THIS YEAR'S MOVIES, PART THREE

Troubled superhero Smith woos Theron in this long-in-development action comedy, which went through an understandable name change (which also makes it sound more like Smith's hit Hitch). Co-author Gilligan was one of X-Files best writers ("Pusher," "Kitsunegari"), so it's hoped he can work similar magic here.

A family flees disaster, in Shyamalan's first film since Lady in the Water. If nothing else, the score should be terrific.

The pothead heroes of one of the funniest films of the last few years return, with the most borderline-offensive title of the year. The writers of the original turn to directing this time, and Neil Patrick Harris returns as well to work his magic.

Those three cute British kids team up with virtually every great actor in England for the penultimate Potter saga. With Across the Universe cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel on board, it should at least be one of the prettiest Potter films.

What's more surprising than that they'd make a sequel to the well-reviewed but only moderately successful Hellboy is that Danny Elfman would score it (Marco Beltrami scored the original). One can only assume that he really really really wanted to work with del Toro.

Ensemble comedy based on the bestselling advice book, with a pretty damn impressive cast. Kwapis's films range from the charming Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants to the grueling License to Wed, so anything could happen here, but it's nice to have Eidelman sill scoring features.

CGI version of the classic Dr. Seuss story. It's from the company that made the Ice Age films, so it has to be better than Cat in the Hat and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Please?

Faris plays a Playboy bunny who ends up living in a sorority. Fred Wolf is a veteran comedy writer who also directed the recent Strange Wilderness; despite that, they let him direct another film. And who says Hollywood had no heart?

CGI comedy about a mad scientist's assistant who decides it's his time to shine.

The acclaimed playwright and Oscar-winning writer-director of the short Six Shooter makes his feature filmmaking debut with this surprisingly funny and effective (and extremely violent) comedy-thriller about two Irish hitmen biding their time in the titular Belgian city. Gleeson and Fiennes are terrific, and Farrell makes up for his at-times risible work in Cassandra's Dream.

The great French director (Coup de Torchon, Life and Nothing But) takes on James Lee Burke's "Dave Robichaux" mystery novel, with Jones playing the Alec Baldwin role from Heaven's Prisoners.

The filmmakers are apparently pretending the Ang Lee version doesn't exist, despite its $137 mil in U.S. grosses. They've got a really good cast for this one (and the director of the Transporter films), but is there any possible way a Hulk film won't ultimately be silly?

What is there to say, except that the title isn't very good, and this will be the first John Williams/Indiana Jones in 19 years. Oh man...

Thriller about international finance, from the director of Run Lola Run and Perfume.

With an impressive cast, the creator of Swingers, and two of the Oscar-nominated writers of Children of Men, this could be the most interesting superhero movie of the year.

You can pretty much tell exactly what this is from the title, though from the trailer I thought it was going to be a feature version of Land of the Lost.

Anakin Sykwalker and Billy Elliot have the ability to teleport, and Mace Windu tries to stop them. Or help them. Or something. The director of The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith has apparently decided he's tired of working with big stars, and though the first trailer for this looked pretty adolescent, the second trailer is an improvement. If nothing else, a new John Powell action score should be a kick.

If you're wondering why Topher Grace would follow up the likes of Traffic and Spider-Man 3 with this youth comedy, the fact that he co-wrote and exec produced the film might be significant. The director previously made the British DJ comedy It's All Gone Pete Tong.

Filmed in late 2005/early 2006, this Elmore Leonard adaptation may finally reach the screen this year. This is the first Madden film since 1994's Golden Gate (scored by Elliot Goldenthal) that wasn't scored by Stephen Warbeck.
POSTPONED FROM LAST YEAR, AND FROM THE YEAR BEFORE

The Oscar-nominated young actress from Little Miss Sunshine gets her own starring vehicle, a Depression-era story based on a doll (and a series of books) and, oddly enough, from the director of Mansfield Park and I've Heard the Mermaids Singing.

CGI feature about a Panda who...well, I think you can figure it out.

Acclaimed filmmaker/playwright LaBute directed this odd twist on Unfaithful Entry, about an interracial couple harassed by a racist black cop. There'll be something uncomfortable for everyone.

A romantic film featuring people who are actually over the age of 40; is this a sign of the coming Apocalypse?

Clooney directs his first film since Good Night, and Good Luck, this time with less Oscar-licious subject matter -- a period comedy about the early days of professional football.

Horner reunites with House of Sand and Fog director Perelman for this drama about a woman (Thurman) who survived a Columbine-style school shooting in her youth, with Wood as her younger self.

Two of America's greatest actors are joined by one of America's most entertainingly strange actors as museum guards who plot to rob their former employer of the artworks they've grown attached to. This is officially Marcia Gay Harden's one thousandth movie appearance in the last year -- congratulations, Marcia Gay!

Myers returns to the screen as a self-help guru aiding a hockey player. It may not be Austin Powers 4, but at least it's not Cat in the Hat 2, and Myers usually has a pretty good sense about creating his own characters. But can we please have Austin Powers 4 next?

Comedy-drama about three Iraq War vets, from the writer of Fierce People and the writer-director of The Illusionist.

Just a note: In your D-G section, you forgot to mention THE DAYBREAKERS, starring several people (incl. Ethan Hawke and Willem Defoe) and scored by Australian composer Christopher Gordon (On the Beach, Moby Dick, Master and Commander).

Thanks for the heads-up:

DAYBREAKERS
COMPOSER: Christopher Gordon
WRITERS: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
DIRECTORS: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
CAST: Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill

Futuristic vampire story from the makers of the Australian horror-comedy Undead, with a surprisingly classy cast.

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