The Coen brothers return to their noir roots for this adaption of Cormac McCarthy's novel. Expect a sun-baked, but bleaker, Fargo. Trailer

46: Harold & Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay

The loveable stoners from the sleeper hit of 2005 return in what very sensibly looks like exactly the same film again. Which is precisely what everyone wanted. Official site with trailer

45: X-Files 2

Mulder and Scully return this Summer to explore more alien conspiracies and unexplained phenomena. Perhaps they can explain why they’ve been away so long. No trailer yet: Offiicial TV Show site

44: Wanted

Wish fulfilment for every bored office drone: This comic book adventure tells how James MacAvoy is rescued from cube farm drudgery by Angelina Jolie’s sexy assassin and trained to become a super-cool killing machine. If you liked the ‘secret war’ aspects of The Matrix or Nightwatch but would like to see it mixed up with the recklessly exuberant gunplay of Shoot ‘Em Up, this is the film for you. Official site with trailer

43: Leatherheads

George Clooney’s Gridiron romcom is likely to find more friends in the US than in Britain but it could well score big on DVD in the latter, colder, part of the year. Official site with trailer

42: Jumper

Evil Jedi Hayden Christensen, who has also just signed to star in the long-awaited movie version of William Gibson’s prescient sci-fi classic Neuromancer, stars as a teleporting mutant in a loose adaptation of the Steven Gould book. Trailer + Graphic novel extract

41: The Love Guru

More inspired drollery from Mike Myers. With a script involving groovy gurus causing chaos in the self-help business it doesn’t sound as if he’s straying too far from his Austin Powers roots. Interview and still

40: Synecdoche, New York

Being John Malkovich writer Charlie Kaufman scripts and directs this typically oddball self-referential tale of an obsessive theatre director who builds a replica of New York. IMDB page

39: Persepolis

Vincent Parannoud directs his own screenplay based on the graphic novel about a young girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic revolution. Trailer

38: Flashbacks Of A Fool

Daniel Craig plays against type as a gone-to-seed Hollywood leading man looking back on a life of movie star hedonism. For more mature readers, Miriam Karlin also appears. IMDB page

37: 27 Dresses

This Easter’s most promising chick flick stars Grey’s Anatomy favourite Katherine Heigl as a perennial bridesmaid. Trailer

36: You Don't Mess With The Zohan

In easily one of the most original plots of 2008 a Mossad agent fakes his death so he can start a new life in New York City as a hair stylist. Adam Sandler, Rob Scheider and the Fonz all feature. Trailer

35: Walk Hard

Perennial sidekick John C,Reilly gets his own movie at last, a send-up of every biopic of a troubled musician you’ve ever seen. Trailer

34: Drillbit Taylor

Troubled star Owen Wilson is be bound to attract plenty of attention in this easygoing comedy about playground bullies and the inept bodyguards who confront them. Trailer

33: The Pineapple Express

Seth Rogen and James Franco in a stoner comedy that may not set any box office records, but will undoubtedly be rented on DVD by anyone who has ever inhaled. Trailer

32: Charlie Wilson's War

Well recieved (except by us) gun-running thriller featuring the ever-reliable Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman with some spectacular wigs. Trailer

31: Downloading Nancy

Ever hired a hitman to kill you, and then fallen in love with him? That’s the everyday problem faced by Maria Bello in Downloading Nancy. Jason Patric and Rufus Sewell also star. Trailer, which is not recommended for minors

30: Battle for Haditha

Nick Broomfield abandons the documentary world to make this fact based drama about the war in Iraq. Using real locations and in many cases the real soldiers and civilians involved this is as close as most of us will ever get to the chaos and cruelty of warfare. Offical site

29: The Time Traveller’s Wife

After having been derailed by the Pitt/Aniston divorce Audrey Niffenegger’s ‘sci-fi for women’ finally reaches the big screen with Eric Bana as the man who can’t control his progress through time and Rachel McAdams as the girl who grows to love him anyway. Wikipedia entry

28: How to Lose Friends & Alienate People

Toby Young’s mordantly comic memoir of life as a New York magazine journalist gets the big screen treatment. Simon Pegg stars. Official Site

27: 21

Lawrence Fishburne, Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth in a true story about a group of maths nerds who used their skills to fleece a casino. Official site with trailer

26: Cloverfield

We’ll be finding out very soon if this monster movie lives up to its incredible hype. Expect an urban Blair Witch meets a pasty-faced Godzilla. Trailers

25: Baby Mama

Do you think the world is ready for a light-hearted look at infertility and surrogacy? Sigourney Weaver and Greg Kinnear seem to think so. IMDB entry

24: There Will Be Blood

Long, dark demanding drama about the early days of the oil industry which serves as a parable about the present day Middle East. Audiences have been polarised about this film, with some hailing at as a masterpiece while others have just been bored. Don't expect a gag reel on the DVD. Trailer

23: Burn After Reading

Clooney turns up again as part of an incredible cast assembled by the Coen Brothers for this tale of two losers who find a disk containing CIA secrets. As if that could ever happen. Working Title site

22: Be Kind, Rewind

Michel Gondry’s next movie has the most original plot of the year, guaranteed. Jack Black’s magnetised brain erases every tape in his local video shop which leads to him re-making the classic films he has inadvertently destroyed. Official site with trailer

21: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

The clawed Canadian mutant gets his own movie, set before the events in the X-Men franchise. Ian McKellen’s Magneto may join him on the prequel trail in 2009. Official synopsis at Marvel.com Note: one or two commenters have pointed out that this film will not now be released until 2009. The 2008 date I had was based on an outdated release. I would like to apologise for any distress caused to readers.

