By Rosheen Fatima

Always on the look-out for a good film, Rosheen Fatima checks out next year’s flicks and brings you her top five plus one

2009 was a year for sequels and big budget films, with only a few indies and lower budget films getting any mention at all. 2010 seems set to be a year for the fantasy, for those films that are unreal, mystical and otherworldly. There will still be the big-budget commercial fare, but let’s not talk about those. Here are some of the more promising ones, half of which will definitely come here, and the other half? Well, you’ll just have to keep reading every month to find out.

Definitely coming to Malaysia
The Wolfman
Who’s in it:
The film stars Benicio del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving and Geraldine Chaplin.

Why we want to watch it:
Five words; Hopkins, Del Toro, horror film. If that is not enough reason to buy a ticket, I don’t know what is. The film is a remake of the cult 1941 film ‘The Wolfman’.

What it’s about:
Del Toro plays a nobleman who is haunted by his past and returns to his village of Blackmoore after being tracked down by his brother’s fiancée to help track down his brother, who has disappeared without trace. Reuniting with his estranged father, he uncovers an ancient curse and discovers that something with brute strength and an unquenchable thirst for blood has been killing the villagers.

Tentative release date:
February 11

Alice in Wonderland
Who’s in it:
Directed by Tim Burton, this film stars Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Matt Lucas (aka Vicky Pollard from ‘Little Britain’), Alan Rickman and Stephen Fry. Also, there will be cameos by the children of Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter.

Why we want to watch it:
An extension of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ and ‘Through the Looking Glass’ by Lewis Carroll, the film is the perfect vehicle for Tim Burton. Imagine these beloved characters from our childhood, coming to life on screen after being Burton-ised. Just gives you chills doesn’t it?

What it’s about:
The film sees a 19-year-old Alice attending a party at a Victorian estate only to find that her suitor plans to propose to her in front of the partygoers. She runs away only to follow a white rabbit into a rabbit hole and ends up in Wonderland, which she visited as a child but cannot remember. Alice then embarks on a journey to save Wonderland from the Red Queen’s reign.

Tentative release date:
March 4

Oobermind
Who’s in it:
Voiced by Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill. Directed by Tom McGrath. Produced by Ben Stiller.

Why we want to watch it:
It’s a satirical animated film voiced by comedic masters (two of which are SNL alumni) and an A-list star.

What it’s about:
Super villain Oobermind defeats his arch nemesis Metro Man, but instead of being happy, Oobermind lapses into depression. He discovers that life without a rival is – for him – a life not worth living. He creates a superhero, Titan to be his rival. Unfortunately, Titan would rather be a super villain and goes about creating chaos in the world. Oobermind sets out to stop him, and in the process, begins to walk the path to redemption.

Tentative release date:
November 5

Shanghai
Who’s in it:
Starring John Cusack, Gong Li, Ken Watanabe, Chow Yun-Fatt, David Morse and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the film is directed by Mikael Hafstrom

What it’s about:
John Cusack plays an American intelligence officer who heads to Shanghai four months before Pearl Harbour, only to discover that his friend has been killed in the corrupt Japanese occupied city. He investigates the death and in the process, falls in love and uncovers a secret that the American government is hiding.

Why we want to watch it
The likeability of John Cusack with the sensual strength of Gong Li and the power from each of the supporting actors. This film is one of those where each actor brings something completely different to the film, and it can either burn bright or blow up in everyone’s face.

Tentative release date:
Mar 11

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Who’s in it:
Christopher Plummer, Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Jude Law, Andrew Garfield, Verne Troyer, Lily Cole and Tom Waits.

Why we want to watch it:
Yes, technically this is a 2009 release, but has only had limited release thus far, mostly at film festivals and will be released extensively in 2010. This film has generated a lot of hype after the death of Heath Ledger in the midst of production. His role was filled with Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law as different transformations of Ledger’s character.

What it’s about:
A travelling theatre troupe led by the immortal thousand-year-old Doctor Parnassus offers audience members a chance to plunge the depths of their imagination through a magic mirror, courtesy of a deal with the devil, who comes to collect on the arrangement targeting Valentina, the doctor’s daughter. The troupe, joined by a mystery man named Tony, follows the devil through parallel worlds in an attempt to rescue the doctor’s daughter. Check out the review here.

(UPDATED) Released date:
1st Jan 2010

Definitely maybe
Creation
Who’s in it:
Staring real-life husband and wife team Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly.

Why we want to watch it:
It’s based on the real-life letters and documents of the Darwin family merged with the biography of Charles Darwin by Randal Keyes, and is partly biographical and part fiction.

What it’s about:
After the death of his daughter Annie, Charles Darwin falls into a depression and begins losing his faith as opposed to his wife, who in grieving, finds comfort in her religion. Darwin struggles to write ‘On the Origin of Species’, disputing creationism even though it clashes with his wife’s faith.

Tentative release date:
In our dreams.