Couldn't decide on ten, but with difficulty could narrow it down to twelve. I particularly feel bad not including the new Conan--but I'm sure you don't need me to tell you about it for you to see it. In Alphabetical Order:
Black Swan--This is a gamble, but writer/director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler)'s bizarre psychological drama about rival ballerinas (that apparently is inspired by Swan Lake) seems so creative it had to get a spot on the list. Featuring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, and Vincent Cassel.
Charlie St. Cloud--A tale of miracles and hope featuring a (surreal?) story of a young man (Zac Efron) torn between a beautiful lady (Amanda Crew) and his deceased brother (Charles Tahan) who he plays ball with every day. Directed by Burr Steers (17 Again) based on the story by Ben Sherwood, this one could actually has potential. It seems original and Sherwood's book is critically acclaimed.
The Company Man--Ben Affleck stars as a man struggling with depression after losing his high-salary job and having to work installing dry-wall with his blue collar brother (Kevin Costner). This movie, written and directed by John Wells (executive producer of TV's ER), could be a valuable and inspirational in this time of economic strife--and maybe even beyond. Also featuring Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Maria Bello.
The Expendables--As long as producer/director/star Sylvester Stallone keeps this from being offensive, the combined talents of action legends Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgreen, Mickey Rourke, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Eric Roberts, Steve Austin, Daved Zayas, Gisele Itie, Charisma Carpenter, Gary Daniels, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Stallone himself could make this on heck of an action film.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest--The finale to the foreign film series based on Steig Larsson's famous book trilogy (beginning, of course, with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), this one is gonna be a doozy. Let's just hope it's good.
Hereafter--Clint Eastwood's sci-fi thriller about the afterlife and death (starring Matt Damon, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Jay Mohr) has both a cool idea and all star team (its writer is Peter Morgan, who did The Queen and Frost/Nixon). This could be the year's best.
It's Kind of a Funny Story--The story of a depressed teen (Keir Gilchrist) who checks himself into an inpatient unit to encounter a zany yet genius doctor (Zack Galifianakis) and a (girl?)friend (Emma Roberts) looks to be truly moving. Directed and written by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who previously collaborated on Half Nelson.
Let Me In--The Swedish film won as much praise as the book it is based on, so the American remake has much potential.
Morning Glory--Writer Aline Brosh McKenna did a great job on Devil Wears Prada, and this film could be just as poignant. Directed by Roger Michell, it features Rachel McAdams as a determined young woman recruiting a disgruntled TV legend (Harrison Ford) to help save an unpopular news show. The trailer was good, the premise has promise...I think this could surprise a lot of people.
Tales from Earthsea--Like his father, Goro Miazaki made a hand-drawn fantasy epic. With it's beautiful imagery and bold style featuring swords and dragons I am thinking this could be powerful, especially since it is loosely based on Ursula K. LeGuin's critically acclaimed children's book series and Goro seems to be taking after his genius father. Released in Japan in 2006, it makes its American debut this year.
The Tree of Life--Badlands director/writer Terrence Mallick film is completed but still largely unknown. What has been heard makes it sound awesome--it has Brad Pitt and Sean Penn in an epic of a young boy growing up in a small town while somewhere we witness the birth of this universe.
True Grit--The Coen Brothers are making another adaption of the book that inspired the John Wayne classic. This one features Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin. I'm thinking it has 100000000000000000000000000000000-1 chances of getting at least a nomination come the Academy Awards.
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