* Eminem * Arcade Fire * Widespread Panic * The Black Keys * Buffalo Springfield feat Richie Furay, Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Rick Rosas, Joe Vitale * My Morning Jacket * Lil Wayne * String Cheese Incident * Robert Plant & Band of Joy * Mumford & Sons * The Strokes * The Decemberists * Ray Lamontagne * Bassnectar * Iron & Wine * Girl Talk * Primus * Dr. John and The Original Meters performing Desitively Bonnaroo * Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas * Pretty Lights * Florence & the Machine * Superjam ft. Dan Auerbach and Dr. John * Explosions in the Sky * STS9 * Gogol Bordello * Beirut * Big Boi * Scissor Sisters * Gregg Allman * Ratatat * Global Gypsy Punk Revue curated by Eugene Hütz * Robyn * Warren Haynes Band * Deerhunter * Opeth * Atmosphere * Old Crow Medicine Show * Bootsy Collins & the Funk University * Wiz Khalifa * Matt & Kim * Grace Potter & the Nocturnals * The Del McCoury Band and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band * Mavis Staples * Béla Fleck & the Flecktones * Chiddy Bang * Jovanotti * Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers * Loretta Lynn * Cold War Kids * The Walkmen * Devotchka * Wanda Jackson * Neon Trees * Portugal. The Man * Sleigh Bells * Amos Lee * Best Coast * Dãm-Funk * The Sword * The Drums * The Black Angels * School of Seven Bells * J. Cole * Nicole Atkins & the Black Sea * Wavves * !!! * Junip * Freelance Whales * Justin Townes Earle * Ryan Bingham * Deer Tick * Band of Skulls * Sharon Van Etten * Abigail Washburn * Omar Souleyman * Twin Shadow * Kylesa * Man Man * The Low Anthem * Alberta Cross * Railroad Earth * Jessica Lea Mayfield * Smith Westerns * The Head and the Heart * Karen Elson * Beats Antique * 22-20s * Phosphorescent * Clare MaGuire * Hayes Carll
1. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked Who: (voiced by) Amy Poehler, Jesse McCartney, Andy Buckley and Tucker Albrizzi (all voices); directed by Mike Mitchell What: Part three of chipmunks singing. Why: The last two Alvin films made over 800 million worldwide, combined; plus it’s in 3D this time around, so it’s guaranteed to rake in the cash again no matter what. (You love the title. Admit it.) When: December 16
2. Captain America: The First Avenger Who: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, Sebastian Stan, Hayley Atwell, Samuel L. Jackson, Toby Jones, Dominic Cooper, Neal McDonough and Richard Armitage; directed by Joe Johnson What: A frail boy enlists in World War II, but isn’t strong enough for the army. Aided by a special serum, he becomes a true hero, and battles Nazi villain, The Red Skull. Why: This is the fourth and final pre-Advengers Marvel movie. Everything so far has seemed a little off about this project, and this new images and teaser trailer just released this past weekend are not doing much to allay those fears. There will be a big publicity push for this one, so I expect it to still rake in the cash. How it does in comparison to those other superhero films (Thor and Green Lantern) hitting screens this year will be its true test. When: July 22
3. Cars 2 Who: (voiced by) Owen Wilson, Emily Mortimer, Michael Caine and Michael Keaton; directed by Brad Lewis What: Lightening McQueen and Mater team up for a global adventure when they are mistaken for spy cars. Why: The original Cars is considered to be the weakest Pixar offering by many people, and while it’s more than obvious that Cars 2 is vastly different from recent offerings - most notably Up and Toy Story 3 (meaning, it’s no Best Picture future nominee) – the fact remains that kids love them some Cars. In the first year following its release Cars was responsible for billions of dollars in merchandise sales. Not millions. Billions. There is no way that the newest version is going to be one of the biggest money makers of the summer. When: June 24
4. Cowboys & Aliens Who: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Noah Ringer, Paul Dano, Ana de la Reguera, Clancy Brown and Keith Carradine; directed by Jon Favreau What: A spaceship arrives in Arizona, 1873, to take over the Earth, starting with the Wild West region. A posse of cowboys are all the stand in their way. Why: This marks Jon Favreau’s return to the big screen after Iron Man 2, and many months before its release has plenty of buzz and good will going for it. When: July 29
5. The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made Who: Amy Adams, Jason Segel, Chris Cooper, Ricky Gervais, Emily Blunt, Dave Grohl, Rashida Jones and Zach Galifanakis; directed by James Bobin What: Kermit the Frog and his muppet pals put on a show to save their old theater. Why: If the though of seeing Kermit and the gang back to the big screen isn’t enough to entice you, then maybe the prospect of seeing one of your favorite actors will do it? Writers Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller (the team behind Forgetting Sarah Marshall) have gathered up an insane amount of friends to join them. When: November 23
