With the beginning of a new year comes a great deal of potential for new movies over the next twelve months. While not all of these titles may work out as well as we’re hoping, our first Roundtable of 2012 takes a look at some of the upcoming films we’re looking forward to.
I may not have a definitive list of every movie that will be released in 2012 (many release dates are subject to change throughout the course of the year), but this page provides a handy calendar of many titles known so far.
Tom Landy
I think that I’m probably in the same boat as everyone else. The two movies that I’m looking forward to most in 2012 are ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ and ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’. I initially had some concerns when I heard that Christopher Nolan went with Bane and Catwoman as the new blood in his third Batman film, as well as with some of Peter Jackson’s casting choices for his ‘Lord of the Rings’ follow-up. But after seeing the recent trailers for both movies, I can honestly say that I haven’t been this excited to see a film in a long time.
Luke Hickman
I’m guessing that most responses will feature my #1 pick at the top of the list: ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. So, I’ll give you my #2: ‘Django Unchained’. For me, this is the December release I’m most looking forward to (yes, over ‘The Hobbit). What can I say, I’m a Tarantino geek and I can’t wait to see how he tries to top his masterpiece ‘Inglourious Basterds’. I’m looking forward to seeing Leonardo DiCaprio in a Tarantino flick. I’m looking forward to Tarantino’s trademark dialog. And I’m mostly looking forward to seeing this all-star cast whoop some Spaghetti Western ass.
Aaron Peck
Most might pick ‘The Avengers’ or ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ as their most anticipated titles of 2012. I’m excited to see Nolan’s newest ‘Batman’ film as much as anyone, but the movie I’m truly looking forward to this year is Pixar’s ‘Brave’. After the utterly awful ‘Cars 2’ in 2011, I’m hoping that Pixar can reclaim its throne as the world’s best animation studio. Let’s face it, Pixar got spanked by just about every other animation studio out there last year – maybe not in terms of box office receipts, but definitely in terms of original storytelling. ‘Brave’ looks like we’re heading back in the right direction. Let’s do away with the Pixar sequels for at least one year and get another original tale.
I have to give a few honorable mentions too: ‘Safe House’ for no other reason than I really enjoy Denzel as a badass; ‘Haywire’ because it’s Steven Soderbergh; and ‘The Three Stooges’ simply because it’s my dream to look at the box office returns after that movie comes out and hopefully see a big fat $0 in the total column. Hey, it’s a new year. I have renewed faith that the moviegoing public will finally stop spending money on idiocy.
Mike Attebery
I know that I’m predictable, but the only movie on my 2012 radar so far is ‘Nero Fiddled’, Woody Allen’s follow-up to ‘Midnight in Paris’. While the combination of Jesse Eisenberg and Ellen Page makes me a little nervous (for some reason, it rekindles memories of the dreadful ‘Anything Else’) the presence of Penelope Cruz, Alec Baldwin, Judy Davis, and of course Woody Allen himself (acting for the first time since 2006’s ‘Scoop’) has me chomping at the bit to see if this will be a ‘Whatever
Works‘-style misfire, or the next ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona‘. I sure hope that Allen and co. can deliver the good twice in a row.
M. Enois Duarte
With so many big movies coming in 2012, it’s not easy to pick a small group that I’m looking forward to. Like so many out there, I’m really excited about ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Prometheus’, but only one movie actually gets under my skin and has me wishing it were released already. That’s ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. I love the direction Christopher Nolan has taken for this comic-book anti-hero, and both films thus far are exceptional adaptations. I hope that the third and final installment will be just as good. Oh, and I’m also interested in seeing how Tom Hooper’s take of ‘Les Miserables’ turns out. It’s actually based more on the musical than Victor Hugo’s novel.
Dick Ward
I’ll get out to the theaters a few times in 2012, but the movies I really want to see come at the end of the year. It starts with Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’, which doesn’t seem to have a solid release date at this point. Even if somehow the movie ends up being awful, it’ll be worth it to see Daniel Day-Lewis do his thing and, of course, to see shots of people looking at things – classic Spielberg.
