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THE DARK KNIGHT RISES - Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, the terrorist leader Bane arrives in Gotham City, pushing it and its police force to their limits, forcing its former hero Batman to resurface after taking the fall for Harvey Dent's crimes (IMDb).
I don't think much needs saying about the anticipation levels for this film. They are sky high. They are, quite frankly, INSANE. Can Christopher Nolan possibly make something that lives up to this level of expectation? Can he make something that can stand alongside the critically-lauded, award-winning, record-breaking The Dark Knight? We will have to see. The posters and trailers on offer thus far suggest that Nolan is going to give it a damn good go, but the fan issues are already starting to creep in. Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, Bane's voice, the over-done football pitch scene. In Nolan we trust, though (I have loved every one of his films), and this film boasts high pedigree and a truly knock-out cast (Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Jospeh Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, who might just have enough charisma between them to fill the boots of Heath Ledger's Joker). If The Dark Night Rises can come anywhere close to its preceding film, a genuine comic-book masterpiece, it will be a roaring success. Out 20th July.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GokKUqLcvD8
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THE AVENGERS - Nick Fury and the international agency S.H.I.E.L.D. bring together a team of super humans to form The Avengers to help save the Earth from Loki & his various membered army (IMDb).
Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr). Thor (Chris Hemsworth). Captain America (Chris Evans). The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson). A supporting cast that includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Stellan Skarsgard, Paul Bettany and Tom Hiddleston, as villain of the piece Loki. Every comic-book fan's wet dream. Whether director Joss Whedon (a potentially inspired choice) can handle this number of huge characters, whether the end result comes across as a severe case of 'too many cooks spoil the broth', remains to be seen. But hell, I'd watch this group of characters stand around in a room for 2 hours discussing economic downturn and probably still come out happy. Perhaps even more so. Hmmm. Out 27th April.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJK3TVVceSc
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THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY - Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit, journeys to the Lonely Mountain accompanied by a group of dwarves to reclaim a treasure taken from them by the dragon Smaug (IMDb).
I feel like this is another one where not a great deal needs to be said to explain my excitement about the film. If I HAD to make some sort of decision with regards to rankings, The Hobbit may well rate as my most anticipated film of 2012. There is great competition, of course, but nothing quite comes close to what I felt when the trailer for this was released. Martin Freeman as Bilbo, flashes of Ian Holm and Elijah Wood, FREAKING GANDALF, Bag End, the dwarves (led by an almost unrecognisable Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield) and their wonderfully eerie song, those lovely moments of warmth and humour that injected the Lord of the Rings trilogy with so much heart, epic battle scenes, Galadriel, and oh yes, of course, Andy Serkis' whispered 'precioussssss' at the end. Unbelievable stuff. Do we HAVE to wait nearly a year for this?! Out 14th December.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0k3kHtyoqc
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AMERICAN REUNION - Jim, Michelle, Stifler, and their friends reunite in East Great Falls, Michigan for their high school reunion (IMDb).
My guilty pleasure inclusion, inspired by growing up watching the American Pie films with my friends. I love these characters, I really do, and I can't wait to see them all together again, grown up or not. The trailer makes me feel warm inside, and I can't help but expect the same feeling from the film upon its release. Don't get me wrong, the film will probably suck, but not necessarily in a bad way. Out 6th April.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7qq0iJGSu0
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SHAME - In New York City, Brandon's carefully cultivated private life -- which allows him to indulge his sexual addiction -- is disrupted when his sister Cissy arrives unannounced for an indefinite stay (IMDb).
Director Steve McQueen's last collaboration with Michael Fassbender, his debut directorial feature Hunger, was terrific and provided sufficient reason for me to be excited about this second collaboration. Shame has more than the previous of its director and star going for it, though, having completed a festival circuit in which it was critically lauded and Fassbender won Best Actor at Venice. Looks like a controversial, provocative and mesmerising portrait of a sex addict. Fassbender is one of the best British actors going at the moment, and it's wonderful to hear so much praise for his performance in this. Support from Carey Mulligan, who is really starting to make waves in her career after solid turns in Drive, not to mention her upcoming lead performance in Baz Lurhmann's Great Gatsby adaptation.
Out 13th January.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arD1Hmjlqag
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NOW IS GOOD - A girl dying of leukemia compiles a list of things she'd like to do before passing away. Topping the list is her desire to lose her virginity (IMDb).
OK, this one is mainly in here because I did some extra work on it, and now I'm eager to watch it and try and spot my arm somewhere in the background. But the film has potential, too, thanks to a great cast that includes Dakota Fanning, Jeremey Irvine, Kaya Scodelario, Paddy Considine and Olivia Williams. Out 25th May.
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DJANGO UNCHAINED - With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner (IMDb).
The latest film from Quentin Tarantino was always pretty likely to rank highly on the anticipation scale, but this is a Tarantino Spaghetti Western, a combination that could prove truly special. It's also his next film after Inglorious Basterds, arguably his finest since Pulp Fiction, so he's in good form. I've read the screenplay for this, and it's classic Tarantino - violent, pulpy, destined for cult success. Tarantino has amassed a seriously impressive cast for the film, with Jamie Foxx (as our hero Django) supported by Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L Jackson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kurt Russell and Sacha Baron Cohen. Out 26th December.
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GANGSTER SQUAD - A chronicle of the LAPD's fight to keep East Coast Mafia types out of Los Angeles in the 1940s and 50s (IMDb).
Director Ruben Fleischer has started his filmmaking career in comedy with Zombieland and 30 Minutes Or Less, but now moves onto whole new terrain with this gangster flick. A wonderful cast on show, headed by Ryan Gosling, currently in the form of his career, and also featuring Sean Penn, Emma Stone, Josh Brolin, Nick Nolte and Giovanni Ribisi. Gangster Squad looks like a terrific, old-school gangster film, owing much to LA Confidential, itself a scathing tale of police corruption, sleazy media types and mafia business in 50s Los Angeles. Out 9th November.
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DARK SHADOWS - A gothic-horror tale centering on the life of vampire Barnabas Collins and his run-ins with various monsters, witches, werewolves and ghosts. Based on the cult TV series (IMDb).
I find Tim Burton rather hit and miss, but I'm very much looking forward to his latest, a gothic tale based on the cult series. Spearheaded by a dream cast of Johnny Depp (of course), Helena Bonham Carter (of course), Christopher Lee (of course), Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jonny Lee Miller, Chloe Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley, and Alice Cooper (yes, you read right). Out 11th May.
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YOUNG ADULT - Soon after her divorce, a fiction writer returns to her home in small-town Minnesota, looking to rekindle a romance with her ex-boyfriend, who is now married with kids (IMDb).
I've yet to do anything but love a Jason Reitman film, and I'm hoping that Young Adult will be no exception. I also loved Diablo Cody's script for Juno (and, to a lesser extent, for Jennifer's Body) and am very excited about a creative reunion between the two. Charlize Theron looks to be on great form in the lead role, and the film seems to have the perfect mix of humour and pathos that Reitman does so well. Out 10th February.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar_-v7dEEoo
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Some very honourable mentions to films that just missed the cut - The Great Gatsby, The Descendants, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Bourne Legacy, Men In Black III, Carnage, Skyfall, Gravity, The Dictator, and of course THE MUPPETS!
I have high hopes for film in 2012! As well as some fabulous tentpole releases to look forward to, especially in the superhero category, there looks to be some really intelligent indie fare on offer too. As for 2012 on a personal level, including filmmaking exploits and otherwise, more on that later!
