2009. Coming attractions.

By David Hudson on 01/01/2009

"From 'Harry Potter' to 'Terminator,' 'Wolverine' to 'Watchmen,' Entertainment Weekly has a huge first look at the biggest movies of this upcoming year," notes Alex Billington at FirstShowing.

At AICN, Harry Knowles posts a series of peeks behind Coraline's scenes.

In the Boston Phoenix, Peter Keough looks ahead to what'll be screening from now through March: "Once the serious Oscar wannabes such as 'Che,' 'Waltz With Bashir,' 'The Class' and 'Defiance' get out of their system, the studios resume what they do best in times of national economic collapse - churn out frivolous escapist fantasies. Though they haven't revived the musical genre that regaled the nation during the last such crisis back in the 30s, they are hitting hard on that decade's other mainstay, the romantic comedy."

Karina Longworth at the SpoutBlog: "Big, Stupid Hollywood Films We're Looking Forward to in 2009."

Gabriel Shanks looks ahead to "a year of fabulous movies."

Ray Pride hears that Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" opens in the US on August 21.

"Hollywood studios are looking to big-budget sequels, including 'Star Trek' and 'Harry Potter,' to reverse this year's decline in movie attendance and ticket sales." Michael White reports for Bloomberg.

A "handful of groups are trying to keep the industry's election-year activism going in the era of Obama, certain that such activism can flourish with a much more responsive White House to issues like the environment, health care, gay rights and stem cell research," reports Ted Johnson for Variety. "Underlying the efforts is the idea that the industry should be viewed as more than an ATM for candidates and causes, particularly by the Democratic Party." Also, a list of "ten moments most likely to get your attention in the world of politics and entertainment during the coming year, in chronological order."

Via Geoff Manaugh, Archinect's "20 Predictions for '09."

"What game-changing scientific ideas and developments do you expect to live to see?" John Brockman poses this year's question at the Edge.

Online listening tip. Economist editor Daniel Franklin talks about The World in 2009 on the Leonard Lopate Show.

[Poster: "Coraline," Focus Features, 2009]

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