6. Green Lantern Who: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, and Mark Strong; directed by Martin Campbell What: A test pilot (Reynolds) is granted a mystical green ring that bestows him with other worldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe. Why: Warner Bros. has anointed Green Lantern as their next big hero. There is a massive budget (rumored to be in the $200 million range), a big enough star as its lead (Reynolds), and a major franchise director in Martin Campbell. Is that enough to make up for a movie that is going to rely on an awful lot of hazy special effects and Blake Lively? I guess we’ll find out in a few months. In the mean time get ready to see a green suited guy that looks a lot like People’s Sexiest Man alive everywhere. When: June 17
7. Happy Feet 2 Who: (voiced by) Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Pink, Elizabeth Daily, Sofia Vergara, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Hank Azaria; directed by George Miller What: The son of original lovebirds Mumble and Gloria struggles to find his personal talents amidst the new dangers in the Emperor Penguin world. Why: The first one made over $384 million worldwide and went on to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature over, yep, Pixar’s Cars. Will 2011 be a repeat performance? When: November 18
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Who: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint; directed by David Yates What: The conclusion to The Deathly Hallows Part 1 and more significantly, the conclusion to the Potter franchise. Why: This movie is going to do gang busters at the box office this summer. For the last decade there has always been a new Potter to look forward to. After this summer it’s all over. When: July 15
9. I Am Number Four Who: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Dianna Agron and Teressa Palmer; directed by D.J. Caruso What: John (Pettyfer) is an extraordinary teen, masking his true identity and passing as a typical high school student to elude a deadly enemy seeking to destroy him. Three like him have already been killed – he is number four. Why: This movie has a change to be a blockbuster, but it’s also very possible for it to miss the mark completely. DreamWorks is praying for a crossover from the Twilight audience. When: February 18
10. Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom Who: (voiced by) Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Jean-Blaude van Damme,Lucy Liu, David Cross, Dustin Hoffman, Gary Oldman and Seth Rogen; directed by Jennifer Yuh What: Having attained his dream of becoming the dragon Warrior, panda Po and legendary buds The Furious Five now must journey across China to defeat an enemy harnessing a new weapon that may make Kung Fu obsolete. Why: The original was an unexpected hit for DreamWorks plus made some serious cash in associated toys and straight-to-video offshoots. The studio is hoping lightening strikes twice. When: May 26
11. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol Who: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Josh Holloway,Anil Kapoor, Léa Seydoux and Michael Nygvist; directed by Brad Bird What: Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is back with some new recruits, in this, the fourth installment. Why: J.J. Abrams is back, but this time, in addition to writing, is producing, and leaving the directing to animation guru Brad Bird (The Incredibles) who makes his live-action debut in this. When: December 16
12. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Who: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush, Judi Dench, Gemma Ward, Stephen Graham, Richard Griffiths, Keith Richards and Sam Flafin; directed by Rob Marshall What: Jack Sparrow (Depp) and Barbossa (Rush) embark on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth, only to discover that Blackbeard (McShane) and his daughter are after it too. Why: There is no question about it, this, this fourth entry in the franchise, will be successful. The latest installment comes in 3D (of course) with a lot of the big names returning and a few new ones. When: May 20
13. Rango Who: (voiced by) Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Timothy Olyphant, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy, Alfred Molina, Ned Beatty, Harry Dean Stanton, Ray Winstone and Stephen Root; directed by Gore Verbinski What: A ped chameleon is stranded in the desert, and end up as the sheriff in a western town. Why: I have no idea what to think about this one. It looks visually stunning and the behind the scenes feature is great, but every trailer I’ve seen so far shows a wildly different film – all of them pretty weird. This will either be a total clusterfuck, or the most interesting, crazy mainstream animation to come out in some time. Take your pick. When: March 4
