In Rian Johnson's upcoming science-fiction action film Looper, Joesph Gordon-Levitt plays Joe, a looper (a hitman who kills people sent back in time by mobs in the future) who eventually has to face-off against his future self (played by Bruce Willis). The acclaimed Brick director recently told the L.A. Times that Gordon-Levitt had to spend three hours a day in the make-up chair to apply practical prosthetics to resemble the older actor. While comparisons to the premise of The Terminator may be apparent, test screenings have been overly responsive hailing Looper an instant classic in the vein of The Matrix and Blade Runner.
(September 28)
#9 Prometheus (dir. Ridley Scott)
It hasn't, but it feels like decades have passed since we last saw an honest-to-goodness, classic science-fiction film. More so than any other genre, science-fiction is accountable for my love of film, and the man behind Blade Runner and Alien is partially responsible for that. In 2012, director Ridley Scott makes his long overdue return to the genre he helped shape with this (sort-of?) Alien prequel. The moody teaser trailer suggests Prometheus may be the film that finally brings smart, big-budget science-fiction back to the mainstream. Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and Charlize Theron round out an impressive supporting cast in what is certainly this year's most anticipated science-fiction release.
(June 8)
#8 The Five-Year Engagement (dir. Nicholas Stoller)
Despite religiously reading film blogs on a daily basis, I had no prior knowledge of The Five-Year Engagment before viewing its trailer early last month. I am surprised that the film has not generated more buzz as the trailer is so damn funny and heartfelt that the picture immediately made my list of most anticiapted releases. Produced by Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Bridesmaids), and directed by Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), The Five-Year Engagment aims to continue their tradition of crafting R-rated comedies that have equal emotional depth and rauchy laughs.
(April 27)
#7 Gangster Squad (dir. Ruben Fleischer)
Destined to be an award contender this time next year, Gangster Squad chronicles the LAPD's fight to keep the East Coast Mafia out of Los Angeles during the late 1940s and early 1950s and features one of the most impressive ensembles of 2012 (Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, and Emma Stone). While the film's director, Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland, 30 Minutes or Less) may be inexperienced when it comes to directing a big-budget period drama, the actors involved should be able to make up for any shortcomings on his part.
(October 19)
#6 The Avengers (dir. Joss Whedon)
Yes, this is the perfect recipe for a full-fledged Hollywood disaster - a summer blockbuster where not two, but five characters worthy of their own franchises (Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, and Hawkwye) join forces - but it is also every "fanboy's" dream come true. It almost goes without saying that seeing these superheroes share the silver screen together will be entertaining, but will it make for a great film? I wish I was more familiar with Joss Whedon's work, as it is almost too easy in this scenario to create a blockbuster with all action, and no plot or character. Luckily, the initial trailer eased some of my hesitation concerning The Avengers as the picture appears to be more of an "Iron Man and friends" film, than a straight Avengers movie.
(May 4)
#5 Only God Forgives (dir. Nicholas Winding Refn)
Is Drive the neo-noir masterpiece many critics have declared it to be? I'll be honest - I'm still hesitant to make the claim (read my full review). Yet, one thing I cannot detract from Drive is its uncompromising audacity and originality. While my personal opinion of Drive may be ambivalent, it is apparent that the film's star, Ryan Gosling, and director, Nicholas Winding Refn, enjoyed the process of working together as the pair have already signed on to make two more films together over the next three years. Although I am intrigued to see what these two will do with a big studio budget (Drive was produced for a mere $13 million, Only God Forgives has an estimated budget of about half that), that will have to wait until 2014 when the pair remake the 1976 science-fiction film Logan's Run. In the meantime, Gosling and Refn are going completely off the grid to make a revenge film centering on a "Bangkok police lieutenant and a gangster who settle their differences in a Thai-boxing match." Gosling is on record as describing the script as "the strangest thing I've ever read and it's only going to get stranger." Only God Forgives has the potential to be the most violent, daring, and unusual film to be released in years. I'm sold.
