Ok, so 2009 hasn’t been the greatest year for film. It started out with a bang and a lot of promise, but has not lived up to the expectations. There have been a few gems : Star Trek, Coraline, The Hangover, Drag Me To Hell, Pixar’s Up and to a lesser extent I Love You, Man. However, the list of stinkers is longer than you can imagine, with such shining examples as : Paul Blart Mall Cop, X-Men Origins : Wolverine, Fast & The Furious, Bride Wars, Land Of The Lost and I could go on and on.

So, my fingers and toes are crossed that the remainder of the year will wash the bad taste out of my mouth.  Here then, is a list of the movies scheduled for the rest of 2009 that I believe will offer the most entertainment for your hard earned bucks.  Some may currently in limited release, but wide release is what you’re looking at here.

The Hurt Locker : Wide Release Unknown

Public Enemies : July 1st

Miyazaki’s Ponyo : August 14th

Inglourious Basterds : August 21st

The Boat That Rocked : August 28th

Mike Judge’s Extract : September 4th

Shane Acker’s 9 : September 9th

Zombieland : October 9th

Where The Wild Things Are : October 16th

Avatar : December 18th

So little is still known about this film, but James Cameron seems to know what he’s doing. He has promised something earth shattering, something unique. Nothing is guaranteed, but at the very least, you will be entertained.

Sherlock Holmes : December 25th

What better way to ring in the summer blockbuster season than with every one’s favorite X-Men superhero? Well, I can think of quite a few, but I’ll also bet $85 million on the fact that no one cares what I think.

Yes, the summer certainly ups the eye-candy level when it comes to theatrical movie releases, but this isn’t always a good thing.  Quite a few directors feel the need to take away the aspects of their films, such as…. well, acting, plot, intelligence.  These aspects are often replaced with exploding helicopters, ironic one-liners, skimpy outfits and even more exploding helicopters.

I really had low hopes even before Wolverine started up.  I mean, who actually enjoyed X-men 3?  Sure, X-men 1 and 2 set relatively high standards for what a comic book movie SHOULD be.  These low hopes were not only reinforced, but perhaps even lowered a tad more, especially when the Deadpool sequence started up.  But I digress.

From the get go, you know this is all about Wolverine, tracking his past and walking through how he became the person he is today.  Fighting in every major american war probably does something to your psyche, which would explain why his brother, Sabertooth (played by Liev Schreiber, not Tyler Mane) is such a grumpy bastard.  Once the tone is set, the movie quickly becomes a mess, taking you from locale to locale, trying to cram in as many new superheros as possible.

During the entire movie, you feel as if you’ve seen it all before and it’s probably because you have.  You are constantly bombarded by cliché after cliché, scratching your head as to the some of the decisions made by the director.  On numerous occasions, I actually murmured to myself “What the hell are they doing?” or “What is going on?”.  It feels like it was thrown together, while trying to capitalize on the obvious popularity of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.  As with a lot of the summer blockbuster ‘popcorn flicks’, I tried to switch my brain off, but I just couldn’t and I really shouldn’t have to.  Comic book movies can be well written, they can be smart and they can still be fun.

Synopsis : With a strong performance by Hugh Jackman and a convincing role played by the fantastic Danny Huston, it’s a shame to see this one crash and burn, in more ways than one. The stink left from X-Men 3 really hasn’t worn off and ‘Wolverine’ merely fans the sheets.

Now, before this list starts, let me stress this list isn’t just my personal selection. It is simply a list of movies I believe everyone should see (please keep in mind it’s only movies announced for release in 2009, some may get pushed back).

10. The Boat That Rocked

In the UK recently, I saw a commercial for this film. I was immediately drawn to it simply for the cast, but after reading up on it a bit more, the plot drew me in. If you’re a music fan, or a fan of British comedy, you will love this one. Be sure to catch it when and where you can, I predict this one to not receive a wide release.

9. 9

Ever since laying eyes on the trailer, with the surprisingly good Coheed & Cambria track thrashing during the entire sequence, I’ve been anticipating this one.  Anything with Tim Burton’s name attached to it (yeah yeah… Planet Of The Apes, shush) has been captivating, if not encapsulating.  Hopefully this one has the character and personality to match the visuals.

8. Extract

All I think I need to say is ‘Mike Judge’.  Office Space and Idiocracy, two of (arguably) the funniest movies ever made.  Watch the trailer and be the…. judge.  Wow, sorry.  But seriously, Mila Kunis is easy on the eyes and Jason Bateman, J.K.Simmons and a straggly-haired Ben Affleck look to be coming together to make something that I guarantee a lot of people will overlook.

7. Where The Wild Things Are

I really can’t say much since I’ve never read the books, but half way through the trailer I was hooked, then Spike Jonze’s name splashed across the screen and it became etched on this list.  While I can guarantee it will perform at the box office, movie fans in general should give this one a shot, the visuals and personality will be no doubt be top notch.

6. Terminator : Salvation

There’s something about robots that makes me all warm inside.  Whether they’re helping others or tearing them apart, they fill a void in my life.  Christian Bale, spazzout and all, is one of the best actors on the planet and is incredibly dedicated to his craft.  He can hopefully save this film from Charlie’s Angels director, McG.  I’m betting he will.

5. Transformers 2 : Revenge Of The Fallen

I have a soft spot for popcorn action flicks, as do millions upon millions of others.  I have an even bigger soft spot for Transformers, since the toys filled my childhood with hours of escape from reality.  I try to ignore the fact that Michael Bay has anything to do with this franchise, however his eye for action shots really is phenomenal.  It’s just when his actors open their mouths that his films suffer.  Try to go into this with an open mind, and you will be blown out of your seat.

4. Brüno

Being one of the only fans of Ali G Indahouse and one of the millions of fans of Borat, along with the Ali G TV series, it was not a big surprise when a Bruno feature film was announced.  This will no doubt be the final assault on North American audiences from the trio of Sacha Baron Cohen’s characters.  I, for one, can’t wait to see how he exploits the american public next.

3. Inglourious Basterds

Tarantino’s latest and 7th major feature (if you count Kill Bill as 2 films) looks pretty interesting.  A slightly crazier take on WWII, it will no doubt have Quentin’s unique touch.  Brad Pitt’s star power will hopefully suck in more viewers, however maybe Quentin’s bizarre American Idol obsession will steal the spotlight.

2. Avatar

James Cameron’s baby for what seems like the last millennium will apparently come to life this year.  However, with a December release date, you never know what could happen.  There is so little known about this project, yet so much hype surrounding it, that even if it is a flop, it will be one that everyone must watch.

1. Star Trek

My apologies for putting this at #1.  I can’t help myself, I’m a doe-eyed Abrams fanatic and honestly believe this will be one hell of a film.  I’ve watched the trailers and commercials more times that I’m comfortable stating, so my faith in everything that is Hollywood will be completely shattered if this turns out to be a stinker.  Simon Pegg is Scotty for god sakes!

What do you think?  Any glaring omissions? Post your comments and let everyone know.