As movie years go, 2010 is looking a bit different. And that should be a good thing.
Sure there are the standard parade of sequels, remakes, fantasies and action flicks. But in February and March, there are films by directors Martin Scorsese, Tim Burton and Paul Greengrass, people who don’t usually pop up so early.
By summer, of course, the blockbusters will be rolling. But getting from here to there may be more interesting this year. Here are 10 upcoming films to keep an eye on:
“Valentine’s Day” (Feb. 12):Couples make up and break up in response to the high-pressure romantic holiday in this Garry Marshall film that stars just about everybody in the phone book — Julia Roberts, Jennifer Garner, Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway, Patrick Dempsey, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift, Queen Latifah.
“Shutter Island” (Feb. 19): Yes, it got moved here from October, taking it out of the Oscar race. Yes, the trailer is a bit … odd. But this is director Martin Scorsese reuniting with Leonardo DiCaprio for another adaptation of a Dennis Lehane novel, featuring a brilliant supporting cast. That ain’t chopped liver.
“Alice in Wonderland” (March 5): Director Tim Burton tackles the classic with fave actor Johnny Depp in the role of the Mad Hatter.
If ever the visual sense of Burton seemed matched to classic material, it’s here.
“Green Zone” (March 12): Innovative director Paul Greengrass (the “Bourne” sequels, “United 93”) guides Matt Damon through this story of an Army officer who uncovers bad intelligence while searching for weapons of mass destruction early in the Iraq War.
“Date Night” (April 9): Tina Fey and Steve Carell play a dull married couple whose night out turns into a dangerous adventure. The supporting cast: Mark Wahlberg, Taraji P. Henson, Mark Ruffalo, Ray Liotta, Common, Mila Kunis, James Franco and Kristen Wiig!
“Iron Man 2” (May 7): Who ever thought fabled bad boys Robert Downey Jr. and Mickey Rourke would live long enough to be doing an action flick together at this late date? Downey reprises his robotic hero, Rourke is Russian villain Whiplash, and Scarlett Johansson pops up as Black Widow.
“Sex and the City 2” (May 28): May is always sequel time (“Shrek Forever After” opens May 21), so it’s natural that the ladies of “Sex” should show up here. Somehow Miley Cyrus, Liza Minnelli and Penelope Cruz (reaching way down) show up here.
“Toy Story 3” (June 18): The classic Pixar cast led by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen return in what should be one of the biggest movies of the year. This time, all of Andy’s toy box buddies find themselves dumped in a day-care center after he goes off to college.
“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” (July 2): Love it or hate it, there’s no chance you’ll be able to avoid the third installment in the “Twilight” series, which should feature a lot more action and a lot less talk as the good vamps and the werewolves team up to fight an army of bad bloodsuckers out to get Bella (Kristen Stewart).
“Salt” (July 23): Angelina Jolie gets her action back on with this story of a CIA officer on the run after she’s accused of being a Russian spy.
