The Movie Picks of 2009

2009 has dawned upon us, and you know what that means… Yep, new movies throughout the year. Once again, Hollywood’s going to be slamming us with tons of new films each month; from new flicks, to sequels, to remakes of old films. So what’s going to be worth watching? Here’s a new list of what could be some of 2009’s big hits at the box office.

January

• Paul Blart: Mall Cop: Kevin James stars as the title character, a clumsy mall security guard who must deal with a hostage situation at the local mall. This could be a fun spoof of action films for those looking for a quick, good laugh. (Jan 16)
• Notorius: A biographical film about the life of rap star the Notorious B.I.G. Fans of the late musician, and of musical biopics like “Ray” and “Walk the Line” in general, will be interested in this movie, produced by his former manager Sean “Diddy” Combs and his mother Voletta Wallace, who appear in the movie played by Derek Luke and Angela Bassett, respectively. (Jan 16)
• Hotel for Dogs: A pair of orphaned siblings and their friends turn a closed hotel into a home for stray dogs. Based on the novel by Lois Duncan, what could be a cute, fun film for the whole family. (Jan 16)
• Underworld: Rise of the Lycans: The latest film in the “Underworld” series, which chronicles a war between clans of vampires and lycans (werewolves), is a prequel revealing the events that led to the war. Bill Nighy and Michael Sheen reprise their respective roles of vampire leader Viktor and lycan leader Lucian from the first film, though speculation remains if Kate Beckinsale will back as the tough and sexy Selene. (Jan 23)

February

• Coraline: Young Coraline discovers a parallel world that looks like an ideal version of her dull life, but must later escape when she discovers its not what she thinks it is. Based on Neil Gaiman’s novella, the stop-motion animation effects will appeal to fans of Tim Burton. (Feb 6)
• Fanboys: In 1998, a group of “Star Wars” fans decide to break into the Skywalker Ranch and steal a copy of “The Phantom Menace” before its release so that their friend, who is dying of cancer, can see it before his death. While obviously appealing to “Star Wars” fans, others may be brought in by the touching plot. (Feb 6)
• Friday the 13th: The latest horror franchise reboot borrows elements from the first three original films, with the focus on infamous hockey masked-killer Jason right from the start. Marcus Nispel, who directed the successful remake of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, directs the new version, which features “Supernatural” star Jared Padalecki as main character Clay, who is searching for his missing sister. (Feb 13)

March

• Watchmen: The long-anticipated adaptation of the greatest graphic novel of all time, about a group of outlawed superheroes in an alternate 1985 world investigating the murder of one of their own and discovering an even more sinister plot. A lawsuit from 20th Century Fox to block the film’s release over alleged copyright infringement doesn’t seem to be downing interest in the film or its release. (Mar 6)
• Monsters vs. Aliens: When a UFO full of aliens appears and demands that the Earth be turned over to them, the military decides to use a group of “monsters” - including a 50-foot woman, an insect-headed mad scientist, a living gelatinous blob and a giant fuzzy bug - to fight them. The first CGI-animated film shot in 3-D and a fun take on the sci-fi films of old. (Mar 27)

April

• Fast & Furious: Fugitive street racer Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and ex-cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) are reunited and forced to work together to take down a common enemy. The latest in the Fast and the Furious series (set between the second and third), the return of original star Diesel should help bring in viewers. (April 3)
• Dragonball: Evolution: The live-action adaptation of the hit manga and anime Dragon Ball features young Goku (Justin Chatwin) battling the evil Lord Piccolo (James Marsters) over the powerful, wish-granting dragonballs. The film was pushed back from it’s original August, 2008 release to allow more time for work on the film, though the negative reaction and success of Speed Racer could play a factor. (April 6)

May

• X-Men Origins: Wolverine: The first of a series of prequels to the hit X-Men franchise focuses on the history of the clawed mutant (Hugh Jackman) as he seeks revenge against the villainous Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber) for the murder of his lover. Jackman returns to the role that made him a star for the film fans have been clamoring for since the first X-Men. (May 1)
• Star Trek: J.J. Abrams’ reboot of the hit franchise features the characters of the original series played by a new cast (Chris Pine as Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock, for example) in their early days as they battle a group of time traveling Romulans who are trying to change history. The film is still highly anticipated despite the pushing back from its original Christmas, 2008 release. (May
• Angels & Demons: Prequel to The Da Vinci Code, in which Robert Langdon discovers a plot by the Illuminati Society to destroy St. Peter’s Basilica while investigating a bizarre murder. Based on Dan Brown’s book and starring Tom Hanks, a definite hit for fans of the book and author. (May 15)
• Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian: The action moves to the Smithsonian, with pieces such as Amelia Earhart’s plane, Al Capone’s rap sheet and Archie Bunker’s chair coming to life. More family fun for fans of the first film, with Ben Stiller and Robin Williams returning to star with Amy Adams and villain Hank Azaria. (May 22)
• Terminator Salvation: Set in the future following the supercomputer Skynet’s attempt to wipe out mankind, the fourth film in the series focuses on John Connor’s (Christian Bale) rise as the leader of the resistance against the machines. The new film also features a young Kyle Reese (hero of the first film and Connor’s father) and a Model 101 T-800 played by someone other than Arnold Schwarzenegger. (May 22)

