My Most Anticipated Films of 2012
If 2011 was any indication, I am going to watch a lot of movies in 2012. And from the looks of it, this year has a potential to be an absolutely incredible year for cinema. It seems like nearly every one of my favorite directors has a film coming out in the next 12 months plus, like every year, there will be the surprises that come out of nowhere and become your new favorites. It’s always fun to look back a year later and wonder what the hell you were thinking putting “Cowboys & Aliens” and “Sucker Punch” on there? (In my defense I did have “Drive” at #11, before most people had ever heard of it, based on the cast alone, and that didn’t turn out too badly.) For now, each of the following films is an A+ until reality proves otherwise. It’s going to be a good year. Here are the films I’m most looking forward to in 2012.
1. Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Project (a.k.a. The Master)
dir: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Magnolia, Boogie Nights)
It’s been a nearly unendurable wait for my favorite filmmaker to produce a follow-up to his 2007 magnum opus “There Will Be Blood” (a.k.a. The Best Film Of The Decade) and the wait is almost over. Set just after WWII the film will reunite PTA once again with Philip Seymour Hoffman as the leader of a Scientology-type religion who takes in a drifter (Joaquin Phoenix) to be his right-hand man. It will also probably be the best movie of the year/decade/ever. Four years down, one to go. (Late 2012)
2. The Dark Knight Rises
dir: Christopher Nolan (Inception, The Dark Knight, Batman Begins)
After blowing minds with “Inception,” Nolan is back for the third and final film in his Bat-trilogy bringing along newcomers Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Marion Cotillard. I left the theatre after “The Dark Knight” saying, “That’s probably the best Batman film I’ll see during my lifetime,” thinking that not even Nolan would be able to top it. But nearly four years and one masterwork later, I’m starting to think he might just be able to pull it off. Watch the trailer. (July 20)
3. Django Unchained
dir: Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction)
Tarantino is back with his 5th consecutive revenge film(!), this time bringing retribution to the slavery-era South. Jamie Foxx stars as Django, a freed slave who teams up with a bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) to track down his wife (Kerry Washington) and liberate her from a sadistic plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio). They’ll be joined by Kurt Russell, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Samuel L. Jackson, Sacha Baron Cohen, RZA, Don Johnson, James Remar, cool music, violence and presumably countless references to other films. (Dec 25)
4. Moonrise Kingdom
dir: Wes Anderson (The Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore)
Set in the 1960’s, Anderson’s first live action film in nearly five years centers on two pre-teens who fall in love and run away, turning their New England town upside down in the process. Starry cast includes newcomers Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Harvey Keitel and Tilda Swinton along with Anderson regulars Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman. As much as I’ve been disappointed by his last few features, I’m still holding out hope for this one. (May 25)
5. This Is Forty
dir: Judd Apatow (Funny People, Knocked Up, The 40 Year Old Virgin)
Though he’s only directed three features, he’s produced dozens and influenced countless more, making Apatow the king of modern comedy. His last film “Funny People” saw the filmmaker headed into darker, more dramatic territory while his latest is a spinoff of sorts, focusing on Paul Rudd and Lesley Mann’s married couple from “Knocked Up,” presumably dealing with a midlife crisis. They’ll be accompanied by Jason Segel, Chris O’Dowd, Melissa McCarthy, Albert Brooks and Megan Fox and hopefully the perfect mix of comedy/drama. (Dec 21)
6. Gravity
dir: Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Y Tu Mamá También, Great Expectations)
Ever since Kubrick went into the beyond with “2001: A Space Odyssey,” he influenced a generation of directors do the same. The latest helmer to reach for the stars is Alfonso Cuaron, whose dizzying dystopian “Children of Men” six years ago put him in the upper echelon of filmmakers by fusing smart sci-fi and seamless effects. His latest stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as stranded astronauts attempting to return to Earth and will reportedly be almost entirely CGI, 3D and feature a 20 minute opening shot. From any other filmmaker I’d be terrified, but from Cuaron I’m just excited. (Nov 21)
7. Prometheus
dir: Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator)
My second most anticipated sci-fi film next year is one that would’ve been unthinkable even just a few years ago. Scott - who has not done a science fiction film since “Blade Runner” 30 years ago - returns to the genre he helped shape with “Alien” for this quasi-prequel (which may or may not even involve aliens). Regardless, the film concerns a group of explorers - including Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender and Idris Elba - who discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth and possibly it’s end. Though the director has had a patchy decade, just try not to be excited when you watch the trailer. (June 8)
8. Frank or Francis
dir: Charlie Kaufman (Synechdoche New York, writer Adaptation, Being John Malkovich)
Kaufman may be one of the most distinctive screenwriters of the past decade but has been very quiet since stepping into the directors chair in 2008. That film may have stretched the limits of how weird it could get from the idiosyncratic scribe but things may be about to get even weirder. Steve Carell, Jack Black and Nicolas Cage star in some configuration as vain filmmaker, failed comedian and frustrated film critic in this musical (yes, you read that right), comedy. Kaufman’s audacious scripts walk a fine line between brilliant and bewildering but I’m hoping this ends up as the former. (Late 2012)
9. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
dir: Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong, The Frighteners)
After having a rough go of it with “The Lovely Bones,” Jackson returns to Middle Earth to adapt the J.R.R. Tolkien book that started it all. After the ‘LOTR’ trilogy took in nearly 3 billion dollars at the box office and countless awards, you would think adapting the early adventures of Bilbo Baggins would have been a no brainer but it took quite a bit of wrangling both legal and creative on it’s way to the screen. Expectations are sky high for this film (eyerollingly split into two installments) but honestly I was a lot more excited about it before I watched the trailer. (Dec 14)
10. Inside Llewyn Davis
dir: The Coen Bros. (No Country For Old Men, The Big Lebowski, Fargo)
Now in the fourth decade of their careers, the brothers Coen are still going strong and though for me their recent films have been hit-and-miss, that doesn’t make me any less interested in their next project. Set in the Greenwich Village folk scene of the early 60’s, the film stars Oscar Isaac as the titular character, a folk singer who can’t seem to get it together. He’s supported by “Drive” co-star Carey Mulligan, F. Murray Abraham longtime Coen MVP John Goodman and (for the ladies) Justin Timberlake. (Late 2012)
11. Only God Forgives (Nicolas Winding Refn)
Refn and Ryan Gosling (director and star of the Best Film of 2011) reteam for this gonzo thriller about a gangster who must seek revenge on a Thai police lieutenant. This would be ranked higher but “Drive” had the #11 spot last year so I’m hoping lightning might strike twice. (Unknown)
12. A Glimpse Inside The Mind of Charles Swan III (Roman Coppola)
A full decade after his debut - the hugely underrated “8 1/2”/”Barbarella” mashup, “CQ” - the overlooked Coppola returns with this 70’s set feature about a graphic artist (Charlie Sheen) whose fame has made him irresistible to women until he enters a spiral of self-doubt. Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Aubrey Plaza and Mary Elizabeth Winstead costar. (Unknown)
13. Brave (Mark Andrews)
The formerly unimpeachable Pixar has a lot of explaining to do after the nearly unwatchable mistake that was “Cars 2” but it will only take one great movie for them to make amends. I’m hoping this Scotland set fairy tale about a princess who must undo a curse is it. Watch the trailer. (June 22)
14. The Great Gatsby (Baz Luhrman)
A 3D adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire from the director of “Moulin Rouge.” Luhrman’s films have always been divisive, even among his fans - I loved his 2nd and 3rd movies but couldn’t make it through his last one - making this as big of a gamble as it sounds. (Dec 25)
15. The Amazing Spider-Man (Marc Webb)
Yes, the trailers have been a little shaky and “The Untold Story” seems disingenuous at best but the casting (Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey), director (“500 Days of Summer” helmer Marc Webb) and villain (Rhys Ifans as The Lizard, finally!) all inspire curiosity and Spider-Man remains the king of the Marvel Universe. It can’t be worse than the last one, right? (July 3)
16. Looper (Rian Johnson)
Sci-fi pic from “Brick” director Johnson stars Joseph Gordon Levitt and Bruce Willis as younger/older versions of the same character, a futuristic hitman who goes back in time to kill himself. The film apparently has echoes of “The Terminator and “Back To The Future” and test screened a few months ago to rave reviews. (Sept 28)
17. The Avengers (Joss Whedon)
Marvel Studios long-awaited (kind of? “Iron Man” was only 5 years ago) superhero team up is the big budget debut of TV icon Joss Whedon. Dialogue (by Whedon and Zach Penn) will definitely crackle, but whether the novice director can handle Michael Bay-scale action sequences is still unknown. Watch the trailer. (May 4)
18. Cogan’s Trade (Andrew Dominik)
“The Assasination of Jesse James” director Dominik reunites with star Brad Pitt as an enforcer investigating a heist during a mob run card game. Though ‘Jesse James’ was a little too long it was undeniably beautiful and arguably did Terrence Malick better than he does these days. (Late 2012)
19. Frankenweenie (Tim Burton)
After a decade-long run of consistently disappointing films, I wasn’t sure if there was anything my childhood hero Burton could do to win my attention again. That was, until he decided to revisit and expand his wonderful 80’s short film about a boy and his dog into a stop-motion animated black and white feature. (Oct 5)
20. The Five-Year Engagement (Nicholas Stoller)
“Forgetting Sarah Marshall” director/screenwriters Stoller and Jason Segel (who also stars) come together again for this romantic comedy charting the ups and downs of a couple’s relationship (played by Segel and Emily Blunt). ‘Sarah Marshall’ showed the duo have a lot of potential for making a great rom-com and if the trailer is any indication, they may have delivered on that promise. (Apr 27)
Also released: The To-Do List (Maggie Carey), The Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell), Gangster Squad (Ruben Fleischer), Magic Mike (Steven Soderbergh), John Carter (Andrew Stanton), Cloud Atlas (The Wachowski Brothers, Tom Tykwer), Cabin In The Woods (Drew Goddard), Wanderlust (David Wain), The Burial (Terrence Malick), The Wettest County In The World (John Hillcoat), Argo (Ben Affleck), Skyfall (Sam Mendes), ParaNorman (Chris Butler, Sam Fell), Dark Shadows (Tim Burton), He Loves Me (Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris)
a glimpse inside the mind of charles swan iii brave cogans trade django unchained film frank or francis frankenweenie gravity inside llewyn davis listomania looper moonrise kingdom only god forgives prometheus the amazing spider-man the avengers the dark knight the great gatsby the hobbit the master this is forty five year engagement