14. Scream 4 Who: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere and Adam Brody; directed by Wes Craven What: Ten years have passed, and Sidney Prescott (Campbell) is visited by the Ghostface Killer. Why: For no other reason than that press tour should be amazing now that the Cox-Arquette’s have separated and the latter part has done a stent in rehab. The Weinstein Company needs cash, and so they will be systematically resurrecting every sequel franchise they own or find (hence the return of the Spy Kids). When: April 15
15. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Who: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Stephen Fry and Jared Harris; directed by Guy Ritchie What: Holmes (Downey Jr.) and Watson (Law) travel to Europe to take on the man who will become Holmes’ greatest adversary – Professor Moriarty. Why: Downey Jr. and Law proved they have great chemistry together in the first installment, and thus many movie goers are looking forward to what they can bring to the screen again. This time they will be joined with break-out star Noomi Rapace taking over from Rachel McAdams in the love interest role. When: December 16
16. Sucker Punch Who: Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Scott Glen and Jon Hamm; directed by Zack Snyder What: A teenage girl is committed to an insance asylum by her vicious stepfather, and, along with those institutionalized with her, flees into a fantasy world to plan an escape before she’s lobotomized. Why: Directed Zack Snyder has described his film as “an Alice in Wonderland with machine guns.” When: March 25
17. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 Who: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner What: Rob and Kristen Edward and Bella are totally going to do it! Why: I’m going to out myself – I am a Twilight fangirl. I’m aware that the books are so poorly written it’s embarrassing and the movies are cheesier than the block of cheddar in my fridge. I’m still a fan. It’s a good time at the cinema. I’m stoked for this, the beginning of the end. It’s going to make an obscene amount of money. When: November 18
18. Thor Who: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddlestan, Stellan Skarsgard, Kat Dennings; directed by Kenneth Branagh What: The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders. Why: I have no idea. No really, a guy wielding a hammer? Whatever Marvel. Basically, just another set-up for 2012’s The Avengers. The dudes will line-up to see it though – super heroes AND Natalie Portman. They are already sold. When: May 6
19. Transformers: Dark of the Moon Who: Shia LeBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Hugo Weaving, Josh Duhamel, Patrick Dempsey, Frances McDormand and John Malkovich; directed by Michael Bay What: The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the Moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it and learn its secrets, which could turn the tide in the Transformers' final battle. Why: I feel like this is one of those movies that you lower your expectations for to such a degree that it can’t help but seem better than you expected. There has been a good amount of controversy so far, as Bay originally came on strong against 3D (then caved) and then there was that whole brouhaha over the firing of Megan Fox and the subsequent hiring of Huntington-Whiteley (a rewrite that probably took two minutes). Bay claims this will be the last in the series, so hopefully everyone gets the memo and moves on. In the mean time, this thing will blow into cinemas across the country this summer and rake in the cash. I’ve got two guys in my household that are counting down the days. When: July 1
20. X-Men First Class Who: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon, January Jones, Nicholas Hoult, Lucas Till and Zoe Kravitz; directed by Matthew Vaughn What: A prequel to the Marvel superhero franchise, this sees the first meeting of the mutants who would become know as Professor X and Magneto, as they team up in 1960s America to battle a dangerous foe. Why: I’ve thought for a while that this would be the best of the superhero films from the bunch that are being released this year. But it seems like there might be some trouble brewing. First, an image (that shined a less than favorable light on the movie) was released showing all of the characters in full costume and makeup, which the studio later recalled when they released another image of the cast in normal dress. Then word came out that X-Men was going to do pickup shots. Okay, nothing unusual about that. Many, many films undergo pickups at some point because it isn’t until the director is in the editing suite that he realizes he has unusable footage, the movie needs a longer transition, dialog needs to be fixed and ADR won’t cut it etc. Usually that takes anywhere from 3-6 days. That’s the normal time frame. X-Men is doing “pickups” for 6 weeks. One can shoot an entire feature length film in that amount of time. In good news, the first trailer was just released this week and it actually looks good. Really good. So maybe there is hope? When: June 3
