Top twenty most-anticipated films of 2010, courtesy of Metacritic

By Sarah Sluis

Since the months of January and February are filled with both dreary skies and dreary movies, it's easy to get down on the whole year. When, oh when, will I see the first film worthy of my top ten? Last year I watched my first good film of the year, I Love You, Man (which ended up in my top ten) in January, though it didn't end up in theatres until late March. I don't plan on having such good luck this year--but I do have some good films to look forward to later in 2010, thanks to a perusal of Metacritic's top twenty most-anticipated movies. Although I suspect Metacritic's methodology for this feature was looser than that of its rating aggregation, some worthwhile films turn up in their top twenty.

One of my must-sees is their #1 film, Inception. Christopher Nolan directs the sci-fi "architecture of the mind" thriller, which I hope has that tantalizing weirdness of Memento that was toned down in his subsequent films. Please be as awesome as that other sci-fi "world of the mind" movie, The Matrix.

I will dutifully go see their #17 movie, Sex and the City 2, but I suspect it will be more of my attempt to recapture the good times I had watching their TV series than out of the conviction that the movie will be above average. At the very least, it will be fun to see the stylish fangirls dressed up in their New York best as they go to see the movie en masse.

Harry Potter books will always be better than the movies, but that won't stop me from seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part I), in November, the fourth-most-anticipated movie.

I missed Iron Man the first time around, but its good buzz and fantastic trailer have convinced me I need to see the sequel, Iron Man 2 (it's also the #2 most-anticipated movie). Watch here to see Robert Downey, Jr. own his senate hearing.

Alice and Wonderland (#9) will also be a must-see, especially since I liked Tim Burton's version of another children's book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so much. Given its wide-open March time slot, it will be no problem to fit this film in.

Any Martin Scorsese fan worth her muster has to check out Shutter Island (#14), never mind the whispers of delays.

There are also some films of which I'm more skeptical. Tron Legacy (#8) has the most mind-numbing trailer I have ever seen. It's two minutes of this absurdly boring chase scene, followed by a payoff ("But this was supposed to be just a game") that anyone who already read the tagline could figure out.

The remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street (#19) could easily pass by with little buzz, the same way so many other horror remakes have. Given the recent victory of guerrilla-marketed horror flick Paranormal Activity, a remake might not be enough to draw in crowds.

Though I adore Seth Rogen, if The Green Hornet (#6) falters I'll blame a saturation of superhero movies. One sign they might be on the wane? The violent child superheroes in Kick-Ass (#13), which appears to add a bit of parody to the genre. Parody = first sign of a genre's demise.

Of all the movies in the top twenty, the one I'm most willing to put my money on, anticipation-wise, will be The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (#10). Let's hear it for those texting tween girls, the new frontier for movies most likely to have riotous activity on opening day!

To view the top twenty, click here.