2002 has been a mediocre year for movies. Potential winners turned out to be confirmed merely lukewarm. Nothing was particularly bad and only a select few were really and truly insanely good. With the new year upon us, here's a look at what I'm keeping an eye out for in 2003… in the hopes that perhaps 2003 will turn into the best year for movies ever! Release dates will inevitably change and (I hope) wonderful little films will slip in here and there, things that at this early date we can't even expect. But, for what it's worth, these are the big names I'm most looking forward to reviewing here at The Film Hobbit, whether for ill or for good. Watch for them!

January 2003

Lost In La Mancha (limited release) A documentary about Terry Gilliam's failed attempt to produce a movie version of Don Quixote. Those who have seen it make it sound wonderful! An oddity, and one worth seeing if Gilliam is involved.

February 2003

Shanghai Knights Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan reprise their Shanghai Noon roles. The first was a winner and the talent is watch-worthy. Was supposed to be released in Fall 2002 but was inexplicably pushed back.

Daredevil Yet another superhero movie. Cashing in, or quality filmmaking? Color blind casting led to the perfect guy to play Kingpin, but can Ben Affleck fit into those horny red tights?

March 2003

Tears of the Sun Bruce Willis as a commando with heart? Willis has done some truly interesting things lately, pushing away from his Die Hard, ass-kicking roots. Here he's stuck in the jungle defending civilians from thousands of attacking rebels, when he should be saving his own neck.

April 2003

Anger Management Adam Sandler pairs with Jack Nicholson. Weird isn't the word for it. After Punch-Drunk Love, I'd kill to see more of that Barry Egan type of performance from Sandler. Will we get it here?

Shaolin Soccer Asian ass-kicker. Critics who have seen it are raving. Critics know nothing, but want to give it a good look anyway. Hopefully not another Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Timeline Based on the Michael Creighton novel but directed by Richard Donner. A history professor is trapped in 1357 France and three of his students come to rescue him. Has a hard-hitting "Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court" vibe, which I like. When was the last time someone made a decent time travel movie?

May 2003

X2 Follow-up to the successful franchise opener. Singer is still at the helm and all the cast is still in place. Can the repeat? Or better yet, can the IMPROVE on the solid, if not totally perfect base they built for themselves in the first movie?

The Matrix Reloaded I've been waiting for this since 1999. The sequel (one of 2) to the 1999 surprise hit masterpiece The Matrix. The teasers are perfect. The cast is all there. The technology is better. The Wachowski's are big on promises for this thing. Can they deliver?

Bruce Almighty Jim Carrey gets God powers for a week. A perfect place for Carrey's overacting to kill.

Finding Nemo This is a PIXAR movie!! Do I need to explain why this one is worth watching? Some accounts have said it isn't quite up to Pixar's usually perfect standards. But THIS IS PIXAR!!!

June 2003

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World A grim high seas adventure starring Russell Crowe. Set in 1806, the tale of a British Commander and his ship as they hunt down a French "Super-Frigate". This sort of thing has been too long absent from movie screens.

The Hulk There is nothing that I have heard to indicate that this may in any way be good. Still, this is The Hulk. An icon of sorts. What the kind of movie is Ang Lee going to deliver?

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle These movies are getting a little bit annoying. The first was fun in a silly sort of way. But I can't imagine that a sequel was needed. Bill Murray is out, Bernie Mac is in, will the Angels be fun all over again?

July 2003

Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde The original was a surprise hit in 2001 and more than anything else finally launched Reese Witherspoon squarely into the public eye. There's room to make this one even better, since the original was at best only cute, but who'd have thought they'd ever make a sequel to begin with?

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen The least interesting superhero movie of the year. Based on a comic book with a ridiculous premise and starring Sean Connery. Never, ever miss a Connery movie… no matter what it is.

Garage Days (limited release) The story of a struggling Garage Band in Sydney, Australia. Sound boring? This movie is directed by ALEX PROYAS!!!!!!! Bad Boys 2 Big, dumb, explosion fun. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith team up again in fast cars with big guns.

When Harry Met Lloyd: Dumb and Dumberer A prequel to Dumb and Dumber with NONE of the original cast. A movie with nothing going for it. See it as a curiosity.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life There was no reason to make this sequel. But Jolie seems to be dictating they fix this one, and hopefully keep it from sucking like the first.

Summer TBA

Asterix and Obelisk Vs. Caesar If you do not already know who Asterix and Obelisk are, this movie is not for you. This is a French film, a live action movie based on a popular (and extremely funny) comic strip about 2 Gaul's making their way in the Roman Empire.

September 2003

Helldorado The Rock gets another movie. Even if it is as bad as The Scorpion King, for some reason the name alone has me hooked. Come on! Helldorado! That's cool.

October 2003

Kill Bill Quentin Tarantino's latest ego fest. This time he's pulled Uma Thurman and David Carriddine into it. I read the script and was not impressed. But judging from the bizarreness of it, perhaps even if it is bad, Kill Bill is worth seeing.

November 2003

The Matrix: Revolutions I dig the fact that both of the Matrix sequels, filmed at the same time, will be released all in one year. Waiting is always the hardest part. Whoa.

Around the World in 80 Days I'm not sure how many times this Jules Verne novel has been made into a movie, but I'd wager this is #50. Unfortunately, except for a wonderful TV mini-series starring Pierce Brosnan, none of them have actually been any good. Will this be the first?

Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat Mike Meyers just looks WRONG in this costume. Frankly, I'd settle for something merely passable like Ron Howard's The Grinch from this, but I have a terrible feeling that yet again, Hollywood is going to do Doctor Seuss wrong.

Hero Potential Martial Arts goodness

December 2003

The Last Samurai Tom Cruise in a Samurai movie? A sweeping epic of Samurai proportions.

The Alamo A huge cast in a huge movie that maybe, just maybe does the Alamo right. The story is grand and so should the movie be.

The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King The finale to three of the greatest films of our time. Guaranteed to be Movie of the Year, if not the decade.

Peter Pan Another live action remake of Peter Pan with a HUGE budget. As one of the few people who loves Hook, I have to give this a look.