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This undated photo released by Paramount Pictures shows Harrison Ford (left) as Indiana Jones, co-starring with Shia LaBeouf in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." (David James, Paramount)

I am greatly looking forward to this year. Sure, it’s almost April and I am about four months late with this statement, but hey, fuck you, I’ve been way too busy with homework to make this proclamation earlier.

2008 is a stacked year of major motion picture releases. Not shitty ones like Pirates Of The Caribbean 3, but quality ones. The new Batman movie is on its way, and it looks awesome. Another Indiana Jones movie is in the pipeline and since Bruce Willis proved with Die Hard that not all later day action sequels suck (just Stallone’s), we can legitimately be somewhat excited about this franchise revival. Harry Potter: Half Blood Prince is coming out just in time to relieve all of this year’s electoral stress. Edward Norton (who can do no wrong) is the new Incredible Hulk, while the charismatic Robert Downey Jr. stars in the cheesy-fun Iron Man. Adam Sandler looks like he’s finally acting in funny movies again with Don’t Mess With The Zohan and several “Judd Apatow” movies are on the way (I put his name in quotes because he’s attached to the several projects in various different ways). The list goes on and on.

For the first time in a long time, I really want to see a lot of movies. Usually, I don’t care much for more than a handful of random films that get released before September. Not this year. Each month has several releases I can’t wait to plop down and watch. It’s a procrastinator’s paradise.

Why just this week alone, Run, Fat Boy, Run and Diary Of The Dead came to Champaign. Good thing Savoy lets me in for free sometimes or I’d be even poorer than I already am (hint, hint Michael: raise?).

If it’s any predictor of the future, 2008 has been a very solid year thus far. The few movies that I’ve had the chance to watch in theaters have been pretty decent. Cloverfield blew me away - it was the best January release I’ve ever seen and my favorite monster movie to date. The Bank Job was an entertaining Guy Ritchie meets Serpico meets The Italian Job knock off.

Speaking of knock offs, Drillbit Taylor was pretty damn funny for a movie that was just released 8 months ago under the title Superbad.

The most surprisingly good film of the year so far, however, has been Horton Hears A Who. To date, almost every Dr. Seuss adaptation has sucked. A few of the 70’s ones, such as the original How The Grinch Stole Christmans and The Lorax, were pretty good, but none of the recent movies have been anything but drek. Horton, on the other hand, is a great “for everybody” film akin to Toy Story or The Incredibles.

Another positive look for 2008 is the reinvention of Will Ferrell. After acting in a slew of movies with the exact same plot (Ferrell plays some disgraced professional character who must battle back to become number one again), he’s teaming up again with John C. Reilly for Step Brothers, which looks utterly hilarious.

So that’s the future, but what about now?

Right now, I am on a plane from O’Hare to Richmond (why anyone would ever want to go to Richmond is beyond me) and wondering “where is the in-flight movie?” Surely, they could find some crap to make this turbulent shitfest more endurable. Hell, even Kate Hudson would do. Alas, I’m stuck here with nothing more than my Toshiba laptop and rented DVD of The Kingdom, which, by the way, was one of the most underrated movies of the year. How did I pass over this gripping action flick?

God damn critics!

Sometimes, like with Be Kind Rewind and The Kingdom, you just can’t listen to the critics; you need to trust your own gut when you see the trailer. Sure, nine times out of ten you’ll be wrong and say you’ll say to yourself “damn, I should have listened to the critics,” but its that one time out of ten that you’ll seriously regret.

Next week, I’ll give you a somewhat comprehensive list of all the movies I’ve seen from 2005 onwards and their respective ratings. Perhaps that will help you find some hidden gems.