10) Pirates of the Caribbean:
The Curse of the Black Pearl

Jerry Bruckheimer bids yet again to shed his romantic comedy production reputation with Pirates of the Caribbean, starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush. As the first big-budget pirate film since 1995's Cutthroat Island, a film that killed the careers of Matthew Modine, Geena Davis (thankfully) and director Renny Harlin, Pirates of the Caribbean has very little in recent film-going memory to live up to.

Depp and Bloom star as, well, pirates who team up to save Bloom's character's girlfriend (Kiera Knightly) from evil pirates led by Rush. The plot specifics don't make a difference, really, it's a Bruckheimer movie. That's certainly not a knock on the film, as Jerry Bruckheimer's name is a guarantee of at least a watchable action movie or a fun, engrossing action film of the highest order at best.

If the initial trailer is any indication, expect the best.

9) The League

Even Mr. Connery's frilly pirate shirt, proudly worn at the Oscars, could not kill our interest in this film. Based on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the ultra-cool comic by comics great Alan Moore, The League has been on a lot of fanboys' radar screens for a while, yet you don't have to be a fanboy to fall for the unique premise of the film. The story brings together an eclectic group of heroes from British and American literature in early 19th century London. The group forms a shaky League whose prime reason for existence is to serve her majesty's empire. With Blade director Stephen Norrington on board, there is a very good chance that the action will be over-the-top and exciting. At the same time, the high-profile drama that went on during the filming of the feature has the potential to produce one of the best bad films in history. Either way, our interest is peaked.

8) Dirty Pretty Things

Why is this one so highly anticipated by our staff? Well, we could be pretentious here and claim that ever since his effort on The Grifters, we have carefully tracked the career of director Stephen Frears. But to do that, we would have to own up to watching the forgettable Dustin Hoffman flick, Hero, and the truly heinous Mary Reilly, a movie so awful that it even briefly threatened the career of ordinarily bulletproof Julia Roberts. We just aren't prepared to do that. Similarly, we could try to sell you on the fact that we are huge fans of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong and Sophie Okonedo but we don't think you are that gullible. We honestly don't know who they are any more than you do.

The simple truth here is that Audrey Tautou, the same French dazzler who stole our hearts as creme brulée-cracking Amélie, is ready to make her English language debut. To say that we are giddy with anticipation would be the closest we can come to an honest admission without violating the specific terms of the restraining order. The only concern we have is how difficult it will be for her to maintain her Audrey Hepburn-esque charm in what is sure to be one of the darkest films of the summer (and for that matter, the rest of 2003).

7) 28 Days Later

One could high-concept this film as a British version The Stand. 28 Days Later is set at some indeterminate time in the near future in London, where a bio-engineered virus that condemns those infected to a permanent murderous rage has been accidentally unleashed from a research facility. As the name implies, the story opens 28 days after this devastating event, when the few remaining uninfected and/or immune survivors try to rebuild the world without being mercilessly slaughtered in the process. But supposedly there may or may not also be other forces in play, intimating that the survivors may have more to be worried about than gruesome death at the hands of the infected. Whether the film ultimately leads to a showdown between the forces of good and the forces of evil in Las Vegas remains to be seen.

The film opened in the UK in November of last year, and has slowly made its way across Europe. Fox Searchlight brings it to these shores for a limited release this June. The film has been garnering good early buzz, with the general reaction being 28 Days Later is much more violent and affecting than the usual the-world's-ending-and-we-don't-know-what-to-do apocalypse movie.

A biological weapon that causes people to devolve into homicidal maniacs accidentally unleashed on the civilian populace? What's not to like?

Although the possible mystical overtones cause a bit of concern, this looks to have all the makings of a good, old-fashioned thrill-a-minute gore fest. The cast is largely unknown outside England, but that actually works in a horror film's favor. Provided the film delivers on the gore - and advance reports indicate it does - this should be one kick-ass horror film. And since there just aren't enough of those released period, much less during the summer, we here at BOP are pretty hyped for 28 Days Later to make the trip across the pond.

6) Bruce Almighty

Just when you thought he was gone, Jim Carrey comes back with a vengeance. There is no doubt that Carrey can be very funny, the caveat being that you have to put him in the right premise. His plastic face and physical comedy always have to be spotlighted in order to peak the common moviegoer's interest. So it's very good to see Carrey back in form once again in Bruce Almighty, a film that is likely to be the year's biggest comedy. The film places Carrey as a man who inherits the powers of God for a week. While this might seem like a walk in the park, Carrey also takes over God's responsibilities, so the potential for comedy is endless. With Carrey's career being largely hit and miss, Bruce Almighty has every indication of being a big hit and when Carrey is on, he is damn good.

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