The 25 Most Anticipated Movies Of Fall 2011

The fall movie season can’t arrive soon enough. Reflecting upon this summer, the cinematic output was rather disappointing; Marvel Comics’ superhero blockbusters all satisfied (X-Men: First Class, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger), Green Lantern and Cowboys & Aliens sucked, The Hangover Part II sucked unbelievably, and J.J. Abrams’ much-ballyhooed Super 8 wasn’t the creative home run we’d foreseen.

A kick-ass, though obscure, British sci-fi flick (Attack The Block) and the superior rom-com Crazy, Stupid, Love aside, the summer only yielded two really pleasant surprises: the funnier-than-expected Bridesmaids and Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, a first-rate effects bonanza with heart that very few people clamored for from May through July but that shockingly owned August.

Needless to say, we hedged our bets a bit too much. Looking ahead at the next few months, though, it doesn’t seem likely that the same underwhelmed feelings will arise on New Year’s Eve. Jumping off next week, the stretch reaching from September to December welcomes Hollywood’s yearly cavalcade of big deal, Academy Award-seeking releases, and 2011’s slate is unquestionably special. On the horizon are new, highly anticipated projects from the likes of Leonardo Dicaprio, David Fincher, George Clooney, and Tom Cruise, in addition to the return of The Muppets and an independent sensation starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s kid sister.

It’s time to start getting excited, film aficionados, because we sure as hell are—take a look at our list of The 25 Most Anticipated Movies Of Fall 2011 to match our enthusiasm. Spoiler Alert: That new Twilight sequel didn’t make the cut. Smack yourselves if you’re surprised.

Written by Matt Barone (@MBarone)

Director: David Gordon Green
Stars: Jonah Hill, Ari Graynor, Sam Rockwell, J.B. Smoove, Method Man, Max Records, Landry Bender, Kevin Hernandez Alex Wolff
Release Date: December 9
Why we’re excited: Come December, theaters are going to be packed with Oscar-baiting dramas, which makes The Sitter’s 12/9 release date feel like a strategically positive move. Around that time, box office frequenters are going to need a respite from all of the seriousness that’ll be afoot, so director David Gordon Green’s After Hours-inspired comedy should provide such an alternative. But there are two points sparked by The Sitter that will make this babysitting romp, about an under-qualified slacker (Jonah Hill) who takes a group of kids on a drug run, all the more intriguing.

Firstly, Green is coming off of Your Highness, the raunchy fantasy comedy that both tanked in theaters and underwhelmed creatively; with The Sitter, can the certifiably talented director bounce back to his Pineapple Express level? And then there’s Hill, who, in December, will have the much less silly Moneyball in the public eye, a stark departure from his past comedies—will audiences want more gravity and fewer fart jokes?

We’re ready for both. The Sitter’s trailer has a couple of genuinely amusing moments, particularly Hill’s jive talk session near the end. The impressive supporting cast—the always great Sam Rockwell, Curb Your Enthusiasm standout J.B. Smoove, and Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist hottie Ari Graynor—doesn’t hurt, either.

Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Asa Butterfield, Chloe Moretz, Jude Law, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Richard Griffiths, Ray Winstone, Michael Stuhlbarg
Release Date: November 23
Why we’re excited: Martin Scorsese definitely has the carte blanche to do whatever the hell he pleases, but a kids’ movie? It’d be dishonest if we didn’t admit to wishing he’d dabble in psychological thrillers (like last year’s terrific Shutter Island) some more, or maybe shoot one of his epic gangster films in black-and-white just to call it “a change of pace.” Instead, he’s not only catering to the children’s ward, he’s also hopping onto the 3D bandwagon. What to think of cinema’s best living filmmaker?

