Craig's Spring Movie Preview

If you're like me you are probably staring blankly at your computer screen wondering why this time of year is called spring, yet remains firmly planted in suffocating boredom. It's everyone's least favorite time of year, the longest till summer and the shortest till midterm exams and paying taxes. There has to be something to look forward to till summer, and flicks hitting the theater may be your best bet for surviving these first brutal months. Here is a list of the top ten must-sees according to experts (namely me).

1. Sin City

Probably the coolest looking movie since Pulp Fiction, this flick, shot in black and white with perfect touches of color, is brought to you by director Robert Rodriguez and co-director/comic book mastermind Frank Miller (Batman). The movie is based on three of Miller's graphic novels and sports an all star cast that includes Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Benicio Del Toro and Rosario Dawson. Gritty, violent, and filled with danger and mystery at every turn, this is one of the greatest looking trailers I've ever seen. Comes to theaters April 1.

2. The Jacket

Borrowing just a little bit from "12 Monkeys,? this original, trippy and disturbing flick stars Adrien Brody as a military veteran sentenced to an asylum for murder. He becomes the guinea pig in a new expire mental process that sends him to the future where he foresees his own death. It's up to him and a girl he meets in the future to stop this from happening. Comes to theaters March 4.

3. The Ring 2

Directed by the man who helmed the original Ringu, Hideo Nakata, and starring Naomi Watts and Sissy Spacek, this sequel to the 2002 hit continues six months after where the last one left off. This time Watt's reporter Rachel Keller and her son move to a small town to start fresh, only to realize that there is another tape and Samara's reign of terror is far from over. The trailer makes this one look even creepier than the first. Comes to theaters March 18.

4. The Interpreter

An exciting and intelligent looking thriller from Sydney Pollack, who hasn't directed a decent movie since 1993's "The Firm.? This one looks like it may end the drought, with a super cast including Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, and Catherine Keener and a plot about an interpreter who discovers there is an assassination plot against a foreign dignitary. Kidman plays the interpreter (and maybe even more as the trailer points out) and Sean Penn is the FBI agent assigned to protect her. Comes out April 22.

5. Old Boy

One of the biggest hits at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004 (which was on many critics? top ten lists last year) is finally hitting North America. The story is about a businessman named OH Dae-su, who is imprisoned for 15 years and then set free with five days to find his captors. The trailer makes this out to be a visceral, emotionally hard-hitting flick that may turn out to be the year's biggest surprise. Already looks like this year?s Kill Bill. Comes out March 29.

6. The Hitchhiker?s Guide to the Galaxy

Based on a celebrated best-selling novel, this pleasantly weird looking movie features Martin Freeman as a normal every day Joe named Arthur. His best friend is an alien, played by Mos Def, and his planet is about to be destroyed to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. Arthur becomes a galaxy hitchhiker, going on an adventure where nothing is as it seems. Comes out on April 29.

7. In My Country

If you?re looking for a little drama, this flick may fit the bill. Samuel L. Jackson plays a Washington journalist sent to South Africa to report on the reconciliation hearings between perpetrators of murder and torture during Apartheid with their victims. He meets a South African poet, played by Juliette Binoche, covering the hearings for radio. The experience leaves them with many questions about the depths of human cruelty and the power of forgiveness. Comes out March 11.

8. Constantine

Keanu Reeves stars as John Constantine, a man born with the gift to see demons walking the earth in human form. After an attempted suicide gone wrong, Constantine is trapped between heaven and hell, hoping to use his gift to one day achieve salvation by waging war against evil. Has a very dark and visually striking trailer. It's now playing.

9. Be Cool

John Travolta, Vince Vaughn, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, and The Rock star in one of the best ensemble cast pieces of the year. This is the sequel to Get Shorty, and this time hit man Chili Palmer tries to make his way into the music business. The trailer has a few good laughs, and Vaughn and The Rock are always fun to watch in anything. Comes out March 4.

10. The Upside of Anger

Kevin Costner stars as an ex-baseball player (he must be growing as an actor, he plays a baseball player in most of his other films) who forms a relationship with single mother of four, Joan Allen. It was reportedly a hit at Sundance and really, who isn't looking for a Kevin Costner comeback? Comes out March 11.