The Hobbit’ is on the list, of course, and I’m cautiously optimistic about ‘World War Z’. But the really exciting December movie for me is ‘Les Miserables’. It’s a screen adaptation of the musical and the cast looks incredible. Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe star as Valjean and Javert respectively, and the combo of Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as the Thenardiers sounds too good to be true. I have a strong attachment to ‘Les Miserables’, but I think these folks can pull it off, especially with Tom Hooper at the helm. I’ll admit now that I’ll probably hate whoever gets the role of Eponine, though. Just as David Tennant will always be my Doctor, Lea Salonga will always be my Eponine.
Junie Ray
I’m not sure if I’m truly looking forward to these films, but The ‘Three Stooges’ and ‘Life of Pi’ have piqued my curiosity. Both are big undertakings that could soar or sink. As talented as I think the Farrelly brothers are, I’m not sure they can take on the Stooges. And I’m not sure the Stooges need to be taken on. The originals are still hilarious today. Have you ever seen a Curly impression that even closely approaches the sublime ridiculousness of the original man barking like a dog in Moe’s face?
‘Life of Pi’ has my interest to see how Ang Lee can translate this wildly popular book into a movie, considering that it’s about a boy and a tiger adrift on the ocean, and large parts are unresolved as to whether the experience is real, dreamed or hallucinated. I’ve talked with friends about the book, and we’ve all come away with different conclusions about what happened. I’m curious to see how the film will convey that uncertainty, or if it will choose one interpretation and tie things up in a bow. I fear that test audiences may demand too much clarity and resolution. But I’m also hopeful that something wonderful can be created, as the book has a lot to offer.
Josh Zyber
“James Bond Will Return.” We’ve been promised that at the end of every 007 film, but MGM’s financial crisis threatened to derail the franchise for another extended delay. Fortunately, the studio managed to get its act together while Daniel Craig is still young enough to play the secret agent. I’m not too keen on the title ‘Skyfall’, but it’s certainly not the worst in the series’ history. The choice of Sam Mendes to direct is interesting. I don’t know how much of his personal imprint he’ll be able to bring to the project, but his previous films make me hopeful that he’ll at least pare back on the nausea-inducing shaky-cam that made ‘Quantum of Solace’ so visually incoherent. I love all of the James Bond films, even the bad ones, so ‘Skyfall’ is definitely my most anticipated movie of the year.
After that, I’m trying to approach Ridley Scott’s kinda-sorta-‘Alien’-prequel ‘Prometheus’ with cautious optimism. Scott’s return to the iconic franchise that he kicked off – not to mention his return to science fiction in general three decades after ‘Blade Runner’ – has enormous potential. On the other hand, the Ridley Scott of today is not the same man he was 30 years ago, and I honestly haven’t thought very highly of any of the movies he’s made in the meantime. The movie’s trailer is a little too heavy on the CGI and explosions, which makes it look more like a generic sci-fi action flick than a true successor to ‘Alien’. But I really want this movie to be good, and I hope that it is.
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What upcoming movies are you looking forward to this year? Some notable titles we didn’t hit upon here (or barely so) include ‘The Hunger Games’, ‘John Carter’, ‘The Avengers’, Tim Burton’s ‘Dark Shadows’, ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’, Timur Bekmambetov’s ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’ (this thing’s guaranteed to be crazy!), ‘Men in Black III’, ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’, ‘The Bourne Legacy’, the remake of ‘Total Recall’, the final ‘Twilight’ entry, Alfonso Cuaron’s sci-fi opus ‘Gravity’, ‘World War Z’ and Baz Lurmann’s new adaptation of ‘The Great Gatsby’, among others.
Shannon Nutt
I’m looking forward most to Lincoln, Skyfall, and Prometheus.
I’m NOT looking forward (although I’ll see it) to The Dark Knight Rises, because I think it’s going to be VERY average. Perhaps that comes with seeing a big chunk of it shot in my hometown.
