2012 in lights, cameras and popcorn

All descriptions are from IMDB.

• The Woman In Black (horror/ thriller) – Based on a novel, a young lawyer travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals. — I’m curious how Daniel Radcliffe will do after Harry Potter.
• Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (action/ comedy/ horror) - 15 years after their traumatic gingerbread-house incident, siblings Hansel and Gretel have become a formidable team of bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world. — I just love deconstructed fairytales – and this one stars Jeremy Renner and Peter Stormare.
• Being Flynn (comedy/ drama) - Working in a Boston homeless shelter, Nick Flynn re-encounters his father, a con man and self-proclaimed poet. Sensing trouble in his own life, Nick wrestles with the notion of reaching out yet again to his dad. — I think Paul Dano is one of the most underrated young actors, and this is his chance to show what he can really do because Robert De Niro and Julianne Moore are also in this movie.
• Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie (comedy) - Two guys get a billion dollars to make a movie, only to watch their dream run off course. In order to make the money back, they then attempt to revitalize a failing shopping mall. — Now how can you not expect a good laugh with that movie poster? Oh, and John C. Reilly stars in it too.

• John Carter (action/ adventure/ fantasy) - Transplanted to Mars, a Civil War vet discovers a lush planet inhabited by 12-foot tall barbarians. Finding himself a prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter a princess who is in desperate need of a savior. — Don’t really care about his movie, except that Taylor Kitsch and his long hair are in it.
• The Raven (thriller) - A fictionalized account of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe’s life, in which the poet pursues a serial killer whose murders mirror those in the writer’s stories. — John Cusack as Poe. And I love the poster.

• Mirror Mirror (adventure/ comedy/ drama) - An evil queen steals control of a kingdom and an exiled princess enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright. — Directed by Tarsem Singh, this is a sure visual stunner. I’m thinking Julia Roberts would be brilliant as the Evil Queen. And Lily Collins makes one lovely Snow White.
• American Reunion (comedy/ romance) - Jim, Michelle, Stifler, and their friends reunite in East Great Falls, Michigan for their high school reunion. — Watched the trailer and it is hilarious, as usual:

• Safe (action/ crime/ thriller) - A former elite agent takes on a two-tier mission: rescue a Chinese girl who’s been abducted by the Triads, then use a safe combination to outwit the Russian Mafia, corrupt NYC officials, and the Triads themselves. — Jason Statham. ‘Nuf said.
• The Avengers (action/ adventure/ sci-fi) - The S.H.I.E.L.D. agency brings together a team of superhumans to help save the Earth from annihilation by extraterrestrial invaders. — Oh. My. God. We’ve been waiting for this movie for ages.
• Dark Shadows (drama/ horror/ mystery) - 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. — Directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. How can anyone not watch this? Also starring in this movie are Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer and Chloe Grace Moretz.
• Haywire (action/ thriller) - A black ops super soldier seeks payback after she is betrayed and set up during a mission. — Now, a Hollywood movie with a girl who really knows how to fight. It’s interesting that Steven Soderbergh picked Gina Carano, a Muay Thai and MMA fighter. The rest of the cast is also impressive  with Antonio Banderas, Ewan McGregor and Michael Douglas in the line up.
• Coriolanus (drama/ thriller) - A banished hero of Rome allies with a sworn enemy to take his revenge on the city. — Although the poster is not that impressive, it has Ralph Fiennes and Gerard Butler.

• We Need To Talk About Kevin (drama/ thriller) - The mother of a teenage boy who went on a high-school killing spree tries to deal with her grief – and feelings of responsibility for her child’s actions. — I’ve wanted to see this since reading about it in the Guardian, and I love both Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly.
• Rampart (action. crime/ drama) - Set in 1999 Los Angeles, veteran police officer Dave Brown, the last of the renegade cops, works to take care of his family, and struggles for his own survival. — Steve Buscemi makes it worth watching.
• Snow White and the Huntsman (action/ adventure/ drama) - In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen. — As much as I love deconstructions, I already know this movie will suck. However, I still want to watch this just to compare it with Mirror Mirror.
• Prometheus (action/ horror/ sci-fi) - A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race. — Man, the hype for this movie is off the charts (in the nerd sites I visit).
• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (fantasy/ horror/ thriller) - President Lincoln’s mother is killed by a supernatural creature, which fuels his passion to crush vampires and their slave-owning helpers. — I don’t know anything about Lincoln, but the poster looks awesome. And Ramona Flowers is in it.

• The Amazing Spider-Man (action/ adventure/ thriller) - Teenager Peter Parker grapples with both human problems and amazing super-human crises. — This reboot looks promising. The cast looks great (I love both Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield), and it’s directed by Marc Webb, the man who did (500) Days of Summer.
• The Dark Knight Rises (action/ crime/ drama) - 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. — IT’S GODDAMN BATMAN. Feast your eyes on the trailer:

• The Bourne Legacy (action/ adventure/ thriller) - A story centered on a new CIA operative in the universe based on Robert Ludlum’s novels. — Although Matt Damon will no longer be in this one, Jeremy Renner is the new protagonist (NOT as Jason Bourne though). Edward Norton is also in the movie.
• Total Recall (action/ sci-fi/ adventure) - As the nation states Euromerica and New Shanghai vie for supremacy, a factory worker (Farrell) begins to suspect that he’s a spy, though he is unaware which side of the fight he’s on. — The cast is weird (Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Ethan Hawke, John Cho), so I’m not sure how this remake would turn out. Anyway, I still think it’s worth a look.
• The Expendables 2 (action/ adventure/ thriller) - Mr. Church reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat. — All your favorite action stars in one movie. You really can’t ask for more testosterone.

• Dredd (action/ sci-fi) - In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO.
• Looper (action/ sci-fi) - A killer who works for the mob of the future recognizes one of his targets as his future self. — Joseph Gordon-Levitt!!!
• Frankenweenie (animation/ comedy/ horror) - Young Victor conducts a science experiment to bring his beloved dog Sparky back to life, only to face unintended, sometimes monstrous, consequences. — This animated film brings back another classic combination: Tim Burton and Winona Ryder.
• Skyfall (action/ adventure/ thriller) - Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. — Yes, it’s another Bond film, with Ralph Fiennes and Javier Bardem in the cast this time. And I love the minimalist poster.

Looking forward to 2012 already.