I’d like to start putting together a new 2010 Oscar Balloon, and then paste it underneath the current one when it’s done a week or so from now. The usual suggestions are requested — i.e., the most highly anticipated performers in the various categories, blah, blah. Starting all over.

Nobody knows a thing but Doug Liman‘s Fair Game, a dramatization of the Valerie Plame-Joseph Wilson drama, has to be formidable. (Plus I’ve heard some good things.) James L. Brooks‘ untitled romantic triangle with Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson seems vaguely promising. Ditto Clint Eastwood‘s Hereafter despite the iffy word on Peter Morgan‘s script. I’ll bet money that Anton Corbijn‘s The American, the George Clooney assassin-in-Tuscany movie, will be at least passably engaging, and that it’ll look absolutely terrific. David Fincher‘s The Social Network, a.k.a., “the Facebook movie,” has a first-rate Aaron Sorkin script (which I’ve read) and producer Scott Rudin behind it.

High-octane popcorn titles include David Gordon Green‘s Your Highness with Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, etc. Phillip Noyce‘s Salt, trust me, will turn out to be a good deal more than some may be anticipating right how. Tony Scott‘s Unstoppable appears to be a more high-octane Runaway Train. Todd Phillips‘ Due Date is an amusing-sounding road movie deal with Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx, etc.

I know Paul Greengrass‘s Green Zone will be some kind of exceptional. No one expects too much from Martin Scorsese‘s Shutter Island, but it’s certainly seen as an exciting late-winter release.

Kris Tapley‘s 2010 wanna-sees include Chris Nolan‘s Inception, Darren Aronofsky‘s Black Swan, Lee Unkrich‘s Toy Story 3. Jon Favreau‘s Iron Man 2, Tim Burton‘s Alice in Wonderland, Ridley Scott’s Maximus Hood, Terrence Malick‘s The Tree of Life (Penn, Pitt, dinosaurs), Matthew Vaughn‘s Kick-Ass and Oliver Stone‘s Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps.