Top 20 Most Anticipated of 2011

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is easily the biggest literary sensation since The Da Vinci Code (and it's actually pretty good, too). Add in David Fincher and Daniel Craig, and it's hard to imagine this being anything but great. Dec. 22

The last two Pirates of the Caribbean movies were mediocre, to say the least. For On Stranger Tides, they are going with a smaller budget (more akin to the first Pirates), a new director (Chicago's Rob Marshall) and all new characters, save Johnny Depp's Captain Sparrow and Geoffrey Rush's Barbossa. Hopefully these changes will make On Stranger Tides a highlight of 2011. May 20

I had little interest Cowboys & Aliens until I was blown away by the teaser trailer a few weeks ago. Jon Favreau looks like he's on to something big here, and in a summer stuffed full of sequels and superheroes, a genre-bending movie like this might be just what we need. July 29

It's in vogue to bash the Mission: Impossible franchise, but I find they are consistently entertaining at a minimum. Add director Brad Bird (Ratatouille! The Incredibles!) and new IMF team members Jeremy Renner and Josh Holloway, and this is definitely a must-see (despite it's terrible name). Dec. 16

The Hangover is, by most accounts, one of the funniest movies of the past few years. It's also one of the most successful financially, so there was naturally an urge to fast-track a sequel. For The Hangover Part II, I hope they are able to keep enough of what made the first one work, while at the same time mixing things up enough to make the sequel worthwhile. May 27

I didn't love Deathly Hallows Part 1, but, being familiar with the source material, I'm assuming Part 2 will be much more entertaining. Here's hoping that one of the most successful franchises of all-time ends in the epic, incredible way it ought to. July 15

The first trailer for Green Lantern wasn't that impressive, in my opinion. However, I have faith in Martin Campbell (GoldenEye, Casino Royale), and I think Ryan Reynolds has loads of potential in this role. June 17

Almost nothing is known about the latest J.J. Abrams project. But that makes it more fun, doesn't it? Hopefully this is more like Lost Season One and Star Trek and less like Cloverfield. June 10

With no trailer available, it's hard to tell what to expect from Captain America: The First Avenger. We do know, at least, that it's an origin story set during World War II, it stars the charismatic Chris Evans, and it's part of Marvel's Avengers series. This is really all I need to get excited about Captain America. July 22

Hugo Cabret features a handful of firsts for director Martin Scorsese: it's his first movie geared towards children/families, his first in 3-D, and his first without Leonardo DiCaprio in over ten years. While I obviously wish he would make more movies like Goodfellas and The Departed, this will have to do for now. Dec. 9

There's really been no indication yet that Thor is going to be any good. But it should at least be interesting, thanks to director Kenneth Branaugh and an exciting cast including Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman. May 4

I have a feeling that Horrible Bosses is Summer 2011's Wedding Crashers or The Hangover. It's got the up-and-coming cast (Charlie Day!) along with a darkly comic premise (enraged employees set out to kill their boss). Throw in Jamie Foxx's brilliantly named character (check out the IMDb page) and seven months out this looks like a winner. July 29

I'm expecting Battle: Los Angeles to be what Skyline wasn't -- an intense look at what would happen if aliens invaded West LA. Also, it's tough to go wrong with Aaron Eckhart. March 11

It's really unfortunate that there aren't more baseball movies made (the Hollywood logic is that if a movie can't sell overseas, then it isn't worth making at all); Moneyball is the first major non-comedy baseball offering since 2002's The Rookie. With Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Capote director Bennett Miller, this is definitely a movie to keep an eye on. Sept. 23

I'm a big fan of X2: X-Men United and, to a lesser extent, the first X-Men. Add in Layer Cake director Matthew Vaughn, who flexed his comic-book muscles this year with Kick-Ass, along with a completely new cast and period setting, and this should hopefully be worthwhile. June 3

The first Kung Fu Panda is easily one of DreamWorks Animation's best movies ever, and there clearly seems to be enough material here for at least one strong sequel (but maybe not five, which is what DreamWorks currently has planned). May 27

Cameron Crowe is finally back to work with We Bought a Zoo, which should hopefully be more like Almost Famous or Jerry Maguire and less like his last disaster, Elizabethtown. Dec. 23

30 Minutes or Less is an action comedy from Ruben Fleisher, director of Zombieland, and it stars Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari and Danny McBride. What more do you need to know? Aug. 12

The first trailer makes Rango look like a completely original, genre-bending animated movie, which is something we can't expect from Pixar or DreamWorks this year. March 4

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are great together in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Here's hoping that they can maintain that chemistry even without the involvement of director Edgar Wright. March 18