Let me just begin by saying this movie will stick with you.  Whether you want it to, or not.  However, it will leave you smiling AND looking down your hallway making sure that noise you heard was just the fridge kicking in.

I haven’t been so utterly amused and terrified with a movie since, ironically, the Evil Dead series.  Drag Me To Hell tends to lean towards the more terrifying end of the spectrum more often, however there were a few laughs to be heard in the theater.  There are a few soul possessions in particular, which I won’t go into any more, except to say they will put a smile on your face.

The lead character of Christine Brown (played by the wonderful Alison Lohman of Matchstick Men and Big Fish) becomes the victim of a gypsy curse, given to her by a bitter, elderly woman Mrs. Ganush (played by Lorna Raver).  This is not just any curse.  It will torment its victim for 3 days, mentally and physically, after which, will ensure they end up in a rather nasty place.  You can take a wild guess where.  Christine’s boyfriend Clay Dalton (played by everyone’s favorite Mac, Justin Long) tries to understand what she’s going through and even enlists the help of a fortune teller, all of who which are determined to eradicate the curse.

Not since The Haunting (yes, the terrible remake) have I felt dread and the sense of terror, through sounds and noise alone.  Raimi does what he did in the Evil Dead series and what many horror directors can only dream of, and that is instill fear before anything has actually happened.  Once it does happen… he scares you some more. Sure, there are some cheap scare tactics used here and there, but movies are supposed to be fun, right?

The reason I continue to go back to Evil Dead, is because you cannot escape the fact that this feels so similar, thankfully in the best ways possible.  If you are a fan of the ‘Dead’ series, you will find a handful of tongue-in-cheek references, including some very obvious ones.  If not, this film may convince you to go back and give them a watch, to see what Raimi did pre-Spidey.

Synopsis : A stellar horror film.  It has everything you can possibly ask for : great acting, tongue in cheek humour, geniune scares and some memorable characters.  Not including one of the best endings I’ve ever seen.  You will be talking about this for days after you see it, I guarantee.

I am not a “trekkie” by any means and if you ask, I prefer the ‘Wars’ to the ‘Treks’, Jar Jar and all. However, the feature length Star Trek films have always been interesting, sometimes even very enjoyable. I tried, as hard as I might, to lose myself in the series, but something about the embarrassing uniforms and generally wooden acting cause the remote to magically change channels.

A bigger budget has always allowed the big screen adaptations to showcase their strengths, those in my eyes being sci-fi immersion and the villains. The latest iteration, helmed by the ever improving JJ Abrams, was by far my most anticipated film of the year. No expense was spared and it’s immediately apparent, from the slick camera shots to the seamless CG. Surprisingly, the cast was relatively low-key, especially for such a huge blockbuster, which I always like.

With Chris Pine‘s real first feature role, he pulled off Kirk with aplomb, making the character his own, while still maintaining some of Shatner’s earlier charm and physique. Harold & Kumar’s John Cho and Simon Pegg were my only real two concerns, only because I feared they would not mesh with the rest of the cast. Those worries were soon put to rest, however Pegg’s Scotty was only in the film for what seemed like the last 15 minutes. I’m sure he’ll be back in the inevitable sequels.

Eric Bana continues to provide solid roles, delivering exactly what’s expected. His role as Nero was not what I would career-defining, but it was very convincing as the time traveling Romulan. Every time I looked at Nero’s right hand man, Ayel (played by Clifton Collins Jr.) however, all I could see was his role from Crank 2 and I’ll admit it took me out of the movie every once in a while because his role in Crank 2 was so over the top.

As far as prequels go, I wish more time was spent in the early years of other characters, defining who they were growing up and why they’ve chosen what they have.  Movies such as Spiderman and Batman Begins really help define the characters (albeit they are individuals), where Star Trek spends 10-15 minutes on character development then throws you into the fray.

SYNOPSIS : I loved nearly every minute of Star Trek, but I think I will be looking forward to the sequels even more.  Developing the crew of the Enterprise will be something everyone will want to see, and I can’t wait.

Appearing completely out of the blue (at least to me!) is the first feature film from Duncan Jones, who surprisingly, is David Bowie’s first son. Moon, starring Sam Rockwell, does reek of 2001-style undertones, however with Rockwell’s screen presence, it seems more human. Don’t get me wrong, 2001 is one of my favorite films of all time, but you really have to let yourself go to really enjoy it.

Look for Moon to hit theaters on June 12th, 2009.

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.

UPDATE : There are two other movies lists for those of you who are interested.  Please have a look!

• Best movies for the 2nd half of 2009
• The 10 movies you must see in 2010