2012 has started out pretty rocky for films. The cineplexes are currently clogged with the dreck of the year just like every January/February, months which are widely held as the dumping ground for films not up to par. With this in mind, I look a head to better times to come in the year with a list of 10 movies that I am most looking forward to in 2012. These aren’t the ONLY movies that I am looking forward to but they are the ones I am most excited about. I make this distinction as clearly as possible only because it seems that people have a hard time understanding this and become excessively butt hurt over it. Feed back is appreciated in the comments and please include your own list for comparison. I have included trailers where they were available.

10. Five Year Engagement (4/27)

The next collaboration between Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, Five Year Engagement tracks a couple’s ups and downs after getting engaged. It looks to be sort of like Jerry McGuire in so far as it picks up where most romantic comedies end and highlights the challenges inherent in maintaining relationships. Segel and Stoller are great together and they excel at good and funny relationship material so I am very excited for this one. Add to it a great cast featuring Chris Platt, Alison Brie, Mindy Kaling, Chris Parnell, Emily Blunt and Kevin Heart, just to name a few, and I am there opening day.

9. Django Unchained (12/25)

Quentin Tarentino’s next movie sounds straight up insane. A slave turned bounty hunter goes on a mission to rescue his wife from a sadistic Mississippi plantation owner? With the plantation owner played by Leonardo DiCaprio? With Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Samuel L Jackson, Sacha Baron Cohen, Christoph Waltz, Kurt Russell, James Remar and Don Johnson? Yes please. Tarentino has flirted with Westerns a little bit in things he’s produced but this is the first time he has taken the plunge himself. Sure to throw back to Italian spaghetti westerns of the 60’s, Django Unchained is very promising for fans of the genre and of Tarentino.

8.The  Cabin In the Woods (4/13)

Co-written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, Cabin in the Woods looks to be a genre bending take on tired and cliched horror movie memes. This isn’t anything especially new for horror films in and of itself but given the cast and the talent behind the scenes, it looks very promising. This is amusing if only because without the pedigree I might be more inclined to write this off as just another teenagers dying in the woods with video cameras movie. As it is I am hoping for a big treat when this finally releases in April.

7. This is 40 (12/21)

A spin-off film from Knocked Up following Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann’s characters, This is 40 isn’t really a sequel in the same way that Get Him to the Greek wasn’t really a sequel to Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Taking the arguably two funniest characters in the movie and checking out what is up with them a few years later sounds like an interesting idea and, with the exception of some missteps in Funny People, Judd Apatow is a sure bet to deliver this kind of material. Jason Segel reprises his role from Knocked Up as well and a fair number of new comers make it clear that the talent is there. Hopefully the talent is supported by strong material and we are handed a more successful spin off than the aforementioned Get Him to the Greek.

6.Prometheus (4/8)

What started off as a prequel to Alien and became its own project, Prometheus marks the return of Ridley Scott to intergalactic sci-fi as well as the Alien Universe. While the plot revolves around a team of space explorers who discover clues to the origins of life on Earth, Scott claims that it shares DNA with Alien and there will be treats to be found in the film for fans of that franchise. The cast, again, is filled with great people and it looks like Scott is comfortable back in his old stomping grounds. I would have liked to have seen another alien movie but this looks fresh and intriguing and we may have something even better on our hands.

5. Skyfall (11/9)

While I am not the biggest 007 fan in the world, Casino Royale was pretty incredible and Daniel Craig proved that he has what it takes to be one of the best bonds on record. Even the mess that was Quantum of Solace was made watchable by Craig’s performance. Now that all the legal issues with the franchise are settled we can finally get back to the follow up that Casino Royale should have had. Directed by Sam Mendes and featuring Javier Bardem as the villain, Skyfall has a lot of potential going in even though the plot outline thus far is vague. Bond’s loyalty to M being tested while he fights a major threat to MI6 isn’t much to go on but there is a lot of talent here and I am very excited to see what that talent nets us.

4. Moonrise Kingdom (5/25)

Wes Anderson’s next film looks like a return to form after his foray into stop animation with the Fantastic Mr Fox. Centering on a young boy and girl who fall in love and run away together and the ensuing search for them by the New England town’s residence, the film is set in the 60’s and looks to fit nicely in Anderson’s cannon. With most of his returning alums and his style intact this is doesn’t look like it will change your mind if you hate Anderson’s films and general sense of style. If you are a fan, however, it looks like it will offer up everything the man does that made you that way.

3.The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey(12/14)

Despite the fact that I disagree with splitting the Hobbit into two movies, I can’t resist the allure of the thing. I loved the Lord of the Rings movies but as far as the books go, I liked the Hobbit a lot more. Seeing that story done by this talent is going to be a huge treat. Even the songs, which I was  happy to see largely absent from the LotR trilogy come across as haunting and beautiful in the trailer. Also, there are a whole bunch of dwarfs and how can you go wrong with that?

2. The Avengers (5/4)

Given my love for Joss Whedon, it was really hard to decide where to put Avengers. I am very, very excited for this movie and depending on the day I may be more excited for it than the Dark Knight Rises but today it is number two. With a huge cast of heroes and actors, the Avengers could either succeed in a spectacular way or fail just as spectacularly. I have a lot of faith here though given how good Thor and Captain America were last summer and with Whedon manning the ship, a man who knows how to deal with ensemble casts and juggling a lot of characters, I feel like we are in excellent hands. This movie has the potential to launch Whedon out of cult status and into the mainstream and that can mean nothing but good for fans.

1. Dark Knight Rises (7/20)

This is really kind of a no-brainer for comics and genre fans. There has been some dissension in the ranks thanks to how hard Bane is to understand and some people’s reactions to the football scene but I am pretty much unfazed by that stuff. Before the Dark Knight came out tons of people doubted Heath Ledger and we all saw how that worked out. I trust Nolan and I am completely confident he will deliver a fitting and awesome ending to his Batman series. I think there is going to be a pretty big back lash by fanboys trying to stay ahead of the hip hate game on this but I have full confidence that the movie itself is going to be awesome. Time will tell but I believe in Christopher Nolan.

 

So there it is. As always, comment below.