We can’t call it just yet. On the page, Hugo, Scorsese’s adaptation of Brian Selznick’s 2007 novel The Invention Of Hugo Cabret, boasts a magical plot, about a pre-teen orphan (Asa Butterfield) living in 1930s Paris who inherits a robot from his deceased pops; and the cast, which includes Let Me In’s gifted youngster Chloe Moretz, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Sacha Baron Cohen, is typically grand for a Scorsese picture.

The problem, as of now, lies in the film’s trailer; showing off pratfalls and a hokey, whimsical tone that’d be more at home in the next Diary Of A Wimpy Kid sequel, Hugo’s initial look doesn’t exactly instill confidence. But, again, the man responsible for Hugo is Martin Scorsese—it has to be good. Right?

Director: Bruce Robinson
Stars: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Aaron Eckhart, Richard Jenkins, Giovanni Ribisi, Amaury Nolasco
Release Date: October 28
Why we’re excited: We’d like to tack on an addendum to our recent list of ways Johnny Depp can get his swag back: No. 11, Star in a movie that features a topless Amber Heard.

And, what do you know, Johnny Depp suddenly has his swag back. It’s only temporary, however, since the first trailer for his second trip in the mind of Hunter S. Thompson (the first being 1998’s Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas) isn’t a slam dunk. If The Rum Diary doesn’t prove to be livelier and more astute than its preview, Depp's descent into the land of shattered credibility will continue, following a negative trajectory most recently aided by the uninspired cash grab known as Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

With The Rum Diary, Depp has the right material for a positive swing. Based on Thompson’s 1959 novel (published in 1998), director Bruce Robinson’s adaptation finds Depp playing a downbeat journalist who spends his time in Puerto Rico drinking booze and obsessing over a hot little blonde number (Heard) who’s already claimed by another man. It’s a role that’s nicely suited to Depp’s goofy comedic sensibilities, but so is Captain Jack Sparrow, and 240 million bucks’ worth (how sad) of domestic filmgoers saw how that turned out this year.

Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Stars: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes, Jan Cornet
Release Date: October 14
Why we’re excited: So what if we’ve already seen The Skin I Live In? That doesn’t make it any easier to summarize what’s easily one of the year’s strangest pieces of work. But we’ll give it a shot. Acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar’s latest is a deranged surgeon tale; Antonio Banderas plays a doctor whose daughter gets raped, and then she loses her mind, which leads to tragedy, transgender experimentation, murder, a dude wearing a leopard costume for no reason, and various mutilations.

We’ve already said too much. The Skin I Live In isn’t exactly a horror film; if anything, it’s an extreme drama, powered by a reinvigorated Banderas and the none-too-subtle inspiration of the classic 1960 horror pic Eyes Without A Face. OK, so perhaps it should be classified as horror—who the hell knows. All we’re sure of is Almodóvar’s The Skin I Live In is the fall’s oddest movie, and for that it deserves this shine.

Director: Shawn Levy
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie, Dakota Goyo, Hope Davis, Kevin Durand
Release Date: October 7
Why we’re excited: Is it Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots: The Movie? Nope. How about a Don King-directed Transformers sequel? Negative on that one, too. Though it looks very much like both options, Real Steel is actually an adaptation of an old Twilight Zone episode, titled “Steel” and based on regular Zone screenwriter Richard Matheson’s own short story. In Matheson’s tale, the pugilistic robots look like flesh-and-blood people, adding a level of humanity to the writer’s sports-themed redemption tale; in director Shawn Levy’s 2011 update, the fighters resemble Optimus Prime’s illegitimate offspring, giving Real Steel a blockbuster’s bombast.

So will Hugh Jackman’s latest star vehicle maintain any of Matheson’s story’s heart and soul? We sure as hell hope so, otherwise Real Steel could lend Michael Bay’s alien robot flicks an intellectually powered sheen. Jackman gets his Cus D’Amato on as a failed boxer who, at the urging of his son, trains a massive robot fighter to become a champion, in a 2020 society where ’bots have replaced humans as in-ring combatants. At best, we’re hoping for Rocky meets Dark Of The Moon; god forbid it’s The Great White Hype meets Short Circuit.

