A Geek's Movie Guide to 2011

Another year, another batch of movies. Every year that theaters are inundated with films, new ones coming out every week. Nobody could, or would ever want to see them all. So how to know what's for you? Well if you love sci-fi, fantasy, comic books, super heroes and aren't afraid to admit it then this list was made for you. A year's worth of movies narrowed down to the ones that should be on the radar of the unabashed geeks of the world.

Paul (March 18th)
The geeky movie season kicks off well before the summer blockbuster movie season with this re-teaming of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. While this time out they aren't in the hands of their usual director Edgar Wright (who directed them both in "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz") they do still have strong collaborator in director Greg Mottola (director of "Superbad.") Written by Pegg and Frost, this R rated comedy deals with two sci-fi geeks who take a road trip to Area 51, only to pick up a real live alien on the way. Seth Rogen provides the voice of the alien slacker Paul and naturally many hi-jinks ensue as the trio try to evade the government agents chasing Paul down.

Sucker Punch (March 25th)
The latest film from visually minded director Zack Snyder ("300" and "Watchmen") tells the story of a young girl in a mental institution. She longs to break free and escapes to an elaborate world in her head. It isn't long before she starts to use the world of her mind as a staging ground for her planned escape. The trailer has shown a mash up of war imagery, robots, samurai and even a dragon. Snyder definitely has visual talent to spare and he's gone all out with this one. There's a chance he might have overdone it and that it'll be all pretty pictures and utter nonsense, but with a little luck it'll be a blast regardless.

Your Highness (April 8th)
A long time ago in a mystical land a princess is kidnapped by a wicked sorcerer. Her lover, the noble prince Fabious (James Franco) sets out to rescue her. Unfortunately he's been forced to bring along his useless slacker of a brother (Danny McBride.) The pair team up with a female warrior (Natalie Portman,) smoke a fair amount of questionable substances and try to figure out what they heck they're supposed to be doing. Basically it's a fantasy quest meets a stoner comedy. This is admittedly a bit of a low rent idea but it managed to snag some top class talent and decent budget (the effects work from the trailer is impressive for a comedy,) so the hope is that those involved give it the extra little boost it needs.

Apollo 18 (April 22nd)
This latest entry in the "found footage" sub-genre of sci-fi and horror films starts out with a rather intriguing premise. The official word from NASA was that the Apollo 18 mission to the moon was canceled. However the truth is not only did Apollo 18 go to the moon, the astronauts had an encounter there unlike anything else in recorded history. The film is told from the perspective of a camera taken and manned by the astronauts themselves so those prone to motion sickness should be warned this will likely be a very shaky film.

Thor (May 6th)
The official kickoff to the summer movie season and the first of several super hero movies coming out this year. This story of the Norse god of thunder cast down onto Earth probably is the hardest sell yet for a big budget super hero movie. These movies have always been fantasy films at heart but this story of gods and giants asks the audience to make a leap that's beyond what they've made for super heroes thus far. Marvel seems to have lined up the right talent as Chris Hemsworth certainly looks the part, the great Anthony Hopkins pulls weight as his father Odin and Shakespearean royalty Kenneth Branaugh is in the director's chair. This one is probably Marvel's biggest gamble on the road to next year's "Avengers," but it might also yield the greatest rewards.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May 20th)
Everybody loves the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, the sequels not so much. While hardly as reviled as say the last movie in the "Matrix" franchise the series certainly lost some good will with overblown mythologies and too many stories. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has promised a return to the simpler and more light hearted approach of the original. In this film Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) searching for the fountain of youth. As usual he's competing against his old rival Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and now the legendary Blackbeard (Ian McShane) as well.

