Sequels, Spielberg and superheroes

Curse David Fincher and his digital wizardry!

All I was trying to do was watch the special features on “The Social Network” Blu-ray, and leave it to him to include a way to Benjamin Button me and my life a year in advance. Yes, I’m now even gladder to be Swedish thanks to Fincher’s own “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” cleaning house at the box office in late December, but the entire future is not that bright.

In the quick glimpse I saw of 2011, I was surrounded by the same images appearing again and again. 3-D! Sequels! Superheroes! Steven Spielberg! Natalie Portman! Cowboys! Aliens!

They were everywhere, and I was not convinced 3-D needed to be until Scorsese showed me and everyone else how it was done with “Hugo Cabret.” You’d think Marty had been making family fantasy movies his entire career with this visually wonderful film. It and Tarsem Singh’s “Immortals” were the only two 3-D films that seemed to be innovating with the technology.  

Along with 3-D came the sheer plethora of big franchise sequels to tout the gimmick. With “Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” “Cars 2,” “Happy Feet 2,” “Final Destination 5,” “Paranormal Activity 3,” “Transformers 3,” “Pirates 4,” “Scream 4,” “The Hangover Part II,” “Kung Fu Panda 2,” “Spy Kids 4,” “Breaking Dawn: Part I,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks 3-D” and “Piranha 3DD,” there are more than enough sequels to now tarnish “Toy Story 3”’s reputation as the best movie ever made with a number on the end of it.  

The numbers on the ends of those movies are nearly outnumbered by the amount of superheroes flying into action. Thor, Captain America, The Green Lantern, The Green Hornet and the X-Men are all getting adaptations this year. Apparently Iron Man was lonely in 2010, so all the other Avengers need to show up to keep him company.

And guess how many of these movies Steven Spielberg has a hand in? He’s only producing “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” “Cowboys & Aliens,” “Real Steel,” “I Am Number Four”  and J.J. Abrams’ much buzzed about “Super 8,” but he also directed “War Horse” and the first of three of “The Adventures of Tintin,” both of which come out in December.

But you’d better start your Team Natalie campaigns now. The soon-to-be Oscar-winning actress is starring in four projects in 2011. Portman’s doing the comedies “No Strings Attached” with Ashton Kutcher and “Your Highness,” the David Gordon Green medieval comedy with Danny McBride, James Franco and Zooey Deschanel. But she’s also in “Thor” and “Cloud Atlas” from “Run Lola Run” director Tom Tykwer. Take it from a person who’s seen the future; she’s on her way to becoming America’s sweetheart.

Although you don’t need to go to the future to predict one thing about Portman: she’ll get married and give birth!