2010 was an interesting year for moviego­ers. We were treated to classics like Christo­pher Nolan’s epic blockbuster Inception and David Fincher’s masterpiece The Social Network. However, we mostly had a year filled with duds and disappoint­ments, like The Tourist. Will 2011 be plagued with more bad Adam Sandler movies (R.I.P. Billy Madison), or will the blockbusters be back? To get fired up for the 2011 mov­ie season, here is my predic­tion of the top eight films of 2011. Sorry girls, no Twilight.

8. Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon – While little is known about the plot of the third installment of the Trans­formers franchise, little was ever known about the plot of the first two. However, Mi­chael Bay knows how to have fun at the movies. Who doesn’t want to watch robots throw­ing punches and Shia LaBeouf hooking up with girls who are way out of his league?

7. Cowboys and Aliens – Iron Man director John Favreau is hoping to score big with this ac­tion flick about a war between aliens and cowboys in the nine­teenth century. Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig star in what should be an awesome summer film for the entire family.

6. Captain America – Chris Evans stars as the patriotic hero in this lead-up to the highly anticipated 2012 release of the Avengers. Hugo Weaving plays Evan’s nemesis The Red Skull. Including Stanley Tucci and Tommy Lee Jones, the film’s supporting cast is strong, and I can’t wait to see Evans running around killing Nazis in the Captain America suit.

5. Sucker Punch – Zach Snyder’s past two movies, Watchmen and 300, were both visu­ally stunning and, after watching the trailers for Sucker Punch, it looks like his latest film will take the cake. Snyder’s film is about a group of attractive females locked in a mental hospital, and the only way to stay sane is have ridiculous dreams. Dragons, samurais, fighter jets and strip dances ensue.

4. The Hangover Two – The boys are back and up to no good in the Todd Philip’s se­quel to the classic original. Instead of Vegas, Zach Galifinakis and company are visiting Bangkok for Stu’s wedding. While it will be hard to compete with the original, Hangover Two will definitely be the funniest movie of the year.

3. The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn – When­ever the names Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg are said in the same sentence, a film-buff is excited. Imagine my excitement now to hear that the two direc­tors are making a live anima­tion film about a famous British comic. Early buzz is that the film is the mixture of the Goonies and Avatar. I don’t know how those two movies connect, but I sure am excited.

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two – I have nothing to mention except that it is the final installment of my generation’s greatest story.

1. The Girl with the Drag­on Tattoo – David Fincher’s follow-up to The Social Net­work is a remake of the first story from Stieg Larsson’s trilogy. The books are now a pop culture phenomenon, and the Swedish adaptations of the book were excellent. Daniel Craig stars as Mikael Blomkvist and Rooney Mara as Lisabeth Salander. Fincher has hired his entire team from The Social Network for this film, thus excellence is not a question.