15. Little Fockers

Directed by: Paul Weitz

Starring: Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Owen Wilson, Teri Polo, Blythe Danner, Jessica Alba, Laura Dern, Yul Vazquez, Harvey Keitel

Plot: The Focker and the Byrnes families brace themselves for the arrival of a baby.

Why: Even though we have no trailer or much information about the film, the fact that most of the principal cast members of the hilarious series are returning make it worth waiting for. Sure, the second film wasn’t as good as the first but it was still hilarious. And there’s no matching the first film when it comes to awkward humor.

However: Ben Stiller, De Niro, and Owen Wilson together are banking about $60 million in salaries alone. That safely puts the budget of the film in the $100 million range, which could result in a typical bloated sequel. Plus, they cast Jessica Alba in the film. The latter reason is much more troublesome than the first.

14. Predators

Directed by: Nimrod Antal

Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Danny Trejo, Walton Goggins, Oleg Taktarov, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Derek Mears

Plot: Royce, a mercenary who reluctantly leads a group of elite warriors who come to realize they’ve been brought together on an alien planet… as prey. With the exception of a disgraced physician, they are all cold-blooded killers mercenaries, Yakuza, convicts, death squad members human “predators” that are now being systemically hunted and eliminated by a new breed of alien Predators.

Why: Frankly, this wasn’t anywhere near our radar when it was announced thanks to the bad taste those ‘AVP’ films left in our mouth. But then Robert Rodriguez was announced as producer, which gave us some hope. Then Adrian Brody was cast which was a very bold move. Then we saw the trailer which blew us away and showed that this is a fresh reboot in a new director for the franchise and how they got the casting right. It has the gritty and raw feeling and could possible be even better than the original.

However: 20th Century Fox messed up last time with the bland AVP movies even though those films had great promotional material. There’s a slight chance this could be another misstep.

13. Buried

Directed by: Rodrigo Cortés

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jose Maria Yazpik

Plot: Paul is a U.S. contractor working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it’s a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap.

Why: The concept alone is chilling and brilliant. The film’s been getting rave reviews at Sundance and could be the breakout hit this year if the marketing is done right. And Ryan Reynolds is perfect for the role that adds one more to the hot streak his career has been having.

However: No doubts here. This has almost no chance of being a bad film. UPDATE: There’s reports of minor re-shoots by Lionsgate, which may mean they’re messing with quite a great film.

12. A Nightmare on Elm Street

Directed by: Samuel Bayer
Starring: Jackie Earle Haley, Rooney Mara, Kyle Gallner, Thomas Dekker, Kellan Lutz, Katie Cassidy, Connie Britton

Plot: Fred­dy Krueger re­turns in A Night­mare on Elm Street, a con­tem­po­rary re-?imag­in­ing of the hor­ror clas­sic. A group of sub­ur­ban teenagers share one com­mon bond: they are all be­ing stalked by Fred­dy Krueger, a hor­ri­bly dis­fig­ured killer who hunts them in their dreams. As long as they stay awake, they can pro­tect one an­oth­er…but when they sleep, there is no es­cape.

Why: Michael Bay’s production company ‘Platinum Dunes’ isn’t known for making good horror films. In fact, it’s known for making shallow, glossy and utterly mediocre horror remakes (Friday the 13th). Then why is ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ on this list? Because they seem to have gotten a number of things right. Firstly, Jackie Earl Haley was the best person in Hollywood to play a new Freddy Krueger and he looks great in the role. The trailer is surprisingly effective and carries the surreal look that the series needs. Overall, this could be a competent horror remake that revives the series once again.

However: The cast comprises mostly of teen actors from other popular movies, which is always a formula for disaster (Urban Legend). And it’s still Platinum Dunes who have a history of churning out great trailers (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and then disappointing us all.

11. Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World

Directed by: Edgar Wright

Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Aubrey Plaza, Kieran Culkin, Brie Larson, Mae Whitman, Ellen Wong, Anna Kendrick, Mark Webber, Alison Pill, Satya Bhabha

Plot: Meet charming and jobless Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera). A bass guitarist for garage band Sex Bob-omb, the 22-year-old has just met the girl of his dreams…literally. The only catch to winning Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead)? Her seven evil exes are coming to kill him. Genre-smashing filmmaker Edgar Wright (“Hot Fuzz,” “Shaun of the Dead”) tells the amazing story of one romantic slacker’s quest to power up with love in “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.”

Why: Here’s one movie that’s riding completely on comic book geeks and its goodwill. The comic book it’s adapted from is famous for being utterly zany but lots of fun. They’ve got a cool cast that look cute (and have great hair-do). The director Edgar Wright has made classics like ‘Shaun of the Dead’ and ‘Hot Fuzz’. And finally,the trailer looks very faithful and like no other movie I’ve seen before.

However: Michael Cera, famous for playing the very same character in every single movie he’s been in, might end up doing the same in this film.