Here’s a list of the pending movies in 2008 that I’m looking forward to, in order of impatience. One entry that is sadly not on this list is the new Star Trek film, cause it has been pushed back for release until 2009.

1. Indiana Jones & The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
   How can this one not be #1 on the list? It’s Indiana Jones. ‘Nuff said.
2. The X-Files 2
   Heck yeah! After long delays, the second X-Files film finally hits the screens. I’m a big fan of the series, and I loved the first film. I have massively high hopes for this movie (hopefully ones that can at least partially be lived up to). Billy Connelly has been added to the mix. But more importantly, the fantastic Amanda Peet joins in on the fun. Woo hoo!
3. Wall-E
   I’m a total PIXAR fanboy. And everything about this movie points to them doing what they do best. There’s no way this one can fail (and I’m not just tempting fate).
4. Quantum Of Solace
   James Bond returns in this enigmatically titled entry to the franchise. Following up almost immediately on the events of Casino Royale, which relaunched the film series yet again and in spectacular fashion, I’m anxiously looking forward to this new entry.
5. Get Smart
   I’m a major Get Smart fanboy. I’ve got ancient paperback novelizations, the complete series DVD set, etc, etc. The total fanboy in me knows I’ll be a bit let down by some of the changes, but I’m not the usual fanboy that hates something just for changing what was in the source material. I was a huge fan of the original Battlestar Galactica, but I happilly gave the new series a chance, and ended up loving it even more. They can be done right, and I’m hoping this one can at least do a decent job of it. It certainly has a great cast to work with.
6. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
   I’m a big fan of the first Hellboy film, and like it better than Guillermo Del Toro’s much-over-hyped Pan’s Labyrinth. Like Serenity before it, Hellboy 2 was produced by Universal after the original producing studio failed to see the future on the original.
7. Doomsday
   The fact that it’s directed by Neil Marshall (The Descent, Dog Soldiers) is enough to make me anticipate. Doesn’t hurt that it’s a post-apocalyptic style film from the UK. This may end up a disappointment, I suppose, but I’m looking forward to it none-the-less.
8. Iron Man
   I’m not too much of a comic fan, but I enjoy many superhero films. However, this is Robert Downey Jr, one of my favorite actors, starring at his wisecracking best. The trailer is great, and I have high hopes.
9. Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
   David Fincher doing a movie about a man aging backwards, starring Brad Pitt. Yeah, I’m there.
10. The Dark Knight
    After the excellent first film of this franchise relaunch, it’s hard to not be anxious to see the follow-up. Of course, this movie is going to live in infamy after the death of Heath Ledger, The Joker himself.
11. The Happening
    There may be something of a popular backlash against M. Night Shyamalan lately, but I still have a lot of hope for his work. I may think that Lady In The Water is his weakest film (though not a bad film), but I really liked The Village, so sue me. Also, this movie stars Zooey Deschanel, so my ticket is automatically purchased.
12. Valkyrie
    Speaking of popular backlash, here we have Tom Cruise. While I may think he’s a whack-job in real life, I don’t have anything against him on screen. I’m not one to typically let off-screen things affect enjoyment of the on screen product. Anyway, this Bryan Singer film has all the looks of an excellent movie. As usual, John Ottman is doing the score (and the editing, which is typical for a Bryan Singer directed film), which I am definitely looking foward to. Plus, I’m a fan of the WWII film genre.
13. The Incredible Hulk
    Unlike just about everybody, I actually liked the Ang Lee Hulk film. Still, despite trying to bury that film, this follow-up still looks to have great potential. I’m certainly looking forward to the excellent cast, featuring Edward Norton (another of my favorite actors) in the lead.
14. Leatherheads
    The trailers for this have been fantastic. Clooney looks to have perfectly captured both the look and feel of the golden age of cinema, from the story to the banter. He’s proven adept at directing period pieces from the era before (Good Night & Good Luck). Definitely looking forward to this one.
15. Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince
    The Harry Potter films have been a bit hit-or-miss for me. I loved the third movie, and very much liked the most recent fifth film. I didn’t like the fourth, and thought the first two were adequately entertaining. Still, this sixth film is being made by most of the same people as the great fifth entry, so I have high hopes.
16. The International
    Let’s see, Tom Tykwer directing a thriller starring Naomi Watts and Clive Owen. I don’t need to know much more than that to know that I’m seeing this one.
17. Run, Fatboy, Run
    Written by and starring Simon Pegg is enough to get me to see anything. And as an interesting tid-bit, it’s directed by none-other-than David Schwimmer.