Director: Ben Wheatley
Stars: Neil Maskell, MyAnna Buring, Harry Simpson
Release Date: To Be Determined
Why we’re excited: Every movie season needs that one foreign horror movie inadvertently designed to show stateside audiences how real terror is done. The closest we got to such an eye-opener this summer was the devastating Spanish home invasion flick Kidnapped, but that one didn’t register too far beyond die-hard genre heads. As we head into fall, the potential surrounding Britain’s Kill List seems much more promising; having wowed critics the world over at various film festivals, writer-director Ben Wheatley’s inscrutable showstopper was picked up by IFC Midnight earlier this year for release before year’s end. The sooner, the better.

Spoilers have been light so far, which is appreciated, but here’s what we do know about Kill List: Part crime drama and part Wicker Man-like cult downer, Wheatley’s genre hybrid is about a Brit (Neil Maskell) who becomes a contract killer alongside a friend, and their hitmen exploits lead them to an occultist group, or so we think. Nevertheless, the mystery hovering around Kill List is quite compelling, and the film’s trailer does a great job of establishing a dark mood without giving anything away. Now we just need a damn release date.

Director: Lars Von Trier
Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Alexander Skarsgard, Stellan Skarsgard, Brady Corbet, Udo Kier
Release Date: November 11
Why we’re excited: After 2009’s devastatingly bleak Antichrist, an end-of-the-world movie seems like the next logical step for provocative Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier. They say that directors should always try to top their last film, and what better way to upend showing a woman cutting her clitoris with rusty scissors than to just destroy Earth? We can’t think of one.

Melancholia isn’t that simple, though—we’re talking about von Trier here, folks, the guy whose best film is a parable about feminine insufficiencies presented as a stage play in what appears to be a black warehouse (2003’s Dogville). Rather than merely focus on Earth’s hysterical final hours, a la a Roland Emmerich flick, von Trier uses the visual of another planet on a collision course with ours as a backdrop for a newly married woman’s (Kirsten Dunst, in what’s said to be a extraordinary performance) family turmoil.

At 130 minutes’ in length, Melancholia will no doubt test a narrow-minded viewer’s patience; for cinema buffs who crave artistic singularity and challenging ideas, von Trier’s latest should alleviate desires. And win back folks who checked out once homegirl snipped her va-jay-jay with those clippers.

Director: Gavin O’Connor
Stars: Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison, Frank Grillo
Release Date: September 9
Why we’re excited: Back in December, at the height of Oscar buzz time, we agreed with all of the love surrounding The Fighter, the Mark Wahlberg/Christian Bale boxing drama that stacked up Academy nominations. In hindsight, though, the flattering opinions went a bit overboard. Other than Bale’s virtuoso performance as an uncontrollable crackhead, The Fighter is a solid yet flawed work—a victory by decision, not a TKO.

A major reason why we’ve come to such a realization is that we’ve seen Warrior, which is basically The Fighter channeled through Tapout, not Ring Kings. And it’s far superior. Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton—two great young actors at the top of their games here—star as estranged brothers from Pittsburgh; Hardy’s an emotionally detached Marine deserter, while Edgerton’s a high school physics teacher struggling to provide for his wife and kids. The one thing they share, other than family drama, is the gift of kicking tremendous ass in a mixed martial arts cage, and their mutual enrollment into a widely publicized MMA tournament leads to an inevitable showdown.

Directed and co-written by Gavin O’Connor (Pride & Glory), Warrior hits upon all of the necessary and familiar “inspirational sports drama” ticks with an expressively potent and physically brutal edge.

