The eight movies you should watch in 2010

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Editors Note: Staff Reporter Brad Canze looks at some of the most exciting movies for 2010.

“Frozen,” February 5

The next movie from horror film festival darling Adam Green (2006’s “Hatchet”), “Frozen” has been gaining buzz from preview and festival screenings for being more than just a run-of-the-mill gorefest.

The story follows three snowboarders at a ski resort who get trapped on a chair lift at the end of the day. They get desperate to find a way to safety as the temperature drops and nature throws more challenges than just the bitter cold.

A strong group of young actors — newcomer Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore (“X-Men”) and Kevin Zegers (“Air Bud”) — share the weight in this tension-filled shocker.

“Shutter Island,” February 19

Leonardo DiCaprio returns to work for Martin Scorsese in this thriller about a U.S. Marshal investigating an escaped prisoner from an island asylum.

Mystery unravels as DiCaprio’s Teddy Daniels begins to suspect he is part of a sinister experiment by the hospital doctors, and feels he can no longer trust anyone. Add to that a hurricane and a mass breakout of inmates, and “Shutter Island” has all the makings to be the drum-tight mystery-thriller that would be expected from the director and star of “The Departed.”

“Kick-Ass,” April 16

Superhero movies have saturated the movie market, but this movie by director Matthew Vaughn (“Layer Cake,” “Stardust”) is a completely different animal.

Based on a comic by Mark Millar (writer of the “Wanted” comic) from last year, “Kick-Ass” is an ultra-violent, unapologetic look at superheroes in the real world. Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson, “Nowhere Boy”) is a comic book fan who wonders why nobody has ever tried to become a superhero in real life. After his attempt to fight off a group of muggers is caught on video and put on YouTube, Dave takes the name Kick-Ass and becomes a sensation that inspires a wave of copycats.

While Aaron Johnson is the star of the movie, 12-year-old Chloe Moretz (“The Amityville Horror”) may prove to be the breakout phenomenon. She plays Mindy Macready, a young girl trained by her father (Nicolas Cage) to be a cold-blooded, murdering vigilante named Hit-Girl.

Promising to be ultra-violent and hyper-funny, Kick-Ass got rave reactions at its December premiere in Austin, Texas. “Kick-Ass” could easily be the underdog phenom to kick off the summer movie season.

“Iron Man 2,” May 7

Already more or less guaranteed to be a blockbuster megahit, the sequel to 2008’s “Iron Man” promises thrills, laughs and lots of Mickey Rourke’s bare chest.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) must deal with challenges from all sides after revealing his identity as Iron Man to the world. The government is pressuring him to turn over his technology, industrial rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell, “Frost/Nixon”) is trying to destroy his company, and Russian madman Ivan Vanko (Rourke) has made a weapon of his own based on Stark’s technology to try and destroy Iron Man as Whiplash.

Stark also is joined by psuedo-love interest Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), best friend James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), who dons a suit of armor and joins Iron Man in battle, and new employee Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), who may not be all she seems.

“Toy Story 3,” June 18

One of the film industry’s most beloved studios is releasing a third entry into one of the most beloved franchises with Pixar’s “Toy Story 3.”

As the toys’ owner, Andy, leaves home for college, Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and friends are thrown away, and end up donated to a day care, where they must avoid destruction at the hands of reckless toddlers. As the toys attempt an escape, Buzz’s computer is damaged and regains his old delusions about being an actual space adventurer, and is unable to speak in anything except Spanish.

Most of the voice talent from the previous movies returns, including Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head and John Ratzenberger as Hamm. Joining the cast are Michael Keaton (“Batman”) as a Ken doll, and Timothy Dalton (James Bond in “The Living Daylights” and “Licence to Kill”) as the gloriously-named Mr. Pricklepants.

“Predators,” July 7

Even in the year when Sylvester Stallone is releasing his musclefest “The Expendables,” this sequel to the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger classic by producer Robert Rodriguez (“Sin City”) and director Nimrod Antal (“Armored”) is the ensemble action movie to watch this year.

The movie follows a group of the most dangerous soldiers, thieves and murderers abducted and taken to the home planet of the alien predators, where they are hunted for game.

Adrien Brody (“The Pianist”) takes an action-star turn as the de facto leader of the captured humans. Also top-lining the ensemble are Topher Grace (“That 70s Show”), Laurence Fishburne (“The Matrix”), Alice Braga (“Redbelt”) and Danny Trejo (“Once Upon a Time in Mexico”).

While it has yet to be confirmed whether or not he will actually be in the movie, producer Rodriguez has said he hopes to get Schwarzenegger to film a cameo as Dutch, his character from the original film.

“Inception,” July 16

Christopher Nolan makes two kinds of movies: psychological thrillers that bend minds and genres alike and Batman movies, and Batman is nowhere to be found in “Inception.”

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a businessman who becomes entrenched in a blackmailing scandal. Most of the action in this movie takes place in DiCaprio’s character’s mind. How exactly it is going to work, and if and how it will tie into the real world are yet to be seen.

As always with Nolan films, “Inception” promises to be intellectually challenging and thrilling, necessitating repeat viewings.

“Due Date,” November 5

Director Todd Phillips is hoping to bring a little magic to buddy road-trip comedy by using the same method that made his film “The Hangover” a monstrous success: putting Zach Galifianakis in it.

Robert Downey Jr. stars as a man desperate to make it home in time to see his child be born. He shares a ride with a slacker and aspiring actor (Galifianakis).

The film also co-stars Downey’s “The Soloist” opposite, Jamie Foxx, and his “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” love interest, Michelle Monoghan.

The combination of Galifianakis and Downey and the pop-culture steam built up by “The Hangover” almost guarantee a huge audience for “Due Date.” All it has to do is bring the laughs.