The 10 Most Anticipated Movies and TV Shows for 2011 -- Mike's Picks

To be honest, I hadn't given a lot of thought to anything coming up in 2011. Usually, I wait until the last minute to think about anything -- Christmas gifts? That's Thursday's problem! -- let alone a movie that might still be twelve months away. Now, being forced at gunpoint (figuratively; a literal description would be more my Gchat being on a constant loop with the words, "Where's your list?!"), to look ahead to 2011, there are quite a few things that I'm excited about for the New Year. Admittedly, I'd like to throw on a few movies that you've never heard of -- just to create the illusion that I possess some sort of eclectic knowledge to make myself feel better -- but that would be lying. So here's my actual, make-fun-of-it-if-you-want list.

Cowboys and Aliens

I've been waiting for Harrison Ford to make a comeback to the sci-fi genre since Return of the Jedi. (I don't count Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; remember, those were inter-dimensional creatures, whatever that means.) Actually, I've just been waiting for Harrison Ford to make anything that halfway resembles a good movie, something Cowboys & Aliens potentially resembles. Yes, I liked Morning Glory, but still...

Sherlock Holmes 2

I adore the first film. Honestly, Downey playing this quirky version of Holmes, for me, trumps anything that he ever did in the role of Tony Stark. Also, Jude Law was surprisingly quite great as Watson. Additionally, I really liked how the first film didn't start out with Holmes' archenemy, Professor Moriarty, as the villain; it was shades of Batman Begins with The Scarecrow.

Captain America: The First Avenger

This could be awful. Then again, everything has the chance of being awful, so why not look forward to it? It is funny when you think about the title and wonder why it has to be changed for international distribution. Current American status with the world aside, if a superhero movie called Captain Greece -- draped in the old blue and white -- opened wide in the United States, would you honestly go see it? Actually, I might. I digress.

Parks and Recreation

My God, it feels like it's been years since I've seen Ron Swanson's mustache. The good news: I don't have to wait too long considering that Parks and Recreation returns on January 20. The bad news: Outsourced also returns January 20.

Jim Carrey hosting SNL

On May 18, 1996, Jim Carrey hosted an epic edition of Saturday Night Live, one of the most repeated episodes in the show's history (I have no data to back that up, I just going from memory on how many times I've seen this show). At the time, Carrey was on top of the world -- though he did appear on SNL as part of his publicity tour for The Cable Guy, a flop which would knock him down a peg. Carrey isn't where he used to be as far as box office assurances go, but if this hosting gig on Jan. 8 is even half as good as his first time, it's still going to be something special.

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