X-Men First Class (June 3rd)
This was a project that seemed like a doomed idea, especially given the painful event that was "X-men Origins: Wolverine." However the first glimmer of hope came when director Matthew Vaughn (director of last year's "Kick-Ass") signed on. Interestingly Vaughn was originally slated to direct "X-men: The Last Stand" but dropped out of the project before shooting started. Like the original "X-men" the film has a recognizable face as Professor X (James McAvoy) and the villain (Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw) and less known actors filling out the rest. With a little luck there may be a break out surprise like Hugh Jackman was when he first showed up as Wolverine. Even if it's not the best thing this summer it will at the very least spare geeks the previously proposed Magneto prequel as his younger years are already covered in this story.

Super 8 (June 10th)
Almost nothing is known about this movie, but it's the latest project from J.J. Abrams (director of "Star Trek") so it has quite a bit of anticipation even with no information. Steven Spielberg is helping produce the piece and it's been described as being influenced but "E.T." which has lead many to speculate that it will involve an alien, as the little information released seems to point the inclusion of Area 51. It's really anybody's guess at this point, and the secrecy will likely be kept up for as long as possible (in the vein of the Abrams produced "Cloverfield.")

Green Lantern (June 17th)
After bouncing around such failed or stalled projects as The Flash and Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds is finally going to be a super hero. He'll be playing Hal Jordan, a test pilot who is chosen to join the intergalactic Green Lantern Corp and use a powerful ring to combat evil. So what sets this apart from other super hero films? In a word, scale. While super hero have had some good, even great, films there is one aspect of comic books that has yet to be truly captured and that is the size of the stakes and the threats. In comics heroes usually are dealing with global threats, villains who can literally destroy the world. In the movies there never seems to be much threat bigger than destroying a city. With Hal Jordan whisked off into space it immediately opens up this film and it's potential sequels to a galactic scale that just hasn't been seen yet in a super hero movie.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (July 1st)
This is either a shot at redemption or a blight on mankind, it all depends on who you ask. The original "Transformers" still has some defenders but even most die hard fans will admit that "Revenge of the Fallen" was a painful mess. It may have made an insane amount of money but it didn't make many people happy. The teaser trailer showed the astronauts from original the moon landing finding an ancient looking transformer, a plot eerily similar to that of "Apollo 18." This may be Michael Bay's last chance to get it right, or to make it even worse. Time will tell.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (July 15th)
The end is here, it's been a long journey of ten years and eight films but Harry Potter comes to an end this summer. Covering the last part of the final book this film with tell the story of Harry and his friends in their last epic struggle to destroy the evil Lord Voldemort. The series has not only succesfully adapted the blockbuster books but they've become a phenomenon unto themselves as audiences have gotten to see the stars grow and mature. It's sad to see it reach the end, but if "Part 1" was any indication then it should be one heck of an ending.

Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22nd)
Before Tony Stark became Iron Man, before Bruce Banner became the Hulk and before Thor came to Earth there was a skinny army recruit named Steve Rogers. Injected with an experimental "super soldier serum" Rogers was transformed into America's walking symbol of patriotism, Captain America. Marvel opted to go for a period piece by setting this story during World War II, which is when the character was first created. This is a great call because the idea of the government trying to come up with Captain America in these cynical days just wouldn't work. Chris Evans plays the role and will face off against Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull. The subtitle points audiences towards next years "Avengers" movie.

"Cowboys & Aliens" (July 29th)
The title pretty much says everything you need to know about the premise, so let's take a look at the players. First there's director Jon Favreau who was the man who almost single handedly managed to turn 2nd rate hero Iron Man into a mega-franchise. Then there's current James Bond star Daniel Craig who plays the role of a toughened outlaw who wakes up in the desert with a mysterious alien device on his wrist. Finally there's Harrison Ford, and while that might make some groan the word is that not only was he fully awake when he shot his scenes, he might in fact have cared about the movie! The first trailer indicated that despite a goofy title the film is playing it serious, which should make this all the more fun.

