Happy New Year, geeks! Did you celebrate with anything good and nerdy? Perhaps you were too scared by the apocalyptic (or just plain weird) deaths of thousands of birds and fishes to go outside?
No matter, the New Year is here, and you know what that means! Lists! While the “best of 2010” stuff wraps up, its prime time for previews. I09 put together a wonderfully comprehensive feature with the better (or rather, most noteworthy) sci-fi and fantasy films slated for 2011 release, so let’s start there.
While the big name stuff, including Cowboys and Aliens, Sucker Punch,X-Men: First Class and Harry Potter And the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 — look awesome, I’m just as intrigued by the further under-the radar picks on the list.
Fall releases Now (about a world wherein everyone stays young but has a “death timer”) and Contagion (about a new outbreak) look intriguing. The latter film has Steven Soderbergh at the helm, with Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and the goddess herself, Kate Winslet, in starring roles).
Apollo 18, a sort of faux documentary based on “found footage” sounds fascinating, and you cannot keep me away from a good genre spoof, which is what Your Highness (with both Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel) looks to be.
Even more exciting, Michelle Rodriguez will be in Battle: Los Angeles, “a gritty war drama, that happens to have aliens.” I could watch that woman brush her teeth and still enjoy it. As long as she’s brushing them in the middle of a gunfight/freefall escape from a massive explosion, of course.
Will we have another Inception (last year’s absolute best, in my opinion)? Who knows, but a quick glance at the list shows plenty of brain-bending possibility.
Speaking of Christopher Nolan’s dreamy masterpiece, a new behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of Inception has been released. According to Wired, it’s definitely an award season ploy (of course!), but it does feature some cool interview clips with Nolan and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Caine and Marion Cotillard. Here’s hoping it gets proper dues at the statue-giving ceremonies. It’s about time smart sci-fi has its day.
