2012 in Film - A look ahead

Films to avoid by all means necessary:

1. That's My Boy - It's Adam Sandler's first film since Jack & Jill. Avoid like the plague.
2. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 - I don't think there's a soul on earth who thinks these are good movies. 
3. Battleship - When I first heard there was going to be a Battleship movie, I thought it was a joke. When I saw that it involved aliens, I was CONVINCED that it was a joke. And just a heads up: if you want your movie to be taken seriously, don't cast Rihanna and Brooklyn Decker.
4. The Three Stooges - It's perfectly normal to be skeptic about a Three Stooges movie made with people who aren't the actual Three Stooges. But take a look at the cast. Jersey Shore is in it.
5. GI Joe: Retaliation - More of the same blockbuster action bullshit
6. The Marriage Counselor - Tyler Perry movies suck. Plus Kim Kardashian's in it. I could be wrong, but I think her last film was Disaster Movie.
7. Wrath of the Titans - I guess this is a sequel to Clash of the Titans. Don't see it.
8. John Carter - Someone tell me what the hell this movie is about. It looks so stupid.

Movies I am curious about:
21 Jump Street - I hate the cast but the trailer looked kind of funny, certainly an improvement over The Sitter, not that that says anything. Looks like it'd be funny but really stupid.
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter - I don't think anyone knows what to expect with this movie.
The Amazing Spiderman - The fastest remake in the history of the world. And a minor point, but I am skeptic of 28 year-olds being cast as high school students.
American Reunion - The American Pie franchise desperately trying to avoid direct-to-DVD releases. Probably won't be any good but the original cast will bring in some laughs and plenty of nostalgia.
Being Flynn - Robert De Niro hasn't made a good movie in a while. A long while. I'm hoping this'll be his comeback but who knows
The Bourne Legacy - As much as I try to avoid Jeremy Renner, he keeps popping up in franchises already established. This will probably be a decent action movie but I'm not sure if it can top the Damon ones. Plus it's no affiliation with Robert Ludlum, but that might not be a big deal because the previous films hardly followed the plots.
The Dark Knight Rises - Of course I'm going to see it. This movie will be huge. That having been said, it looks incredibly stupid. Of all the great Batman villains, they go with Bane...you know, the least interesting one. At least there's Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. But the trailer was ridiculous. Why do they bomb the football field, killing the couple hundred playing the game and not the hundred thousand in the stands? That's the least efficient terrorism I've ever heard of.
Dark Shadows - Know very little about the show and I hate Tim Burton, but I don't know...this could be interesting.
Darling Companion - Lawrence Kasdan doesn't make a lot of films but he made The Right Stuff, it doesn't get much better than that. Kevin Kline and Diane Keaton bring a lot of talent to this movie.
Life of Pi - I heard the book was good.
Men in Black 3 - This will probably suck but like an idiot, I'll probably end up seeing it.
Project X - I could see this being a really bad movie but it's going to be downright huge and I'm sure I'll see it.
Prometheus - I haven't heard much about this but Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner) is returning to sci-fi and there's a talented cast including Michael Fassbender, the most underrated actor out there. Could be good.
The Raven - I hate how no one has been able to directly adapt Poe to the big screen; they always have to make Edgar Allan Poe a part of the plot. Here, he's a character, called in to investigate murders that appear to mimic his literature. Not sure if it'll be good or bad. Unfortunately, John Cusack is in it, though he does look like Poe.

Movies I definitely want to see:

1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - At this point, Jackson is a pro at adapting Tolkien to the big screen and I'm sure it'll be a visual treat. I just don't know if it will have the thematic power that the Lord of the Rings films did.
2. Titanic 3D - It's one of my favorite films of all time and I'll finally be able to see it on the big screen. The 3D is an afterthought for me.
3. The Great Gatsby - Baz Luhrman's unique directing style is baffling as hell and I can't say I like it, but it certainly makes films interesting. However, this is one of the great works of American literature and I can see DiCaprio doing a great job in the title role.
4. Skyfall - This is the newest James Bond movie and I thought the last one was mediocre, so why do I want to see this one? Sam Mendes is directing and he's quite talented. American Beauty and Road to Perdition were some of the best directed films of the last 15 years. And the cast is outstanding, too, adding Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes. But God, I'm sick of seeing Judi Dench in these movies.
5. Finding Nemo 3D - Hey this is a great movie and I could see this being great in 3D with all its vibrant colors.
6. Rock of Ages - I know very little about it but I love classic rock and the play is supposed to be great.
7. Les Miserables - Hopefully I'll read the epic novel before the film comes out. The story is as great as literature or theater have to offer, and the cast looks mighty good. Also, it's directed by Tom Hooper, who did The King's Speech.
8. Gangster Squad - It might be just your basic crime film, but the cast makes me think it won't be.
9. The Hunger Games - Everyone else wants to see this and I admittedly don't know much about it. But Jennifer Lawrence is one of the best young talents out there.
10. Premium Rush - Written and directed by a man from my hometown, this may or may not be a good movie. It could be bad, I don't know. But the plot of an everyman bike rider being chased by a dirty cop could be interesting.
11. Brave - A Scottish film with the word "Brave" in the title. Whether or not that sounds familiar, this looks like it will be the best animated film of the year.
12. The Dictator - This looks very funny. To my knowledge, it's just a straight-up comedy, not a mockumentary. I'm curious to see how this turns out.
13. The Avengers - Another movie everyone else is going to see. It's been built up for years and by now, I'm sick of superhero movies but nobody else seems to be. If nothing else, there's Scarlett Johansson.