Director: Kevin Smith
Stars: Michael Parks, John Goodman, Michael Angarano, Kyle Gallner, Nicholas Braun, Stephen Root, KayLee Defer
Release Date: October 18 (DVD/Blu-ray)
Why we’re excited: At this point, we just want to see the damn thing already. For what seems like a decade now, comedy director Kevin Smith has been talking about making Red State, his atypical passion project. A gritty, lo-fi horror flick about religious extremists, Smith’s long-discussed shift away from laughs finally made its way around the festival circuit earlier this year, receiving mixed reviews; throughout all of the post-screening reactions, however, one constant sentiment permeated: Red State is unlike anything Smith has ever done before.

Considering that his most recent movies are the barely amusing Zack And Miri Make A Porno (2008) and the altogether shitty Cop Out (2010), that’s a good thing. Red State’s trailers have all been effective, presenting a naturalistic horror pic that hopes to disturb more through realistic monsters than supernatural ones. Some of Smith’s usual sophomoric comedy can be heard in the preview, but, mostly, Red State feels about as funny as, well, Cop Out, though its lack of hilarity is, thankfully, intentional.

Director: Jonathan Levine
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston
Release Date: September 30
Why we’re excited: So here’s the hilarious premise behind 50/50: Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a likeable nice guy who learns that he’s afflicted with a rare, potentially fatal tumor on his spine, and, as he shifts from acceptance to eruptive anger, his best friend, played by Seth Rogen, uses Gordon-Levitt’s cancer as an in to score chicks. Isn’t that comedy gold?

All sarcasm aside, it actually is, in addition to a dramatic cubic zirconia. Written by Rogen’s real-life friend Will Reiser, who’s a cancer survivor himself, 50/50 manages to balance Judd Apatow-style humor, heart-tugging sadness, and brave optimism all in one package. Director Jonathan Levine (The Wackness) commands a fine cast, including strong turns from Bryce Dallas Howard as Gordon-Levitt’s unfaithful girlfriend and Anna Kendrick (Up In The Air) as his therapist/potential love interest.

But ultimately, 50/50 is Gordon-Levitt’s show. Already one of the game’s strongest young actors, dude is a powerhouse here, earning massive amounts of sympathy throughout before forcing viewers to grab fresh Kleenex as his character checks into the hospital for an emotionally draining climax. Prepare to fight back tears, grown men.

Director: Jeff Nichols
Stars: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham, Katy Mixon
Release Date: September 30
Why we’re excited: Chances are, Michael Shannon never receives any calls from casting directors looking to fill up their latest romantic comedies. Not that the Boardwalk Empire star isn’t able to switch up genres; it’s just that, we’re willing to bet that Shannon exudes psychological creepiness even when he’s counting sheep. With pain-filled eyes and a shaky disposition, he’s a natural at playing disturbed, imbalanced characters; just check out his insane performance in 2006’s slept-on Bug for proof.

In the independent psychodrama Take Shelter, though, Shannon has found perhaps his best role to date. It’s arguably his greatest acting work yet, a nuanced bit of paranoid lunacy that’s backed by writer-director Jeff Nichols’ unsettling camerawork and his script’s powerful march toward doom. Shannon plays a hard-working everyman stricken by horrific, seemingly prophetic nightmares that, in his mind, foreshadow an apocalyptic disaster; as he begins to show his fears around his wife (Jessica Chastain) and young daughter, his terrified demeanor causes friends and family to question his sanity.

How Take Shelter plays out is best experienced without spoilers, so we’ll wrap this summarization up here. In a bizarro reality, Shannon’s performance would be in any and all pre-Oscar discussions; we live in a society in which The Blind Side is an awards season champ, though, so don’t count on Take Shelter’s prize-worthy impact.