18. The Day The Earth Stood Still
    File this one under the category of classic sci-fi films I never thought anybody would remake. The original is pretty good, for the era anyway, and it’ll be interesting to see how they’ll handle a remake. And hey, Jennifer Connelly is reason enough to see absolutely anything.
19. Fanboys
    This film has been fighting a long, uphill battle to finally see a release, and hopefully it’ll be worth it. The story of Star Wars geeks on a quest to be able to steal a copy of Episode 1 for a dying buddy is a wild enough blend of genre, and the fact that it features Kristen Bell is an extra bonus.
20. 21
    A great cast comes together for a movie that looks very good. The trailer definitely does a good job selling the film, and I am anxious to see the end result. I like most films in the gambling genre, and this looks to be another great entry. Will it be the next Rounders? Perhaps not, but if it’s half as good I’ll be happy.
21. Burn After Reading
    After their wild success with No Country For Old Men, it’ll be interesting to see what the Coen brothers have in store for us with this dramedy. The plot of a couple gym employees trying to sell top secret information sounds like a good story foil, and the impressive cast list is enough to sell pretty much any film.
22. City Of Ember
    This conceptually fun sounding film features some great cast members (including none-other-than Bill Murray), and it’s directed by Gil Kenan, who did a good job with Monster House.
23. The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian
    Not too much to say about this one, beyond the obvious nature of it being part of the venerable Narnia franchise. The first film was good, and I think we all know basically what to expect from this sequel.
24. Speed Racer
    Like many others, I have a fondness for the original animated series. I’m definitely curious to see what they do with it. The casting of Christina Ricci as Trixie is nothing short of brilliant. My biggest reason for anxious anticipation for this film is Michael Giacchino’s music score. Letting him cut loose with material like this is gonna be awesome. He’s really becoming an obvious choice at stepping into remakes/sequels and turning in scores that pay respect to the source material. He’s done it before with Mission: Impossible III and is going to be doing so for the upcoming Star Trek film. But something like Speed Racer will really let him go crazy and have fun.
25. Penelope
    Speaking of Christina Ricci, we have this unique looking little romantic character dramedy. It actually opens tomorrow, so I’ll get to check it out sooner rather than later. Looks interesting enough to work, and you can’t possibly go wrong with casting Ricci in anything. Add in folks like Reese Witherspoon and it’s near impossible to go wrong.
26. Babylon, AD
    Vin Diesel returns to the sci-fi action/thriller genre, which is what he does best (not that he isn’t a talented actor, which you can see in films like Find Me Guilty).
27. The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emporer
    OK, I’m a sucker for The Mummy series. Sure, this one might suck, but it’ll be fun to have another adventure film in the mix this year (though it’ll have a tough time in the shadow of Indiana Jones). I was sad to originally hear that the great Rachel Weisz was dropping out of the project, but they did a great recovery by recasting the role with the excellent Maria Bello.
28. 10,000 BC
    Director Roland Emmerich gets to return to a film genre he hasn’t done in a while - ancient civilizations. He did a great job with that kind of material in Stargate. This one is clearly on a much larger scale, but he’s proven adept at large scale productions since (ID4, The Day After Tomorrow). Should be a fun action/event film if nothing else.
29. Wanted
    Here’s a movie that will likely be either fantastic fun or a complete mess. Seems you can’t turn around without seeing James McAvoy in one movie or another these days. Add to the casting mix the likes of Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman and Terrance Stamp, and hopefully you can’t go too wrong. The new trailer I just saw featuring a foot chase in a parking lot is wonderfully dynamic and great fun. Hopefully the whole movie can live up to it. It definitely looks like it’ll be conceptually fun. Hopefully it’ll work a bit better than the OK Jumper, which is another conceptually fun action film of late.
30. The Changeling
    The wildly unexpected pairing of director Clint Eastwood with the likes of writer J. Michael Straczynski piques my curiousity enough to see this, if for no other reason (of which I’m sure there’ll be many).
31. Semi-Pro
    Will Ferrell doing what he does best. The trailers have definitely been funny. It has the potential for being one of the funniest films of the year, if it works as well as it might seem in the trailer. This one also opens tomorrow, so I’ll find out sooner rather than later.
32. The Ruins
    The trailer for this one is pretty good, and the book it’s based on has good buzz. It could be a sleeper hit of the year, and is at least one I’ll definitely check out. Actress Jena Malone is reason enough for me to do so.