20: Wall-E

Pixar do sci-fi as the last robot on Earth (who owes more than a little to the talkative automaton in Short Circuit) who finds a way to bring the human race home. Trailers

19: The Eye

Another Oriental horror film remade by Hollywood This one has Jessica Alba and Parker Posey as the appealing young women in supernatural peril. Trailer

18: The Incredible Hulk

Ang Lee’s 2003 Hulk movie was seen as something of a misfire, despite respectable box office. This not-quite-a-sequel promises Ed Norton as the short-tempered scientist who turns into the jolly green giant, better effects, and a connection to the Iron Man movie to set up a future Avengers flick. We’ll be happy if they can just keep the Hulk the same size all the way through the film. Marvel Site

17: 10,000 BC

Roland Emmerich directs a cast of unknowns in a prehistoric epic which promises to show us hairy mammoth, sabre-toothed tigers, and some impressively huge CGI ziggurats. Trailer

16: Sex & The City

American Idol alumnus Jennifer Hudson, best known for her showstopping turn in Dreamgirls, joins the Gucci Golden Girls for one last round of Sea Breezes, sex, and shopping. Trailer

15: Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian he second most popular instalment in CS Lewis’ Lion, Witch and Wardrobe series of fantasy novels, Prince Caspian will be the children’s movie most likely to please accompanying adults in 2008. Official site with trailer

14: Valkyrie

Tom Cruise leads an all-star cast in the controversial true story of a failed attempt on Hitler’s life. Only a more contemporary political assassination will keep this movie off the newspaper front pages next autumn. Fan site with trailer

13: Mamma Mia

Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth in the film of the show of the song. England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008 will double its audience as thousands of men will be dragged unwillingly along to view this fluffy confection which whips up the basic plot of forgotten 1960s gem Buona Sera Mrs Campbell with a frothy selection of classic Abba songs. Trailer

12: Righteous Kill

DeNiro and Pacino together again in a gritty-sounding cop drama, and this time they may actually have a few scenes together. Despite the entirely dispensable presence of Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson, it’ s a must for every film fan. Trailer

11: Hellboy II: The Golden Army

John Hurt apparently defies onscreen death in the first Hellboy film to return in another outing for the slacker demon hero. Bros fans will be pleased to see Luke Goss popping up as an evil prince. Trailer

10: Body of Lies

Ridley Scott directs Gladiator star Russell Crowe and popular Norman Lamont lookalike Leonard di Caprio in a CIA drama adapted from the novel by David Ignatius. No trailer available: Wikipedia entry.

9: Star Trek XI aking place, in the increasingly complex Star Trek universe, during the period after ‘Enterprise’ but before ‘Star Trek’ this movie introduces new actors in the well-loved Kirk, Spock, Scott and McCoy roles as it explains how the classic crew came to be. If anyone can pull off that extraordinary feat of cinematic cheek it’s JJ Abrams. Official Star Trek site + Teaser trailer Viral site

8: Speed Racer

A hyperkinetic 1960s Japanese cartoon series provides the source material for the next sci-fi hallucination from Matrix creators the Wachowskis. Trailer

7: Hancock

Superhero comedies can be as knowingly funny as Mystery Men or as plain silly as Condorman. Hancocks’s secret weapon will be the perennially likeable Will Smith in the title role as a super-powered crime fighter who creates almost as many problems as he solves. Trailer

6: Sweeney Todd

Tim Burton, Johnny Depp and Helena Bohnham Carter conspire in a dark plot of pies and hairdressing. Spectacular somgs from Steven Sondheim are the icing on a wonderful, sinister, cake. Trailer and review

5: Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Transformers star Shia LaBeouf pops up as the son of the world’s hardest-working archeologist in what must surely be the final Indy adventure. Official Site

4: Iron Man

Next up from Marvel’s collection of flawed supermen is Tony Stark: Former arms dealer turned terrorist captive turned armoured avenger. To critics who suggest that movie fans aren’t ready for a moody alcoholic superhero Iron man has one response: Talk to the hand. The glowing metal hand. Trailer

3: Bond 22: Quantum of Solace

After a shooting schedule more secretive than the ageless super-spy, Bond 22's title has finally been revealed.It's not a title that offers too many clues as to the storyline, but it looks as if the adversary from Casino Royale, Mr. White, is going to be replaced by a no less sinister Mr.Greene. The suggestion that it continues almost immediately from the end of Casino Royale, and in much the same vein, is all the advertising most movie fans will need. Official site

2: Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince

The vast regiment of Potter fans will already know what they’re getting. Despite Guillermo del Toro’s pleas this instalment of the boy wizard franchise will be directed by David Yates, who everyone except Guillermo seems to agree made a decent fist of Order of the Phoenix. Preview

1: The Dark Knight

The hype machine is almost up to full speed now for The Caped Crusader’s next outing. (read our article here) Great notices for director Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and an irresistible trailer make The Bat the boy to beat in 2008. Trailer