June

• Land of the Lost: Film version of the 1974 TV series about a group of people who find themselves in a parallel world filled with dinosaurs, monkey people and the vicious reptilian Sleestaks. Will Ferrell stars in the film version of the cult classic, and one has to wonder what the Sleestaks will look like with today’s CGI effects. (June 5)
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Optimus Prime and the Autobots return to continue their war with the evil Decepticons, as human ally Sam (Shia LaBeouf) makes a discovery about the origins of the Transformers. Directed by Michael Bay, the anticipated sequel is set to feature more robots, including the female Arcee and the combining Constructicons. (June 26)

July

• Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: The third film in the hit CGI-animated series finds the mis-matched herd of prehistoric animals coming across a group of dinosaurs who survived extinction. Lots of laughs and adventure to be had for the whole family. (July 1)
• 2012: When the world is devastated by an apocalyptic disaster as prophesied by the Mayan calendar in the year 2012, survivors (including John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Danny Glover and Woody Harrelson) struggle for their lives. The latest sci-fi, special effects-laden epic from director Roland Emmerich. (July 10)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The film version of book 6 finds young Harry searching Voldemort’s past to learn how to defeat him while dealing with girl problems and trying to uncover the identity of the mysterious “Half-Blood Prince”. Expect a strong following despite negative reaction to the decision to push the film’s release back to summer rather than its original November, 2008 date. (July 17)

August

• G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra: Stephen Sommers directs the film adaptation of the hit toyline, which features the origins of both the G.I. Joe team and the terrorist organization Cobra. The success of Transformers gives high hopes for this film, and the casting of Ray Park as fan-favorite character Snake-Eyes already has fans jumping. (Aug 7)

September

• WHITEOUT: Based on the graphic novel, a U.S. Marshall (Kate Beckinsale) has three days to solve a murder in Antarctica before the winter season begins. The unique plot and the casting of Beckinsale (as well as Spirit star Gabriel Macht) should make for an interesting film. (Sept 11)
• Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs: Animated film version of the popular children’s book about a town whose weather comes in the form of food and drink that feeds them, but soon goes bad on them. The movie tells the origins of the town’s weather, as well as parody disaster movies like Twister and The Day After Tomorrow. (Sept 18)

October

• Ashecliffe: While investigating the disappearance of an inmate from a Massachusetts mental hospital, two U.S. Marshals became trapped by an inmate riot and a hurricane. The latest thriller from Martin Scorsese, based on the novel Shutter IslandOct 2) by Dennis Lehane. (
• Where the Wild Things Are: Based on the hit children’s book about Max, a boy sent to bed without supper who journeys to a world filled with monsters who are wild as he is. Originally set for release last year, the film was said to be completely reshot to director Spike Jonze’s satisfaction but seems to be back on track. (Oct 16)
• Astro Boy: CGI-film adaptation of the long-time hit manga and anime series about a boy robot trying to find his place in the world while fighting evil. A long-awaited film finally arriving after years in development hell. (Oct 23)
• Saw VI: The latest installment in the hit horror series featuring more traps and mind-games from the devious Jigsaw while revealing more of his past and just what was in the package ex-wife Jill received in Saw V. As they say, it’s not Halloween without Saw, in what could be the final film of the series. (Oct 23)

November

• The Wolfman: Remake of the 1941 horror classic about Lawrence Talbot (Benicio del Toro), who becomes a murderous monster after being bitten by a werewolf. Other cast members include Anthony Hopkins as Talbot’s father and Hugo Weaving as the detective investigating the murders committed by Talbot in his transformed state. (Nov 6)
• A Christmas Carol: Robert Zemeckis directs this latest version of Charles Dickens’ classic novel about miserable miser Ebenezer Scrooge who receives a visit from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet-to-Come (Jim Carrey in all four roles), who take him through his life on a path of redemption. Gary Oldman also stars as Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim and Jacob Marley. (Nov 6)
• Sherlock Holmes: Robert Downey, Jr. stars as the title character, where he and Dr. Watson (Jude Law) race to stop a conspiracy to destroy Britain. Downey’s success in Iron Man could help make the film, said to reinvent the franchise and character in the same manner as Batman Begins, a hit. (Nov 20)

December

• The Lovely Bones: After her brutal murder, a woman observes both her family and her killer from Heaven and must choose between revenge on her killer and helping her family recover their loss. Based on Alice Sebold’s best selling novel and directed by Peter Jackson. (Dec 11)
• Avatar: James Cameron’s first original film since Titanic, about an ex-marine who undergoes an experiment to become an avatar, controlling a genetically-engineered body on an alien world. The film already has some notoriety in being the reason for Cameron’s delay in working on the live-action version of Battle Angel Alita, but should still be sure to draw sci-fi fans. (Dec 18)
• Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakuel: Alvin, Simon and Theodore deal with having to go to school and new singing rivals, the Chipettes. Sequel to the live-action film starring Jason Lee with family fun just in time for Christmas. (Dec 25)