2010 was another year full of memorable films and performances. It was also a summer of disappointing blockbusters and sequels. Toy Story 3 and Inception saved the summer from being a complete waste of time. 2011 is another jam packed year, with plenty of franchise sequels and blockbusters. As always, many of the films that will fill our Top 10 lists next year are coming out in the fall. There may not be a lot of information on them yet, so this preview will be heavy on films that are releasing in spring or summer. The way the system works, the films that are on your radar are only there most of the time because of big names involved, studios, etc. One of the things I love about movies is that so often the ones that aren’t on your radar are some of the best of the year, but since those aren’t on my radar yet, let’s take a look at some that are. 2011. Go!

Battle: Los Angeles (March 11)
Director: Jonathan Liebsman
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez

This film flew under almost everybody’s radar until the trailer was released. The scale of some of the actions scenes are absolutely enormous. Not a lot is know about the plot at this point, other than there are aliens fighting soldiers and lots and lots of explosions. As long as the aliens aren’t destroyed by germs or a computer virus, this could be an interesting film.

Paul (March 18)
Director: Greg Mottola
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogan, Jason Bateman, lots more.

Anything with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost is immediately a must see, even if it’s not directed by Edgar Wright. This time, Pegg and Frost are under the direction of Greg Mottola, who directed Superbad and Adventureland. The film follows two comic book geeks (Pegg and Frost) on a road trip across America. Along the way, they cross paths with an alien (voiced by Seth Rogan) and chaos follows. With all the talent involved, there are high hopes for this comedy.

Source Code (April 1)
Director: Duncan Jones
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright

The second feature film from Duncan Jones, director of one of my favorite films of 2009, Moon. After seeing Moon, Jones immediately became a director to watch for me. The story is about a soldier (Gyllenhaal) who wakes up in the body of an unknown man and discovers he’s part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. He is able to take over the identity of a passenger for the last 8 minutes of their life as he pieces together clues to figure out what happened.

Your Highness (April 8 )
Director: David Gordon Green
Starring: Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel

Danny McBride and James Franco are joining up with director David Gordon Green, who they worked with on Pineapple Express, an action comedy that I thought did both genres extremely well. This film seems to be in the same vein. A medieval fantasy tale that follows Prince Fabious’s (Franco) bride is kidnapped, he goes on a quest to rescue her accompanied by his lazy useless brother Thadeous (McBride). It looks like a good time at the movies with some great talent involved.

Thor (May 6)
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins

I’ll be the first to admit that after seeing the trailer for Thor, it is not high on my list of films to see. A lot of Marvel’s comic book films have been hit or miss, with only a few standing out and I have a feeling based on the trailer that this will not be the latter. I thought the same thing of Iron Man, though, so what do I know? The story follows the warrior Thor who is cast out of Asgard to Earth after his actions reignite an ancient war. Once on Earth, he becomes one of Earth’s protectors as Asgard’s most dangerous villain invades Earth.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May 20)
Director: Rob Marshall
Starring: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane

I am in the minority on this, but I liked the Pirates sequels, despite being nowhere near as good as the original. If you remove the first sequence of Dead Man’s Chest, which has no point whatsoever, I liked where they took the story and I had fun watching them. What else could I ask for? Jack Sparrow is back this time with an even greater cast. Captain Jack and Barbossa are on a quest to find the Fountain of Youth, and in an inspired piece of casting, Ian McShane as Blackbeard is on the trail too. No one is expecting an award-worth masterpiece of filmmaking, just a good time at the theater, and that’s what it looks like it will be.

The Hangover Part II (May 26)
Director: Todd Phillips
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis

The Hangover was one of the biggest comedies in recent years, so no one was surprised when they announced a sequel. The story for this one follows the gang as they head to Bangkok for Stu’s wedding. The first one was hilarious and hugely successful. Based on the success of the first film, you know this one is going to be successful too. Will it be funny? With all of the main cast returning, it’s hard to imagine it not being funny. Recapturing what made the original film great is a tough task, though, and something I hope director Todd Philips is able to accomplish.

The Tree of Life (May 27)
Director: Terrence Malick
Starring: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain

It’s been 6 years since Terrence Malick has made a film, that was 2005′s The New World. Not much is known about the story, other than it follows a family in the 1950s with three boys, one of which we follow in the modern world. The trailer looks fascinating to me and it might be a nice film to see while there’s nothing but blockbusters at the theater.