Conan the Barbarian (August 19th)
For most audiences the name Conan the Barbarian brings to mind Arnold Schwartzenegger in a loin cloth, this movie hopes to change that. Going back to the original stories by Robert E. Howard and losing as much of the 80s cheese as possible is the game plan for this take on the famous adventurer. Despite having no major names in the cast (Ron Perlman is as big as it gets) and a lead actor unknown outside of TV (Jason Momoa of TV's "Stargate Atlantis") this film was given quite a large budget to work with. That means the studio has faith in the story and is willing to pony up the dough to see it done right. The story focuses on Conan's quest for vengeance after the murder of his entire village and should have plenty of down and dirty action.

Fright Night (August 19th)
A teenager (Anton Yelchin) discovers that his new next door neighbor (Colin Farrell) is a vampire. The problem is that nobody believes him. Out of desperation he reaches out to a vegas magician (former "Doctor Who" star David Tennant) to try and bring the vicious blood sucker down. "Daybreakers" and "Let Me In" failed to set the box office on fire. Hopefully this remake of an 80s horror classic will re-ignite the horror fans who are sick of the neutered version of vampires offered up by the "Twilight" films. If it stays true the original is should be a healthy mix of humor and scares and the word so far is those involved were all fans of the original and want to do it justice.

Piranha 3DD (September 16th)
This one falls clearly in the realm of "guilty pleasure" but based of the unabashedly B grade fun of last year's "Piranha 3D" and the audacity of the title this one could be a great night out with good humored friends. Unlike the first one, which was post-converted to 3D, this one was actually filmed in 3D which should allow for even great outlandish gags and gore. There's been no offical synopsis of the plot released yet, but honestly as long as it maintains the hard R rating and fun of the last one does the story even matter?

The Thing (October 14th)
John Carpenter's 1982 monster film "The Thing" was a flop at the box office but has become a cult favorite and its inventive twisted imagery is hard to shake. Despite sharing the exact same title this is not actually a remake, instead it's actually a prequel. This film, made by a crew who claim to be extreme fans of the original, is actually a prequel. It deals with the Norweigan expedition team who encountered the alien creature before the Americans who were depicted in Carpenter's film. Not a great deal of specifics are known but if the film sticks to the wonderful practical effects of the first one and avoids the temptation to overuse CGI this could be the rare prequel that's worthy of it's predecessor.

Now (October 28th)
In the near future science has perfected a way to stop people aging by their mid twenties, but at high expense. As a result time has actually become the single most valuable currency, people trading excess time for power and luxury while the poor are left to die. This one probably isn't on too many people's radar yet. Admittedly a film starring Justin Timberlake wouldn't have a place on a list like this. However the intriguing premise (and the fact that they dropped the terrible previous title "i.m.mortal") makes it worth at least considering for sci-fi fans. The fact that it's from writer/director Andrew Niccol, who gave us the modern sci-fi classic "Gattaca" also should be taken into consideration.

Rise of the Apes (November 23rd)
What started out as another straight forward attempt to reboot the "Planet of the Apes" franchise has become something much more interesting. Genetic experimentation creates an ape named Caesar whose intelligence is unlike anything previously seen in the animal kingdom. Seeing his fellow apes oppressed and abused leads Caesar to start a revolution against mankind. The film essentially reads as a remake of the fourth film in the original "Planet of the Apes" series, "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes." Interestingly in that film the apes were the heroes and the audience was encouraged to root for the overthrow of men. It will be interesting to see how this gutsy project pans out.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (December 16th)
The "Mission Impossible" series has certainly had its ups and downs over the years. Given the lackluster box office returns for "Knight and Day" it may also be fair to say that audiences are finally starting to tire of Tom Cruise. So why is this movie worth keeping an eye on? Two things: the first is Jeremy Renner. The intense star of "The Hurt Locker" is said to have equal if not greater screen time than Cruise, and is rumored to be playing the character that future sequels will focus on. The other reason is director Brad Bird making his live action directing debut. His resume includes such modern animated classics as "The Iron Giant," "Ratatouille" and most relevantly "The Incredibles." With Simon Pegg returning to boot this might be the team oriented outing the original show was rather than a one man adventure.