Adam Stansifer
ATTN DICK WARD:
Taylor Swift has been cast as eponine
http://music-mix.ew.com/2012/01/05/taylor-swift-les-miserables-mis-movie/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/04/les-miserable-movie-taylor-swift-amanda-seyfried_n_1182963.html
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
odium fluet
Dick Ward
“likely to play Eponine.” There’s still time for it to change and I really hope it does.
Alex
It’s hard to keep me away from a good superhero flick, so I will be first in line for The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Amazing Spider-Man.
But it’s “The Hobbit” that I’m really chomping at the bit for. I audibly cheered (my co-workers thought I was nuts) when I found out that Martin Freeman had been cast as Bilbo. I’ve read the book more times than I can count and I couldn’t believe that the trailer actually looked like the images I had in my head reading the book as a kid. Plus, I had chills running up and down my spine when you hear Gollum hiss “My Precious!” at the end of the trailer. Cannot wait!!
William Henley
Of course, I have to say The Hobbit, Spider-Man and Dark Knight Rises.
Dorthy of Oz sounds interesting. I would love to see an Oz movie that is faithful to the books.
I will be in line to see the 3D conversions of Star Wars and Titanic.
The Three Stooges and Men In Black peak my intrest.
Snow White and GI Joe are on my watch list, but have fairly low expectations for both.
Les Mis is a must-see for me.
Total Recall scares me. I loved the old one, and a remake has me hesitant.
There is a new Bourne movie coming out, so I will probably catch that.
Joyful Noise comes out in a couple of weeks. I saw that at a premiere, and I would recommend for anyone to see it.
Everything else, I am either not intrested in, or know nothing about. However, it sounds like I am interested in more movies this year than in the past, but I think The Hobbit and Les Mis are really the only Must-See movies for me.
William Henley
Correction – I saw Joyful Noise at an audience test screening, not a premiere. Wasn’t thinking straight.
Aaron Peck
I assume the people saying they are somewhat interested by ‘The Three Stooges’ haven’t seen the trailer.
William Henley
Nope. Just looking at the list of movies coming out. When I say “somewhat interested”, I mean that the title peaks my intrest, and I will see what happens after I do see a trailer.
Dick Ward
Aaron, you can be interested in something because it will be a total disaster 🙂
Dan P.
I seen the trailer and it just doesn’t make sense. “The Three Stooges” are three unique people, err, idiots (beloved idiots). You can remake a story, but you can’t “remake” people. You will never be able to create another Moe Howard, Curly Howard, or Larry Fine (or Shemp Howard for that matter).
Another thing is the way the stooges shorts were made way back in the 30s and 40s. When Curly falls through the floor it’s obvious it’s a dummy falling at high speed. Or when one of them throws a pineapple it’s obvious the thing is on a wire as it flies around a corner. The “special effects” are simple and stupid, funny-stupid. That makes it funnier. This new movie looks just plain stupid from what I seen, not funny-stupid.
Rather than waste money on whatever that movie is, pick up the Three Stooges Collection on DVD and enjoy the real thing.
JM
Django Unchained
Kill Bin Laden
Lincoln
47 Ronin
Gravity
Skyfall
Looper
Expendables 2
The Amazing Spider-Man
Prometheus
Moonrise Kingdom
Dark Shadows
The Dictator
The Five-Year Engagement
The Cabin In The Woods
John Carter
This Means War
One For The Money
The Grey
Haywire
The Raid
Untitled Phil Spector Biopic
JM
Juan Of The Dead
JM
Miss Bala
Coriolanus
Only God Forgives
The Master
JM
Damsels In Distress
Inside Llewyn Davis
Red Hook Summer
The Grandmasters
Cogan’s Trade
Holly Motors
Untitled Terrence Malick ’12
EM
Like William’s, my interest in upcoming films is provisional and fickle. Currently my most anticipated of 2012 is Prometheus. Also piquing my interest:
• The Pirates! Band of Misfits
• Dorothy of Oz
• Dark Shadows
• Frankenweenie
William Henley
I missed seeing Frankenweenie on the list of upcoming movies. Is this a Tim Burton movie based on his short? If so, I am a bit hesitant to see how this would play out into a feature-length movie – the short was brilliant, though!