Director: John Gulager
Stars: Danielle Panabaker, Katrina Bowden, Christopher Lloyd, Ving Rhames, David Koechner, Paul Scheer, Gary Busey, Chris Zylka, David Hasselhoff
Release Date: November 23
Why we’re excited: If you’re questioning why a horror movie named after a gigantic booby size ranks so high on this countdown, you clearly haven’t seen Piranha 3D. And if that’s spot-on, grab a six-pack, call your boys over, and witness its awesomeness tonight. Released last summer, French gore maven Alexandre Aja’s (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes) remake of 1978’s campy Piranha is shameless in its desire to please lowest-common-denominator sensibilities; the body count is enormous, the breasts are on full display, a dude’s penis gets spit back at the camera, and there’s even a mesmerizing naked underwater ballet featuring Kelly Brook. In other words, it’s fucking genius.

Though Aja’s nowhere to be found this time, new director John Gulager (the Feast trilogy) seems to have kept things the same, wisely. Instead of a crowded lake during Spring Break, Piranha 3DD’s setting is a packed waterpark, but everything else appears intact: the cast is anchored by hotties (Danielle Panabaker, Katrina Bowden), the viscera is ready to fall (see the above on-set photo), and cameos from David Hasselhoff and Gary Busey should keep the first movie’s lighthearted tone in check. Screw a stuffed bird—this year’s Turkey Day, we’ll be giving thanks to topless women and hungry, killer fish.

Director: George Clooney
Stars: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Marisa Tomei, Max Minghella
Release Date: October 7
Why we’re excited: Compared to consistently failing movies about the Iraq War, political dramas are surefire bets in Hollywood, but they’re still risky business. That is, unless George Clooney is at the helm, and his cast includes, alongside himself, Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, and Philip Seymour Hoffman; in that case, it’s politics unusual. And incredibly prestigious.

Clooney’s fourth assignment as director looks at the inner workings of a presidential campaign, and, considering that Clooney’s a known condemner of governmental misconduct, it’s unbecoming at best. Your mom’s fantasy man plays a Democratic White House hopeful with a reprehensible secret, one that his top adviser (Gosling) learns about and must decide whether he should spill the beans or protect his boss and ensure the Commander-In-Chief victory.

The topic is timely (just see our recent analysis of political scandals), and the cast is top-notch. The only way The Ides Of March could disappoint is if Clooney’s character’s big reveal is that he’s porking some hooker or exotic dancer. Lord knows we’ve seen enough of that lately.

Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Toby Jones, Cary Elwes, Tony Curran
Release Date: December 23
Why we’re excited: Steven Spielberg is about to own December. On December 28th, he’ll do his damndest to make awards’ voters weep with War Horse, a World War I drama about a young soldier who endures battles and bloodshed to reunite with his best pal: a steed who crosses more paths than Forrest Gump. That one looks quite good, but the new Spielberg joint that we’re most excited for is The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn, a performance-capture adventure based on the Belgian cartoonist Hergé’s iconic character.

The first of two planned films (the second will be directed by Secret Of The Unicorn producer Peter Jackson), Spielberg’s CG-heavy flick will serve as a primer for U.S. audiences unfamiliar with Tintin. The young, globe-trotting reporter is played, via motion capture, by Jamie Bell (The Eagle), whose first time behind the green-performance-suit was mentored by co-star Andy Serkis, a.k.a. the king of simulated acting. With Serkis on board, all Tintin needs is an ounce of the actor’s brilliant mo-cap Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes acting in order to succeed, at least in our book.

Director: Bennett Miller
Stars: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Robin Wright, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Chris Pratt
Release Date: September 23
Why we’re excited: Here’s a brain-buster: Name the last truly great baseball movie. If you’ve just said 2008’s Sugar to yourself...congratulations, you’re correct! You’re also one of about 200 or so people who’ve actually seen that independent drama about a Dominican pitcher struggling to assimilate in an American minor league. Unfortunately, America’s pastime hasn’t received the best on-screen treatment from Hollywood over the years—who can forget Ed, for example?

Which is why baseball fans should be chomping at the bit to see Moneyball, easily the best-looking mainstream film centered on the sport since 1989’s Field Of Dreams. Based on Michael Lewis’ 2003 non-fiction best-seller of the same name, director Bennett Miller’s (Capote) pic focuses on Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt), who reinvented the way organizations assembles rosters by embracing a statistically driven new system that ignored players’ notoriety. Beane’s revolutionary tactics came largely from the mind of a socially awkward A’s executive, a role that will allow funnyman Jonah Hill to flex his dramatic muscle, even more than he did in last year’s underrated Cyrus.

Rumblings within the critic’ circuit place Pitt in the running for Best Actor nods and posit Moneyball as a potential Best Picture nominee. Even if such early proclamations turn out to be unfounded, one thing’s for sure: It’ll be better than The Benchwarmers. And Fever Pitch. And Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch. And…. You get the idea.

Director: Tomas Alfredson
Stars: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ciarán Hinds
Release Date: December 9
Why we’re excited: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy practically oozes prestige. Aside from being an impressively cast adaptation of an acclaimed BBC miniseries, itself based on the first celebrated spy novels from British writer John le Carré, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is Swedish director Tomas Alfredson’s long-awaited follow-up to 2008’s brilliant vampire flick Let The Right One In. High-end critical fawning is guaranteed.

We’re expecting to be right at the front of the applause line. As evidenced by the film’s superb teaser trailer (which can be seen above), Alfredson’s foremost mainstream endeavor has all the makings of a first-class mystery. Gary Oldman leads the pack as a former British Intelligence agent who, in the 1970s, comes out of retirement to find a Russian spy inside Britain’s M16 (the country’s answer to America’s CIA). His primary suspects include recent Oscar winner Colin Firth and Inception breakout Tom Hardy, who's also playing Bane in next year’s The Dark Knight Rises. Unraveling Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’s secrecy promises to be movie-going of the highest order.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Leonardo Dicaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, Lea Thompson, Ed Westwick, Dermot Mulroney, Jeffrey Donovan, Judi Dench
Release Date: November 9
Why we’re excited: J. Edgar Hoover is one of history’s most iconic figures. As the first director of the FBI, Hoover achieved infamy through probing into the secret lives of criminals, bringing such techniques as forensics and fingerprints to law enforcement’s forefront in an effort to uncover people’s truth. But the man himself, however, was notoriously enigmatic, keeping his private life just that—private. Though, speculation has nevertheless covered his legacy, with accusations of homosexuality and a cross-dressing hobby.

With such a fascinating back-story, it’s amazing that J. Edgar, Clint Eastwood’s high-profile biopic, is Hollywood’s first production solely dedicated to the FBI maverick (he’s been portrayed in smaller capacities in films like Nixon and Public Enemies). In a casting coup, Eastwood nabbed Leonardo Dicaprio to play Hoover, a role that, if all goes well, could land the actor his fourth Oscar nod—maybe even his first victory?

Without a trailer, it’s too soon to predict, but Dicaprio certainly has a lot to work with here. In Academy Award-winning, Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black’s script, Hoover’s life is covered from childhood all the way through his FBI years, up to his death by heart attack in 1972. Smart money says Dicaprio kills it.

Director: David Cronenberg
Stars: Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen, Keira Knightley, Vincent Cassel
Release Date: November 23
Why we’re excited: Some movies appear to be foolproof just off the credits alone—A Dangerous Method is a prime example. Behind the camera, you’ve got David Cronenberg, a onetime horror master who’s transitioned into critic-pleasing prestige dramas, with A History Of Violence (2005) and Eastern Promises (2007) both receiving Academy recognition in recent years. In front of Cronenberg’s lens, the director’s go-to leading man Viggo Mortensen goes toe-to-toe with the film world’s latest obsession, acting powerhouse Michael Fassbender (last seen as Magneto in X-Men: First Class). It doesn’t get much better than that.

