of them. Oh well, so much for making these lists!

P.S. - Just came back from seeing 'No One Killed Jessica'. While admittedly a little dramatized, it is one of the better Hindi movies I've seen in a long time. The acting is superb, direction decent, flow of events surprisingly close to reality, story fairly intense, and music absolutely riveting. Recommended watch.