Aaron Peck
Yes it is. Filmed with ‘Coraline’ type stop-motion animation.
William Henley
I bet you can hear me groaning from here. I will probably pass on this one
EM
I suppose I shouldn’t complain about Hollywood’s penchant for franchises over originality: my top pick is a quasi-prequel, and the other picks I cited are all remakes and adaptations (of material which in turn also originated as sequels and adaptations). Like Hollywood, evidently I like to play it safe with the familiar too. There are a few out-of-the-blue 2012 movies that have caught a little of my interest, but I don’t feel strongly about any of them yet. Maybe one of them—or one I haven’t heard of yet—will be my Super 8 of 2012.
Tom .
Why is it that no one is looking forward to “The Master.” P.T. Anderson’s follow-up to “There Will Be Blood”? Philip Seymour Hoffman in his meatiest role in years as a religious fanatical con man in the 50s? Joaquin Phoenix’ return to serious acting? Definitely at the very top of my list?
EM
The premise of your question is flawed, for JM already cited that movie.
Thulsadoom
I’d say I’m looking forward to Prometheus and John carter the most. Then in the ‘it should be good fun’ area, Expendables 2 and The Hobbit. Not bothered about Dark Knight Rises, as I think I’m the only person on the planet who thinks The Dark Knight wasn’t very good, and a big step back for Nolan and the character, after the rather good Batman Begins.
Prometheus just makes me drool (though like Josh, I’m trying to stay cautiously optimistic, because Ridley in general can be a little hit and miss).
John Carter is based on my favourite books of all time and SOME of the trailer looks stunning, though other elements make me wary. It could go either way. I suspect they’ve lost John Carter’s joy of battle and eternal optimism (even when faced with certain death), for stereotypical modern ‘brooding’. Meanwhile the Tharks(the green aliens) look like they’ve been turned into fun Disney characters to appeal to kids, rather than the cruel, sadistic, battle-hungry blood-thirsty lot they are in the books (albeit in a good-natured and fair way lol!).
The Hobbit looks like it can’t go far wrong for the story it is, and Expendables 2 should be more good old fashioned guy’s fun, same as the first film!
EM
I, too, am a fan of the John Carter books, but I have no interest in the upcoming film, as the trailers make it look as though it had been shot through a “dull and joyless” filter.
TNAJason
Okay…my 1st comment….
For me its The Avengers and Dark Knight Rises.
I am also really excited for Men In Black III.
Others I’m looking forward to…..
Skyfall
Prometheus
World War Z
Expendables 2
Underworld Awakening
The Hunger Games
Steven Speilberg’s Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter
And one that I am NOT looking forward to,but will still see,is The Amazing Spider-Man. I am a pretty big Spidey fan and LOVED the Raimi Trilogy(yes I even LOVED 3),and own several Spider-Man Animated Shows both Official Releases,and (ahem) Bootlegs,BUT the trailer looks like its a Twilight Spin-Off starring Spider-Man. I actually like the Twilight movies,for what they are,but Spider-Man is supposed to be borderline-campy,with a little drama. But Amazing Spider-Man looks to be WAY TO F**KING serious teen drama,with HORRIBLE special effects(I’m looking at YOU,Mirror’s Edge-ripoff trailer sequence!!!!!!!). But like I said I am a big Spidey fan,so I’ll see it,plus I am becoming a fan of Emma Stone,so that certainly helps. BUT I also think it has the potential to be the next Batman & Robin/Superman IV. But I would love to be wrong…. :-/
EM
Welcome aboard, Jason!
In my view, The Amazing Spider-Man—that is, the source comics series—has always been at its best when suffused with serious teen or youngish-adult drama.