On second thought, it does, actually. A Dangerous Method’s story, set right before World War I, is catnip for psychology majors and anyone who’s fascinated by the mind, such as us (what, it’s not T&A all day at Complex): Mortensen plays psychoanalysis titan Sigmund Freud, whose camaraderie with influential psychiatrist Carl Jung (Fassbender) hits the skids when Jung starts smacking backs with a cute Russian loony bird (Keira Knightley). And if that’s not enough to entice you, Cronenberg has alluded to themes of sexual perversion; more specifically, S&M. That’s one way to enhance a costume drama.

Director: Brad Bird
Stars: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Tom Wilkinson, Josh Holloway, Lea Seydoux, Michael Nyqvist, Anil Kapoor
Release Date: December 21
Why we’re excited: How’s this for disappointment: 2006’s Mission: Impossible III earned the mega-budgeted spy franchise’s lowest domestic gross, with $134 million. What an epic fail…. OK, so most Hollywood producers would kill to have their movies accumulate that sum. Sure, it pales in comparison to Mission: Impossible II’s $215 million intake, but the Tom Cruise-led series’ last entry still cracked the three-digit mark, and that wasn’t long after Cruise’s freak-out on Oprah’s couch.

Now that the superstar’s public image is practically back to normal, he’s still looking for his next worldwide smash, following up a couple of so-so performers (Valkyrie and Knight & Day). So, naturally, Cruise jumped right back into Ethan Hunt mode for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, bringing The Incredibles director Brad Bird along for the latter’s first live-action job. Plot-wise, Ghost Protocol falls right in line with past M:I adventures; this time, Hunt and his tactical squad hunt down criminal masterminds who’ve bombed the Kremlin. Cruise also recruited two potential franchise mainstays, should Ghost Protocol decimate the box office: Jeremy Renner, playing a well-connected analyst, and Paula Patton, playing, well, the film’s much-welcome eye candy.

At their best, Cruise’s Mission: Impossible flicks deliver the best examples of high-stakes, blockbuster productions, and Ghost Protocol’s breathless trailer hints at a sequel that should tap into that exceptionality.

Director: Sean Durkin
Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson, Hugh Dancy, Brady Corbet
Release Date: October 21
Why we’re excited: No one can knock Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s business skills, or even their longevity. But it’s about to be made abundantly clear that the family’s most talented actress doesn’t have Full House on her resume. Elizabeth Olsen, the twins’ younger, and much hotter, sister, was the belle of this past January’s Sundance Film Festival thanks to Martha Marcy May Marlene, the 22-year-old’s awe-inspiring film debut. Independently made, the psychological thriller/drama crept up on Sundance’s top pundits, folks who’d never heard of the little creepfest but haven’t forgotten it since viewing it at the festival.

Having recently seen it ourselves, we’re right there with them. Olsen is a revelation, channeling an army of inner demons to play an emotionally damaged and extremely paranoid girl who flees from a sadistic cult and tries to reconfigure her life at her older sister’s (Sarah Paulson) crib. First-time writer-director Sean Durkin’s film conveys an uneasy mood through jumbled chronology, flashing back and forth from Olsen’s past cult traumas (orchestrated by John Hawkes in a disturbing performance) to her current living conditions.

Durkin also shrewdly uses tight close-ups to drill home her fears and wide-angle shots to provoke they’re-coming-to-get-me suspicions. Once the film’s ambiguously haunting final shot hits, Martha Marcy May Marlene’s blend of proficient filmmaking and art-house macabre will totally register. Mark your calendars.

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac, Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks
Release Date: September 16
Why we’re excited: For years now, below the mainstream’s eyes, Nicolas Winding Refn has been directing some of the most stylish and visually captivating films in all the lands. Created with his kinetic energy and nihilistic spirit, the Danish filmmaker’s movies, namely 2008’s Kubrickian biopic Bronson and 2009’s trippy, at times meditative, Viking epic Valhalla Rising, are precisely the kinds of experimental knockouts that casual American audiences rarely get to see, if they even care to do so in the first place.

