Movies Preview: What to Watch in 2005

The award season for 2004 movies is in full swing, and some are still grabbing box office. Each week a new batch are vying to take their place. Outside of the seemingly unending stream of low budget horror flicks, there are some great films to look forward to in 2005.

Here is a list of the movies that I am most looking forward to this year. In some ways, the list represents what has been publicized the best. It favors big budget summer popcorn films, but there is room to be surprised and have a small film pop up from nowhere and become the next "Napoleon Dynamite."

Most Anticipated Films of 2005
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (May) - Why deny it? We need to see what made Darth Vader so damned pissy.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (May) - For many an 80s geek, the Hitchhiker's books were the roadmap to a cooler level of geekdom.

Batman Begins (June) - An dark and gritty origin story from the director of Memento promises to help us forget the gayness that was Batman & Robin (1997).

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (July) - You should watch the trailer for this Tim Burton/Johnny Depp collaboration on acid. Then find a chick named Veruca to take to the premiere.

A Scanner Darkly (July) - Another film version of a Philip K. Dick story, but this one may not suck (see Paycheck). With Woody Harrelson, Robert Downey, Jr. and Keanu Reeves.

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (September) - Another Tim Burton freakfest experiment in stop-motion animation. Bring the acid again.

Untitled Mike Judge Project (August) - Even without a title, the premise for the next film by Mike Judge (Office Space) is enough to go on. An average Joe wakes up 1,000 years in the future and discovers that society is so dumbed-down that he is now a genius.

Land of the Dead (October) - A sequel to the classic trilogy that included the original Dawn of the Dead (1979) directed by George Romero, should raise the bar against all the zombie movie clones he inspired.

V for Vendetta (November) - Based on a popular graphic novel, this presents an alternate version of the present where Germany won WWII and England became a Fascist state.

The Fountain (Fall) - A long-delayed sci-fi story from the director of Pi and Requiem for a Dream. Three men seek the fabled fountain of youth in Central America across three different centuries.

Syriana (Fall) - A modern CIA espionage thriller directed by Stephen Gaghan, the writer of Traffic. Starring George Clooney, who got fat for this role but could still pull in more chicks than you

All the King's Men (Fall) - Starring Sean Penn as a folksy and corrupt Louisiana politician in this remake of the 1949 film.

More on my site - Culture Drift, including a wrap-up of the awards and coverage, http://www.culturedrift.com