X-Men: First Class (June 3)
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, January Jones, Kevin Bacon

Up until I saw the trailer, I was not at all looking forward to this. It’s strange how much two minutes of footage can change your mind about a film. We all know how Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr were once close friends before the days of the X-Men. This film, taking place in the 1960s, follows the two friends and the events that lead to the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood, and the X-Men. After the horrendous third X-Men film and the even worse Wolverine film, I had a hard time thinking they could right the ship. Matthew Vaughn is a talented director and from the looks of the trailer, it feels a lot more like the first two X-Men films, which are among my favorite comic book films.

Super 8 (June 10)
Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Noah Emmerich

Really, there’s only one thing you need to know about Super 8 that will make you want to see it: J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg. Other than that, there’s not a lot of information here other than that it will be set in the 1970s and it will take its inspiration from Spielberg’s early science fiction films of the 70s and 80s. That’s all I need to hear.

Cars 2 (June 24)
Director: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft
Starring: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine

If any studio deserves the benefit of the doubt, it is Pixar. But I really don’t know about this one. I liked Cars, but it is my least favorite Pixar film. Even when they announced it, I wasn’t too sure about it, but after seeing the trailer I really can’t wrap my head around what they’re doing. Based on Pixar’s track record, I will give it a shot. My expectations are not very high, though.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (July 1)
Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, John Malkovich, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

The first Transformers film was not a masterpiece of filmmaking by any stretch of the imagination, but it was entertaining. Revenge of the Fallen was terrible. Everyone knew it, even Michael Bay and Shia LaBeouf. So they’ve set out to make up for the previous film in their last outing with Transformers. The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the Moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it and learn its secrets, which could turn the tide in the Transformers’ final battle. Expect lots of action and explosions. Dark of the Moon already has an advantage over the two previous films: no Megan Fox.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (July 15)
Director: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman

I talked about this movie a bit in my Harry Potter Retrospective and my excitement has not dwindled. The final film of this fabulous franchise is going to be epic. Anyone who has read the books knows what is coming, and for those who haven’t, you’re in for a real treat.

Cowboys & Aliens (July 29)
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell

I’m having a tough time getting on board with this film based on the trailer, but with all the talent involved, it’s hard not to take notice. With the incredible list of writers attached to the project, directed by Jon Favreau, I think the end result could be better than anticipated.

The Muppets (November 23)
Director: James Bobin
Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Zach Galifianakis, too many others to name

It’s the Muppets. What’s not to like? The story follows Kermit and friends as they put on a show to save their old theater. Most people grew up on the Muppets, and it’s been over a decade since we’ve seen a Muppet film on the big screen (Muppets From Space, 1999). With the incredible cast involved, including self-described Muppet nerd Jason Segel, I hope it’s great. Did I mention Muppets? It’s the freakin’ Muppets! You know you want to see it.

Huge Cabret (December 9)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Chloe Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jude Law, Christopher Lee

Anytime Martin Scorsese’s name is attached to direct, it’s always a must-see. This film is based on the popular children’s tale The Invention of Huge Cabret. The story follows a 12-year-old orphan who lives in the walls of a Paris train station in 1930 and a mystery involving the boy, his late father and a robot. This is Scorsese’s first attempt at a film shot in 3D. If anyone can do it properly, it’s Martin Scorsese.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (December 16)
Director: Brad Bird
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to decide whether or not to see this movie in December. Personally, seeing Brad Bird get his crack at directing a live-action film is reason enough to see it, plus is Mission: Impossible. Not much is know about the movie right now. We do know that there will be a scene where Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt hangs off of a ridiculously tall building, as Cruise himself did the stunt work on a building in Dubai. This series has always been a fun series to watch, even Mission: Impossible 2, which is really only a Mission film in name. The word on the street is that this film is being viewed as a somewhat of a reboot of the franchise, with Jeremy Renner taking over any subsequent films.

Sherlock Holmes 2 (December 16)
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris

The first Sherlock Holmes film was a good, but flawed entry in the Sherlock Holmes series. Film number two follows Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson join as they join forces to outwit and bring down their fiercest adversary, Professor Moriarty, who appeared briefly in the first film. Anyone who knows anything about Sherlock Holmes knows that Moriarty is the primary antagonist of the series, and a criminal mastermind. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for this film.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (December 21)
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig, Stellan Skarsgård

Stieg Larsson’s Millenium trilogy has been talked about ad nauseam for a long time, and the Swedish film trilogy is already complete. Now it is finally time for the American adaptation, and who better than David Fincher to be the man behind the camera? The story focuses on Michael Blomkvist, a disgraced journalist, and Lisbeth Salander, an underage private investigator hired to look into Blomkvist’s past. With the talent behind and in front of the camera, look for this to be an early awards contender.