Something tells us that they’ll be curious about Drive, however—they sure as hell better be. Refn’s first Hollywood production, this adaptation of author James Sallis’ noir-ish novel should appeal to the masses due to star Ryan Gosling, as well as its accessible premise, that of a getaway driver who gets mixed up with ruthless gangsters in the name of true love.

Yet, what nonchalant ticket-buyers will experience is going to smack their eyeballs into gleeful submission. If anything, Refn’s livewire directing approach is even more meticulously gonzo than before under Hollywood’s watch; starting off hypnotically romantic before erupting into insane violence (behold Gosling’s shoe crushing a man’s skull!), Drive is cinema in its purest form, a dynamo in which Refn doesn’t waste a single shot.

So, yeah, we’re quite high on Drive. Expect this one to show up many Best Of 2011 lists, including ours.

Director: James Bobin
Stars: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ricky Gervais, Jack Black
Release Date: November 23
Why we’re excited: Let’s be honest here: They could’ve cast Pauly Shore as the leading man and we’d still be stoked for a new Muppets flick. It’s been 12 years since the late Jim Henson’s puppet gang has surfaced in Hollywood, a temporal baker’s dozen that’s left Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and their cohorts virtually non-existent. So, hell yes, another chance to kick it with the stars of our childhood is cause for joyous excitement.

The wonderful bonus, though, is that Jason Segel’s the man behind the Muppets’ well-deserved reboot. The Muppets, directed by James Bobin (a TV veteran with ties to Da Ali G Show and Flight Of The Conchords), has been a longtime passion project for Segel, who co-wrote the screenplay with Nicholas Stoller (director of Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him To The Greek); the comedic actor’s dedication to Henson’s original touch prompted him to use actual puppets instead of CGI, and also inspired a long list of guest stars to sign up, including Ricky Gervais, Neil Patrick Harris, Lady Gaga, Danny Trejo, Katy Perry, Selena Gomez, and Rashida Jones, amongst several others.

As the above trailer shows, The Muppets pairs actually humorous slapstick gags with Henson’s trademark sense of childlike whimsy. Segel plays a huge Muppet fan (what a stretch) who, along with his girlfriend (Amy Adams), reconnects the disbanded Muppet team to help save their Muppet Theater from being torn down by an oil man (Chris Cooper). It’s a meta premise, considering that, similar to his character, Segel’s underlying objective with The Muppets is to propel a once-beloved pop culture brand back to high esteem. And for that, we award him endless props.

Director: David Fincher
Stars: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Stellan Skarsgard, Christopher Plummer, Robin Wright, Embeth Davidtz, Joely Richardson
Release Date: December 21
Why we’re excited: It says a lot that 2011’s most anxiously awaited blockbuster-in-the-making is also in position to be the year’s darkest and perhaps most violent mainstream film, with a poster that shows female nip to boot. That’s a testament to the mammoth international success of late Swedish author Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, the first of three novels featuring missing girl investigators Lisbeth Salander, an introverted, Goth computer hacker, and shamed journalist Mikael Blomkvist. Punctuated by gory deaths, vivid rape, and an underlying tone of creepy dread, Larsson’s 2005 best-seller, which made its English language debut in 2008, is an uncompromisingly adult thriller—just check out the three recent Swedish movie adaptations.

Or don’t. It’s almost guaranteed that Academy Award-nominated director David Fincher’s (Fight Club, The Social Network) big deal Hollywood version is going to be far superior. The first indicator is that Fincher’s back in his sinister Se7en/Zodiac realm here; secondly, Rooney Mara looks much more intimidating as Salander than Noomi Rapace ever did in the Swedes’ flicks (Daniel “OO7” Craig plays Blomkvist).

Debuting right before Christmas, Fincher’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has all the makings of a cheerful holiday classic; what’s sure to be the film’s most controversial scene will involve Mara getting sexually assaulted in a no-holds-barred dose of brute misogyny. Sounds like an ideal way to cap off ’11’s year in film.