(TBA)
#4 Django Unchained (dir. Quentin Tarantino)
Quentin Tarantino's eighth proper film, Django Unchained, tells the story of a freed slave (Jamie Foxx) who seeks revenge on his former master (Leonardo DiCaprio). Yet, as we have seen with previous Tarantino revenge films (Kill Bill, Inglorious Basterds) the premise is only a set up to a film with much larger ambitions. Tarantino has referred to Django Unchained as "a southern," stating that he wanted "to do movies that deal with America's horrible past with slavery, but do them like spaghetti westerns, not like big issue movies. I want to do them like they're genre films, but they deal with everything that America has never dealt with because it's ashamed of it, and other countries don't really deal with because they don't feel they have the right to." I'm listening. If this were just another Tarantino film my anticpation would already be there, but when news broke that Quentin had cast DiCaprio as the former slave owner, my anticipation sky-rocketed. I can not wait to see what Tarantino does with DiCaprio (who is in my opinion the greatest actor of his generation) in his first role as a villian - and a murderous, slave-owner at that. If Tarantino's script is half as good as his previous efforts, this film may overtake Kill Bill (no, wait - Pulp Fiction... no - Kill Bill) as my favorite Tarantino picture.
(December 25)
#3 Lincoln (dir. Steven Spielberg)
Daniel Day-Lewis is what one would refer to as a "method actor." The acclaimed performer only stars in one film every two or three years because of intense preparation he requires for each role he undertakes. I am not lying when I state that for the past year, Daniel Day-Lewis has remained in character perfecting Abraham Lincoln's dialect and mannerisms. Just the mere idea of Daniel Day-Lewis walking around believing he is Lincoln has me excited (the photo above was taken at a restaurant, not on set). Add the fact that Lincoln is directed by one of cinema's greatest living directors (Steven Spielberg) and features a stronger cast than any Ocean's 11 movie (Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Strathairn, Jackie Earle Haley, and Sally Field round out the supporting roles), and I'm completely sold. Lincoln promises to be closer to Schindler's List than Saving Private Ryan, focusing more on the man than the war he lived through. No greater director has better perfected the balancing act of simultaneously entertaining and educating audiences than Spielberg, and I trust him to deliver here once again.
(TBA)
#2 The Amazing Spider-Man (dir. Marc Webb)
"Stan Lee says that the reason why Spidey is so popular is because all of us can relate to him and I agree. I needed Spidey in my life when I was a kid, and he gave me hope. In every comic I read he was living out mine, and every skinny boy's fantasy, of being stronger, of being free of the body I was born into, and that swinging sensation of flight. And upon receiving his power, unlike most that become corrupted, he used it for good. I think we all wish that we had the courage to stick up for ourselves more, to stick up for a loved one more, or even a stranger you see being mistreated. And Peter Parker has reassured me that by doing the right thing, it is worth it - it is worth the struggle, it is worth the pain, it is worth even the tears, the bruises, and the blood." - Andrew Garfield
Even after the travesty that was Spider-Man 3, I was heartbroken when I heard that Sony had completely scrapped plans to produce a fourth (and fifth) Spider-Man film with actor Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi. I desperately wanted the pair to restore the series to its early greatness and build on the characters that I had grown to love. Yet, as news began to slowly develop of casting (Andrew Garfield is an inspired choice as Spider-Man, as is (500) Days of Summer director Marc Webb) my excitement began to outweigh my disappointment. And now, following a great reaction to early footage at last year's Comic-Con, my anticipation is sky high. While The Amazing Spider-Man may be doomed to remain in the shadows of other 2012 superhero blockbusters, it has great potential to be my favorite film of the year. And I didn't even mention that Emma Stone is playing Gwen Stacy!
(July 3)
#1 The Dark Knight Rises (dir. Christopher Nolan)
Come on - does this really need any explanation?
(July 20)
