Watch this, not that: Spring Edition

2010 isn't looking like a particularly good year for film. Recycled, rehashed and remixed are the words that come to mind looking at the release schedule. Still, there must be something worth watching. But what?

Watch This:

Shutter Island-February 19

I'm not the biggest Dicaprio fan (in fact I've never seen any of his movies) but this looks genuinely interesting, and perhaps even...good? Still, it was pushed back from October to February, originally intended to be an Oscar film, but apparently the studio thought otherwise. I'm cautiously optimistic about this psychological thriller. Stars Lio Dicaprio and Ben Kingsley

Shutter Island Trailer 2

Alice in Wonderland-March 5

Tim Burton brings us his first directorial performance since "Sweeney Todd" (2007). This re-imagining of the classic tale looks entertaining to say the least, and is probably my most anticipated film for spring releases. Then again, I'm kind of a Burton junkie. Stars Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter.

Alice in Wonderland Trailer

Green Zone-March 12

Matt Damon has earned himself something of a reputation as an action hero, thanks to a few small movies based on novels by Robert Ludlum, "The Bourne Identity" "The Bourne Supremecy" and "The Bourne Ultimatum". Now, he's sliding back into the role of an action hero, in a very different film, not-so-incidentally directed by Doug Liman, who directed Damon in all three "Bourne" movies. Need I say more? Stars Matt Damon, Amy Ryan, Greg Kinnear, and Jason Issacs.

Green Zone Trailer

How to Train your Dragon-March 26

Dreamworks has had a mixed history with me. "Prince of Egypt" (awesome), "Road to El Dorado" (awful), "Shrek" (fantastic), "Shrek 2" (good, not great), "Shark Tale" (meh), "Madagascar" (blech), "Over the Hedge" (fun), "Shrek 3" (pretty darn bad), "Bee Movie" (didn't see), "Kung Fu Panda" (awesome), "Monsters vs. Aliens" (lame). Still, How to Train your Dragon has a kind of odd appeal to me that I can't really explain at all. It just looks like my kind of movie, what can I say? Stars Jay Baruchel, America Ferrara, Jonah Hill and Kristen Wiig.

How to Train your Dragon Trailer

Kick-*ss-April 16

April movies tend to suck. Released after the spring break boom, and before the summer extravaganzas, it's something of a dumping ground for major studios (less so than August or January). However, it's also prime time for smaller studios like Lionsgate to launch films that would be crushed by the summer, or early spring competition. Kick-*ss is one of those films. However, the superhero spoof genre is weak at best, with titles like "Mystery Men" (bomb), "Superhero Movie" (flop) and "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" (Mega-flop). Let's hope this does better. Stars Nicolas Cage, Aaron Johnson, Mark Strong, Chloe Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

Kick-*ss Trailer

All right, this blog is too long, so I'll be adding the "not that" portion later.