12 Movies to See in 2012

12 Movies to See in 2012

                If 2011 was the year of the sequel (and it was) then 2012 should be the year of the director.   Okay, so there are admittedly a few directors out there who don’t have movies coming out in 2012 (At least not that I know about yet).   Names like Richard Kelly, Jared Hess, Robert Rodriguez and Kevin Smith come to mind.   But, look, we still get new movies from Christopher Nolan (and something that will blow Inception away), Quentin Tarantino, Judd Apatow, Richard Linklater, Tim Burton and Peter Jackson.   Maybe there should be more horror movie directors in the list, but hey, I’m taking this list I put together as a positive year for 2012 in movies.

                Also, just note to, I’m not including any comedies really in this list because I don’t know what to expect from them after 2011.   Anything that seemed funny on paper in 2011 (based on actors, writers, directors, etc.) just seemed to be so underwhelming.   Let’s hope 2012 can also improve the current state of comedy.  

                On a second note, this list is also being made from the viewpoint of me looking into the future and predicting what I will like.   There may be some movies I end up liking but didn’t choose here.   I may also be disappointed by some of these picks.   But this is mainly to state my expectations of good and see how the movies live up to my hope.

2/17 – Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

                Regardless of how most people felt about the first Ghost Rider movie, I really enjoyed it and it remains one of my favorite Marvel movies.  I understand the importance of having waited to make a movie about this character in order to get the images just right in the final product.   I think now is a good time to keep this movie series going and honestly Nick Cage does a great job at it.   People who didn’t enjoy the first one probably won’t be won over by this one.   I’m just hoping that those of us who did enjoy the first one will enjoy this one as well.  I’m staying optimistic. 

5/4 – The Avengers

                This is it.   This is the reason why you’ve sat through all of these other Marvel movies and watched the special little minutes added on after the credits.   All of the characters are coming together for one super movie directed by Joss Whedon.   I really hope that this is awesome.   Despite my much publicized dislike for Hawkeye, I really do believe this movie will be worth all of the others we had to watch to get to this point.   Also, it’s only one of two Marvel scheduled for release (as of now) in 2012, so I do believe Marvel themselves are banking on this being a rather big success.  I hope it delivers and one day- maybe- we can see Spider-Man in the Ultimate Avengers?  (Please?)

5/23 – Men in Black 3

                People seem to go both ways on this movie.   Some of them see it as bringing back a dead franchise and they should have just left it in peace.   Others don’t really care because they thought that the first two were too many.   For me though, as a fan of the first two movies and especially the animated series, I really do look forward to this.   I am in no way the biggest fan of Will Smith movies.  Some of his movies I have started and not been able to make it through (Seven Pounds, The Pursuit of Happyness), while some of his movies have just been downright spectacular (Hancock, I Am Legend).   Since this is more toward sci-fi than drama and a character we are already familiar with, I am expecting nothing but the best.   The only question I want answered is whether or not Will Smith’s kid will be in this.   Imagine him being kidnapped by aliens and having to use his karate to stop them.  Oh wait, it’s not karate—it’s KUNG FU!

5/23 - Moonrise Kingdom

                While some directors were off putting out bad movies and are now trying to redeem themselves, Wes Anderson has done nothing but continue to make movies that I enjoy.  I have no idea what this movie is about (Personally, I’d rather be surprised than read about it anyway) nor do I know the cast even (Though I do know who to expect in the cast, heh).   The one thing I know is that this is a Wes Anderson movie and thus I will be watching it.

6/22 – Brave

                I did see a trailer for this, before Cars 2 if I’m not mistaken.   Nevertheless, I have neither been more anxious or less anxious to see this based on the preview.  All I know is that it’s the newest Disney Pixar movie to join the likes of Wall-E and Up.   So, with that simple statement I am sold.

