Anticipation (2010)

Somewhere (Sofia Coppola)

Even though the year is more than half over, the best is yet to come in terms of movies.  The best movies of the year almost always premiere around the holiday season so they can be fresh for awards consideration.  And I’m excited to learn more about a few films set to be released in the second half of 2010.  Here’s a little info on each of them.

Inception (July 16):  There’s been so much buzz about this film, and I’m honestly very eager to see it.  The plot details provided in the trailer are pretty vague, but that’s part of what makes me (and a lot of other people) really excited.  I can’t resist a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, who is always so spot-on.  And Christopher Nolan has a great reputation (although I’m more of a fan of Memento than The Dark Knight).  Plus, it appears to be (gasp) an original idea!

Never Let Me Go (Limited September 15):  Based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, this film tells the story of three youths (Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield) who spend their childhoods together at an unusual boarding school in a dystopian Britain in which human beings are cloned.  The cast seems promising (Mulligan was brilliant in An Education, Knightley has a great track record, and Garfield is a fresh face who was just cast as the new Spider-Man), and the story seems to provide opportunity for a really fascinating film.

The Social Network(October1): David Fincher’s latest film examines the founding of Facebook.  Who knows which way this film will go, but in a world so obsessed with social networking sites, it should be interesting.

Nowhere Boy (October 8): This film examines the life of a young 1950s John Lennon.  The subject matter is instantly interesting, and based on the trailer, it appears to be an unexpected, offbeat look at a legend.

Somewhere (December 24): This will be Sofia Coppola’s first film since Marie Antoinette (which I believe was underrated).  It tells the story of a hard-living actor who is paid a visit by his young daughter (Elle Fanning) and starts to rethink his life.  I’m excited to see what Coppola has up her sleeve.

I’m eager to learn which of these films are a success and which (if any) are flops.  It’s always fascinating to discover which films actually deserve the hype.  I hope this list gives you some ideas of what’s to come moviewise for the significant second half of the year.