6/29 – G.I. Joe: Retaliation

                At first, I was very hesitant to like the new G.I. Joe movie (Rise of Cobra), but after throwing aside all of my ideas of what it should have been and just saw it for what it was, it actually kind of grew on me.   After seeing a preview for this movie it is one of my most anticipated of the summer.   The Joes are going off the grid because they’ve been named public enemies, which is kind of like this animated series they have going on now, but anyway, it looks like it could be a lot better than the first just because of the plot.   Throw in Bruce Willis and The Rock and this movie should be a great action flick.  Oh, and a rumored Sgt. Slaughter cameo?  Yo Joe!

7/20 – The Dark Knight Rises

                I don’t feel that I really need to explain this pick to anyone.  I don’t expect this to be better than The Dark Knight, simply because Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker simply cannot be topped.  But I do still think this will be a great movie.  It might even be the best of the year.   It’s funny how it is also one of the only DC movies coming out in 2012, which seems like they seem to be banking on the same idea. 

9/21 – Dredd

                I might be the only person who liked the Sylvester Stallone version of Judge Dredd.   And I don’t mean liked it in a “It’s a cheesy B movie that’s meant to be taken seriously but I really find it funny” kind of way, I mean that I genuinely do like it.   That being said, I think this remake will be obviously better because for one thing, Dredd himself will hopefully not expose his face, keeping more true to his comic book roots.   Plus I’ve always felt that as a franchise (In the comic books, first movie and now hopefully this movie) there is an understated sort of belief that government is being overrun and this is what it might one day come to, if it continues as such.   One day, we’re going to have police officers in armor suits with giant lasers finding you guilty without trial and killing you without even consulting a jury of your peers.   No joke, I hope this movie sends a stern political message.   If not, it should at least have some cool futuristic looking visuals.

9/21 - Hotel Transylvania

                What do I know about this movie exactly?  Only one thing:  It is being directed by Genndy Tartakofsky and that’s good enough for me.    The genius behind Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Laboratory and the Star Wars: Clone Wars that mattered can do no wrong in my mind.

10/5 – Frankenweenie

                This was quite possibly the first Tim Burton movie I had ever seen and I really enjoyed it.   To this day, it remains one of my single favorite movies.   I owned a VHS copy of this before having it as a bonus feature on The Nightmare Before Christmas.   Well, Tim Burton made this movie probably second in his career (After the short Vincent) and now he’s going to revisit the once small budget movie and possibly turn it into a large budget movie.   In reality, it could be worse: He could just digitally alter the existing film like a certain director did with a certain franchise I won’t name here.   Am I excited to see what Tim Burton can do with this as a remake?  Yes, I am.   In fact, Tim Burton has only a few movies that are actually his own idea.   He made his own versions of Alice in Wonderland, Planet of the Apes and Sweeney Todd.   He also made a biopic for Ed Wood and a movie based on trading cards.    It seems only right that Tim Burton finally rips off himself.   And I say that with the utmost respect and anticipation for this movie.   I’d like to see what Tim Burton can do with this idea now, since I loved the original so much.

12/14 – The Hobbit

                The once Guillermo Del Toro turned into a (surprise) Peter Jackson movie will come out a week and a half before Christmas.   While I would have originally liked this movie enough simply because it is an extension (in a prequel sense) of one of the best trilogies I have ever seen, I think that the GDT factor adds a wild card to this that might make it even better.   If this was a straight up Peter Jackson movie, it’d be good just for being like this trilogy, but if some of the imagery we’ve seen in Hellboy 2 and Pan’s Labyrinth comes out in this then it will be all the better.

12/25 – Django Unlimited

                I love Quentin Tarantino so much that I will:

a)      Go see this movie on Christmas day when it opens

b)      Go see this movie and enjoy it despite Leo DiCaprio being in it

c)       All of the above

I actually think this is going to be one of those situations when Leo’s presence is acceptable simply because the movie isn’t going to be about him—it’s going to be a Tarantino movie.   Bonus points of awesomeness if Leo’s character dies a horrible death.